Mark 12:41-44 41And after sitting down opposite the treasury box, he watched the crowd putting money into the offering box. And many rich people put in large amounts. 42And after coming, a poor widow put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. 43And after calling his disciples he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more in the offering box than all the others. 44For they all gave out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in everything she had, all her life.”
The disciples were in for some hard lessons during this last week. The worldview of the typical Jew was being turned over. Jesus had just condemned the hypocrisy of the scribes. The next story stands in sharp contrast to haughtiness of the religious leaders. The treasure box was where people deposited their offerings. The Jerusalem temple served as the repository of Jewish wealth. The collection boxes were located in the Court of Women, where women and children were allowed to enter. Jesus and the disciples were watching everything going on and the many wealthy people putting in their money.
Along came a poor widow with two of the smallest coins in circulation called lepta. These coins were very small and made of copper worth one hundredth of a denarius, which was a day’s wage. A denarius was half the value of the half-shekel temple tax, so this woman’s offering was far from what was expected for those who visited the temple. Her small pittance could not even come close to being compared to the offerings given by the wealthy of silver and gold. A penny was the smallest Roman coin called a quadrans.
The disciples must have been shocked at Jesus’ next words. What he said has a sense of importance with the word truly (amēn). He was teaching them an important lesson about commitment. The widow gave everything she had in the offering, which showed that she trusted in God to take care of her daily needs. Widows at that time had only family to help them. Many were left destitute when their husbands died
The amount of the gift does not matter but the motive of the heart, not the amount given but what it cost the person to give. Her offering would make no difference in the great wealth of the temple, but God saw her sacrifice. Her insignificant offering would make a huge impact on God’s kingdom. She was considered the last and the least in society, as compared to the scribes who were the first and greatest. But God’s kingdom is different. What matter in this eternal kingdom are commitment and trust. This widow was a great example of the level of commitment Jesus was seeking in his disciples and is looking for in all who hear and accept the call to follow him. The disciples had left everything to follow Jesus (10:28), but were they willing to put their full trust in him? The following days would be their ultimate test.
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