A Beautiful Thing - Mark 14:1-11 - December 27, 2020

These are the Sermon Notes for December 27, 2020. We have temporarily suspended in person services. Read our Covid-19 plan here. You can watch our livestream service every Sunday at 9:37 am on our facebook page or watch the livestream recordings any time.

 Mark 14:1-11 A Beautiful Thing

Good morning and Merry Christmas!

We are returning to Mark’s Gospel in chapter 14, verses 1-11. This is another example of how Mark’s Gospel is arranged strategically and not necessarily chronologically. What I mean is, that verse one clearly states that it was two days before the Passover, but verses 3-9 take place six days before the Passover according to John’s Gospel. 

This isn’t a disagreement in the Gospel accounts, Mark simply sets it up as a contrast between love and hate, of worship and betrayal.

So let’s look at the text and try to discover what it is that the Lord wants to show us this morning.

It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him, 2 for they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people.” 

3 And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. 4 There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? 5 For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her. 6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. 8 She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. 9 And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.” 

10 Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. 11 And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he sought an opportunity to betray him.

Let’s pray.

So here we have a lovely sandwich with a lot of love between two slices of hate… Mmm, mmm, delicious!

The chief priests and the scribes wanted very much to destroy Jesus because they were jealous of His influence over the people. The crowds were flocking to Jesus to listen to Him rather than listen to them. In their jealousy they were trying to devise way to get rid of Jesus without attracting too much attention from the people. This is why they wanted to wait until after the feasts of Unleavened Bread and Passover because there was upwards of two million people in Jerusalem to celebrate. If they waited until after the feasts there wouldn’t be nearly as many people, the pilgrims would have all gone home. It would be like Ossipee in November as opposed to July.

Judas decided that he would be the instrument of the chief priest’s plan to arrest Jesus in secret as we see in verses 10-11.

The timing of their plan didn’t go according to their plan however as we’ll see in the rest of this chapter.

Instead of focusing on the two slices of hate, I’d like to look more closely at the love in the middle of the sandwich. There’s a lot for us to learn there.

3 And while [Jesus] was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head.

Now, I admit there is temptation to go into great detail about what pure nard is and where it comes from, not to mention the alabaster flask that it was in and what was involved in breaking the flask and on and on. 

I’ve even seen these types of alabaster flasks when I was in the Holy Lands. It’s all very fascinating!

The only important detail is right in front of our faces and we can all see it in verse 3. It was very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over Jesus’ head.

There is no real significance in her breaking the flask, as if she smashed it in order to get every last drop, or that here breaking of the flask meant that she didn’t save any for herself. 

Breaking an alabaster flask was the normal way of getting its contents out. They had a long skinny neck designed to be snapped off and poured out. This was normal. Again, the only important detail is that it was very costly.

This woman, John’s Gospel reveals, was Mary the sister of Martha and Lazarus. And in her great love for the Lord she anointed His head with this very costly ointment.

She knew the value of the ointment, everybody did. She also knew that she loved the Lord and was inspired to act in this extravagant way. She also knew that He was worth it, that He deserved her gift.

What she didn’t know was what would happen next. She didn’t anticipate the disciples’ response, which, from our perspective is a little predictable, and she also didn’t know just how significant this anointing would be.

So this woman comes and gives a very costly gift, much like the poor widow who gave the two small coins, all she had to live on. A beautiful act of devotion and sacrifice. 

This ointment may have been her dowry, or her inheritance, either way, it was a significant act of devotion and sacrifice to the Savior.

And the disciples, John tells us led by Judas, obviously react and praise her act of devotion and love, right? Nope.

4 There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? 5 For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her.

All they saw was a year’s wages just dumped on the floor. What possible good could come from that?

Matthew records the words, “Why this waste?”

Of course we know that Judas cared nothing for the poor, he was the keeper of the money bag and would often help himself to it, and the other disciples were, at that moment, swayed by his words and scolded her for her act of devotion to the Lord.

Unfortunately, this wouldn’t be the last time in the history of the church that greed would wear the mask of piety.

Also, the disciples did what we also often do in rushing to judgment before consulting the Lord. They could have waited to hear the Lord’s word on Mary’s act of worship. That would have been the right thing to do. Instead they listened to and agreed with Judas. An act, I’m sure, they lived to regret.

But Jesus comes to the woman, Mary’s, defense and rebukes His disciples regardless of their true intent.

6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. 8 She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. 9 And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.”

Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me.

This act of great devotion and sacrifice was a beautiful thing, more beautiful than I think we often give it credit for. 

Smell is a sense that we often take for granted, yet it is strongly attached to our memories and truly serves to enrich our experiences. Karole-Ann can testify, sometimes you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.

Now, there are parts of the world that do not see hygiene through the same lens as we do here in America. Egypt, even today, has a very distinct odor, everywhere you go. It’s the pervasive smell of B.O. 

I’ve been inside the Great Pyramids of Giza, you want to know what I remember the most? It smells like a giant stone armpit!

Now rewind two thousand years, a long time before Ivory Soap was invented, no Old Spice, no Chanel Number 5, no Axe Body Spray. A hot climate and a lot of people, need I say more?

In the midst of all that, Mary anoints Jesus with this very costly ointment and the beautiful smell of that perfume filled the room. 

It not only filled that room, but it would linger, and stay with Him. That fragrance would reach the noses even of the Roman soldiers who nailed Jesus to the cross, it followed Jesus all the way into the borrowed tomb.

Mary anointed His body beforehand for burial. This was a beautiful thing.

And just in reading this account, in considering these words, we are fulfilling Jesus’ prophecy that wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.

Our lesson here is not that we should neglect the poor in order to worship Jesus. 

He did say that the poor will always be with you and you can do good to them whenever you want. 

Jesus’ point was not to chose Him over them, but rather, to chose “not always,” over, “always.”

You will always have the poor, but you will not always have me. 

Sometimes, the Lord will inspire us to perform great acts of devotion and sacrifice, sometimes He will inspire us to do little things that still go a long way. 

Mary did what she could out of faith and love, and it was a beautiful thing. 

May we follow her example and do what we can out of faith and love. 

That would be a beautiful thing.

Amen.

When is Not the Question - Mark 13 - December 20, 2020

These are the Sermon Notes for December 20, 2020. We have temporarily suspended in person services through December 27th. Read our Covid-19 plan here. You can watch our livestream service every Sunday at 9:37 am on our facebook page or watch the livestream recordings any time.

 Mark 13 When is Not the Question

To say that this is how I expected to be celebrating the fourth Sunday of Advent would be a lie. I thank you all for your prayers on our behalf.

Not only is this the most 2020 fourth Sunday of Advent that we could have imagined, the text that we are going to be looking at today totally follows suit.

We are going to look at Mark chapter 13 this morning in its entirety. I don’t usually like taking this big a bite but this entire chapter is focused on the same thing, not the first Advent of Christ but the second.

I have been asked, more than once, if I thought that we were nearing the end, if the events of today were signs of the end times. I’m not sure I have always given the best answer to those questions on the spot but after studying this passage this week I have a better response: what if the events of this past year were the signs of the end of the age, what if this is the end times, what if Jesus were to come back today or tomorrow? So what? What if today is the day?

That’s the question I think we need to keep in mind as we look at Mark 13 and work our way through what the scholars call, “the Olivet Discourse.” The parallels for this chapter can be found in Matthew 24-25, and, Luke 21.

Instead of reading the whole passage like I usually do I want to just look at it a chunk at a time. Let’s start with verses 1-2.

And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” 2 And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

Remember that Jesus had been teaching in the Temple and had spent time being confronted by the Jewish leaders in the Temple courts. 

Now they were on the way across the valley to the Mount of Olives where there is a wonderful view of the city of Jerusalem, especially the Temple Mount.

The Temple remained very important to the disciples to this point, it was still the center of all things religious to them, and they clearly still admired it. I’m sure it was truly a sight to behold.

I can’t help but think of Jesus’ conversation with the woman at the well in John 4,

20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

I think the destruction of the Temple was necessary in order to free believers in Jesus to truly worship in spirit and truth, to release them from a monument, from a potential idol. 

Unfortunately, though the Temple was destroyed in AD 70 by the Romans, the church has found a way to potentially walk back that freedom by constructing millions of little temples with nice white steeples that we can worship instead.

In verses 3-4, when Jesus and the disciples got to the Mount of Olives, the disciples asked Jesus about the destruction of the Temple.

3 And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?”

This was not an unreasonable line of questioning, Jesus just told them that the thing that sat in the middle of the Jewish universe was going to be destroyed. It’s only natural that they would want to know when and how would they know when it was about to happen.

“When?” is an interesting question, it’s the wrong question, but it’s interesting nonetheless. What would knowing when do for them? We want to know when these things will happen, we want to know when Christ will return, so that we have a sense of control, that we’ve got a handle on things.

Well just like most of the times that Jesus had been asked questions of the last few days He didn’t answer this question the way anybody expected either. Look at verse 5.

5 And Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one leads you astray. 6 Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. 7 And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. 8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.

Jesus’ first word, “see,” is from the Greek word, “blepo,” which means to “watch out.”

Watch out for false Christs, do not be deceived by them, do not be led astray.

There have been many people who have come in the Name of Jesus and deceived people and led them away from the true Christ. We can always tell a false teacher is false because they do not teach what Jesus taught, they do not stay true to His Word. The make major doctrines out of minor differences and trick people into worshipping the created rather than the Creator. Watch out! Do not be led astray!

When we hear of wars and rumors of wars, nation rising against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, earthquakes and famines, what does Jesus instruct? Do not be alarmed. This must take place but the end is not yet.

This statement has been applied to every war the world has ever fought. Do not be alarmed, the end is not yet. These are but the beginning of the birth pains. 

Jesus’ warning goes on in verse 9, not just to watch out, do not be deceived, do not be led astray, but also…

9 “But be on your guard. [an extension of the same Greek word, “watch out for yourselves”] For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. 10 And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. 11 And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. 12 And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. 13 And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

These words have been fulfilled and are still being fulfilled to this day. In the book of Acts we can witness the Apostle Paul brought before governors and kings to testify and proclaim the gospel. This has been going on since the very birth of the Church and will continue. 

All of the Apostles were martyred, families have been torn apart over the Name of Jesus. Even today, we can talk about God in public forums, we can talk about spirituality, but mention the Name of Jesus and it’s all over. This is not new!

Jesus said, in verse 13, “And you will be hated by all for my Name’s sake.” But yet, what does He call the disciples to? Faithful endurance. “The one who endures to the end will be saved.”

He didn’t mean the end of the Tribulation, he meant the end of their natural lives whether they were martyred or not. He calls us to the same: faithful endurance.

I love the comfort that comes from verse 11. And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.

In their most desperate hour, when they were to be brought to trial, they didn’t need to be anxious about what to say, they didn’t need a memorized speech, the Holy Spirit would give them words to say. 

Do you think that stopped with them? We too can trust the Holy Spirit to speak through us, to be with us, no matter the opposition.

Jesus continued His warning in verse 14.

14 “But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15 Let the one who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything out, 16 and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. 17 And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 18 Pray that it may not happen in winter. 19 For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be. 20 And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days.

The phrase “abomination of desolation” comes from the Book of Daniel and refers to the pollution of the Temple by the Gentiles. The Temple was defiled in 167 b.c.by the Syrian king Antiochus IV when he sacrificed a pig and poured its blood on the altar. This event was predicted in Daniel 11:31. The Temple was also defiled by the Romans in a.d.70 when they captured and destroyed the city of Jerusalem. 

However, these events were but anticipations of the final “abomination of desolation” predicted here by Jesus and prophesied in Daniel 9:27 and 12:11.

Times will never be worse than they will be then, but the Father, in His grace, will cut the time short for the sake of the elect, for His church.

21 And then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. 22 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. 23 But be on guard  [there’s our word “blepo” again]; I have told you all things beforehand. 

24 “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25 and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

Does this sound like a Christmas sermon? Well, it is! Jesus’ first Advent is a foretaste of His second Advent. His first advent was in humility, His second will be in great glory! 

If you’ve ever wondered about’ “the rapture,” here it is. It won’t be a secret disappearance of the church as some might have you believe or you’ve read about in other books. 27 And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

That’s His Church he’s gathering! Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17:

15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

It’s going to be a great day! Of course the disciples would want to know when, of course we would want to know when! Jesus said in verse 28:

28 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 30 Truly, I say to you, this generation [meaning the people living at the time that these things take place] will not pass away until all these things take place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 

32 “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. 34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. 35 Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— 36 lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”

Watch out, be on your guard, pay attention, do not be deceived, keep awake…Do you think this instruction is an answer to the question: when will all these things be?

“When,” is not the right question. “What should we do until that day?” That is the question, and Jesus answered it.

Pay attention, don’t be deceived, stay vigilant, and trust Him.

If you knew the day that these things would take place, would anything in your life change? Live as if today is that day! Amen.

Beware of Be Like - Mark 12:38-44 - December 13, 2020

These are the Sermon Notes for December 13, 2020. We are meeting at the church with limited seating and specific procedures and protocols that need to be followed. Read our Covid-19 plan here. You can still watch our livestream service every Sunday at 9:37 am on our facebook page or watch the livestream recordings any time.

 Mark 12:38-44 Beware or Be Like

Good morning and welcome!

We are continuing our study in the Gospel of Mark this morning with chapter 12, verses 38-44, page 849 in the pew Bibles. Our text for this morning is the conclusion of chapter 12 and also the conclusion of Jesus’ public ministry in the Temple.

It’s no mystery, I think, why Jesus concludes His time in the Temple, in the center of all things religious, in the Jewish national center of worship, with these statements regarding what true devotion to God looks like. It’s also no coincidence, in my opinion, that we are dealing with this idea when the attention of our culture right now is on the manger and the marketplace, focused on the Savior and on Santa.

Well, let’s look at our text and we’ll dive in.

38 And in his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces 39 and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, 40 who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.” 

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.”

Let’s pray.

So here we have two apparent points made by Jesus to His disciples and the crowd gathered with them which are actually only one point, as every good sermon is…

First, Jesus starts with the Scribes. Beware of the Scribes. Now, He’s not warning His followers to keep a nightlight on when they go to bed because the scribes are going to come out from under the bed and get them while they’re sleeping. He’s warning His followers not to emulate their behavior.

And what characterized their behavior? Pride, greed, and hypocrisy.

The Scribes liked to walk around in long robes, regal robes, with long fringes, dressing in such a way as brought attention to them as important people, as religious leaders. They took the instruction of Deuteronomy 6:8 to put reminders of God’s commandments on their hands and as frontlets for their eyes to a whole new level. 

In Matthew’s account of this teaching in Matthew 23, he quotes Jesus as saying, “They like to make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long.”

A phylactery was a strap wrapped around the left arm and another around the head as reminders of the words of Deuteronomy 6. 

These were all outward adornments to make sure that people recognized them as important. Frank Zappa called it, “religimous costumery.” It was all a function of pride.

They dressed to look important, they loved the greetings of honor and distinction that they received around town, “oh, yes, hello rabbi, greetings teacher, and so on.” 

John Calvin wrote, “The Scribes carried about with them the commandments of God more magnificently inscribed on their garments; and in this boasting there was displayed an offensive ambition.”

They always sat in the seats of honor at feasts and in the synagogue. Not like in church now where it seems the best seats are way in the back. They wanted to sit up front, they deserved to be at the head table because of their elevated status and honor. In the synagogue they would sit up front on the other side of the chest that held the Torah scrolls so that they were looking back at the congregation and everybody could see them and recognize their elevated-ness.

Not that any of you would, but if you’ve ever wondered why we don’t use these little deacon’s benches and put them up on the platform for me and the elders to sit on during the service. It’s not just because there isn’t any room up there, it’s because of this passage!

Beware of the Scribes, don’t be like them, because their lives are marked by pride. 

Not only pride, but also greed.

Verse 40 says, “they devour widows’ houses…” Now this isn’t describing Cookie Monster in a gingerbread house village. These supposed religious leaders, men of influence, would use that influence to swindle poor widows in the name of devotion to God.

They exploited the generosity of those with limited means to feather their own nests.

The Scribes received no salary for being scribes, they had to have a trade to provide for their needs. Many of them applied the trade of swindling the vulnerable out of their own living and property convincing them that they were serving God by serving them.

Pride, greed, and hypocrisy were the marks of the Scribes. Verse 40 concludes with, “…and for a pretense make long prayers.”

It’s been said that the veil of hypocrisy is a transparent covering. The prayers of these hypocrites was nothing more than a religious show to entertain and impress the people. They chose to exalt themselves among men rather than enjoy the approval of God.

Do you think the Scribes were the first to display this attitude and behavior? They weren’t, Satan was.

Satan sought to exalt himself only to be brought low, to be cast out of heaven, and condemned. 

This is the exact opposite of what Jesus did. He was exalted but humbled Himself, took on the form of a servant, a human, and became obedient to death, even death on a cross, for us.

Beware the Scribes, don’t be deceived by them, don’t imitate their conduct. Just as they were not the first to act in this way they are certainly not the last. This is the carrot that dangles in front of every teacher, every pastor, every leader. But like a worm on a hook, it’s a trap that has captured and destroyed the lives of so many that may have started out sincere but the allure of the bright lights and all the attention deceived them and they chose lives of pride, greed, and hypocrisy all in the name of the church.

Mark presents the other side of the coin, no pun intended, in verses 41-44.

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.

This area where Jesus sat down for some people watching, like you used to do at the mall, was in the area in the Temple called the “Court of Women” where the treasury was. 

The offering box mentioned here was actually twelve different boxes where people could make free will offerings. What was unique about these boxes was, instead of slot to stuff your checks or dollar bills in the top of the box, there was a big metal trumpet shaped thing. 

Also remember that the current currency was not paper nor PayPal, it was coins. So when you put your coins into the trumpet, or maybe more accurately, funnel, it made noise. And if you wanted, you could make quite a bit of noise depending on the size of your offering.

Now Jesus observed many people putting their offerings in the offering box, and you’ll notice, I hope, that He doesn’t condemn them for being rich, He doesn’t condemn them for the size of their offerings either.

Instead, Jesus chose to showcase the opposite attitude and behavior of the Scribes in the poor widow.

The poor widow put in two small copper coins, called leptas that equaled 1/64 of a denarius which was about a day’s wage for a laborer.

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.”

Instead of the pride, greed, and hypocrisy of the Scribes, this poor widow displayed humility, sincerity, and service.

It was not the amount that got Jesus’ attention, it was the intent.

This is best illustrated by Alistair Begg’s fable of the chicken and the pig.

A chicken and a pig decide to go into business together. The pig asks the chicken, “What sort of business shall we go into?” The chicken replies, “The bacon and eggs business of course!” To which the pig replies, “Now wait a minute! That business only means contribution for you, but it means sacrifice for me!”

The widow’s offering was made in humility, after all, two leptas would hardly make any noise going into that trumpet. Her offering showed her sincerity, her true devotion to God because she gave all she had to live on. One of those leptas would have bought her loaf of bread but she chose to give them both, all she had to live on. 

But the poor widow’s offering was also an example of service. These offering boxes were not to collect the Temple tax that was due annually, and her two leptas wouldn’t cover that anyway. Her offering was a free will offering for the service of the Temple. 

These two small coins, all the poor widow had to live on, were given freely, an act of service, an act of worship.

“The rich gave out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” And in that way she followed the Way of Christ, the way of humility, sincerity, and service.

The Scribes, in their pride, greed, and hypocrisy, chose to exalt themselves before men, but the poor widow, in her humility, sincerity, and service enjoyed the approval of the Lord.

Let’s be more like her and so be more like Jesus the ultimate humble, sincere, servant who gave His life as a ransom for us all.

Amen.