Mark 12:38-44
38 And in His teaching He was saying: “Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes, and like personal greetings in the marketplaces,
39 and seats of honor in the synagogues, and places of honor at banquets,
40 who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers. These will receive all the more condemnation.”
41 And Jesus sat down opposite the treasury, and began watching how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large amounts.
42 And a poor widow came and put in two lepta coins, which amount to a quadrans.
43 Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury;
44 for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.”
Hypocrisy or Truth
Warning to the scribes
In today’s passage, hypocrisy is contrasted with genuine faith. Let’s first look at the teaching concerning the hypocrisy of the scribes and learn from their mistake. (1) They were more concerned with how they appeared to people than how they stood before God. Phrases such as “long robes,” and “seats of honor in the synagogues, and places of honor at banquets” illustrate this. (2) They were controlled by a spirit of greed and as written, they “devour widows’ houses.” (3) They covered themselves with fake piety, as it says, “for appearance’s sake offer long prayers.” These are three mistakes we, too, can easily fall into. Let’s take the warning to the scribes as warning to us also and ask the Holy Spirit to search our hearts today.
The faith of a poor widow
Next is an example of genuine faith. Jesus observed people making offerings. In a place called the Court of Women, there were thirteen trumpet-shaped offering boxes, each designated for a specific use, which were indicated on each box. At this place, a widow approached. In Judea at that time, it was extremely difficult for widows to make a living. The term “widow” itself often signified extreme poverty. Such widow placed two lepta copper coins (the smallest unit of currency), in the offering box. In the Gospel of Mark, it’s explained for Roman (Gentile) readers that it “amounts to a quadrans.” It is said that the bathing fee at the time at Roman public baths were one quadrans, so we can make a rough estimate of how much the coins are worth. Some biblical commentators argue that two lepta were the smallest amount accepted as an offering. Jesus provided a different evaluation, separate from human judgment, saying, “This poor widow has put in more than all the contributors to the treasury.” Jesus focused not on the amount given but on what remained after the offering. From that perspective, the widow’s offering becomes the most sacrificial. How do you think your life appears in the eyes of Jesus? Today, let’s aim to live a life that would be appreciated by Jesus.
Today's prayer
Father God of Jesus Christ, please give me the faith of the poor widow. I pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.