And calling His disciples to Him, Jesus said to them, "Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all those putting into 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". (Mk 12:43-44)
I say this account of people bringing offerings to the Lord follows the pattern of the first offerings recorded in scripture, those from Cain and Abel. "The Lord had regard for Abel and his offering", "but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard" (Gen 4:4-5).
The same Person expressed the same contrasting responses in Mark's account.
He didn't insult an offering in either account. Instead, He responded positively to offerings. And the light of His countenance on the acceptable offering cast a shadow on the other offerings. He slighted them by paying attention to what He found acceptable.
We see this slight of the Lord in "Take your son, your only son, whom you love, to Mount Moriah" (Gen 22:2). Yet Abraham had two sons when God said this. Isaac was like Abel to the Lord, while Ishmael was like Cain.
We see this again when Jesus asked, "Who touched Me?" while being jostled in the middle of a large crowd. They were all travelling with Him, but He only had regard for one of those touches.
Cain was a murderer, and he perpetrated that crime after rejecting the counsel of God. But before that, Cain brought an offering to God. And he noticed God's lack of notice for his offering. He cared that God did not care for it.
But there is no hint the rich people putting in large sums of money noticed Christ slighted their offerings. And there is no hint the large crowd noticed Jesus didn't notice them when He stopped for the healed women who made contact. None of them were upset Christ lacked interest in their efforts.
Have we drawn the regard of God? He asked Satan, "Have you considered my servant, Job?" Does God have reason to consider us? Does the enemy? "Jesus I know and I know about Paul, but who are you?" (Act 19:15).
Yes, we are accepted in the Beloved. No, we are not saved by our good works. But Abel flowed with God. God had sacrificed an innocent animal to clothe his parents' nakedness and Abel emulated that. "It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master" (Mk 10:25). Abel acknowledged the way of the Lord. His offering was a plea for the same covering.
In contrast, Cain had no regard for how God covered his parents' nakedness. He ignored the utter failure of their plant covering. Instead, he obtusely (defiantly?) brought more plants to God.
Abel copied what the Lord had already done, but the poor widow prophesied of what He was about to do. She gave her all to Him Who gave His all for us. She put in all she had; Christ put in all He is. Jesus found a kindred spirit in that woman. What does He find in us?
God has regard for Christ – His Person and His sacrifice. His gaze will fix on us if we are in Christ. He will have regard for our efforts if they flow out from and testify to the work of Christ. "Therefore, let us run in such a way, as not without aim; and box in such a way, as not beating the air" (1 Cor 9:26).
Don't be daunted, Beloved. Those cut to the quick by the preaching of Peter asked, "What shall we do?" Peter answered with the promise of the infilling of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of Christ in us will "equip us in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ" (Heb 13:21).
A wheel doesn't go around to BE a wheel. It goes around because it IS a wheel. Our work is to not work against the nature of God working in us. If we do not contradict or neglect Him, then we will do in and through Him what is pleasing and acceptable to Him.
A pair of marriages sit as the bookends of scripture. Each is of a groom with a bride who is one with him because she was drawn from him. God built both brides from the substance of those grooms. In both cases, the bride was made ready, but in the last case, it is said, "His bride has made herself ready" (Rev 19:7). Unlike Eve, we participate in our preparation. We do this through yielded obedience to the promptings of the One Who is in us to prepare us.
Now I set widows as bookends of this exhortation: God commanded a widow to feed Elijah, but He also promised her supply of oil and flour wouldn't run out. So also, God will provide to us what He requires of us. Our toil in God will be so marvelous in our eyes, it won't be a burden in our hands.
- Matt Schilling
| Contact Us | To Previous Entry > |
