Latest / (Un) Common thoughts of Christ / What the Lord saw in the un-named Widow (Mark 12)
Transcript
- 0:00Bernard: In a world filled with outward religion, public display, and spiritual decline, the Lord Jesus paused to notice something almost no one else would have seen a poor widow quietly giving two small coins.
- 0:13Bernard: And what appeared small before men became exceedingly precious in the eyes of Christ.
- 0:18Bernard: In the gospel of Mark, chapter 12, and end of the chapter we read:“And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.
- 0:32Bernard: And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.
- 0:38Bernard: And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.” Luke’s account adds these words in chapter 21:“For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.” There is something deeply searching in this scene.
- 1:14Bernard: The Lord Jesus is sitting“over against the treasury.” He is not beside it collecting funds.
- 1:19Bernard: He is not announcing Himself publicly.
- 1:21Bernard: He is observing.
- 1:23Bernard: And scripture says He“beheld how” the people cast in.
- 1:27Bernard: Not merely what they gave.
- 1:29Bernard: Not merely how much they gave.
- 1:31Bernard: But how they gave.
- 1:33Bernard: Heaven measures differently than earth.
- 1:36Bernard: One Bible commentator on this passage points out that God does not estimate a gift merely by its amount, but by what is held back for self.
- 1:45Bernard: The rich gave from abundance.
- 1:47Bernard: But this widow gave all her living.
- 1:49Bernard: Her act revealed faith and devotedness toward God.
- 1:53Bernard: Now we must notice the setting.
- 1:55Bernard: Just before this scene, the Lord warned about scribes who loved religious honor, chief seats, long robes, and long prayers men who“devour widows’ houses.” Then immediately, the Spirit of God presents a widow.
- 2:09Bernard: A poor widow.
- 2:11Bernard: A widow standing in the shadow of a failing religious system.
- 2:15Bernard: A widow contributing into a treasury connected with men the Lord had openly condemned.
- 2:21Bernard: And yet the Lord does not rebuke her.
- 2:24Bernard: He does not say,“Keep your money because the system is corrupt.” Instead, He calls His disciples to Himself and says, in effect:“Look at her.” That is striking.
- 2:36Bernard: The Lord could distinguish between outward corruption and inward faith.
- 2:41Bernard: Men may fail publicly.
- 2:43Bernard: Systems may decay.
- 2:44Bernard: Religion may become mixed with pride and hypocrisy.
- 2:47Bernard: Yet the Lord still sees what is real toward Himself.
- 2:51Bernard: This widow likely believed no one noticed her.
- 2:54Bernard: Two small coins would barely make a sound beside the larger gifts of wealthy men.
- 3:00Bernard: But Christ noticed.
- 3:02Bernard: Another Bible commentator makes the simple but searching observation that this was not merely“the widow’s mite.” She had two coins.
- 3:11Bernard: She could have kept one coin.
- 3:12Bernard: Just one.
- 3:14Bernard: Half would still have been generous for a woman in poverty.
- 3:18Bernard: But she withheld nothing.
- 3:20Bernard: That makes this account especially beautiful.
- 3:23Bernard: There was no outward display.
- 3:26Bernard: No attempt to be noticed.
- 3:28Bernard: No public recognition.
- 3:30Bernard: Just quiet confidence toward God.
- 3:32Bernard: And the Lord Jesus found it precious.
- 3:35Bernard: The writer of the book of Hebrews in chapter 4 states:...
- 3:40Bernard: “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” The widow may have seemed invisible to men.
- 3:53Bernard: But she was fully seen by Christ.
- 3:55Bernard: He saw the rich casting in much.
- 3:58Bernard: He saw the widow casting in little.
- 4:01Bernard: He saw the abundance.
- 4:03Bernard: He saw the sacrifice.
- 4:05Bernard: He saw what was retained.
- 4:07Bernard: He saw what was surrendered.
- 4:09Bernard: And then He called His disciples.
- 4:12Bernard: That means this poor widow became a teacher of apostles.
- 4:16Bernard: She did not preach publicly.
- 4:18Bernard: She did not write scripture.
- 4:20Bernard: She did not occupy a place of prominence.
- 4:23Bernard: But her act of faith became instruction for the disciples of the Lord Himself.
- 4:29Bernard: And nearly two thousand years later, her two coins are still speaking.
- 4:34Bernard: Another Bible commentator observed that the Lord passed by wealth that cost little, and fixed His attention on faith shining in a selfish and spiritually declining day.
- 4:45Bernard: That is deeply encouraging.
- 4:47Bernard: Faith can still shine in dark days.
- 4:50Bernard: Devotedness can still be precious to Christ when public testimony is weak.
- 4:55Bernard: The Lord still values what is real, even when surrounded by failure.
- 5:00Bernard: And perhaps this meditation reaches beyond money altogether.
- 5:04Bernard: The real question is not merely,“What have I given?” The deeper question is: What have I kept back?
- 5:12Bernard: Have I reserved some chamber of the heart for self?
- 5:16Bernard: Some hidden ambition?
- 5:18Bernard: Some untouched area never fully surrendered to Christ?
- 5:22Bernard: The widow had two coins.
- 5:24Bernard: She could have kept one hidden in her hand.
- 5:27Bernard: But faith opened the hand completely.
- 5:30Bernard: And the Lord saw it all.
- 5:32Bernard: So here is the closing question: When the Lord sits over against the treasury of our lives observing not merely what we do, but how and why we do it what does He see?