The widow's mistaken offering?

The passage (Mark 12:41–44) about the poor widow who put “everything she had” in the temple treasury was among the lectionary readings a few weeks ago, and it’s a frequent text for stewardship sermons. The example of the widow’s generosity seems clear enough, and it’s part of the church’s standard repertoire about sacrificial giving. 

But Fergus Kerr suggests that the story is about not generosity but exploitation. 

Kerr, a Dominican theologian and author of the influential book Theology after Wittgenstein, edits the New Blackfriars theology journal. He often contributes a lead essay, a short piece titled simply “Comment.” These brief essays are invariably delightful theological excursions, often occasioned by the passing of a fellow Dominican, the anniversary of a major philosopher, or something else that crossed his scholarly mind.