The poor widow Christ observed in the temple treasury, contrasted with the wealthy donors. Mark 12:41-44 and Luke 21:1-4: And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing... Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all: For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had. Christ's evaluation of giving is by proportion to means, not by absolute amount. The wealthy gave out of their surplus; the widow gave out of her poverty — and Christ counted hers the greater gift. The two mites (Greek lepta, the smallest copper coins in circulation) together made about one-quarter of a Roman penny. The widow's gift is the biblical paradigm of sacrificial generosity: not how much was given but how much was kept. Her imitation is the Christian standard.