寡婦的兩個小錢 馬可福音 12:35-40
- 馬克牧師
- Mar 23, 2024
- 9 min read
大衛子孫的問題
（太22‧41－46；路20‧41－44）
35耶穌在殿裏教訓人，就問他們說：「文士怎麼說基督是大衛的子孫呢？ 36大衛被聖靈感動，說：
主對我主說：
你坐在我的右邊，
等我使你仇敵作你的腳凳。
37 大衛既自己稱他為主，他怎麼又是大衛的子孫呢？」眾人都喜歡聽他。
譴責文士
（太23‧1－36；路20‧45－47）
38耶穌在教訓之間，說：「你們要防備文士；他們好穿長衣遊行，喜愛人在街市上問他們的安， 39又喜愛會堂裏的高位，筵席上的首座。 40他們侵吞寡婦的家產，假意作很長的禱告。這些人要受更重的刑罰！」
寡婦的奉獻
（路21‧1－4）
41耶穌對銀庫坐着，看眾人怎樣投錢入庫。有好些財主往裏投了若干的錢。 42有一個窮寡婦來，往裏投了兩個小錢，就是一個大錢。 43耶穌叫門徒來，說：「我實在告訴你們，這窮寡婦投入庫裏的，比眾人所投的更多。 44因為，他們都是自己有餘，拿出來投在裏頭；但這寡婦是自己不足，把她一切養生的都投上了。」
弟兄姊妹平安，今天我們要讀的是馬可第12章的最後一段，關於基督是誰的子孫，以及耶穌對宗教人士的警告，還有寡婦的奉獻的故事。
在這段經文中，許多人仍然在問及彌賽亞是否為大衛的後裔，但同時又為何大衛會稱他為主。猶太人普遍認為拯救者將是大衛的後代。事實上，根據馬太和路加的家譜，耶穌確實是大衛的後裔。然而，這段經文想要表達的不僅是耶穌是大衛的後裔，更重要的是他是真正的主。
耶穌的目標不是成為一位征服者或建立地上的國度，而是將人們帶進天國。然而，猶太人期待彌賽亞以征服者的形式降臨，這與耶穌的任務完全不同。因此，當耶穌未能符合他們對彌賽亞的期待時，他們最終將他釘在十字架上。
接下來，耶穌對那些法利賽人和宗教領袖的批評更加尖銳。一旦人們獲得知識和地位，便容易出現問題。他們追求尊重和地位，特別是在教會中或宴會上。他們開始在乎坐在何處，被視為重要人物。這些人開始追求地上的名聲和地位，而忽略了這些位置該有的，真正的服務精神。
這裡耶穌還批評另外一件事情，以宗教之名行欺詐之實的可惡的事情。就是侵吞寡婦的財產。當時的婦女其實普遍的沒有受教育，所以很多時候在學術上跟聰明上是不足以應對這些聰明的人。說穿了就是變成了今天的宗教詐騙集團，專門欺負一些比較單純、比較心思單純、比較沒有心機的人，不管是老人、女性或普通人。這些人用陰謀和宗教理論來榨取這些原本已經不富有的可憐人的財產，這就是耶穌嚴厲批評的行為。
其實耶穌在這裡還提到了另一種情況，就是很長的禱告。有些人認為只要禱告20分鐘、30分鐘，大家就會認為這個人很會禱告。但是禱告的長短並不代表禱告的內容是否受到上帝的悅納。保羅在哥林多前書14 章曾經提到過，寧願用理性說五句話，也不用方言說萬句話。你自己跟上帝禱告的時間長短應該由你自己決定。但是如果你是在眾人面前刻意地拉長禱告的時間，只是為了讓別人覺得你很虔誠，那麼你的動機就已經有問題了。
接下來我們看到一個寡婦。這位寡婦顯然非常貧窮，她拿來奉獻的錢幣極其微薄，僅僅是一個小小的錢幣，金額微不足道。旁邊卻有許多有錢人，可能在奉獻時投入大量錢幣，製造很大的聲響，吸引眾人的目光。然而，這位貧窮的寡婦默默地走到奉獻箱前，投入了兩個小錢，幾乎沒有發出聲音，然後就離開了。耶穌指出這位寡婦的奉獻是最多的，這提醒我們要從這個例子中學習奉獻者的心態與精神。
這位寡婦值得我們的尊敬，首先是因為她具有犧牲的精神。雖然她自己已經一無所有，甚至可能只剩下一點麵包來維持生計，但她仍然願意把最後一點錢都奉獻出來。這種犧牲精神顯示真正的奉獻不是在你有多少時給出，而是在你給出時會感到痛苦。這正是真正的奉獻。
有錢人也許可以捐贈大筆款項，卻像拔一根毛那樣輕而易舉。但對於普通人和貧窮人來說，捐出一點錢就像挖掉一塊肉一樣痛苦。
還有一個就是真正的奉獻是不計後果的。我們可能會認為這個婦人很傻，她把最後的飯錢、最後一點點的錢都奉獻出去了。接下來她該怎麼辦呢？她要怎麼活下去呢？因為她已經把自己的所有都給了出去。這個啟示非常寶貴，因為耶穌其實也是這樣，他甚至連自己的生命都不要了，為了我們而獻上。所以這樣的奉獻態度才是最受上帝所看重的。上帝為什麼把這個寡婦的故事記下來，並且讓它千古流傳下來呢？
我們所看見的不是一個很了不起的人物做了一個很了不起的奉獻，而是一個窮寡婦的兩個小錢。這個故事卻讓所有人千古來思考，並樹立了耶穌在告訴我們的最大奉獻的意義。奉獻的重點並不在於金錢的額度，也不在於物品本身的價值，而在於奉獻者的心態。他是否有一顆願意犧牲一切、願意不計後果、願意付出的心。這才是我們該去思考的。
當我們用這個標準來評估自己的奉獻時，我們就能夠了解自己的奉獻是什麼心態。我們只需要對自己和上帝交代，而不需要與他人作比較。有人奉獻的比我多，有人奉獻的比我少。當我們把奉獻的標準放在自己身上時，我們只需與上帝對話。
這還有一個也許我們就是那個窮寡婦，也許我們就是兩個小錢，我們可能沒有什麼能夠可以上帝的國度，我們可能也沒有什麼太大的天份、財富或者是能力能夠去奉獻，或者是我們會這麼認為。當我們這樣認為的時候，上帝說的是只要你奉獻必定有用。當我們在教會奉獻的時候，可能只有幾塊錢，可能只有一點點的錢，許多人可能會認為這麼少的錢能做什麼呢？但是當我們奉獻的時候，我們所看見的是上帝的奇妙，他能夠把我們手中的錢變成建造他國度的重要資源。我們懷著信心將我們的小錢奉上，把我們自己奉獻出來，帶著犧牲的心，帶著不計後果的心。這才是我們在奉獻時應該思考的重點。
感謝您的聆聽，明天我們繼續聊第13章耶穌談到的末世的預兆。
Whose Son Is the Messiah?
While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he asked, “Why do the teachers of the law say that the Messiah is the son of David?
David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared:
“ ‘The Lord said to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies
under your feet.” ’
David himself calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can he be his son?”
The large crowd listened to him with delight.
Warning Against the Teachers of the Law
As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces,
and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets.
They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”
The Widow’s Offering
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.”
Dear brothers and sisters,
Today we are going to study the final passage of Mark chapter 12, which deals with the question of Christ's lineage, Jesus' warnings to religious leaders, and the story of the widow's offering.
In this passage, many are still questioning whether the Messiah is a descendant of David and why David would call him Lord. The common belief among Jews is that the Savior will come from David's lineage. Indeed, according to the genealogies in Matthew and Luke, Jesus is descended from David. However, the point of this passage is not just that Jesus is David's descendant, but more importantly, that he is the true Lord.
Jesus' goal is not to be a conqueror or establish an earthly kingdom, but to bring people into the kingdom of heaven. However, the Jewish expectation of the Messiah coming as a conqueror is completely different from Jesus' mission. Therefore, when Jesus fails to meet their expectations of the Messiah, they ultimately crucify him.
Furthermore, Jesus' criticism of the Pharisees and religious leaders becomes sharper. Once people acquire knowledge and status, they tend to develop issues. They seek respect and position, especially in the church or at banquets. They start to care about where they sit and being seen as important figures. These individuals begin to pursue earthly fame and status, neglecting the true spirit of service that should accompany these positions.
Here, Jesus also criticizes another despicable act done in the name of religion: the exploitation of widows' property. At that time, women were generally uneducated, so they were often unable to cope with cunning individuals in matters of intellect. Essentially, this became akin to modern-day religious scams, targeting the more naive and simple-minded, whether elderly, female, or ordinary people. These individuals use deceit and religious theories to squeeze the already impoverished people of their possessions, and this is what Jesus harshly condemns.
Moreover, Jesus mentions another scenario here, that of lengthy prayers. Some people believe that praying for 20 or 30 minutes will make others think they are devout in prayer. However, the length of prayer does not necessarily indicate whether it is pleasing to God. Paul mentioned in 1 Corinthians 14 that he would rather speak five understandable words than ten thousand words in a tongue. The duration of your prayer with God should be determined by you. But if you deliberately extend your prayer time in front of others just to appear devout, then your motive is already questionable.
Next, we see a widow. This widow is obviously very poor, as the coins she brings for offering are extremely meager, just a small amount that is almost insignificant. Yet, there are many wealthy people nearby who may be donating large sums of money, making a big show of it to attract attention. However, this poor widow quietly approaches the offering box and puts in two small coins, making hardly any noise, and then leaves. Jesus points out that her offering is the greatest, reminding us to learn from the attitude and spirit of the giver in this example.
This widow deserves our respect, firstly because of her sacrificial spirit. Despite having nothing of her own, and possibly having only a little bread to survive, she still willingly offered her last bit of money. This kind of sacrificial spirit shows that true giving isn't about how much you have, but about feeling the pain when you give. This is the essence of true giving.
Wealthy individuals may donate large sums of money, but it's as easy as pulling out a hair for them. However, for ordinary and poor people, giving even a small amount of money is as painful as cutting off a piece of flesh.
Another aspect is that true giving doesn't consider the consequences. We might think this woman was foolish to give away her last meal, her last bit of money. What will she do next? How will she survive? Because she has given away everything she had. This revelation is very precious, because Jesus himself did the same, giving up even his own life for us. So, this attitude of giving is what is most valued by God. Why did God record the story of this widow and let it be passed down through the ages?
What we see here is not a remarkable figure making a remarkable offering, but just a poor widow's two small coins. Yet, this story has caused people throughout the ages to reflect and has established the greatest meaning of giving that Jesus taught us. The focus of giving is not on the amount of money or the value of the item itself, but on the attitude of the giver. It's about whether they have a heart willing to sacrifice everything, willing to give without considering the consequences. This is what we should contemplate when giving.
When we use this standard to evaluate our own giving, we can understand the attitude behind our giving. We only need to be accountable to ourselves and to God, without comparing ourselves to others. Some may give more than us, and some may give less. When we place the standard of giving on ourselves, we only need to have a conversation with God.
Perhaps we are like that widow, perhaps we are those two small coins. We may not have anything significant to offer to God's kingdom, we may not have great talents, wealth, or abilities to give, or at least that's what we may think. But when we think this way, God says that as long as you give, it will be useful. When we give in the church, it may only be a few coins, it may only be a small amount of money. Many may think, what can such a small amount do? But when we give, what we see is the wonder of God, who can turn the money in our hands into important resources for building His kingdom. With faith, we offer our small coins, we offer ourselves, with a sacrificial heart, with a heart that doesn't consider the consequences. This is the focal point of our thoughts when giving.
Thank you for listening, and tomorrow we will continue discussing the signs of the end times as mentioned in Chapter 13 of Mark.
Comments