The Widow's Offering and the Stones of the Temple.
The spirit that led the disciples to admire the stones of the temple, while Christ pointed them to the widow's offering, is a spirit natural to us all; and by considering it in the passage before us we shall reach certain facts which will guide and help us in our daily Christian life. The truths suggested by this contrast are twofold.
I. The true measure of sacrifice. Not the greatness of the outward act, but the perfectness of the inward motive. We judge men's acts by their outward forms, rather than by the spirit which impelled them we are so apt to regard only the great temple stones. In the light of the judgment day many of the world's notions will be altered. There are unknown heroes and silent martyrs now, whom the world passes by. It is not the great outward act, but the perfect yielding of the soul, which constitutes the sacrifice which God will not despise.
II. The true idea of a temple. The disciples saw God's dwelling-place in the house of stone, with its Holy of Holies and altars of sacrifice; Christ saw it in the broken heart of the widow. This idea characterised all His teachings. It is the inner motive and heart, as He constantly proclaimed, that God regards, and in the spiritthat He must be served.
III. From the foregoing arise three practical lessons. (1) A lesson of duty. Every man may be spiritually heroic. Believe that the work you are appointed to do is God's work, and you will always find scope for the heavenly spirit, and for living out the principle which Christ indicated when He pointed to the widow's mite. (2) A lesson of encouragement. Love God in all things consider no sacrifice too great or too small do your best in everything as in His sight, and you will find Him everywhere. (3) A lesson of warning. The Jews had come to see God only in the temple at Jerusalem. As a consequence they became formalists the surrender of their souls was forgotten. And the splendid temple fell. So now and ever. Forget the divinity of all life, and the temple of your soul will become desolate.
E. L. Hull, Sermons,3rd series, p. 213.
References: Mark 13:1. Preacher's Monthly,vol. v., p. 177. Mark 13:1-13. H. M. Luckock, Footprints of the Son of Man,p. 279. Mark 13:8. Ibid.,vol. iv., p. 160. Mark 13:24-36. C. Stanford, Christian World Pulpit,vol. xx., p. 277; H. M. Luckock, Footprints of the Son of Man,p. 290.