This morning I was reading through Mark’s Gospel and the following verses got me thinking - Mark 12:41-44 NIV:
[41] “Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. [42] But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.”
[43] “Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. [44] They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”
A couple of thoughts came to mind as I sat thinking about these verses:
Why was Jesus watching what people put into the offering box?
How did He know she was a widow?
What did He do afterwards?
I like to push the boundaries of the text, to try and really understand the heart of the Lord in such an unusual topic.
First, each of the synoptic Gospel’s contain this story, so it should be considered as significant. The fact that the Apostles and followers of Jesus remembered this incident many years late when they were writing the Gospels shows us that this one moment was worth remembering.
I have heard several sermons talking about the faith of the woman, and that is quite obviously the key point here, her faith in the Lord, that He would see her and care for her.
Which brings me to the first question, what was Jesus doing watching people give? One wonders if the Father had directed Him to do so, knowing that this widow would come and give everything she had? We know that everything Jesus said and did was at the Father’s direction, so we can assume this is indeed the case.
We know the Lord is aware of us intimately, knows everything we have done, every word we have spoken (PS 139). The Father knew what the woman was thinking, knew her silent prayer, and had His son take notice. Another way to say it is that Father sees us and knows exactly where we are and what we are thinking and reacts to us!
Have you ever just noticed someone for no reason, but your attention is drawn to them and You can observe something about them that you wouldn’t have noticed, if you hadn’t been paying attention? Do you think that maybe this is a quiet nudge of the Father, asking You to get involved somehow? Imagine if we allowed ourselves to be so directed by the Lord, allowed ourselves to be interrupted, and took action when we felt that nudge? I know there have been many times that someone has been there in my life at the right time, and I do credit the Lord with those “circumstances”. In fact I like to say “Circumstance is the Lord’s middle name”!
Which leads me to the second question, how did Jesus know she was a widow? I am not sure if widows wore different clothes, I do know that the Jewish people had specific rites and apparel for certain events, and widows would dress in such a way during their time (a prescribed timeframe) of mourning. This could have been the case, but I do think that Jesus knew because the Father told Him, through the Holy Spirit. Jesus clearly operated in all the gifts of the Spirit, Prophecy and Words of Knowledge are two such gifts. The Lord can tell others about your secret thoughts, and Paul writes about this in 1 Cor 14. Regardless of how Jesus knew, it was an important point, for there was no one to help her, and that fact, that she was trusting God was key to this story.
Finally, the third question remains, what did Jesus do afterwards? This question has no answer in scripture. This is the last mention of a widow in all three Gospels, so we must consider the character of Jesus, and the revelation of the Father’s heart that He provides to us. As I wrote before He did what the father told him to do, and said what the Father told Him to say (see John 5:19 and John 12:49). We know from the Old Testament that the Lord cares for widows and orphans. I am quite sure the widow was aware of the many verses (39 in the NIV) that described the Lord’s care for the widows. I like the following verses - Psalm 68:4-6a NIV:
[4] “Sing to God, sing in praise of his name, extol him who rides on the clouds; rejoice before him—his name is the LORD. [5] A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. [6] God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing;”
He reveals Himself in the Old Testament as a defender of widows, and has many commands about caring for widows. If Jesus was here in part to show us the father, than we must believe that He would have cared for this widow that He encountered! We don’t know what He did, but I am very convinced that He did something, to care for her!
Again, going back a few paragraphs, have you ever had the opportunity to be the one who meets someone’s needs? Have you ever had the chance to bless someone, to care someone, to be the shoulder for someone to cry on, to provide for someone when they needed care? This is what we are invited to do as members of the Body of Christ. We know that in the first church that people cared so well for one another that no one was needy among them (see Acts 4:34).
My prayer this morning is that I might be able to be so attentive to the “nudges” of the Holy Spirit, that I might be able to minister even as Jesus ministered. He clearly saw, understood, and I believe He acted!! Oh that I might have my heart softened to be able to do the same! I pray that he might open my eyes to the needs of those around me, and that I might listen and do what He tells me to do, trusting that He will care for me in the exact same way!
Amen and Amen!
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