20:45–47 It is not Jesus’ goal to avoid being attacked by religious leaders. Part of his task is to explain what it means to be devoted completely to the Lord. Thus he warns his disciples, while others listen in, of the danger of imitating the scribes (cf. Luke 12:1). The scribes claim to be devoted to God but in fact are self-obsessed and narcissistic. They love the long robes that set them apart from others and attract attention and praise. The deferential greetings in the marketplace and public square stroke their vanity and fill them with pleasure and self-satisfaction. At the same time they delight in the best seats in synagogues and at suppers, for people honor them as distinctive and superior to others (cf. 14:7). They pray long and articulate prayers, impressive with their spirituality and theological acumen, but at the same time they take the proceeds of the houses of widows. Their financial corruption demonstrates that they live for their own comfort instead of the glory of God and the good of others. The Scriptures are clear that godliness entails care for widows (Ex. 22:22; Deut. 10:18; 24:17, 20, 21; 27:19; Job 31:18; Ps. 94:6; Isa. 1:17; Jer. 7:6; 22:3; Ezek. 22:7; Zech. 7:10; Mal. 3:5; Luke 18:1–8; Acts 6:1–6; 1 Tim. 5:3–16; James 1:27), but the scribes do precisely the opposite. Jesus concludes that their judgment and condemnation will be greater than others’ since they are part of the religious establishment and are the teachers in Israel (cf. Luke 12:47–48; James 3:1). This is another indication, incidentally, of levels of judgment in hell.

21:1–4 Jesus observes the rich putting their money into a receptacle for gifts. To those observing, the giving of such gifts would doubtless seem impressive. At the same time an indigent widow, who could easily be overlooked because of her poverty, puts in “two small copper coins.” The amount of her gift is 1/128 of a denarius,251 less than one penny. To an onlooker, the amount would seem so negligible that one might wonder if it is even worth bothering to give so little. Jesus remarks, however, that the widow has given more than all the rest who have contributed. Presumably some of the gifts represent a significant amount of money, but the widow’s gift is the greatest, Jesus explains, because the lifestyle of the other contributors is not affected by their donations. They have plenty left over by which to live comfortably. The widow, on the other hand, has contributed everything she owns. She shows herself to be a disciple by renouncing all that she owns (Luke 14:33; cf. 12:33).

We have seen already that there is no formula or procrustean bed in texts like these that mandates the amount of money people should give. In 2 Corinthians 8:11–15 people are to give according to what they have, and Paul does not demand that they be unduly burdened. As Garland writes, “The New Testament does not demand that one give to the point of destitution.”252 Still, the striking generosity of the widow is commended.

Furthermore, this is another glimpse of Jesus’ divine status, as he knows that she has given more than everyone else, which means that he has complete knowledge of how much everyone has given in proportion to their income—and only God has that kind of knowledge.253 We could say that the knowledge here is prophetic, but, since Jesus has just explained that the Messiah is David’s Lord (Luke 20:41–44), his knowledge here should be explained in divine terms.