Mark 12:38 In His teaching He was saying: “Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes, and like respectful greetings in the market places, 39 and chief seats 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 greater condemnation.”Mark 12:41 And He sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums. 42 A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent. 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.”
Here at the end of Mark 12, Jesus warns (Beware!) of religious leaders who are all about themselves, so much so that “they devour widows’ houses.” He then moves on to observe and commend a poor widow who comes to the temple. As part of her worship, she contributes to the treasury.
The description of the religious leaders focuses not on what they give, but on what they receive. It is their own focus. They want to receive “respectful greetings;” they want to be recognized with seats of honor; they want to accumulate; they want to be noticed. This can happen in the lives of many who are not so-called “religious leaders.” Many of us want to be respected, and we react negatively when we perceive being slighted. Many of us desire to be honored, and are often quick to judge those who are honored before us, or, to judge those doing the honoring. Many of us want more, and just a little bit more.
It would be easiest, in seeking to apply this passage, to purpose to curtail the receiving in our lives, and to expand the giving. If that’s the lesson, we can all do a little bit better. But that’s not how the passage works out, because Jesus does not here commend incremental improvement; He commends a stark contrast: “a poor widow.”
She “put in(to the treasury) two small copper coins, which amount to a cent.” That’s not going to add up very fast. It will not pay the utility bills on the building. But Jesus says, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury.” Obviously, Jesus is using a different standard of measure than monetary. He is measuring hearts. And her heart is larger.
Jesus explains, “for they (the ‘receivers’) all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.”
One more point - a bit of conjecture. She didn’t lug her house into the temple and throw it into the treasury. She put coins in. She didn’t put in the price that she received when she sold her house. Did she really put in all that she owned? Well, perhaps this is one of those widows whose house has been “devoured” by the religious leaders, you know, for the good of the ministry. Maybe she had lost her house to these old goats, and she had only two coins left.
In which case, it amazes us all the more that she still, having been robbed by the men who run the temple, is still willing to come into the temple and worship. It seems that her worship of God is so sincere that the bad behavior of religious leaders does not get in the way; and her trust in God is so pure, that being wronged does not disrupt her faith in Him.
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