Psalm 146, Mark 12:38-44

This week, we read Psalm 146 and Mark 12:38-44.

Psalm 146 is one of the “Hallelujah Psalms” (146-150) that close the Book of Psalms. These are called “Hallelujah Psalms” because they all begin and end with the words, “Praise the Lord!” (in Hebrew, “Hallelujah”). Pay close attention to how the focus of this Psalm aligns with Jesus’ teaching as he watches the poor widow make an offering.

Mark 12:38-44 has two events: a teaching by Jesus about the superficiality of many of the religious leaders, and a teaching by Jesus about heroic discipleship.

The Church today is regarded by many non-churchgoers as being “hypocritical, judgmental, and greedy” (according to the Pew Forum on Religion in American Life). How does this align with Jesus’ comments about the religious leaders of his day, in Mark 12:38-40? What might we do about this bad reputation?

The story of “The Widow’s Mite” (as Mark 12:41-44 is referred to) seems at once to call us to an extremely-challenging discipleship, and to be something we can dismiss as inspiring, but not to be imitated. It seems to align with the title of a famous book by the Rev. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German Lutheran pastor who defied the Nazis: “The Cost of Discipleship”.

How might we hear Jesus’ commendation of this woman, neither dismissing her example as “impossible” nor recklessly trying to imitate her in a way that (the attempts of many would attest to) is not sustainable by almost anyone?