True Devotion: The Widow's Sacrifice vs. Scribes' Hypocrisy
Devotional
Sermon Summary
Bible Study Guide
Sermon Clips
“Then He said to them in His teaching, ‘Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, who devour widows houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.’” [00:00:26]
“Chapter 12 of Mark’s gospel comes to an end when the gospel writer presents for us a vivid contrast between the scribes and the widow. The portion of Scripture that I just read begins with a serious warning, where Jesus said to those who are around Him, ‘Beware,’ that is ‘Watch out, be on the alert, be careful of something.’” [00:02:36]
“Watch out for these guys. They like to go around in long robes. They love greetings in the marketplace because it was the custom among the Jews that if a scribe came by and you were a merchant, it was your duty to rise in the presence of a dignified scholar such as a scribe.” [00:07:48]
“Jesus said, ‘Watch out for these people because they devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers.’ What does He mean that they devoured widows’ houses? You know there’s a special concern in the Bible for taking care of widows and orphans because among the Jewish people these were the ones who were most vulnerable, most dependent, most easily exploited.” [00:08:39]
“And they disguised their hypocrisy with their long, drawn out prayers that they made in public, not to honor God, but that they may be seen by men. It’s as if when they prayed, they peeked to see who was watching, so that they would enjoy this reputation for piety.” [00:11:05]
“The attention now of Mark comes to Jesus as He sat opposite the treasury of the temple, which was found in the court of the women because both men and women could enter into that court of the temple, and in that court were thirteen receptacles for donations or alms, for there were many needs for which the donations were used in the temple.” [00:12:02]
“Jesus is watching the drama of the giving of the people. He saw how the people put money into the treasury. And what we have here, folks, is a description of the most famous donation that has ever been made by a human being in the history of the world, that fame that goes beyond the fame of a Bill Gates, who has given his hundreds of millions by way of donations or the Carnegies or the Rockefellers or anyone else who have made names for themselves by their great generosity.” [00:15:07]
“And the amazing thing is that in stark contrast to the scribes who couldn’t wait for people to see their piety, to see their spirituality, the last thing this poor woman wanted was for anybody to even notice her. She was probably ashamed of the meager donation that she was giving. What she was offering in the temple was a mere pittance.” [00:16:28]
“Jesus watches as the wealthy people come and give out of their substance. They gave to God what they could spare. This woman had nothing to spare. She had nothing to spare, but what she had she gave. This is a story of sacrificial giving because again it was for the purpose of offering a sacrifice to God.” [00:17:59]
“Jesus then called His disciples to Himself and said, ‘This poor widow has put in more than all of those who have given to the treasury.’ Now that sounds crazy. She’s given more? Can’t you add, Jesus? Do the math please, Jesus. She doesn’t even give two cents. How can that be more than all the rest of the money that’s being poured into the treasury by these people who don’t miss it?” [00:19:01]
“Well, you see what Jesus is telling us here is something about God’s balance sheet. Isn’t He? Now let’s stop for a minute and use your imagination. We started our study of the book of Mark where I asked you to use your imagination to pretend you back in the catacombs of Rome at the time when this book was written.” [00:19:50]
“That’s devotion. That’s what it means to be a disciple. That’s what it means to love My kingdom, because this woman did not give out of her substance, she gave out of her poverty. She gave herself as a living sacrifice, which is what Paul would later say is the appropriate response for every Christian who has received the pearl of great price.” [00:21:19]
Ask a question about this sermon
“Chapter 12 of Mark’s gospel comes to an end when the gospel writer presents for us a vivid contrast between the scribes and the widow. The portion of Scripture that I just read begins with a serious warning, where Jesus said to those who are around Him, ‘Beware,’ that is ‘Watch out, be on the alert, be careful of something.’” [00:02:36]
“Watch out for these guys. They like to go around in long robes. They love greetings in the marketplace because it was the custom among the Jews that if a scribe came by and you were a merchant, it was your duty to rise in the presence of a dignified scholar such as a scribe.” [00:07:48]
“Jesus said, ‘Watch out for these people because they devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers.’ What does He mean that they devoured widows’ houses? You know there’s a special concern in the Bible for taking care of widows and orphans because among the Jewish people these were the ones who were most vulnerable, most dependent, most easily exploited.” [00:08:39]
“And they disguised their hypocrisy with their long, drawn out prayers that they made in public, not to honor God, but that they may be seen by men. It’s as if when they prayed, they peeked to see who was watching, so that they would enjoy this reputation for piety.” [00:11:05]
“The attention now of Mark comes to Jesus as He sat opposite the treasury of the temple, which was found in the court of the women because both men and women could enter into that court of the temple, and in that court were thirteen receptacles for donations or alms, for there were many needs for which the donations were used in the temple.” [00:12:02]
“Jesus is watching the drama of the giving of the people. He saw how the people put money into the treasury. And what we have here, folks, is a description of the most famous donation that has ever been made by a human being in the history of the world, that fame that goes beyond the fame of a Bill Gates, who has given his hundreds of millions by way of donations or the Carnegies or the Rockefellers or anyone else who have made names for themselves by their great generosity.” [00:15:07]
“And the amazing thing is that in stark contrast to the scribes who couldn’t wait for people to see their piety, to see their spirituality, the last thing this poor woman wanted was for anybody to even notice her. She was probably ashamed of the meager donation that she was giving. What she was offering in the temple was a mere pittance.” [00:16:28]
“Jesus watches as the wealthy people come and give out of their substance. They gave to God what they could spare. This woman had nothing to spare. She had nothing to spare, but what she had she gave. This is a story of sacrificial giving because again it was for the purpose of offering a sacrifice to God.” [00:17:59]
“Jesus then called His disciples to Himself and said, ‘This poor widow has put in more than all of those who have given to the treasury.’ Now that sounds crazy. She’s given more? Can’t you add, Jesus? Do the math please, Jesus. She doesn’t even give two cents. How can that be more than all the rest of the money that’s being poured into the treasury by these people who don’t miss it?” [00:19:01]
“Well, you see what Jesus is telling us here is something about God’s balance sheet. Isn’t He? Now let’s stop for a minute and use your imagination. We started our study of the book of Mark where I asked you to use your imagination to pretend you back in the catacombs of Rome at the time when this book was written.” [00:19:50]
“That’s devotion. That’s what it means to be a disciple. That’s what it means to love My kingdom, because this woman did not give out of her substance, she gave out of her poverty. She gave herself as a living sacrifice, which is what Paul would later say is the appropriate response for every Christian who has received the pearl of great price.” [00:21:19]
Chatbot
-
I'm an AI bot trained specifically on the sermon from Apr 11, 2021. Do you have any questions about it?