Mark 12:43

Verse of the Day Devotion: Mark 12:43

“Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury;” – Mark 12:43 

This scripture is about giving to God.  Here are the contextual verses.  “And He sat down opposite the treasury and began observing how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums.  A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent.”  Mark 12:41-42.  It is important to note these were voluntary contributions by the worshippers which were used to buy wood for the alter, as well as other necessities not provided for in any other way.

Jesus sat and was observing the giving that was taking place in the treasury.  As He watched, he called the disciples to Him and gave them a lesson in giving.  He saw many rich people giving large amounts of money.   By the fact Jesus saw them from a distance, this was probably being done in a way that was intended for others to see.  They were making it clear how much they were offering and was proud of the amount they dropped in the containers.  Then He watches as a poor widow came and dropped in two small copper coins, the smallest denomination of coins back then, worth less than a cent in todays value.

Many would say the rich gave much more than this woman.  They would only see the amount that is given.  However, that is not how Jesus saw it.  “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.”  Mark 12:43b-44.  Jesus is not as interested in how much we give, but in how much we sacrifice.  Notice the words describing the offerings.  The rich gave of their surplus, the widow gave out of her need.  The rich gave what they had left over, the widow gave all she had to live on.  Charity should not be judged by its appearance; what we see with our eyes, but by the spirit in which it is given.

God sees everything we do, both our deeds and our intentions and motives.  He sees what we do in public and what we do in private.  There is nothing hidden from Him.  He sees the circumstances and our heart, whether we act with care or negligence.  With a heart of compassion and love, or of arrogance and greed.   The poor widow gave more because she gave her all.  She gave out of her love for God, giving because she wanted to honor Him.  She also gave out of trust because I think she knew she would be taken care of.  “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.” Psalm 84:11

We must check our motives and ensure our giving is to honor Him and not ourselves.  Our motives and compassion decide the value of our gift.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries, Inc.

Isaiah 1:17

Verse of the Day Devotion: Isaiah 1:17

“Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow.” – Isaiah 1:17 

Isaiah is speaking to Judah about its wickedness.  They are not living as they ought. “Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth; For the LORD speaks, “Sons I have reared and brought up, but they have revolted against Me.” Isaiah 1:2.  Judah has revolted against God.  They are not following His ways but their own.  In fact, the Lord speaking through Isaiah declares that they do not even know Him.  “An ox knows its owner, and a donkey its master’s manger, But Israel does not know, My people do not understand.” Isaiah 1:3. He compares His people to an ox and a donkey and basically says they know more than Judah, for at least they know who their master is.  He continues with, “Alas, sinful nation, People weighed down with iniquity, Offspring of evildoers, Sons who act corruptly! They have abandoned the LORD, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, They have turned away from Him.” Isaiah 1:4.

Based on verses 2-4, Judah has abandoned God, choosing to walk in their own way and not God’s way.  How sad that God’s people in the time of this writing, having seen all that God has done for them, would walk away from Him when, in their eyes, did not appear to believe they needed Him.

However, God has not rejected them.  He still loves them and has a purpose for them.  He now tells them what they must do.  “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil,” Isaiah 1:16.  This verse, just prior to our focus verse, tells them what they must do because of their rejection of His way.  First, they must wash themselves, making themselves clean.  He is telling them to put away their sins, stop committing them anymore.  Sin is represented in the scriptures as defiling or polluting the soul, making it filthy.  This idea is alluded to by King David when he wrote, “Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.” Psalm 51:1-2  Sin is like dirt that makes us unclean, and we must wash this filth from us.

God then goes on to say through Isaiah, remove this sin from my sight.  Since He sees everything, and nothing can be hidden from Him, He is basically saying to cease from doing evil.  Stop it altogether.  Do not just wash yourselves, but do not get dirty again.

Now, this takes us to the focus verse.  He says to learn to do good.  They were obviously ignorant of what was good, so God was telling them to study to see what is good.  These include, but are not limited to, seeking justice.  This is to be done between 2 or more people when a wrong is done, without respect of persons.  They are to reprove those who are ruthless, those who take advantage of others or are cruel and heartless to others.  They must not allow them to continue in their evil ways but correct them and get them to stop.  They are to defend the orphans and plead for the widow. Both of these groups had no one to plead their case back in this time.  They were ignored and left to fend for themselves.

Today, we have similar situations.  Our county is moving toward atheism and rapidly at that.  Many in this country are defying God and living as they please.  And we, or those who come back must learn what it truly means to do good.  We must cleanse ourselves from sin and stop doing whatever evil we find ourselves doing.  We must protect those who need protecting and help those who need help.  We must see other more highly than we see ourselves (Philippians 2:3).  We must honor God in all we do.  Let us learn what is the right thing in everything and focus on doing them.  That is what He calls us to.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries, Inc.