More Than They All

Prior to sharing a number of the sign of the times which will be fulfilled before His Second Coming in Luke 21, Jesus points out to his disciples a certain poor widow who of her poverty, "cast in all the living that she had" (see Luke 21:4). In Matthew, in the chapter prior to the Savior's teachings of these signs, Jesus points out the wickedness and hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees (see Matthew 23). In pondering on these two vastly different people, I find that what the Savior is teaching is the same. 

When speaking to the blind Pharisees, he tells them to "cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also" (see Matthew 23:26). These Pharisees in some ways could be likened to the rich, who cast in of their abundance (see Luke 21:4). 

In Mark 12, what Jesus says to His disciples is worded a bit different than what is written in Luke, "for all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast all that she had" (Mark 12:44) From the footnotes we learn the abundance is treasure and that want refers to will, "they were willing of themselves...that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which ye have. For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not (2 Corinthians 8: 3, 11-12).

The scriptures teach us that God created all things and that all things are Gods (see Genesis 1:1 and Psalm 24:1). We even are told that we have nothing, and it is the Lord that giveth and taketh away (see Job 1:21). There is however one gift that God has given that He cannot take from us, our agency, or our will. This is the only thing we have or will ever have to give.

I think what Jesus is pointing out in both teachings is that our offering of agency, our will to His, is very small when compared to what God can give, all the treasures of the earth. However, when we are willing to give Him our will, we are literally giving Him our all. If we are giving what appears to be more than, then we are like the Pharisees or the rich who give of their "abundance," that outward appearance of what we think it looks like to give our all. 

To give our all, we must come before the Lord as Mormon describes, with meekness and lowliness of heart, otherwise our offering will be in vain, and we will be like the Pharisees whose insides "are full of extortion and excess (see Mormon 7:43-44 and Matthew 23:25). This humility and submission to God's will, a broken heart and contrite spirit, are our two mites, it is "all that [we have], even all [our] living," and that is all He has ever asked for (Mark 12:44; see also Psalm 51:17 and 3 Nephi 9:20).