Mar 12:41-44 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Mark 12:41-44: 12:41-44 This account of a poor widow highlights the contrast between the falsely pious religious leaders (12:38-40 ) and those who truly love God. The emphasis of the passage falls on Jesus’ pronouncement, I tell you the truth , in which the widow is described as having given more than the rich. Summary for Mark 12:41-42: 12:41-42 The word translated collection box can refer to a building within the Temple compound in which Temple money was stored, but here it refers to one of thirteen money chests into which gifts were placed. As Jesus watched, many rich people put in large sums. Then he noticed a poor widow put in two small coins. (The use of the Roman term quadrans supports the view that Mark wrote his Gospel for the church in Rome; see Mark Book Introduction, “Audience.”) These two coins were worth one sixty-fourth of a denarius , a normal day’s pay (Matt 20:1-2 ).

Summary for Mark 12:41-44: 12:41-44 ^a This account of a poor widow highlights the contrast between the falsely pious religious leaders (12:38-40 ^b) and those who truly love God. The emphasis of the passage falls on Jesus’ pronouncement, I tell you the truth, in which the widow is described as having given more than the rich.
Summary for Mark 12:41-42: 12:41-42 ^c The word translated collection box can refer to a building within the Temple compound in which Temple money was stored, but here it refers to one of thirteen money chests into which gifts were placed. As Jesus watched, many rich people put in large sums. Then he noticed a poor widow put in two small coins. (The use of the Roman term quadrans supports the view that Mark wrote his Gospel for the church in Rome; see Mark Book Introduction, “Audience.”) These two coins were worth one sixty-fourth of a denarius, a normal day’s pay (Matt 20:1-2 ^d).
Summary for Mark 12:43-44: 12:43-44 ^e Jesus called his disciples to hear his teaching (see 3:23 ^f; 6:7 ^g; 8:1 ^h; 10:42 ⁱ; see also 7:14 ^j; 8:34 ^k). Jesus’ pronouncement in 12:43 ^l revealed a radical difference between his thinking and that of the world. No one would have named a building after the widow for her gift of two small coins, but Jesus and his Father look at a person’s heart (1 Sam 16:7 ^m). The widow was doing exactly what Jesus told the rich young ruler to do (Mark 10:21 ⁿ) and what he taught his disciples (1:18 ^o, 20 ^p; 8:34-37 ^q; 10:28-29 ^r). Like the woman of 14:3-9 ^s, the poor widow loved God with all her heart, soul, mind, and strength (12:30 ^t).