The Humble Widow's Mite Coin

In Mark 12:42, Jesus watched with His disciples as a poor widow cast two mites into the treasury. In the original Greek, the word translated as mites is lepton. These coins were struck during the time of the Hasmonean ruler of ancient Israel, Alexander Jannaeus.

According to the Mishna, the collection of Jewish learning and commentary on the Bible, the lepton was the smallest Jewish coin. The Gospel of Mark gives us the information that the two leptons were worth the same as a quadrans, which was the smallest Roman coin. 

At the time of Mark’s writing, a lepton was worth 1/64 of a denarius. A denarius was the average daily wage for a worker during that time. Scholars believe that the lepton may have been the lowest denomination coin struck in history!

These humble coins are frequent finds in archeological digs in the land of the Bible. At Zak’s Jerusalem Gifts, you can purchase one of these examples of Bible history for yourself.

You can choose a single coin, or if you prefer, you can choose a coin that is set into a ring or necklace. These pieces of jewelry are works of art, in and of themselves. They are designed to showcase the widow's mite coin and the Bible story it tells.

As you wear it, you can meditate on the example of the poor widow and her willingness to give. The jewelry will attract the attention of other people so you will be presented with many chances to share the story of Jesus.