Quotes & Notes on:     Mark 12:44   

• John Wesley's Notes:
  (No comment on this verse).
  
  On verse 43:  See what judgment is cast on the most specious, outward actions by the Judge of all! And how acceptable to him is the smallest, which springs from self-denying love!
  
   

• Reginald Fuller's Preaching the Lectionary:

   To be posted.
   

• Massey H. Shepherd, Jr., Interpreter's Commentary:

   To be posted.
  
   

• Donald Guthrie, The New Bible Commentary (Revised 1970):

   To be posted.
   

• David Guzik, Study Guide for Mark:
  To be posted.
   

• Catechism of the Catholic Church:
  To be posted.
   

• The Fourfold Gospel:

   In this case, the value of the woman's gift was measured, not by quantity, but its quality; in quantity it was two mites, in quality it was the gift of all she had. From considering the corrupt character of the Pharisees, Jesus must have turned with pleasure to look upon the beautiful heart of this devout widow.
   

• Treasury of Scripture Knowledge:

  * cast in of. Mr 14:8; 1Ch 29:2-17; 2Ch 24:10-14; 31:5-10; 35:7,8; Ezr 2:68,69 Ne 7:70-72; 2Co 8:2,3; Php 4:10-17
  * all her. De 24:6; Lu 8:43; 15:12; 21:2-4; 1Jo 3:17
   

• Robertson's Word Pictures:
  (No comment on this verse).
   

• William Burkitt's Notes:

  (No comment on this verse).
   

• Family Bible Notes:

  (No comment on this verse).
   

• 1599 Geneva Bible Notes:
  (No comment on this verse).
   

• People's New Testament Commentary:

  For. The worth of a gift is to be determined, not by intrinsic value, but by what it costs the giver. The measure of that cost is what is left, not what is given. For the widow to give her mites was noble; for one well off to give "his mite" is contemptible.
  
  All that she had, all her living. Out of her want, out of her destitution, she has cast in all that (in cash) she possessed--her whole (present) means of subsistence. In love she devoted all of God, with strong faith in his providential care.
   

• Albert Barnes' Commentary:

   Of their abundance. Of their superfluous store. They have given what they did not need. They could afford it as well as not; and in doing it they have shown no self-denial.
  
  She of her want. Of her poverty.
  
  All her living. All that she had to live on. She trusted in God to supply her wants, and devoted her little property entirely to him. From this passage we may learn:
  
  (1.) That God is pleased with offerings made to him and his cause.
  
  (2.) That it is our duty to devote our property to God. We received it from him; and we shall not employ it in a proper manner unless we feel that we are stewards, and ask of him what we shall do with it. Jesus approved the conduct of all who had given money to the treasury.
  
  (3.) That the highest evidence of love to the cause of religion is not the amount given, but the amount compared with our means.
  
  (4.) That it may be proper to give all our property to God, and to depend on his Providence for the supply of our wants.
  
  (5.) That God does not despise the humblest offering, if made in sincerity, He loves a cheerful giver.
  
  (6.) That there are none who may not in this way show their love to the cause of religion. There are few, very few scholars in all our Sabbath schools, who may not give as much to the cause of religion as this poor widow; and Jesus would be as ready to approve their offerings as he was hers, and the time to begin to be benevolent and to do good is in early life, in childhood.
  
  (7.) That it is every man's duty to make inquiry, not how much he gives, but how much compared with what he has; how much self-denial he practises, and what is the motive with which it is done.
  
  (8.) We may remark that few practise self-denial for the purposes of charity. Most give of their abundance--that is, what they can spare without feeling it--and many feel that this is the same as throwing it away. Among all the thousands who give to these objects, how few deny themselves of one comfort, even the least, that they may advance the kingdom of Christ!
  
  {y} "abundance" 1Ch 29:3,17; 2Ch 24:10
  {z} "even all her living" De 24:6
   

• Jamieson-Faussett Brown:

    (No comment on this verse).
   

• Spurgeon Devotional Commentary:

   How often do we hear persons speak of "giving their mite," when they know that they are doing no such thing. This poor woman gave her all; where do we find such givers now-a-days? We must measure our generosity not by what we give, but by what remains. Jesus sat over against the treasury, and he is sitting there still. He knows what we bring to him, and he sees whether it is a fair proportion of our means. He measures our offerings not by their amount, but by the will of the giver.
   

• Adam Clarke's Commentary:

   (No comment on this verse).
   

• Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary:

   (No comment on this verse).