What Jesus Treasures, Part 2 (Mark 12:41-44)

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. 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.”

Previously, in Mark 12, we saw how Jesus was moved by the gift of the poor widow at the temple that day. He used her example to teach his disciples that she had given more than the wealthy with their immense contributions, because her sacrifice was greater. To Jesus, this woman was a model of devotion, an example of worship, and a true lover of God. Let’s look at some more lessons from her story.

She Exemplified Christian Maturity

The next thing we can learn from this widow is that her gift exemplified Christian maturity. What do I mean? She was operating strongly in faith, hope, and love, three main characteristics that guide the Christian life (1 Corinthians 13:13). The woman operated in faith. She would not have given her gift if she had not "seen" him who is invisible. But, because she believed in God, she went to his temple and laid down her life. Paul said:

“for we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7) This woman had certainly lived by faith that day. Had sight gotten the best of her, she never would have given even one copper coin. Don't we crave more of this in our lives? Faith. Trust in God. Confidence that enables us to live a different life. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5–6) But this woman also lived by hope. In the Bible, hope is the confident expectation of future good. In Christ, it is the confident expectation of the future good of his coming kingdom. We have an expectation -- and live in the light of that expectation -- that Jesus will one day be ruler over all. And that we'll be one with him in his kingdom's glory. And she operated with that hope. She was trusting God for her life. She felt God could care for her better than those two copper coins. Don't we crave hope like this -- a total assurance that Christ's kingdom comes and a reckless abandon to live as if that's so? And this woman also lived by love. She loved God. This woman fulfilled the greatest commandment Jesus taught us when she loved God with all her heart, mind, soul, and strength. Don't you crave this level of love for God? As her two little coins clinked into the treasury that day, her heart exploded with love for God. She was there for him. All this is beautiful because it shows everyone has a chance. She wasn't better because she was poor. But the rich weren't better because of their wealth. But her commendation from Jesus shows us how everyone has a chance to walk by faith, hope, and love. Everyone can love God. Think of it: the New Testament model for generosity isn't a wealthy benefactor -- that would eliminate most of us -- but a poor widow. And God loved her love. Real love, real generosity, gives until it hurts. She had every right to withhold one of those coins, but real love has an element of risk. It feels reckless sometimes.

She Demonstrated Christlikeness

So Jesus loved her devotion. And her act was one of maturity. But let's consider one last thing about her -- when she gave like this, she demonstrated Christlikeness. When Jesus came to us, he first stepped out of abundance. Equal with the Father, he took a low position. He took on human flesh. He became one of us. He embraced poverty. Then, after embracing poverty, Jesus gave all that he had. He poured his life, time, and energy into serving the people of Galilee and Judea. Then he poured out his blood and breath by dying on the cross. It was his gift to humanity. The Son of God died instead of us. And then, after rising from the grave and ascending to the Father, he continued to give. The Christian life is one of grace. And this has always been God's pattern -- giving. God is a giver. That we exist is a gift. The creation is a gift. Men and women are gifts to each other. And even though the original man and woman weren't content with God's gift, he kept the gift flowing anyway. Promises. The ark. The law. The faithfulness of the seasons. Color. Flavors. Laughter. Sex. God gave it all to us! And then God gave himself. He gave us his all.

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9) Yes, everything we have is a gift. And Jesus gave from his poverty so that we might become rich in him. God is a giver. Christ is a giver.

Out of Poverty

Jesus' spirit of generosity is something God's children partake of and also engage in. To be more precise, living a giving life, emulating Jesus in this way, is part of the gift he's given us.

“Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” (Acts 20:35) When we give, we find ourselves. We get out of the monotony of life. We find a tangible way to celebrate, love, and adore God. We tell the God of heaven how much we love him with a little piece of our earth. And, like this woman, we must sometimes give out of our poverty. Remember Jesus' words: "She out of her poverty has put in everything she had" (44). Out of her poverty, the gift came. This is the way of Christ, the way of the disciple. We give out of our poverty. And this usually feels like the worst time to give. Down to our last spare minutes or dollars, our reflex is to hold on and hold tight. Self-preservation begins to rule our spirits, but self-preservation breeds disastrous results. But the disciple who grows into Christlikeness develops a new reflex of generosity and believes God will take care of the rest. The believer believes God will take care of them. We believe the jar will not empty. God will always be there to fill us up. So we give. This is the secret. This is the good life. This is the life Jesus loves and the life Jesus lived. And this is the life his offspring, his people, should pursue.