King James Bible
"And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:"
Jesus introduces his teaching with a solemn declaration formula, emphasizing the authoritative and counter-intuitive nature of what follows. This phrase signals that Jesus is about to reveal a divine perspective that contradicts human assumptions about value and worth. Jesus specifically identifies the woman's dual vulnerability—both widowed and impoverished—representing the most marginalized in Jewish society. In the temple context where wealthy donors displayed their gifts publicly, her presence would have been easily overlooked by others. Jesus paradoxically declares her two small coins exceed all other contributions combined, establishing God's economy where sacrificial giving from poverty outweighs abundant giving from surplus. This reversal judges the temple system that measures worth by external appearance rather than heart condition.