Extortion
Jesus said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.” ~ Mark 12:38-40 ESV
Jesus exposed the greedy, unscrupulous practice of the scribes. In Mark 12:38-44, this passage sheds light on the injustices faced by widows, revealing how the religious elite preyed upon them while masquerading as righteous figures. Jesus cautions against the scribes, who, despite their showy displays of devotion, “devour widows’ houses”—a stark indication of their exploitation of the most defenseless, robbing them of their homes and means of survival.
Many preachers often use the story of the widow’s mite to teach about giving. Some say we should give until it hurts, give selflessly, give fully, or give as a sign of deep trust in God. However, this passage does not back up those views. The widow’s offering serves as a tragic yet powerful contrast. Jesus is exposing the corruption that forces the poor to give even when they have nothing left.
The core problem is that by teaching this to make people give more twists biblical teachings, turning generosity into a transactional formula (like many prosperity gospel preachers) rather than an act of faith and trust in God. True Christian giving is about love, stewardship, and caring for others—not about securing personal wealth.
Jesus clearly outlines His expectations for us: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.” (Matthew 25:35-36). His message is not about exploiting the vulnerable to fund extravagant church buildings or to enrich ourselves. Instead, He calls us to serve those in need, emphasizing compassion and generosity as the true measures of our faith.
Why do you give? – Click below to listen
Read / Listen / Video
Numbers 6:1-7:89
Mark 12:38-13:13
Psalm 49:1-20
Proverbs 10:27-28
New Testament
Mark 12:38-13:13
Summary
Beware of the Scribes
The Widow’s Offering
Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple
Signs of the Close of the Age
The Widow’s Offering
Widows Mite
Most think the above is about giving but it is not about giving.
This isn’t to teach us about attitudes in giving or amounts in giving; this is to teach us about corrupt religion. Beware of the false shepherds, the false teachers who take the last coins out of the widow’s purse to fill their coffers, on the pretense that that kind of giving is the path to blessing; that’s the prosperity gospel.
This isn’t about giving, this is about taking. Click the below play button to listen to what John MacArthur says about this.
Cancel Culture
Listen to John MacArthur on today’s scripture below:
Mark by John MacArthur
She is the ultimate victim of a system that “devours widows’ houses”
No matter who you read on this – or what sermons you might hear on this – typically, people will say this is how we ought to give. We ought to give till it hurts, we ought to give sacrificially, we ought to give in a surrendered fashion. We ought to give so that we completely demonstrate trust in God, and that’s how this woman gave. There isn’t one word of support in this text for any of those perspectives; it doesn’t say anything about her attitude at all.
For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” ~ Mark 12:44
The fact of the matter is, it doesn’t even tell us that she was a believer; it doesn’t say that she knew the true God, that she believed in Christ; she is not a spiritual hero in the story. What is she in the story? I’ll tell you what she is, she’s a victim; she is a victim. A victim of what? She is a victim of the system. She is the ultimate victim of a system that “devours widows’ houses” – verse 40 – that’s the connection. This has nothing to do with Christian giving, unless you think Christian giving is, “Give everything you have; take a vow of poverty, go home and die.”
Where in the Bible is it a Christian principle of giving to give everything you have and go home and die? That is not in the Bible, not at all – it makes no sense.
For the entire message – Click Here
Mark 13:1-2 by Dr. J. Vernon McGee – Thru the Bible
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