Tom Last Christmas, we wrote about the true meaning of Christmas; touching on the evidence that Jesus really lived and why the bible is indeed trustworthy. This Christmas, we will be turning our attention to The Widow’s Offering and why her actions actually point to Jesus’ birth and sacrifice on the cross. Then, we’ll be sharing our favourite song this Christmas – 能不能 (Let me stay) by 讚美之泉 (Stream of Praise Music)
Context to the Passage in Mark 12:41-43
The Widow’s Offering
41 And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. 43 And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. 44 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
God’s temple became a marketplace. To give a little bit of context, in the preceding passages, Jesus had arrived at Jerusalem and He knew that His death on the cross was near. However, when he arrived in Jerusalem, He was angered that the temple had became more like a marketplace. Instead of being a place of worship, people were selling pigeons and changing money – essentially becoming more like a place of commerce (Mark 11:15-19).
Hypocritical Teachers of the Law. The Pharisees (hypocritical “legal experts”) then wanted to trap Jesus by first exalting Him (“Teacher, we know that you are true…not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God.”) then asking whether it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar. They knew that if Jesus said yes, the people would be unhappy and if Jesus said no, Jesus would be in trouble with the Romans. Jesus then wisely replied in a manner that caused them to marvel (see Mark 12:15-17):
15 But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius[d] and let me look at it.” 16 And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.” 17 Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they marveled at him.
Likewise, the Sadducees (a sect that did not believe in the supernatural), then attempted to trap Jesus again in Mark 12:18-27.
It is in this context of temple grounds being misused and the advent of false teachers – a seeming lack of goodness in that society, that Jesus pointed out the act of the widow, who gave “out of her poverty” and “has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
How Much did the Widow Really Put In?
According to the text, the widow gave “two small copper coins, which make a penny”.
This amount converts to approximately $2 in today’s currency – not a huge amount but the text does give more details. While others gave “out of their abundance”, the widow gave everything she had. This demonstrated 2 things:
Giving Up What She Had. The widow had such a deep love and faith in God that she was willing to give up everything. Does this sound familiar? Jesus, likewise, gave up heaven’s glory and came to earth to walk among us. On Christmas day some 2000 years ago, he was not born into a rich family, in fact, he was not even born at a home or a hospital but in a humble manger – a trough where animals were fed from.
The Act of Sacrifice. To put in the 2 coins, the widow had to sacrifice. She would likely not be able to even put food on the table because of her offering. Likewise, Jesus not only gave up His position in heaven, He gave up His own life and sacrificed on the cross for both you and I.
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 Corinthians 5:21
What Does This Mean To Us?
Jesus has paid the ultimate price to redeem both you and I. The price has already been paid. But are we willing to accept this gift of God? This brings us to our favourite song this Christmas – 能不能 (Let me stay) by 讚美之泉 (Stream of Praise Music)
The song speaks of such thankfulness to God’s love and sacrifice that there is no other thing more precious to be in His presence daily. There is indeed deep joy when we experience God’s love personally.
This Christmas, we hope that you too can experience God’s love for you and to be able to have true joy in your hearts that you too would want to experience His presence daily.
Blessed Christmas everyone!
