Nothing’s Changed for 2000 Years

Found a Baylor University survey on USA Today. Read it here. There were various statistics that were mentioned but one stuck out to me below:

Widows and widowers are some of the biggest tithers, with 17.6% giving 10% or more of their income to the church, compared to 8.6% of non-widowed people.

Of course, the heretical tithing burden is not the focus here. It is irrelevant under the grace of freewill giving in the New Testament. But this reminds me of the corresponding biblical passage.

Mark12:41-44
Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.”

Now there could be a number of reasons why widows are still giving more than everyone else. One, could be that they have a huge life insurance inheritance. Two, could be the depression that they have no one to spend their money with any more, so why not just give it away. One thing is for certain, their purposes in life have evolved into something greater than themselves.

Thousands of years later, and the widow with two mites is still a relevant example for us today. Either way, we can say for certain that these statistics just prove that nothing’s changed for the past 2000 years.