Mark 12:41-44

How utterly different in tone are the next recorded words of Jesus! When Jesus faced evil and corruption, he was outspoken and indignant. When he saw evidence of true piety and devotion, he was genuinely sympathetic and appreciative.

Sitting in the precincts of the Temple, he was in plain view of one of the thirteen receptacles that were placed here and there to receive the offerings of the people. He had noticed several individuals dropping in their offerings. Men of obvious means and affluence deposited sizable sums; though, indeed, some such men may have given a mere pittance.

Eventually, there appeared a woman (probably in the court of the women) whose drab attire proclaimed her to be a widow. By all standards, she might very well have been excused altogether from making an offering. Yet into the box she dropped two copper coins, the combined value of which was less than one cent!

She gave least of all? Not so, Jesus said, I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything - all she had to live on (Mark 12:43-44).

Here we have Jesus's statements as to the standard by which men should measure their gifts to the Lord. It is not, primarily, the amount of the gift that earns our Lord's approval, but the spirit of the giver and the extent to which the element of sacrifice is involved.

We know from the opening statement in chapter 13 that the disciples were about to express their admiration for the beauty of the Temple; Jesus pointed out the beauty of an act of devotion. The disciples were, no doubt, looking at the amount of he gifts; Jesus looked at the liberality of a heart. Of course there is beauty and liberality in the large gifts of the rich when such gifts come from devoted hearts. The Master is pleased with such consecrated offerings, but it seems as if his special tenderness is felt for the cheerful giving which wells up from the overflow of grateful, adoring spirits, of whom it can be said the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty have abounded into the riches of their liberality (2 Corinthians 8:2)

Jesus came to the close of a very busy day. All day long he had striven with his opponents with only two bright spots to relieve the tension of the conflict&nbsp- the one, an earnest inquirer; the other, a generous giver. As the day ended, Jesus left the Temple with the twelve, terminating his last public ministry in Jerusalem. He would next return to the upper room for the last supper with his disciples and then to Gethsemane and a night of trials, and then on to the cross.