Hello and welcome. This Bible teaching is produced by Heralds of Hope. We are a small ministry where our vision is to use media to make disciples, disciples of Jesus. To be a disciple of Jesus, we must worship Him. God made us to worship. People everywhere are worshippers. We all worship something.

Today, as we study this passage from Mark 12, think about who you worship and what is important to you. Worship comes from deep within, and what you worship matters. 

I once read about an 87-year-old woman who worked long days doing other people’s laundry. People were amazed when she generously donated 150,000 dollars to establish a scholarship fund at a major university. Even more impressive, her gift represented only 60% of her life savings. When asked how she did it, she said she lived modestly, saved regularly, and gave generously.

Ms. McCarty’s gift was impressive, but not when compared to the woman in our text today. Ms. McCarty gave away a large sum, but still had money in the bank. This woman had only two coins and gave them to God. After her gift… she had nothing. This widow’s actions tell us what was truly important to her and reveal the profound impact of true worship.

These are the final days of Jesus’ earthly life. The Pharisees, Herodians, Sadducees, and scribes have all tried to trap Him with questions. Jesus silenced them all and asked them a question they couldn’t answer. Immediately after this, He warned people about their hypocrisy.

So, I turn to a portion of the Holy Scripture in Mark 12:38-44. The title of my teaching is “Whom Do You Worship?”

³⁸ 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,

³⁹ the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, 

⁴⁰ who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”

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. 

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.”

In this text, the scene reveals two kinds of worship.

Evidence of Self-worship

Most professing Christ-followers would emphatically deny self-worship. I would! Jesus said to His disciples in the hearing of the whole crowd, “Beware of the scholars of the Law!” These religious leaders of the day said they held God’s Law in the highest esteem. They applied God’s commands to the most minor details of life. Why did Jesus warn the crowd to “watch out” for them? Because their zeal for the Law made them proud rather than obedient!

Jesus’ statements about the scholars in our text plainly show who they worshipped. I fear you and I may find ourselves in some of His descriptions, so brace yourself.

First, these men lived a life of ostentation. Ostentation is an unnecessary display of wealth, knowledge, or ability to attract attention, gain admiration, or create envy.

These men liked walking around in long robes, the clothing of kings and dignitaries, a mark of wealth. These robes most likely had tassels on the bottom that marked these men as teachers of the Law. They thought they deserved special respect from the ordinary people.

Is there ostentation in your life, any unnecessary display of wealth or knowledge to attract attention or admiration? This could be extravagant church buildings, lavish pastors’ salaries, or focusing on material prosperity rather than spiritual growth.

Another aspect of self-worship is reputation. Jesus said these men love to be greeted as “Rabbi,” or teacher, in the marketplace. This was the honorary greeting of an inferior to a superior. Inferior and superior are terms that don’t belong in the family of God.

We should indeed strive to have a good reputation. However, God’s reputation is much more important than mine. If I insist that people recognize my accomplishments, education, or position, I put the focus on myself and take it away from God. I steal some of the worship that belongs to Him. This is why humility is crucial to true worship.

And then there’s elevation. When these men attended the synagogue, they wanted to be in front so everyone could see them. In social settings, they wanted the best seats at the table. Mealtime had great significance in the ancient world. Guests were seated at the table according to their social status.

Do you ever have the temptation of wanting to be noticed? I do. I remind myself that my position doesn’t make me more valuable than others. I want God’s name elevated, not mine.

The next aspect of self-worship is exploitation – “they devour widows’ houses.” These men were likely mismanaging the estates of widows for whom they had been appointed guardians. They made decisions that would benefit them financially instead of looking out for the widow’s best interests. You and I may never do something like that, but there are many ways to exploit someone besides finances. What about exploiting another person’s emotions or a weakness for our benefit?

And then Jesus says they show off by making long prayers; that’s affectation. They appear to be something they are not. We sometimes call it “putting on a show.” This one hits pretty close to home. Do we do things to make others think we’re more spiritual than we are? Do we say and do things in the privacy of our homes that we wouldn’t want others to know about? That’s an attempt to look better in the eyes of others than what we are. That’s affectation.

Whatever you and I have, God has given it to us. If we truly worship Jesus, there is no place for pride and boasting. In 1 Corinthians 1:31, the apostle Paul reminds us, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.” We need to boast about God and His goodness to us.

Someone has said, “The more special we make ourselves, the less special God becomes.” Those are sobering words for you and me to ponder.

Evidence of God-worship

After His long confrontation with the religious leaders in the Temple, Jesus was most likely tired and ready for rest. So, He sat on the steps leading to the Court of the Women. In this court were 13 boxes for worshippers’ offerings. Each box was labeled with a designation for the contribution. There were boxes for wood, incense, and other things needed for the Temple worship. Others were marked for payment for sacrifices.

As Jesus sat with His disciples, they observed the rich casting their gifts into the treasury. So, imagine watching these people come with their gifts. Some were proud, lifting the coins high and letting them clang noisily into the box to draw attention. Some may have come grudgingly; it was an obligation. Others came cheerfully, eager to support the Lord’s work.

Then here comes an unnamed, poor widow who dropped two small coins into one of the boxes. Do you get the picture? This widow was possibly one of the very ones whom the scribes had devoured her living. You’d think she would’ve understood how the system was rigged against her and decided to keep her money.  But, no, she comes with her gift to the Lord.

Her clothing and condition most likely identified her as a poor widow. Jesus and His disciples must have been watching closely, or they would’ve missed this small offering. The text doesn’t mention it, but we can be sure she didn’t make a big show of her giving. How could her tiny gift compare with the gifts of the wealthy? I imagine her shyly dropping her coins in the box and stepping quickly and quietly away.

But look at what Jesus said. “Listen up; there’s something I want you to understand. This poor widow has put more into the offering than all the others.” How could Jesus say that? During the time of the Roman leaders Pompey and Crassus, the Temple Treasury contained nearly half a million dollars. That was after lavishly defraying every possible expenditure! The vessels used in the service of the Temple were valued at about 2 million pounds sterling; that’s between 4 and 5 million dollars today. What possible difference could her two coins make?

The two coins this poor widow put in were called lepta. Together, they were worth only about 1/64th of a denarius. As you may recall, a denarius was the standard wage given to a day laborer then, and those who earned it certainly couldn’t be considered wealthy. The adjective, poor, used to describe this widow means she worked for a living; she didn’t rely on charity. With her tiny gift, she wasn’t looking for man’s approval; she just wanted to serve her God humbly.

Have you ever felt like the little bit you have to give can’t possibly make much difference? According to what Jesus says here, that’s not true!

So, what makes her tiny, 1/64^th of a denarius, worth more than the enormous gifts of the wealthy? It’s certainly not the amount. No, Jesus said they gave out of their abundance, but this woman, out of poverty, put in everything she had. Those who gave much would barely miss what they put in. But this poor widow voluntarily put in ALL she had. God saw her heart and her motives, not so much the amount of her gift.

Is this not what God asks us to do — give Him our all? There’s another lesson here we mustn’t miss. No one is too poor to give! Giving draws us closer to God and our fellow men.

I’ve been convicted as I have meditated on this text. I’ve never known want. I’ve never gone to bed hungry because no food was available. I’ve never lacked adequate clothing or shelter. I have more than I need. I’ve given out of my abundance. I think my motives are better than scribes and Pharisees, but I’m unsure. I must be reminded regularly that God sees my heart; He knows my motives for giving.

Yes, whom do I worship?

Thank you for joining us for today’s lesson. Worship is a major topic. If you have any questions or comments about the lesson, please feel free to reach out. Our email address is [email protected], and our website is heraldsofhope.org.

Worship is such an important part of our lives, and the Psalms give us awesome language to express our worship. Here is a powerful verse from Psalm 95 to close. “Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand.”