The Inside Matters: Mark 12:41-44
God cares about the alignment of our heart. He doesn’t need fancy cars, big buildings, and sharp clothing. He doesn’t need huge crowds or His name (or our name) in lights. What He desires is a contrite heart. He wants a heart willing to sacrifice. He wants a spirit willing to come to Him and help others do likewise.
After teaching for a while, Jesus takes His disciples and sits down to watch the crowd. This is a classic moment of Jesus’ teaching. He is always willing to use His surroundings to teach. In the Gospel stories we have Jesus teaching about grain as they walk through a field, about the sparrows in the field, and now the people in the temple. If we are willing to take the time to observe God’s creation around us, there are plenty of examples to use to help us contemplate God and our relationship with Him.
Today, Jesus focused on the widow’s offering. Before getting to her, though, we should acknowledge there were plenty of people giving large sums of money to the temple. Jesus did not acknowledge them when they gave because they were giving out of their abundance. Don’t confuse this with critique or condemnation. There is nothing wrong with the wealthy giving out of their abundance. A gift to God is a gift to God whether it is done out of one’s abundance or out of one’s lack. Jesus has no condemnation for those who give.
Jesus does lift the widow’s gift up as an example. While there is nothing wrong with a gift out of abundance, as the story indicates they are common. Most people give out of their abundance because it doesn’t involve much sacrifice. The widow, on the other hand, gave out of her lack. Her offering may be small in quantity but it is huge in sacrifice.
With God, quality always trumps quantity. God cares more about what is happening on the inside and far less about what is happening on the outside. This is the second story in a row to make this point. The issue Jesus had with the scribes is that they cared about the perfect façade they revealed to the world. Here, Jesus draws attention to the hidden nature of sacrifice in a gift that largely was overlooked by everyone around. It’s wrong to focus on the façade; we should focus on the character in the depths of our being.
Jesus continues to lean into themes from the Old Testament as He teaches. I’ve mentioned Hosea 6:6 before, “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” You could also refer to Psalm 51:16-17 or Joel 2:13. God does not care about the façade of spirituality; God cares about the alignment of our heart.
