Monthly Archives: September 2025

MARK’S GOSPEL…WASTED – 33

Bible Study, ,

Mark. 14:3-9

“While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. 

“Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly. 

“Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.””

What a waste! A whole year’s wages, a dowry, an investment, a life’s savings…gone! Soaking into a man’s hair, clothing, down His face, onto His hands, feet…dripping onto the floor, all that wealth only a spreading stain on the ground! 

(In another rendering of the story, it was the disciples who had a lot to say about her action). 

The people were aghast! What was she thinking? What was she doing? One spokesman protested, this time probably Judas Iscariot, since he usually had money on his mind, measuring everything in terms of silver and gold. They all joined in. What a waste! What about the poor? Why didn’t she do something about “the poor” seeing she was so willing to part with her wealth?

Jesus saw right through their hypocrisy. What did they really care about the nameless, faceless “poor”? They had every other day to do something about the poor. Did they do anything?No! 

This is was an opportunity to go on the attack, especially on a woman who was a nothing in society. Perhaps this was even a subtle way of insinuating that they were better than her. 

Anger rose up in Jesus’ heart, intense sadness at their cruel, heartless indifference to her real motive. These were His people, but all His years with them, painstakingly teaching them about love and mercy, went up in smoke in a moment. Their hearts were exposed. Remember…what you say is what you are!

He retorted with a stinging rebuke. “What do you really care about the poor? Leave her alone. She has done something so great that history will mark her deed as special, to be remembered until the end of time!”

Jesus saw both their hearts and her heart, not with criticism, judgement, measuring actions by worldly standards but reading her love and their absence of love that directed their responses to Him. 

This woman had no name. She was just a woman off the street. Some even wrote her off as wicked, a sinner, an undesirable! What did she want in that company anyway? How had she managed to gatecrash the party? 

It seems that she has crept in with one overriding intention. Armed with her greatest treasure, she suddenly stood up, took the lid off, smashed the priceless alabaster, box and doused Jesus with its contents. 

As the oil slowly dripped from His head to His feet, its fragrance began to fill the room. The odours    of bodies, the memories of toil and hardship, the feelings of loneliness, emptiness, frustration…the things that occupied the thoughts and took up the lives of the onlookers were momentarily drowned by the subtle perfume, enfolding them all in a quiet calm. 

Jesus read even deeper into her action. She had no idea what she was doing, but He did. Always with His mission in mind, with its encroaching suffering He was to endure for all mankind, He saw her deed as an act of pure worship, a celebration of the mercy that would touch everyone who believed, herself included. 

In that moment of intense spiritual interaction, Jesus accepted her sacrifice and the woman received His gift of grace. She would return home a new person despite whatever anyone else thought or felt. Her past was gone, her future bright with hope because of this man whom she had honoured by her faith, knowing deep in her heart that He was who He said He was, the Son of God and the Saviour of the world. 

MARK’S GOSPEL…THE RAPTURE – 32

Bible Study, ,

Mark 13: 23-31 NIV

“So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time. “But in those days, following that distress, “ ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens. “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭13‬:‭23‬-‭31‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The rapture…another “hot potato”!

It’s funny, strange…how a few Biblical scholars present an interpretation of Scripture, often out of a modern worldview, and everyone, that is, many if not most of the Christian world, run with it as though it is the absolute truth. I think that this is what has happened with our understanding of the “rapture”. 

Three major interpretations occupy the attention of many believers…pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation, or post-tribulation…all focusing on the time of Jesus’ return rather than what the rapture might be. 

That Jesus is coming back is not the issue but when He is coming depends on what we make of a combination of pieces of information. So, let’s examine what He had to say about the “rapture”.

First, there will be signs such as an increase of deception and wickedness, an escalation of natural disasters, and polarisation between believers and unbelievers with persecution gathering momentum. There will also be unnatural signs in the cosmos, all pointing to the nearness of Jesus’ return, like the signs of coming summer in the  new growth of the fig tree. 

Was Jesus referring to something specific happening in Israel, since He had shortly before spoken of Israel as the “fig tree” that had been cursed? Is “new growth”, that is, new spiritual life that is blossoming in God’s people, one of the signs that Jesus’ appearing is imminent? The Apostle Paul echoed this idea in his letter to the Romans. 

Second, there is no evidence in Scripture that there will be two “comings”, a secret rapture when believers disappear off the earth, then an interval before Jesus returns to set up His kingdom. This idea comes from the notion of a separation of time between Daniel’s thirty-nineth and fortieth “week”. 

The New Testament, in every reference to Jesus’ return, speaks of only one event…and it will not be secret or quiet! Paul wrote…

“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”

‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭4‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.”

‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.”

‭‭2 Thessalonians‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Second, when heaven invades earth, time will cease, and the coming of Jesus will herald the eternal “now”when everything will merge into one instantaneous event. For us now, this is mysterious because we are bound by time and the sequence of events. 

Now let’s look at the idea of being “caught up”. The Greek words convey the idea of being snatched or seized, at the same time, into a close association with Jesus, and into cloudiness. When we connect this idea with the Jewish marriage protocol, after the ceremony, the bridegroom snatches up his bride and “raptures” her into the bridal chamber to consummate their marriage.  

It’s this symbolism of the rapture that should dominate our thinking rather than timelines and  mechanisms. When Jesus returns, He will complete the union He began on earth when He chose His bride. He betrothed her to Himself, both to separate her from all other men and for her to prepare herself for their wedding day. 

“Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people).”

Revelation 19: 6-8 NIV

On more than one occasion, Jesus used the language of a Jewish wedding to refer to the preparation for the wedding, for example…

“My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭2‬-‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The groom had no idea when that would be. His father alone would know when to send him to claim his bride once he was satisfied with the groom’s preparation of the bridal chamber. 

“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭13‬:‭32‬ ‭NIV‬‬

So, how important it is that we understand the rapture in the context of a wedding rather than in our own non-Jewish imposition!

Jesus did not tell His disciples what would happen when He returns. We assume, from the combination of relevant Scriptures, that He will purify the earth of all evil and establish His eternal reign on earth together with His people. Revelation 21 describes the moment when heaven joins earth and God fulfills His dream  of dwelling forever with His people. 

“Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

‭‭Revelation‬ 21:1-4 NIV

So, our concern should not be with events and timelines. Rather, we are to be ready by using the betrothal period to prepare for His coming by faithfully and lovingly serving His people, adorning our robe of righteousness with the jewels of good deeds. 

MARK’S GOSPEL…THE RAPTURE – 32

Bible Study, ,

Mark 13: 23-31 NIV

“So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time. “But in those days, following that distress, “ ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens. “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭13‬:‭23‬-‭31‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The rapture…another “hot potato”!

It’s funny, strange…how a few Biblical scholars present an interpretation of Scripture, often out of a modern worldview, and everyone, that is, many if not most of the Christian world, run with it as though it is the absolute truth. I think that this is what has happened with our understanding of the “rapture”. 

Three major interpretations occupy the attention of many believers…pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation, or post-tribulation…all focusing on the time of Jesus’ return rather than what the rapture might be. 

That Jesus is coming back is not the issue but when He is coming depends on what we make of a combination of pieces of information. So, let’s examine what He had to say about the “rapture”.

First, there will be signs such as an increase of deception and wickedness, an escalation of natural disasters, and polarisation between believers and unbelievers with persecution gathering momentum. There will also be unnatural signs in the cosmos, all pointing to the nearness of Jesus’ return, like the signs of coming summer in the  new growth of the fig tree. 

Was Jesus referring to something specific happening in Israel, since He had shortly before spoken of Israel as the “fig tree” that had been cursed? Is “new growth”, that is, new spiritual life that is blossoming in God’s people, one of the signs that Jesus’ appearing is imminent? The Apostle Paul echoed this idea in his letter to the Romans. 

Second, there is no evidence in Scripture that there will be two “comings”, a secret rapture when believers disappear off the earth, then an interval before Jesus returns to set up His kingdom. This idea comes from the notion of a separation of time between Daniel’s thirty-nineth and fortieth “week”. 

The New Testament, in every reference to Jesus’ return, speaks of only one event…and it will not be secret or quiet! Paul wrote…

“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”

‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭4‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.”

‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.”

‭‭2 Thessalonians‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Second, when heaven invades earth, time will cease, and the coming of Jesus will herald the eternal “now”when everything will merge into one instantaneous event. For us now, this is mysterious because we are bound by time and the sequence of events. 

Now let’s look at the idea of being “caught up”. The Greek words convey the idea of being snatched or seized, at the same time, into a close association with Jesus, and into cloudiness. When we connect this idea with the Jewish marriage protocol, after the ceremony, the bridegroom snatches up his bride and “raptures” her into the bridal chamber to consummate their marriage.  

It’s this symbolism of the rapture that should dominate our thinking rather than timelines and  mechanisms. When Jesus returns, He will complete the union He began on earth when He chose His bride. He betrothed her to Himself, both to separate her from all other men and for her to prepare herself for their wedding day. 

“Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people).”

Revelation 19: 6-8 NIV

On more than one occasion, Jesus used the language of a Jewish wedding to refer to the preparation for the wedding, for example…

“My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭2‬-‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The groom had no idea when that would be. His father alone would know when to send him to claim his bride once he was satisfied with the groom’s preparation of the bridal chamber. 

“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭13‬:‭32‬ ‭NIV‬‬

So, how important it is that we understand the rapture in the context of a wedding rather than in our own non-Jewish imposition!

Jesus did not tell His disciples what would happen when He returns. We assume, from the combination of relevant Scriptures, that He will purify the earth of all evil and establish His eternal reign on earth together with His people. Revelation 21 describes the moment when heaven joins earth and God fulfills His dream  of dwelling forever with His people. 

“Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

‭‭Revelation‬ 21:1-4 NIV

So, our concern should not be with events and timelines. Rather, we are to be ready by using the betrothal period to prepare for His coming by faithfully and lovingly serving His people, adorning our robe of righteousness with the jewels of good deeds. 

MARK’S GOSPEL…TIMELINE OR SIGNS – 31

Bible Study, ,

Mark 13:3-8, 13 NIV

“As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?” 

Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you.”

Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains…Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭13‬:‭3‬-‭4‬, ‭6‬-‭8‬, ‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

A somewhat complicated answer to a simple question! Jesus had just made a bold statement…

“Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭13‬:‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The disciples were marvelling at the massive temple structure they were leaving, a seemingly indestructible monument compared with the other buildings surrounding it. They looked up at its stone walls, huge blocks of rock, cut from a far-away quarry and hauled over rough terrain to be placed, one on top of the other, to form this beautiful “house of God.” How it was done was a miracle of engineering. 

Jesus, always seeing things from a different perspective, interrupted them. “This seeming permanence isn’t permanent. This huge monument to man’s ability will soon be a heap of rubble.” 

“What! How is this possible?”Intrigued by Jesus’ reply, the disciples, no doubt led by Peter, asked a simple question that released a stream of mystifying “signs” that seem impossible to piece together.

Clever humans have tried to create a timeline out of Jesus’ signs, which He didn’t intend. Rather, His clues were meant to show them, not when but that it would happen. 

Woven together into a tapestry of prophecy, Jesus presented His disciples with a picture of events soon to happen, fulfilled by the Roman army under Titus, which destroyed Jerusalem, slaughtered many Jews and scattered the Jewish believers across the Roman Empire, and events that would herald His return. 

Jesus gave them precise instructions for their survival when God’s judgment fell on Jerusalem. 

““When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ standing where it does not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the housetop go down or enter the house to take anything out. Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak.”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭13‬:‭14‬-‭16‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Run…and pray!

Not long before, with tears streaming down His face, Jesus had predicted this horrifying event. So terrible would be the destruction that Jerusalem would be razed to the ground, the temple included. 

“As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭19‬:‭41‬-‭44‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“These are the beginning of birth pains…” 

These few words hidden in the text are the clue to understanding this prophecy. Not a timeline but signs. All these predictions… deception, wars, natural disasters, persecution…have been a part of human history from the beginning of time.  Nothing new but…the signs lie in the increase in volume of these adversities. 

“Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.”

Every generation has had those who predict the end in their time. Some have even put a date to their predictions and yet… we are still here,  eagerly awaiting Jesus’ return. 

So, how do we respond to these sobering words? I don’t think Jesus ever meant us to try to work out the exact date of these events heralding His return. The danger of doing so is that we might be tempted to live carelessly until the predicted date of His return comes closer. 

At the end of this long discourse He gives us His prescription…

““But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 

It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’ ”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭13‬:‭32‬-‭37‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Be faithful to your assigned task! Then you will be ready. 

“The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭12‬:‭42‬-‭43‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Keep watch! Not for the signs that are being fulfilled but for the enemy who would deflect you and derail you from faithfulness to the Master on your journey to the Father. 

MARK’S GOSPEL…HOW MUCH? – 30

Bible Study, ,

Mark 12:41-44 NIV

“Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

How often this story shakes and challenges us when we come face to face with the sacrifice of an unknown, unnamed, poverty-stricken Jewish widow, a daughter of Abraham! Why did Mark record this incident?  

What was Jesus thinking when He sat and watched the worshippers coming and going around the temple precincts? Why the temple treasury? What did that tell Him about the inner workings of people’s hearts?

One thing is sure…Jesus always matched what people did on the outside with what went on in the inside. He wasn’t impressed by what people did without discerning motives and attitudes. 

Let’s examine this story against the backdrop of Jesus’ teaching. Since money plays such a pivotal role in human life, Jesus would have had much to say about the way we use and abuse it. How did this woman and the other worshippers measure up? 

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus didn’t say, “Don’t give your money in public.” This wasn’t possible because the temple treasury was in a public space. He  did say, “Don’t make a show of your giving.” How could the people do that? 

To prevent theft, the receptacles, apparently, were shaped like trumpets and made a ringing sound when coins were thrown in with force. To be noticed, the giver would make a show of his gift by tossing it in hard enough to be heard. 

Guess who made use of this phenomenon? Of course, the Pharisees! They were the ones Jesus dubbed as “hypocrites”. The widow, by contrast, dropped her two coins in quietly. They were so small that they hardly made a sound. 

“But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

What happens when people use their money to serve others? Gain, not loss… more, not less. An amazing thing happens when we give… a record is keep in heaven, a deposit against which we can draw in times of need. What we hoard for ourselves is diminished. What we share with others becomes a heavenly investment.

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭NIV

Jesus used well-known imagery to dig into hearts and attitudes. Just as healthy eyes let light into the body, so a healthy attitude to money reveals an attitude of generosity towards others, lighting up the soul to see beyond the end of its own nose.

The opposite is also true. Just as blindness shuts out the light, so selfishness and greed shut out hearts to the needs of others. Selfishness is essentially darkness…the realm from which God is absent.

Now, here is the crux of the matter. 

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭24‬ ‭NIV‬‬

It’s not about what we own. It’s about who or what owns us! Money is a good servant but a terrible master. What we do with our money depends on who we serve, who we honour. 

When Jesus watched the widow drop in her two measly coins, He also saw what was left in her pocket…nothing! This does not mean that He requires that we give away all our money. He did , of the rich young ruler because money, not Jesus, was his master. What He saw in the widow was someone who was prepared to trust God for her livelihood when she had done what was required of her. 

All the other givers who threw in many coins, according to Jesus, had plenty left over for themselves. Nothing wrong with that but…how did they view their giving? Self-satisfied because of the amount they had given or at peace, like the widow, because she had obeyed her Lord?

I know I’m reading into this story what is not written but, judging by Jesus’ response to what He had seen, we can assume that she was at peace because money was not her master but her servant. 

Jesus is not concerned about whether we are rich or poor, how much we have or don’t have. When He is entrenched in our hearts as Lord, He is in charge of our material and physical well-being. What little we have will always be enough when we use it as currency to keep the flow going by giving and receiving, because that’s the way God’s kingdom works. 

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭33‬ ‭NIV‬‬