Scripture Sunday: Learning from the Widows

1 Kings 17:8-16
8 Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 9 "Go now to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there, for I have commanded a widow there to feed you."
10 So he set out and went to Zarephath. When he came to the gate of the town, a widow was there gathering sticks; he called to her and said, "Bring me a little water in a vessel, so that I may drink."
11 As she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, "Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand."
12 But she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks so that I may go home and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die."
13 Elijah said to her, "Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said, but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the LORD the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the LORD sends rain on the earth."
15 She went and did as Elijah said, so that she as well as he and her household ate for many days. 16 The jar of meal was not emptied, neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by Elijah.

Mark 12:38-44
​38 As he taught, he said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces 39 and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! 40 They devour widows' houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation."
41 He sat down opposite the treasury and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. 43 Then he called his disciples and said to them, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. 44 For all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on."

​The land is so dry that it can no longer produce wheat or olives. When the land suffers, the people suffer as well—usually the poor first. In this story, it is the widow and her son who feel the brunt of it. This situation raises many questions: Why is the land so dry? Why is Elijah sent to get help from a widow who isn’t an Israelite? Or help from a poor person during a famine? And why doesn’t God make it rain?

In 1 Kings 16:29-34, we learn about King Ahab, who "did more to arouse the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him." He worships other gods and considers building Jericho worth the life of his firstborn son. Later, in chapter 18, we read that he kills prophets, destroys God’s altars, and establishes Baal and Asherah as the nation's religious figures. Ahab not only leads himself astray but also leads Israel into sin. We see further evidence of his corruption in 1 Kings 21, where he murders an innocent man, Naboth, to seize his vineyard. It seems the drought was a consequence of Ahab’s sin (1 Kings 17:1). But why must everyone  suffer because of some people’s actions?

During the drought, Elijah is fed first by ravens and then by a widow—both unlikely sources of sustenance. As the story tells us, the widow and her son were on the brink of starvation, preparing their final meal. Yet, she still offers Elijah water and places her trust in the Lord. She surprises us, even though she isn’t an Israelite, she gives all she has to this stranger who is hungry and thirsty, following the law of Moses. She knows the law when King Ahab does not. Her faith is remarkable, and God honors it by miraculously providing food for all three of them until the drought ends.

In the Gospel reading, we meet another widow who gives all she has to God, doing so silently and in full faith, with no expectation of reward from the people around her. This contrasts sharply with the scribes who flaunt their wealth and generosity while neglecting the poor. The scribes give to God out of their abundance; their giving doesn’t require real sacrifice. But the widow offers her entire livelihood. She is another widow who surprises us, she is the example of faith and the law over the scribes who study the law all day. 

What does acting like these widows look like for creation justice, especially when the president-elect has called climate change “a hoax” and, during his most recent campaign, promised to expand fossil fuel production, roll back environmental protections, and stop federal support for clean energy? Why must the drought come upon everyone?

The widows teach us what it means to trust God, regardless of who is in power or who else might be providing for them. We learn that, after some time, the widow of Zarephath’s son dies, and Elijah raises him from the dead. But beyond that, we don’t know how her story ends—or the end of the story for the widow in Mark. Did God continue to provide for them? The stories leave us wondering: how did the widow in Mark live after giving away all she had? Their stories remind us that our call is to be faithful, regardless of the outcome. The focus of these stories isn’t the end result, but the honoring of these two poor, faithful widows as examples for us. We don’t know their names, yet their stories endure, with Jesus himself recalling the widow of Zarephath (Luke 4:26), and with us still speaking of both of them today. We have hope that “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them” (Heb 6:10).

These widows, as leaders in the faith, offer us an image of what it looks like to be faithful. The widow with Elijah shows generosity to a stranger even when she does not have food for herself or her son, trusting that God will fulfill the promise to sustain them until the end of the drought. We, too, have been promised that God desires God’s kingdom on earth, a place where the poor are cared for, where everyone has enough to eat, and where creation flourishes. The widows show us that what often feels small can make a big impact. They teach us what it means to give our whole selves to God and to others– not to the point of burnout or self-neglect, but understanding that working for change often requires sacrifices that may be uncomfortable, that may challenge us, or that may require financial generosity that leaves us in a place of trust. They help us understand what it means to live in God’s economy.

Both of these widows were seen by God and by God’s people, giving us hope when we come together in faith. And both widows trusted God for their daily bread, bread that comes from the earth. May we, too, be open to the ways God can surprise us as we pray:

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,
now and forever. Amen.



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Caroline Hiler is a Seminary Intern at Creation Justice Ministries