Monday Devotional: The Poor Widow's Offering (Mark 12:38-44)
God does not see as we see.
As he taught, he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”
He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on” (Mark 12:38-44).
God does not see as we see. In our unredeemed state, God’s values are not our values. As we learn to follow Jesus in faith, we will begin to see the world in a different way. We will realize that the things we once thought were important aren’t so important anymore. And we may well find beauty, goodness, and truth in the most unexpected places.
These two passages are mutually interpretive. The first involves another condemnation of the scribes. In the passage just before this one (12:35-37), Jesus criticizes the scribes for their faulty understanding of messiahship. Now he criticizes them for their love of honor and their greed. Honor was a big deal in the ancient Mediterranean world. It was closely related to status. A wide body of literature explores honor and shame in the ancient Mediterranean world, and, as one would expect, scholars sometimes disagree with one another. A basic consensus, however, is that honor in the context of the New Testament world is closely related to public opinion, and especially the opinion of one’s “in-group” (family, close associates). When people greeted the scribes in public and treated them with respect in the marketplaces, these were signs of honor. The wearing of long robes would mark off the scribes as people deserving of honor. Likewise, to sit in the best seats in the synagogues and at banquets would signify their high status.
All of this honor-seeking would be enough to draw Jesus’ criticism. In chapter 9 he taught his disciples, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all” (9:35). He reinforced this teaching in chapter 10: “Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all” (10:44). The way to gain honor among Jesus’ followers is by serving and putting others first. This is not the way of the world. You can adopt Jesus’ values or you can succumb to those of the world that does not follow him, but you cannot hold to both at the same time. They are in conflict.
The scribes, however, are guilty of more than pandering for public honor. “They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers.” Widows were among the most vulnerable members of society. Scribes—experts on the law—might be called upon to help with the estates of widows. In the process, there would be opportunities for them to exploit the widows for their own gain. Moreover, the scribes pray at length not out of devotion to God, but to give the appearance of piety. This brings us back to honor. They care more about what people think of them than the sincerity of their words before God. In essence, they are hypocrites. For these sins, Jesus says, they will receive “the greater condemnation.”
By contrast, a poor widow comes into the temple and gives two small copper coins called lepta, the smallest coins in circulation. Their monetary value is almost nothing, yet in giving them the widow demonstrates true devotion to God. She has given all she had. in fact, a literal rendering of the Greek is that she gave “her whole life.” She wishes to serve God more than to provide for her next meal. Besides Jesus, no one applauds her for this effort. She gains no status, no esteem, no earthly reward. Her motivations contrast sharply with those of the scribes. Jesus looks at what is within a person’s heart. He teaches this in chapter 7:
“Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile, since it enters, not the heart but the stomach, and goes out into the sewer?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) And he said, “It is what comes out of a person that defiles. For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person” (7:18-23).
Jesus does not see the world as we see it. His values are not commonplace human values. He is not concerned with outward appearances but inward devotion that manifests in righteous living. He wants his followers to be not simply observant, but pure of heart. The scribes are indeed observant, but their motivations are selfish and destructive. The widow, on the other hand, acts out of total devotion. Most people would not see her as a particularly “important” person, but Jesus lifts her up as a model of service to God.
Prayer: God, teach me to see as you see. Conform the desires of my heart to your heart. Teach me to love the way you love and to live in keeping with your will.
Questions:
What are some things that draw us away from God and into ourselves?
Who are the people in our communities who get very little attention, yet act consistently in ways that honor God?
How does our redemption in Christ change the way we see the world?
The Catholic Bible Quarterly 1982 , Vol 44 has an article written by A Wright in which the context of devouring scribes should be the leading indicator in our interpretation of the widows offering. The widows offering is an example of the devouring scribes. Through her giving she is devoured . The scribes are content and care nothing about how she is to live. Jesus gives an example .