Jesus and Noticing Details

As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins.
"Truly I tell you," he said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on."
Luke 21v1-4 [TNIV]

Depending on what your motives are for doing good, it can be rather unnerving or encouraging that Jesus notices the details of our hearts and actions. Crowds of people are not sufficient distraction for Jesus to miss the significance of your decision. There is nowhere to hide from the observant glance of Jesus - he will notice everything. Again, this can be a refreshing reminder or another cause for guilt.

The Temple served as a bank as well as a worship center. Because it was believed that the Presence of God dwelled in the Holy of Holies - a closed off, small room in the back of the worship area, it was believed that the Temple was also the safest place for valuables - like money. There is only one Temple of YHWH, thus one central bank. So people would go to the Temple to deposit money, or to make an offering to God. It was probably pretty easy for some confusion to ensue about what made the Temple valuable.

Jesus spent a lot of time at the Temple once he arrived in Jerusalem - teaching, healing, being with people. It didn't take long to see patterns emerge - what kind of people showing up at what time of day saying/doing certain kinds of things, depositing/offering various amounts of money. I'm sure Jesus recognized some of the people - many who may have encountered him as he traveled from Galilee south to the Holy City. And in this little story, Jesus reveals that he knows much more than others realize he knows. And that Jesus notices far more than others notice. And so must God...

Don't judge how valuable your gift is to God and others; don't ponder how valuable you think someone else's gift is. Only God knows how generous and sacrificial and significant is each gift, for only God knows our hearts and motives. Don't delay or deny yourself the opportunity to serve, give, offer, be with someone just because you feel like it's not "big" enough. And don't go patting yourself on the back when you make what you think is a big contribution to something... you might be surprised at how overinflated your sense of value is to the project.

Jesus notices the widow - a woman likely enmeshed in a life of harsh survival, daily scraping by, and yet she exudes a trust in the provision of God. Jesus notices a landowner - a man likely pursuing an extravagant life of social-climbing and honor-seeking. And his gift is a calculated one - out of all his wealth he gives in accordance with his strategy to ascend the ladder of power within the city.

His gift is all about him. Her gift is all she had. What about your gifts?

What would Jesus notice about your gifts? What would he say about your motives?
What details would he notice about your choices?