twenty-third sunday after pentecost

8/14/2019 Twenty-Third Sunday After Pentecost

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Twenty-Third Sunday AfterPentecost

November 8, 2009

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TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Seasonal Emphasis: The Christian looks forward to the goal of everlasting life

Today's General Theme: God is a wonderful God Who deserves our praise

Mood of Service: Joyful/exultant

Service Notes : [This may need to be revised. Nothingwas found online at www.yaag.org ]

SPECIFIC NOTES FOR THE THREE YEAR SERIES

B. Psalm 146 1Kings 17:8-16 Hebrews 9:24-28Mark 12 :38-44

God takes care of His people, from the greatest to the least. If He can care for theleast, will He not also take care of us? The Psalmist calls blessed those whose helpis the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD. The Psalmist goes on to sing the

praises of the Lord who lifts up those who are bowed down, especially the widow

and fatherless. In the Old Testament Lesson , God miraculously takes care of thewidow of Zarephath, through the ministry of the prophet Elijah. In the Epistle , weare reminded that Jesus did not suffer repeatedly for the sins of the world, as thehigh priest in the Old Testament had to offer blood not his own repeatedly for sins. But Christ appeared once for all at the end of ages to put away sin by thesacrifice of himself. The Gospel has Jesus sitting across from the Templetreasury. He watches a widow put in 2 small copper coins. Then Jesus praises her to His disciples and says that out of her poverty she put into the treasuryeverything she hadall she had to live on.

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http://www.yaag.org/http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?PS+146http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?1%20KINGS%2017:8-16http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?HEB+9:24-28http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?MARK+12:38-44http://www.yaag.org/http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?PS+146http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?1%20KINGS%2017:8-16http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?HEB+9:24-28http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?MARK+12:38-44


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1 Kings 17:8-16 (BHS SESB 2.0)8

9 a b b

10 a b c d

11 a b

12 a b

c d 13 a

b c d

14 a a

b

c

15 a a b b c

d16

1 Hebrews 9:24-28 (NA27 w/Apparatus)

24 , , , 25 1Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia: SESB Version. 2003, 1969/77(electronic ed.). Stuttgart: German Bible Society.

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, , 26 [] . 27

, , 28 . 2

Mark 12:38-44 (NA27 w/Apparatus)38

39 , 40 .

41 . 42 , . 43 44 ,

.3

12:38 (Parsed below in the Readings .) the activity of teaching, teaching, instruction Of Jesus teaching activity Mk 4:2 ;12:38. 4

2Nestle, E., Nestle, E., Aland, K., Aland, B., & Universit t Mnster.Institut f r Neutestamentliche Textforschung. (1993, 1979).Novum Testamentum Graece (27. Aufl., rev.). Stuttgart: DeutscheBibelstiftung.3Nestle, E., Nestle, E., Aland, K., Aland, B., & Universit t Mnster.Institut f r Neutestamentliche Textforschung. (1993, 1979).Novum Testamentum Graece (27. Aufl., rev.). Stuttgart: DeutscheBibelstiftung.

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(Parsed below in the Readings .) be ready to learn aboutsometh. that is needed or is hazardous, watch, look to, beware of, W. beware of the leaven of the Pharisees Mk 8:15 ; of the scribes12:38. 5

Masculine genitive plural of an expertin matters relating to divine revelation, specialists in the law of Moses: experts in the law, scholars versed in the law, scribes; mentionedtogether w. high priests (s. ), w. whom and the elders ( oft.referred to in the same context) their representatives formed the Sanhedrin. 6

Present Active Participle, masculine genitive plural of to take pleasure in, like w. inf. f oll. : to do someth. Mk 12:38 (later in the same sentence w. acc. ).7

Feminine dative plural of esp. a long, flowing robe Of the scribes walk about in long robes Mk 12:38. 8

Masculine accusative plural of greeting of personal salutations Lk 1:29, 41, 44 ; etc. Mt 23:7 ; Mk 12:38 .9

4Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-Englishlexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature ."Based on Walter Bauer's Griechisch-deutsches Wrterbuch zuden Schriften des Neuen Testaments und der frhchristlichen

Literatur, sixth edition, ed. Kurt Aland and Barbara Aland, withViktor Reichmann and on previous English editions by W.F. Arndt,F.W. Gingrich, and F.W. Danker." (3rd ed.) (241). Chicago:University of Chicago Press.someth. = something5Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (179).oft. = often6Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. 206).inf. = infinitivef oll. = followed, followingsometh. = somethingacc. = accusative7Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (448).esp. = especially8Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (946).9Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (144).

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We expect another complementary infinitive here, and instead, receive anaccusative, direct object. Beware of the scribes like to walk around in long,flowing robes and (who like) greetings (=being greeted) in themarketplaces ESV repeats the verb like here. NIV changes the noungreetings into a verb to be greeted. So does GODS WORD.

12:39 Feminine accusative plural of a position or place indicative of special honorfor the pers. occupying it, seat of honor, best seat desired by Pharisees inthe synagogue Mt 23:6 ; Mk 12:39. 10

Feminine accusative plural of the placeof honor at a dinner, beside the master of the house or the host Mt 23:6 ; Mk 12:39. 11

12:40 (Parsed below in the Readings .) The extension

of m

ng. 1 leads to a multifaceted imagery: devour as if by eating to rob: eat up widows houses i.e. appropriate them inan unethical manner Mk 12:40. 12 Notice GODS WORD has rob widows

by taking their houses. Feminine dative singular of falsely alleged

motive, pretext, ostensible reason, excuse with false motives(opp. In reality they have other interests.) Phil 1:18. For a

pretext, for appearance sake (as if they felt an inner need) Mk 12:40 ;13

This is Dative of cause ( BDF 196 ).

(Parsed below in the Readings .) to petition deity, pray . make long prayers Mk 12:40 ; Lk 20:47. 14 (Parsed below in the Readings .) to be a receiver, receive,

get, obtain w. acc. of thingOf punishments .

pers. = person(s)10Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (892).11Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (892).mng. mng. = meaning(s)i.e. = id est (that is)12Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (532).opp. = opposed to, opposite13Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (889).14Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (879).acc. = accusative

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receive a punishment that is just so much more severe (cp. 4b); Mk 12:40. 15

Neuter accusative singular of legal decision rendered bya judge, judicial verdict mostly in an unfavorable sense, of thecondemnatory verdict and sometimes the subsequent punishment itself . be condemned Mk 12:40. 16

Neuter accusative singular of comp. of used w. a subst. more severe punishment Mk 12:40. 17

1 st Aorist Active Participle, masculine nominative singular of to take a seated position, sit down, intr. opposite someth. Mk 12:41. 18 The Apparatus tells us that CodexAlexandrinus (5 th century AD), the Vulgate (and part of the Old Latintradition), and other manuscripts including the Majority Textus Receptushave here. Codex Washington (4 th/5 th century AD),Origen (254), and a few other manuscripts have in place of our text . The text is supported by Codex Sinaiticus (4 th centuryAD), Codex Vaticanus (4 th century AD), and several others. Here isMetzgers commentary on the committees choice of the text as we have it in

NA XXVII:12.41 {B}

15Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (584).16Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (567).comp. = comparative(ly)subst. = substantive(ly)17Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (806).intr. = intransitivesometh. = something18Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (492).{B} The letter {B} indicates that the text is almost certain.

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The reading that best explains the origin of the others is preserved in

L 892it a , k al . Copyists were more likely to insert the words in order to identifythe subject than to delete them. Elsewhere Mark uses (11.2; 13.3), butnever . Those responsible for W f 1 f 13 28 565 al obviously thought thatit was more appropriate for Jesus to stand () than to sit in the temple. 19

ms. nr. * 01 saec. IVbibliotheca London, Brit. Libr., Add. 43725 cont. eapr

L ms. nr. *L 019saec. VIIIbibliotheca Paris, Bibl. Nat., Gr. 62 cont. e (vac. Mt 4,22-

5,14; 28,17-fin.; Mc 10,16-30; 15,2-20; J 21,15-fin.) ms. nr. (*)L 020saec. IXbibliotheca Roma, Bibl. Angelica, 39 cont. ap (vac. Act 1,1-

8,10; H 13,10-fin.) ms. nr. (*) 037saec. IXbibliotheca St. Gallen, Stiftsbibl., 48 cont. e (vac. J 19,17-35)892

ms. nr. (*)892saec. IXbibliotheca London, Brit. Libr., Add. 33277 cont. e (J 10,6-12,18; 14,23-fin. suppl.)

it Old Latina

ms. nr. a 3saec. IVbibliotheca Vercelli, Bibl. Capitolare cont. e (vac. Mt 25,2-12;Mc 1,22-34; 15,1516,20; L 11,12-26; 12,37-59)k

ms. nr. k 1saec. IV/Vbibliotheca Torino, Bibl. Naz., G. VII. 15cont. Mt 1,13,10;4,114,17; 15,20-36; Mc 8,816,8; concl. brev.

al alia (other witnesses)W

ms. nr. *W 032saec. IV/Vbibliotheca Washington, Smithsonian Inst., Freer Gall. of Art, 06.274 cont. e (vac. Mc 15,13-38; J [1,1-5,11 suppl.]; 14,26-16,7)

ms. nr. * 038saec. IXbibliotheca Tbilisi, Inst. rukop., Gr. 28 cont. e (vac. Mt 1,1-9;1,21-4,4; 4,17-5,4)

f f 1 = 1, 118, 131, 209, 1582 et al., cf. K. Lake, Codex 1 of theGospels and its Allies, (Texts and Studies VII/3) Cambridge 1902,reprint 1967.f f 13 = 13, 69, 124, 174, 230, 346, 543, 788, 826, 828, 983,1689, 1709, et al., cf. K. and S. Lake, Family 13 (The Ferrar Group), (Studies and Documents XI) London 1941 [= Mark]; J.

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(Parsed below in the Readings .) to observe someth. withsustained attention, be a spectator, look at, observe, perceive, see (w.

physical eyes)W. indir. quest. f oll. Mk 12:41. 20

Masculine accusative singular of a metal of varioustypes, such as copper, brass, or bronze prob. brass, bronze anything made of such metal: Copper coin, small change , also simplymoneyMt 10:9 ; Mk 6:8 ; 12:41. 21

12:42 Feminine nominative singular of pert. to beingeconomically disadvantaged, orig. begging (s. for a differentiationbetw. the two words; note the juxtaposition in Ps 39:18; 69:6 al.), dependent on others for support, but also simply poor Mk 12:42. 22

Geerlings, Family 13 (The Ferrar Group), (Studies and DocumentsXIX-XXI) Salt Lake City 1961-1962 [= Matthew, Luke, John]; W. H.Ferrar, A Collation of Four Important Manuscripts of the Gospels,ed. T. K. Abbott, Dublin/London 1877.28

ms. nr. [*]28saec. XIbibliotheca Paris, Bibl. Nat., Gr. 379 cont. Mt (*)Mc L J565

ms. nr. (*)565saec. IXbibliotheca St. Petersburg, Ross. Nac. Bibl., Gr. 53 cont. e(vac. J 11,26-48; 13,2-23; in Mt, L, J 6 foll. suppl.)

19Metzger, B. M., & United Bible Societies. (1994). A textualcommentary on the Greek New Testament, second edition acompanion volume to the United Bible Societies' Greek NewTestament (4th rev. ed.) (94). London; New York: United BibleSocieties.someth. = somethingindir. = indirectquest. = questionf oll. = followed, following20Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (454).prob. = probable, probably21Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (1076).pert. = pertaining (to)orig. = original(ly)betw. = betweenal. =alibi (elsewhere), aliter (otherwise), alii (others)22Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (896).

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Neuter accusative plural of . ( sc. [coin]) small copper coin, 1/128 of a denarius, something between a penny anda mill, Mk 12:42. 23

Masculine nominative singular of quadrans, penny =two Mk 12:42 1/64 of a denarius (s. ). It wasthe smallest Roman coin .24

12:43 Neuter accusative singular of the comparative of pert. to being relatively large in quantity or measure, much,

extensive comp. , ; adv. . as subst., more W. a gen. of comparison the widow put in more than all the rest Mk 12:43. 25

12:44 Present Active Participle, neuter genitive singular of intr. , to be in abundance, abound of things .be present in abundance (opp. )

someones abundance Mk 12:44. 26

Feminine genitive singular of the condition of lacking that which is essential, need, lack, poverty Mk 12:44. 27

Neuter accusative plural of pert. to totality with focus onits individual components, each, every, any . used w. pronouns. , all who, everything that, Neut. Mk 11:24 ; 12:44b. 28

sc. = scilicet (one may understand, supply)23Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (592).24Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (550).pert. = pertaining (to)comp. = comparative(ly)adv. = adverb, adverbiallysubst. = substantive(ly)25Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (849).intr. = intransitiveopp. = opposed to, opposite26Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (805).27Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (1044).pert. pert. = pertaining (to)28Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (782).

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Masculine accusative singular of life in its appearance andmanifestations f req. distinguished from , the condition of being aliveAlthough there is freq. overlapping in usage, may be said to denote themanner in which ones finds expression, and the latter term may be

used to connote quality of existence as such. Hence, as the semantichistory shows, the loss of need not terminate (q.v. ) .resources needed to maintain life, means of subsistence Mk 12:44 ;29

f req. = frequent(ly)q.v. = quod vide (which see, see that which has just beenmentioned)29Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (177).

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Synopsis of the Four Gospels (Aland)XIII. The Final Ministry in Jerusalem

284. Woe to the Scribes and PhariseesMatthew 23:1-36

1 2 .3 ,

.4 [] , .5 ,

Mark 12:37-4037 , ; [] . 38

39 ,40

Luke 20:45-47

45 []46

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Synopsis of the Four Gospels (Aland)XIII. The Final Ministry in Jerusalem

286. The Widow's MiteMark 12:41-4441 .

42 , .43 44 ,

.

Luke 21:1-41

.2 ,3

4 ,

.

Greek ReadingsFall Quarter Week 9 (November 26, 2009)

Series B, 23 rd Sunday after PentecostMark 12:3844, Proper 27

Verse 38o Parse . Feminine dative singular of . How does this

word set the tone of this pericope? What Jesus is doing on this Tuesday of Holy Week is teaching the crowd. This is final instructions to thepeople of Jerusalem. Why is this word important for the life of theChurch? As the church teaches, so it believes (or to say it another way in

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Latin lex orandi lex credendi the rule of what one says is the rule of what one believes). And along with teaching (and believing) must alsocome doing or practicing what we preach.

o Parse . Present Active Imperative, 2nd plural of . Why

does Mark use this mood and tense? (BDAG 178179) The imperative is awarning; the present tense means the danger is constant, so the warningis constant. Explain the construction . BDF 149 explains:In addition to the accusative, the N T also employs with the genitivewith verbs of fearing, fleeing, avoiding etc., which was in part possiblealready in classical, but was encouraged by Semitic influence. 30 Thisreminds me of the Latin ablative of separation. Technically, the phrasemeans look away from, but means (more naturally) beware of.

o Parse . Masculine accusative plural of . Withwhat verb does this word construe? Im not sure what the question isasking, but is the direct object of the verb .

Verse 39o Parse . Feminine accusative plural of

. What does this unique word mean? (BDAG 892) aposition or place indicative of special honor for the p ers. occupying it,

seat of honor, best seat desired by Pharisees in the synagogue Mt 23:6 ; Mk 12:39. 31 In what specific contexts does the word occur in the NT? (Mt23:6; Mk 12:39; Lk 11:43; 20:46) Jesus condemnation of the scribes and

Pharisees desire to have the best seats in the synagogue. Why would thescribes cherish these honors more than any other? They were experts in theScripture and thus thought they deserved to be honored for their hardwork, devotion to the Word, and expert knowledge of the Word. Whatshould have been their desire? To deny themselves any extraconsideration, because, after all, they are only fellow-servants of God,along with every other Jew. Their study of the Word should have ledthem to a humble realization that spiritually they are helpless, and needGod for any blessing they might receive.

NT New Testament30Blass, F., Debrunner, A., & Funk, R. W. (1961). A Greek grammar of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (83).Chicago: University of Chicago Press.pers. = person(s)31Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (892).

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o With what office might the scribes be identified today? The office of pastor or seminary professor or synodical official. Why? All three arereligious leaders. Pastors are the ones people see most in their lives, andthey are supposed to be experts in Scripture. Seminary professors are

the real experts in theology, and virtually all of them are pastors.Synodical officials hold the highest positions in Synod, and most of them are pastors.

Verse 40o Parse and [sic ? * ?].

Present Active Participle, masculine nominative plural of ,and Present Middle Deponent Participle, masculine nominative pluralof . What is their position and force? (Voelz 2 edn., 134 135; 3 edn., 118121) I would consider both of them attributive, eventhough the article is not repeated, because both actions are viewedtogether in describing these religious leaders (the scribes). So,Beware of the experts in the law, who like to walk around in long,flowing robes in the marketplaces and (who like) the best seats in thesynagogs and seats of honor at banquets, who devour widows houses,and yet pray long prayers for appearance sake. What is the significanceof the in this verse? I take it as BDAG 495.1.b. . states, emphasizing a fact as surprising or unexpected or noteworthy: and yet, and in spite of that, nevertheless . 32 How is abusing the widows described

in the OT? (Ex 22:22; Deut 14:29; 24:17; 27:19) Never take advantage of widows (Ex 22:22); never require a downpayment from a widow(clothes to guarantee a loan Dt 24:17). Never deprive widows of justice(Dt 27:19). What brings to fruition these two sins? Whoever commits suchsins against widows is cursed (banned from productive use of the soil,from fertility in having children or from social interactions with otherpeople). See TWOT 168 on .(rr cursed)

o Parse . Future Middle Indicative, 3 rd plural of .Why does Mark use the middle voice? The Middle Voice implies the

action is upon the subject to their detriment , like a Dative of (in this case)Disadvantage (see BDF 188). So, These men (scribes) will receive apunishment against themselves that is just so much more severe.o What is the theological significance of ? (BDAG 567, 4.b) Not

just a guilty verdict, but the sentencing and carrying out of the

32Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (495).16


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punishment deserved for the crime. Heres BDAG: legal

decision rendered by a judge, judicial verdict mostly in an unfavorable sense, of the condemnatory verdict and sometimes thesubsequent punishment itself. 33

Verse 41o Parse . Neuter Genitive Singular of .

Where else does this occur? What is the most likely translation? (BDAG186) Here, and in v. 43 (Mark 12:43), Luke 21:1, and John 8:20.BDAG: the m ng. contribution box or receptacle is attractive. Acc. toM ishnah , Shekalim 6, 5 there were in the temple 13 such receptacles in the form of trumpets. But even in these passages the general sense of treasury is p rob. , for the contributions would go the treasury via the

receptacles.34

Lenski argues: While (Luke has the plural [sic *Luke has the singular in our 27 th edition of the Novum Testamentum Graece ]) maymean the treasure chamber, the context requiresthat we think of one of the thirteen trumpet-shapedmetal receptacles ( shapharoth ) , each marked by aletter of the Hebrew alphabet, which were placed inthe court of the women to receive the gifts of theworshippers for the benefit of the Temple and for theTemple tax. Near them and over against one of them

Jesus sat down, possibly on the steps that led fromthe court of the women to that of the men. 35 I like what the NIV did here, Jesus sat down opposite the place where theofferings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into thetemple treasury. 36 It allows both translations in the same verse: thetreasury box, and the treasury. As BDAG argues, obviously the

33Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (567).mng. = meaning(s)Mishnah = HDanby, The MishnahLists 5, 6prob. = probable, probably34Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (186).35Lenski, R. C. H. (1961). The Interpretation of St. Mark's Gospel(554). Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House.36The Holy Bible: New International Version . 1996, 1984(electronic ed.) (Mk 12:41). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

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Jews didnt keep all the offerings in these 13 trumpet-shapedreceptacles. The offerings were probably collected frequently and putin the actual treasury vault or room. So, when a person was giving theiroffering, it ultimately went into the treasury (vault/room).

o Parse . Imperfect Active Indicative, 3 rd singular of .How does BDAG understand the duration of this action? (BDAG 454.1) to observe s ometh. with sustained attention. 37 Why might Mark use thistense? (Voelz 2 edn., 6970 ; 3 edn., 5860) First, the meaning of the verbimplies on-going action (sustained attention). So the Imperfect wouldbe the natural (dare we say default?) past tense for the verb. BDF325 calls this the Iterative i mperfect . 38 So, He sat down opposite theplace where people would give their offerings, and kept watching howthe crowd was throwing their money into the treasury.

o Parse . Imperfect Active Indicative, 3 rd plural of .Again what is the aspect of this verbs tense? Iterative Imperfect (BDF325). So, And many rich people kept throwing in large sums of money.

Verse 42o Look up and in BDAG (592, 550). What type of

monetary unit is being described? Two very small (thin) coins=a penny(see above in 12:42 notes). How could you explain this type of monetaryunit effectively to a parishioner? Well, a quadrans ( ) is 1/64of a denarius, and a denarius is a days wages. If a person works onaverage 8 hours in a day, if my math is correct a quadrans, or penny,would be about 8 minutes (7.5 minutes) worth of an hourly wage. Asof July 24, 2009, the minimum hourly wage is $7.25. So 7.5 minutesworth of $7.25 is about $.91, a little less than a dollar. So, in todayseconomy, the widow put in about a buckall she had to live on (andIm assuming not just for the day, but maybe the week!)! Further, if aperson worked a 12-hour day, 12 times $7.25 is $87.00. 1/64 of $87.00 isabout $1.36. So, no matter how you figure it, its about a buck that she

gave. But, of course, Jesus point is that she gave ALL she had to liveon, and so had NOTHING left to live on!

someth. = something37Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (454).38Blass, F., Debrunner, A., & Funk, R. W. (169).

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Verse 43o What is the significance of ? (BDAG 5354) asseverative

particle, truly, always w. , beginning a solemn declaration butused only by Jesus ( I assure you that, I solemnly tell you ). 39

o What type of word is ? Demonstrative Pronoun. How is it used inthis verse? To point out the widow to the disciples, and what she did.This (as opposed to that), could indicate that the widow was stillthere within hearing distance of Jesus and His disciples, as Lenskisuggests (It is generally assumed that the widow went her way; but, like others, she may have wonderedwhy Jesus summoned his disciples and may thus haveheard what Jesus said about her gift. Jesus frequentlyuttered words of commendation in the hearing of

those whom he wished to praise. )40

o Parse ? Present Active Participle, masculine GENITIVEplural of . What does it modify? How could this poorwidow have possibly contributed more than the many who used to throwin much? (cf. Lk 12:21) According to Luke 12:21, she was richtowards God. As Jesus explains in v. 44, it was the attitude of thewidow to give sacrificially to God that counts. Lenski waxes eloquently, and at length on the widows giving: All the rich cast in , from what is over and aboveto them, from what they could thus give without theleast effort. But this woman gave , from her want or lack, from what wasinsufficient even for her own support.

If Jesus had stopped here, the great value of thewidows gift would already have been apparent: therich of what they did not needshe of what was evenless than her need. But the case is still more in herfavor: she cast in all whatever she had, her wholeliving, all that she had to live on. That was a

sacrifice indeed! But we should not overlook what this statement implies concerning this widows gift. Togive her last cent as she did means that by this act

39Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (53).40Lenski, R. C. H. (1961). The Interpretation of St. Mark's Gospel(557).

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she placed herself completely into the keeping of Godwho could and would provide for her far better andmore surely than any two lepta or a million times anynumber of lepta could. The words spoken to another

unnamed woman may be applied here: O woman,great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt!Matt. 15:28.

Did this widow starve? I think not. The greatpainter Tissot depicts this widow with a little child onher arms. It makes the image of the woman morepoignant. Can you imagine yourself in her placewithout the fear of starving? Few can. Many who livein abundance decline to give or give too little becausethey fear that they will not have enough for thefuture. They give from lack of faith, and that robstheir giving of its true value. The widows gift, thoughcopper, was entirely gold in the eyes of the Lord. Howdo your gifts appear in his eyes? The widows actcannot be reproduced mechanically. Even if you, too,gave all that you have you could not in that way alonematch her performance. Copy her faith, then you willbe in her class, and the size of your gifts will, of course, take care of itself.

We may think of this woman as being one of thehumble members of the first congregation in Jerusalem and living her unobtrusive life among thefirst believers. Even in regard to money this widowsgift has been multiplied endlessly. How many givershearts has she not helped to purify, fill with betterfaith, and make truly generous in their gifts! Whenthe final computation is made in heaven, the interestwhich this womans gift bore for the kingdom will befar beyond anything that the gifts of others, such asthose at the treasure chests, could possibly produce.But this is due to the grace which the Lord added tothis womans gift by having her story spread on thesacred record. Are your gifts of a kind to which he canadd his benediction so that they will in some way at

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understand the depth of Your love so that we may give as sacrificially as Yougave to us. Amen!

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