Bible Study series: Mark 12:41-44. She challenges us to be generous.
Friendly greetings and a warm welcome to this Bible study! I write to learn, so let’s learn together how to apply these truths to our lives.
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If you would like to see the original Greek, please click here:
At that link, I also offer more commentary and a Summary and Conclusion, geared towards discipleship. Scroll down to the bottom and check it out!
Let’s begin.
Scripture: Mark 12:41-44
41 While he was sitting opposite of an offering box, he was observing how the crowd tossed money into the offering box. Many wealthy people were tossing in a lot. 42 Then one poor widow, approaching, tossed in two copper coins, worth less than a penny. 43 Calling his disciples, he said to them, “I tell you the truth: this poor widow tossed in more than everyone else who tossed in money into the offering box. 44 For they were tossing in out of their abundance, but out of her poverty she tossed in everything she had—her entire livelihood!” (Mark 12:41-44)
Comments:
This is the sixth and final “controversy story” between Jesus and the Jerusalem establishment (11:27-12:44). Or some scholars say the rebuke of the teachers of the law was the sixth controversy story, so the six stories end at 12:39.
41:
Yes, Mark really does use the word “toss” that many times.
Jesus was watching those who put in money, inspecting them. He was deliberate; the observation was not by chance.
“offering box”: Commentator Decker points out that there were thirteen trumpet-shaped receptacles in the temple forecourt by the Court of Women. Or the contribution receptacle may instead refer to the room by the Court of Women, which served a variety of purposes. However, the fact that they tossed in their money indicates that the receptacles are intended. These gifts were freewill offerings used for temple worship.
42:
“two copper coins”: (lepton in Greek, in the singular) it was a designation for a Jewish coin, the smallest denomination, worth only 1/128 of a denarius, the smallest currency possible (Decker). A denarius was the standard pay for a farm laborer. So she gave one one-hundredth of a day laborer’s wage. This was really small! Decker refers to another commentator who says the amount was worth a handful of flour.
“a penny” it is a quadrans, a Latin loanword, worth two lepta or 1/64 of a denarius, the smallest Roman coin at the time. It was not in circulation in the Greek East, but only in the Latin West. This indicates that Mark was writing in Rome, so he gave the Roman listeners a sense of how small the amount was (Lane, p. 443, n. 85, HT: Decker).
In contrast, many rich people tossed in a lot of money. This will provide the contrast between them and her.
43-44:
“disciples”: BDAG, a thick Greek lexicon, says of the noun that it means (1) “one who engages in learning through instruction from another, pupil, apprentice”; (2) “one who is rather constantly associated with someone who has a pedagogical reputation or a particular set of views, disciple, adherent.”
“I tell you the truth:” “Truth” comes from the word amēn (pronounced ah-main and comes into English as amen). Used thirteen times in Mark, it expresses the authority of the one who utters it. The Hebrew root ’mn means faithfulness, reliability and certainty. It could be translated as “truly I tell you” or I tell you with certainty.” Jesus’s faith in his own words is remarkable and points to his unique calling. In the OT and later Jewish writings is indicates a solemn pronouncement. It means we must pay attention to it, for it is authoritative. He is about to declare an important and solemn message or statement. The clause appears only on the lips of Jesus. That is, in Paul’s epistles, for example, he never says, “I truly say to you.” That phrasing had too much authority, which only Jesus had. The clause only appears on the lips of Jesus in the NT. The word appears in a Jewish culture and means “let it be so.” So Jesus speaks it out with special, divine emphasis. “Let this happen!” “Let what I’m about to say happen!” We better take it seriously and not just walk by it or read over it with a casual air.
This phrase, used in conjunction with Jesus summoning his disciples, means that his statement about the widow was extremely important.
She gave out of her “poverty or great “need” or “deficiency” (all possible translations), so she gave sacrificially. I have a post on why tithing ten percent off of gross pay is not for New Covenant believers, but the NT authors do require generosity. And the widow went well beyond this requirement.
Why Tithing Does Not Apply to New Covenant Believers
Scroll down to point no. 21 for an interpretation of many NT passages on giving. Once again, generosity is the key.
Now let’s apply this pericope to the church today.
I can imagine the carnal, hyper-prosperity teachers demanding that widows give everything they have so that the preachers can live in gigantic houses and fly around in private jets. I heard one of them yell at the top of his voice, “Money, come forth!” (This may refer to Jesus calling Lazarus to come forth.) Recall that Jesus was tempted by the devil to have all the kingdoms of the world (Luke 4:5-8). Who says that God is the one who gave this hyper-prosperity teacher all his money, possibly over one billion dollars over his entire life?
Carnal, hyper-prosperity preachers ruin it for everyone else. How?
I believe in prosperity in this sense: it takes money to run a household, and to get money, a parent or parents need jobs. They need to succeed at those jobs. Their businesses need to grow and maintain a profit. Then they can pay the bills and have money left over to give into the kingdom. They can raise kids to be the next godly and redeemed generation. They can be generous with the kingdom with their money and their productive children.
Of course the tithe teachers—who are not necessarily carnal, hyper-prosperity teachers, but are wrong in other ways—use the first-fruits idea to insist that people give ten percent off gross pay. However, these teachers do not take into account that part of the tithe was used to sustain a small welfare state, which today our taxes pay for. Therefore, giving ten percent off gross pay is a serious misinterpretation of the OT. They also don’t interpret the NT properly, after the cross and Pentecost, when the Christian communities were forming. These misinterpretations may be accidental or sloppy study, or they may see what is right, but they cave in to fear, motivated out of a need to meet huge budgets. Whatever the case, they are wrong.
Bottom line: We need more balance in our giving. Generosity is the key. Also, mega-church pastors and parachurch CEO’s need to voluntarily live more modestly and prudently.
GrowApp for Mark 12:41-44
1. The poor widow gave her all. How have you been generous with your time and / or money at church?
RELATED
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2. Church Fathers and Mark’s Gospel
2. Archaeology and the Synoptic Gospels
14. Similarities among John’s Gospel and the Synoptic Gospels
1. The Historical Reliability of the Gospels: Introduction to Series
SOURCES
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