Teaching Like Jesus: Mark 12:41-44

Focus Passage: Mark 12:41-44 (NCV)

41 Jesus sat near the Temple money box and watched the people put in their money. Many rich people gave large sums of money. 42 Then a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which were only worth a few cents.

43 Calling his followers to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow gave more than all those rich people. 44 They gave only what they did not need. This woman is very poor, but she gave all she had; she gave all she had to live on.”

Read Mark 12:41-44 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

While it is easy to look at this passage and focus in on what Jesus taught us, what is even more amazing and insightful is looking at what Jesus does in this passage. Many people miss this because they are focused in on the teaching, but in this passage is an amazing example that we all can benefit from if we ever are given the opportunity of communicating a message to others.

Looking at how the passage opens, we read: “Jesus sat near the Temple money box and watched the people put in their money.” (v. 41)

Maybe some of those who were there wanted to show off for Jesus and chose to give extra big gifts because He was close by, but Jesus had a different mission. He was waiting for the sacrificial gift – the gift that cost the giver everything – and He soon spotted it. Jesus knew what He was looking for, while everyone else would have easily missed it. “Then a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which were only worth a few cents.” (v. 42)

What Jesus has done here is simply search out a relevant, current event that helps illustrate what He wanted to share. Jesus could have woven a parable to illustrate this gift, and while we can see the theme of giving included in a number of His parables, Jesus knew that a concrete example from real life would be much more powerful.

So Jesus sits and waits until He spots such an example, and then He shines the spotlight on it. In the same way, the best illustrations we can use when we communicate with others are real life stories – and ideally they are ones that are connected with the people we are communicating to.

Jesus used parables to help illustrate things that would be harder to find direct examples of in real life, but He seemed to prefer sharing real life examples over parables whenever He could.

This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!

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