Gtcotr/ss102520
This morning we will be reading our text from the twelfth chapter of the Gospel of Mark. While you prepare to read along or take notes, allow me to share a little background information on our subject today.
The Temple of God in Jerusalem was a very orderly place arranged with great care and much attention to detail. It was the center of life for those living in and around Jerusalem, as well as the hope of all Israel for generations. King Solomon built the original Temple as a home for the Ark of the Covenant of God according to the pattern given by God to Moses 500 years earlier.
Here
is a little quick temple history:
·
King Solomon built the First Temple in Jerusalem about 1000BC
o This began what is
called:
o
The First Temple Period (c. 1000-586 BC)
·
Solomon’s Temple was destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar II who also enslaved the Jews and carried them away to Babylon 587 BC.
·
70 years later, 516BC, according to Bible prophecy,
the Jews returned home to Jerusalem and erected a modest Temple on the Temple
Mount under the leadership of Ezra.
o
This Temple is referred to as Ezra’s Temple
o
Although not opulent and built much smaller than
Solomon’s Temple, the erection of Ezra’s Temple officially began the
Second Temple Period (c. 516 BC to 70 AD).
·
In the year 20 BC, King Herod the Great began
renovating the old Temple that had been built by Ezra. Herod
expanded and reconstructed Ezra’s Temple to the same
dimensions as Solomon’s Temple. It was marvelous and became known as Herod’s
Temple.
o
The construction of Herod’s Temple took 46
years to complete.
o
This is the Temple we find in the New
Testament at Jerusalem which was often visited by Jesus and referred to in the
Gospels.
o This is the setting for our message today from Mark 12.
Herod’s Temple had different courtyards where
people could gather.
·
Court of the Gentiles – into which everyone
could and did come however the Gentiles could go no further than this courtyard.
·
Court of the Women – in which both men and
women freely gathered but from which the women could go no further.
o
It is in this court where we find Jesus
sitting to observe people in the latter portion of Mark 12.
o
The Court of Women was the place where the Offering Boxes were
located.
§ There were 13 offering boxes in all.
§ Each box was designated for a different special offering.
·
There were offering boxes for various
free-will offerings … wood and frankincense for example …
·
There were offering boxes for mandatory
offerings.
·
Both of these are wonderful subjects for
further study.
·
There were offering boxes for silver
offerings; gold offerings; and brass offerings. Brass coins were the lesser
valued and more common coins.
·
It is understood that the minimum amount which could be placed
into the Temple treasury for the poor was two mites made of brass.
o
The word mite basically means crumb.
o
Each mite was equal in weight and value to a
half-kernel of parched corn. Two mites or crumbs as they were considered, were
the least amount accepted as an offering.
§ The offering boxes had a trumpet-like shaped mouth into which money
could be dropped.
§ One of the free-will offering boxes was designated to be used as a
receptacle for offerings given to the priests to help the poor.
§ This is where we find Jesus in our text today. He is sitting down opposite the offering box dedicated to receiving alms for the poor.
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.
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.”
Here
are three truths we will learn from today’s message:
1. God looks down from heaven on the individual heart of every person. God considers every intent and every act of every person.
Psalms 33
14 From the place of His
dwelling He looks On all the inhabitants of the earth;
15 He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works.
2.
The poor are not excused from good works. (2 Corinthians 8:2-3
NLT)
a. Who could blame the
widow if she gave nothing or who would not counsel her to take care of her
needs first and foremost?
b. However, no one is so
poor they cannot find someone else in greater need. (Proverbs 19:17 … pity on
the poor … lends …)
c. Meeting the need of
others, and not in monetary ways only, will open heaven’s window for those who
give.
d. To close our heart of
compassion for others in need will dam up the flow of God’s divine goodness in
a life.
e. I am reminded of a poor widow during the days of Elijah.
1 Kings 17:9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.”
1. The continued account
reveals a poor woman, not the perhaps anticipated rich woman, gathering sticks
so she could prepare a last meal for herself and her son.
2. She was challenged by
the prophet Elijah who presented as nothing more than a dirty homeless bum who
was hungry and thirsty. What would you have counseled her to do?
3. This woman had been
commanded by God to provide for Elijah, but she was totally unaware and
completely unable.
a. Yet the Word of
Almighty God spoken through the prophet awakened the command of God in her
heart and gave her faith to open the window of heaven by giving her little to
God’s work. (Malachi 3:10)
b. By acting in faith she received a miracle and instead of eating the little and dying, she gave a little and lived.
When God wants to bless someone, He often finds a person who needs a blessing to bless them. This way only God gets the glory and everyone else receives the blessing. (Luke 6:38 … shall men give into your bosom …)
3.
Jesus is more impressed with how we give, than
He is by how much we give.
2 Corinthians 8:12 For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.
2 Corinthians 9:7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.
I
can imagine two things about the poor widow that impressed Jesus so much and is
still impressing us today:
·
She
planned to give.
o She had to save to
finally get the required minimum so she could finally participate in giving to
the poor when she went to Church.
o She gave on purpose …
she purposed in her heart.
·
I
can also imagine she was smiling from ear to ear as she dropped her offering in
that box.
o She did not have to
give, she finally got to give!
o Not only was she proud
of herself but …
o Jesus was also proud
of her and …
o Whoever she ended up helping was proud to get it as well.
Don’t
you love a story that has a happy ending? What will be the story of your life?
