Corona Chronicles - Crown of Thorns

Welcome back to Corona Chronicles. We are now at the end of this chapter. Amazing chapter. Mark chapter 12. And we're going to have a think about the widow's offering which is such a wonderful and famous story and we pick it up in verse 41.

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the where the offerings were put and watch the crowd putting their money into the Temple Treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts, but a poor widow came and put in 2 very small copper coins worth only a few pence. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, truly I tell you 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. I don't know about you, but I I imagine a sort of NBA slam dunk competition type environment coming on here where there's like flashing lights and and they're they're lining up 1 at a time.

Yeah. There's not a crowd around the offering box. There's there's space and 1 at a time go up so that everyone can see what they're gonna do. Yeah. And then it's almost like every every Sunday or whatever, every year they try and outdo each other.

Yeah. So, you know, they're not spinning around and chucking the money behind their back, but it's it feels like something like that's going on. It's a whole show, isn't it? Just cash balls, being thrown in and, you know, you can imagine that the the size of the offerings that were just so heavy and the noise they would make because they crashed down into the treasury and -- I like round of applause. -- right round of applause.

Yeah. And, you know, back in verse 35, Jesus is teaching in the temple courts. And so, you know, he's still in this kind of area. And just the way that this is written is really interesting, isn't it? Jesus sat down and he watched.

Mhmm. Just just to imagine Jesus, you know, David's Lord. Sitting there just watching just watching what's going on and observing what's going on here. And you know, the rich people are around and I suppose it's not that there's any problem with large gifts or having money per se. But these are these are the same type of people we studied in our last session aren't they?

These are the ones who walk around in the flowing robes, length the prayers, important seats. This this giving, the the this hypocrisy extends to their giving. Does -- Yeah. -- this is for show -- Yep. -- this throwing.

I mean, nobody needs to throw in large amounts to these. So this is this is just yet another way in which their religion shows itself in their giving. Yeah. And then it's it's fantastic really. I mean, when when When a rabbi sat down, it was because they were about to teach, wasn't it?

Mhmm. Particularly in the in the temple course. Yes. So here Jesus is sitting down and his sermon begins with an illustration -- Mhmm. -- happening in front of him.

Mhmm. And he waits for it to finish and then he calls his disciples over to him. And this is just so it's so utterly counter cultural, isn't it? You would think Jesus would sit them down and go, look at look at these rich people. How phenomenal are they?

Generous. Just so generous. You know, this, you know, the roof, they were raising funds for a new roof and these people chucked in loads of money. I know. And then look at that woman.

You know, it's better if she wouldn't have come really. It's a bit embarrassing. It's a bit embarrassing. What she's gonna do is gonna pay for like a door handle or something like that. Not even that.

And you know, she's we're no better off because of her. I mean, that's the truth, isn't it? Absolutely. We actually are no better off. Yeah.

In fact, what she's done is she's taken the space of another person -- Yeah. -- who is bringing that a cap. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

She's absolutely yeah. She's slowing us down. Yeah. And and, yeah, it's the polar opposite of that, isn't it? I remember when I was speaking on this passage some while ago, the the the copper coins, I think were lepton.

Which which translates to something like shaving or peeling. Right. And because it was so small, it was like taking a potato peeler to a bit of bronze and just peeling a little curve off and And I that sort of took me up that image. And I was imagining the rich people with sacks of potatoes, you know, just chunking them in. Yeah.

And this 1 woman has got a vegetable peel like a peel. We all know what a carrot peel looks like. It's just a You know, hold it up to the light and you can see through it, can't you? So It's so inconsequential really. And yet, she she sort of feathers this vegetable peel down.

Mhmm. And worth almost nothing. And and of course, you know, this is no coincidence that it's a widow because these religious people devour widows. And they use their power to exploit them. But this this isn't this is in fact the 1 who is going to show them -- Yes.

-- what true faith is all about according to Jesus. Yeah. And how unbelievable is that, you know, praise God that he's like this -- Mhmm. -- that he's just he he is the 1 who looks straight at heart and honors the lowly. And in fact, Jesus here is doing the the thing that the pharisees should be doing.

The teach of the law should be doing. In the previous corona, we were looking at verse 40 where Jesus says, you know, the teach of the law what out for these men because they devour widows' houses. They shame and dishonor, and Jesus is is doing the complete opposite. He's honoring this woman for her heart. Yeah.

Not the outward show, which the teachers of the law have been all about. But for the inward just I mean, if you give if you have 2 shavings and that's all you have and you give them, you give because you're grateful and because you're sincere. Yeah. Absolutely. So that's so right, isn't it?

That you that that you cannot be putting that in for the sake of others because it's an embarrassment. Yeah. You know? It must be for the lord. Yeah.

As you say. And that that is that is honored by God. That's really what he's after here. He doesn't want you know, what what on earth could we give God? We can't, you know, 10000 pounds and million pounds.

What's he gonna do with it? He's like it's mine anyway. Well, he owns the universe. There's nothing we can give him that will please him in a sense other than a grateful heart that comes before him. And is is pleased to to to honor him with what we have.

Mhmm. And she she she's a model then. Isn't of what a true disciple is all about. So in 43, Jesus calls his disciples to him and says this is what this this is what I mean by being disciple. And she's something like that teacher of the law back in verse 28, isn't she, who although very different in terms of social status and I would assume education as well.

They both have grasped something, haven't they? That the law is about love. That love for God is is what it's all about. Yep. And that's what she recognizes that she hasn't got much but she she can put in what she has as as love out of love for God.

And therefore, she's put in more than all the others. And -- Mhmm. -- you know, without wishing to sentimentalize it too much, that that's because she has put her heart in, hasn't she? She's put her heart into it because she loves God and she trusts God. And she must trust God because it says at the end she put in all she had to live on.

Yep. Which probably doesn't mean that that was in fact her life savings, but it but it was certainly all she had to live on that, you know, that day perhaps -- Yeah. -- for that week. Yeah. And so she the only way she could have done that is if she trusted that the lord would take care of her.

Yep. You know, because otherwise, from an earthly perspective, she's she's really doing herself in, though, isn't she? Because where's she gonna get her -- Yeah. -- bread and stuff. But she She knows that -- Mhmm.

-- that the daily bread will come from the lord and she can she can give. And it's costly, you know, it's this cost, sir, that the guys who come in with their rich money -- That's the thing, isn't it? -- it it's nothing to them. No. Then they they walk away and they go back their banquets in their holidays and It's just a little cream, isn't it off the top?

Yeah. Yeah. You know. So so this is it's it's a reflection of God's love for us because God's love for us is costly. It cost him his son.

God didn't just send a, you know, a few dispensable angels to deal with us, but he came and gave himself Like, you know, guess this is why Jesus honors this because this reflects something of what he's come to do himself. That stat so right, isn't it? That he, you know, he comes and puts in all that he has. That's right. Yeah.

For us. Yeah. That's really good, isn't it? And so I mean, this is a real challenge, isn't it? You know, I find this a real challenge because, you know, it's easy to explain this sort of generosity away, and of course Jesus wouldn't want us to give all that we have.

And, you know, we've gotta be sensible, and we've gotta be prudent with our finances. And we don't want to you know, put put our families in jeopardy with this sort of giving. And there's there's so many plausible reasons not to be like this, isn't there? And and yet there's a danger we can just explain the application away -- Mhmm. -- whereas actually Jesus is saying, now look, if you're a true disciple, generous giving from the heart, underpinned by confidence in God -- Mhmm.

-- to take care of you is what is what I'm after.