A Lot and a Little October 1
Mark 12:41 Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. 42 Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans.
Luke 21:1-4 also tells the story of a widow and her small offering (mite). Matthew does not mention the widow, but condemns those who make a show of their contribution (Matt. 6:1-4). That they “sound a trumpet before you” is a reference to the sound the coins make as they are thrown into the trumpet-shaped receptacles in the Court of Women. A great number of small denominations of coin make a great sound in the trumpets, and so the hypocrites throw in many small coins from a height.
The rich who make their gift to the Temple treasury, their required sacrifice, give from their abundance. They perform their part of the bargain, giving what is required in the contract with God. Keeping their side of the agreement, they look for further blessings beyond life and daily bread.
Jesus observes how the rich put in their relatively larger amounts than those who are less well off. He then observes a widow, a woman who gives little, at least, by comparison.
She gives two mites, very small copper coins. The Greek word used is from a word meaning “scale.” Think of a fish scale, or a flake from a piece of metal. Yes, we understand the denomination is very small. And the coins are so light the trumpets might only have given a faint whisper.
This scene playing out itself in front of Jesus requires Him to comment.
The Greatest October 2
Mark 12:43 So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.”
As with the false teachers being on the bottom rather than on the top, so those who give a lot from their wealth are at the bottom of the list of contributors compared to the widow who gives all the money she possesses from her poverty.
The widow may well be one of those whose house has been devoured by the rich (verse 40). She has been at the bottom of society for so long, and she has no hope of rising up in this life. Her faithfulness in her giving reveals her hope of rising up in the next life.
Jesus has just told the scribe (who had asked which was the greatest law) that he is not far from the kingdom of God. Perhaps this woman has already entered God’s kingdom.
The widow’s faith allows her to be so generous with the little she has. This faith, this trust in an uncertain future but a certain God, already has led her into the kingdom.
She is not a subject for pity, but is a living parable.
A Temple of Stone October 3
Mark 13:1 Then as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!”
2 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”
Immediately following the story of the offering of the widow’s mites, one of the disciples gazes in wonder at the magnificence of Herod’s Temple. He remarks on the stones and their beauty, the physical size coupled with the magnificent architecture. Such awe would not be unusual for peasants from rural Galilee.
In response. Jesus might have spoken of the contrast with a one room hovel filled with familial love and joy. Instead, He remarks on the future of the Temple that is to come. He gives no details about when or why, only that the magnificent building will be demolished.
Like children who squabble while playing, adults have a way of knocking down each other’s blocks, sometimes literally.
The Temple had been built as a house for God, but had been given Herod’s name. The temple built by Solomon also had borne the king’s name, not the Lord’s name. A magnificent structure, Solomon’s Temple had been destroyed long ago, “not one stone…left upon another.”
The disciple is awed at the dumb stack of stone far more than at the precious sacrifice of the widow.
Jesus is continuing in His lessons on enduring value.
When? October 4
Mark 13:3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?”
As human beings, we are impressed by sights and events that are beyond what we have imagined in this world. Herod’s Temple in front of the Galileans is one such physical example. Jesus’ peace is a spiritual example.
We seem to have a compelling need to know the future, and if we do not know what will happen, we will worry about the endless possibilities.
Peter, James, John, and Andrew are with Jesus on the Mount of Olives. They are across the Kidron from the Temple, now seeing its splendor from a more distant perspective. One of the four asks Jesus about the timing of the destruction of the Temple. Such an event must signal an even larger calamity for Jerusalem and beyond.
We all believe that we want to know the future. The light cast on today immediately falters as we look into the future. There may be misty outlines and faint shadows, but the future unfolds as it will. In a universe of innumerable moving parts, and people whose thoughts and actions are unpredictable, foretelling the future is just possibilities and probabilities.
His first response to the question, “When,” is a warning that they allow no one to deceive them.
Be Not Deceived October 5
Mark 13:5 And Jesus, answering them, began to say: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 6For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and will deceive many.
Jesus gives a long response, perhaps more than they want to hear, and definitely more than they can absorb. The difficult times of which Jesus speaks contrast sharply with the peace of this setting.
Jesus begins to tell them of their future. It is not pretty. But he also tells them not to be “troubled,” i.e. frightened or worried.
His predictions are a mixture of the issues specific to Jerusalem, the problems the disciples will face over the decades, and the inevitability of the fading away of the things of this world.
We tend to interpret the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. as Jesus’ prediction here. That Herod’s Temple will one day be a pile of rubble is inevitable. Indeed, the words regarding the stones being “thrown down” may be translated as “loosened down,” a gradual falling down over time.
There will be imposters, as there have always been, those who claim to come from God but do not. People have been deceived in the present time as to the character of God and the nature of His relationship with all whom He has created. So it will be in the future, also.
We will not be deceived if we know God as Jesus has portrayed Him.
Be Not Troubled October 6
Mark 13:7 “But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. 8For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows.”
There will be the problems that people visit upon one another. He mentions wars, nation against nation. These are earth’s history from the earliest example of division, from Cain and Abel.
When He mentions “kingdom against kingdom,” we could almost think the kingdom of Satan against the kingdom of heaven, but that would imply equal forces. Satan is merely prince of the air (Eph. 2:2), so we are not to follow this interpretation.
And there will be the effects of nature, with earthquakes and famines specifically named. We might think of these as “time and chance” outside the Garden of Eden, the events beyond our control.
The Greek word translated as “troubles” is the same one used by Paul to describe the pains of childbirth in 1 Thess. 5:3. The vision in Rev. 12:2 tells of the birth pains of the woman giving birth.
A woman knows what she must endure to give birth to new life. Here in the peace of the Mount of Olives, in the calm before the storm, Jesus gives a glimpse into the future.
Jesus is giving His male audience a lesson in birthing a new earth.
First October 7
Mark 13:9 “But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them. 10 And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.”
Our first concern is our own future, what we will experience. The disciples want to know about their future, what will happen and the effect on them. Jesus’ answer is in generalities, not specific as to time and not detailed concerning events.
The disciples have seen how those in power have treated Jesus during His ministry. They are about to see far worse treatment of their Teacher.
And Jesus is promising that they will fare no better, that what He must endure His followers must endure, also.
He tells them not to worry about what will be. We must take that counsel, also.
The future will become what the present has made the future to be. What happens is exactly what must happen. Every moment of the past has created what exists in the present.
Consequences for actions are inevitable and must play out.
In the meantime, there is work to be done. There is the commission to set people free from the bondage of fear by preaching the gospel to all people. This is first.
Only when fear is replaced with love will there be the unity of God and His Creation. Until this unity, none can be spared some degree of pain. The balm of love held in the arms of relationship eases all pain.
Next day
Mark 12:41 Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. 42 Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans.
Luke 21:1-4 also tells the story of a widow and her small offering (mite). Matthew does not mention the widow, but condemns those who make a show of their contribution (Matt. 6:1-4). That they “sound a trumpet before you” is a reference to the sound the coins make as they are thrown into the trumpet-shaped receptacles in the Court of Women. A great number of small denominations of coin make a great sound in the trumpets, and so the hypocrites throw in many small coins from a height.
The rich who make their gift to the Temple treasury, their required sacrifice, give from their abundance. They perform their part of the bargain, giving what is required in the contract with God. Keeping their side of the agreement, they look for further blessings beyond life and daily bread.
Jesus observes how the rich put in their relatively larger amounts than those who are less well off. He then observes a widow, a woman who gives little, at least, by comparison.
She gives two mites, very small copper coins. The Greek word used is from a word meaning “scale.” Think of a fish scale, or a flake from a piece of metal. Yes, we understand the denomination is very small. And the coins are so light the trumpets might only have given a faint whisper.
This scene playing out itself in front of Jesus requires Him to comment.
The Greatest October 2
Mark 12:43 So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.”
As with the false teachers being on the bottom rather than on the top, so those who give a lot from their wealth are at the bottom of the list of contributors compared to the widow who gives all the money she possesses from her poverty.
The widow may well be one of those whose house has been devoured by the rich (verse 40). She has been at the bottom of society for so long, and she has no hope of rising up in this life. Her faithfulness in her giving reveals her hope of rising up in the next life.
Jesus has just told the scribe (who had asked which was the greatest law) that he is not far from the kingdom of God. Perhaps this woman has already entered God’s kingdom.
The widow’s faith allows her to be so generous with the little she has. This faith, this trust in an uncertain future but a certain God, already has led her into the kingdom.
She is not a subject for pity, but is a living parable.
A Temple of Stone October 3
Mark 13:1 Then as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!”
2 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”
Immediately following the story of the offering of the widow’s mites, one of the disciples gazes in wonder at the magnificence of Herod’s Temple. He remarks on the stones and their beauty, the physical size coupled with the magnificent architecture. Such awe would not be unusual for peasants from rural Galilee.
In response. Jesus might have spoken of the contrast with a one room hovel filled with familial love and joy. Instead, He remarks on the future of the Temple that is to come. He gives no details about when or why, only that the magnificent building will be demolished.
Like children who squabble while playing, adults have a way of knocking down each other’s blocks, sometimes literally.
The Temple had been built as a house for God, but had been given Herod’s name. The temple built by Solomon also had borne the king’s name, not the Lord’s name. A magnificent structure, Solomon’s Temple had been destroyed long ago, “not one stone…left upon another.”
The disciple is awed at the dumb stack of stone far more than at the precious sacrifice of the widow.
Jesus is continuing in His lessons on enduring value.
When? October 4
Mark 13:3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?”
As human beings, we are impressed by sights and events that are beyond what we have imagined in this world. Herod’s Temple in front of the Galileans is one such physical example. Jesus’ peace is a spiritual example.
We seem to have a compelling need to know the future, and if we do not know what will happen, we will worry about the endless possibilities.
Peter, James, John, and Andrew are with Jesus on the Mount of Olives. They are across the Kidron from the Temple, now seeing its splendor from a more distant perspective. One of the four asks Jesus about the timing of the destruction of the Temple. Such an event must signal an even larger calamity for Jerusalem and beyond.
We all believe that we want to know the future. The light cast on today immediately falters as we look into the future. There may be misty outlines and faint shadows, but the future unfolds as it will. In a universe of innumerable moving parts, and people whose thoughts and actions are unpredictable, foretelling the future is just possibilities and probabilities.
His first response to the question, “When,” is a warning that they allow no one to deceive them.
Be Not Deceived October 5
Mark 13:5 And Jesus, answering them, began to say: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 6For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and will deceive many.
Jesus gives a long response, perhaps more than they want to hear, and definitely more than they can absorb. The difficult times of which Jesus speaks contrast sharply with the peace of this setting.
Jesus begins to tell them of their future. It is not pretty. But he also tells them not to be “troubled,” i.e. frightened or worried.
His predictions are a mixture of the issues specific to Jerusalem, the problems the disciples will face over the decades, and the inevitability of the fading away of the things of this world.
We tend to interpret the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. as Jesus’ prediction here. That Herod’s Temple will one day be a pile of rubble is inevitable. Indeed, the words regarding the stones being “thrown down” may be translated as “loosened down,” a gradual falling down over time.
There will be imposters, as there have always been, those who claim to come from God but do not. People have been deceived in the present time as to the character of God and the nature of His relationship with all whom He has created. So it will be in the future, also.
We will not be deceived if we know God as Jesus has portrayed Him.
Be Not Troubled October 6
Mark 13:7 “But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. 8For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows.”
There will be the problems that people visit upon one another. He mentions wars, nation against nation. These are earth’s history from the earliest example of division, from Cain and Abel.
When He mentions “kingdom against kingdom,” we could almost think the kingdom of Satan against the kingdom of heaven, but that would imply equal forces. Satan is merely prince of the air (Eph. 2:2), so we are not to follow this interpretation.
And there will be the effects of nature, with earthquakes and famines specifically named. We might think of these as “time and chance” outside the Garden of Eden, the events beyond our control.
The Greek word translated as “troubles” is the same one used by Paul to describe the pains of childbirth in 1 Thess. 5:3. The vision in Rev. 12:2 tells of the birth pains of the woman giving birth.
A woman knows what she must endure to give birth to new life. Here in the peace of the Mount of Olives, in the calm before the storm, Jesus gives a glimpse into the future.
Jesus is giving His male audience a lesson in birthing a new earth.
First October 7
Mark 13:9 “But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them. 10 And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.”
Our first concern is our own future, what we will experience. The disciples want to know about their future, what will happen and the effect on them. Jesus’ answer is in generalities, not specific as to time and not detailed concerning events.
The disciples have seen how those in power have treated Jesus during His ministry. They are about to see far worse treatment of their Teacher.
And Jesus is promising that they will fare no better, that what He must endure His followers must endure, also.
He tells them not to worry about what will be. We must take that counsel, also.
The future will become what the present has made the future to be. What happens is exactly what must happen. Every moment of the past has created what exists in the present.
Consequences for actions are inevitable and must play out.
In the meantime, there is work to be done. There is the commission to set people free from the bondage of fear by preaching the gospel to all people. This is first.
Only when fear is replaced with love will there be the unity of God and His Creation. Until this unity, none can be spared some degree of pain. The balm of love held in the arms of relationship eases all pain.
Next day