It is very significant that after the Lord subdued all the opposers, He gave a warning concerning the scribes and appraised a poor widow in her loyalty. First, He warned His disciples to beware of the vain, empty teachings of the scribes. Then He encouraged them to appreciate a widow’s inward reality. He wanted them to look into the situation among God’s people, not outwardly according to man’s way, but inwardly according to a person’s inward reality. Because He had such a view, He could appreciate the poor widow.
In 11:27—12:37 we have four kinds of questions related to man’s culture, followed by the question of questions, the question concerning Christ. The first four categories of questions concern religion, politics, belief, and the way to interpret the Bible. The unique question is that concerning Christ. The account concerning these five types of questions is followed by two incidents: the first regarding the vanity of the empty teaching of the scribes; the second regarding the reality of a believer’s inward being. A scribe is someone among the Lord’s people who speaks vanity, but this widow signifies a believer with inward reality. As we consider these two incidents, we see that instead of being a scribe, we should be a poor widow. We all should say, “I don’t want to be an empty scribe speaking vanity. I want to be a poor widow. I want everything I do to proceed from the reality that is within me.”
We need to consider whether we shall be a scribe or a widow. Will you be an empty scribe or a widow full of reality? We thank the Lord that in His recovery there are many full of inward reality like that widow. Apart from such widows, there would be no way for the recovery to go on. Thank the Lord that among us there are a good number of real widows, a good number of those with inward reality.
We need to ask ourselves why after the Lord answered the questions raised by the opposers and after He asked the question concerning Himself, He went on to speak concerning the scribes and a poor widow. The Lord had a little meeting with His disciples, a meeting in which He spoke to them concerning the scribes and a widow. With the scribes there is emptiness, vanity; with the widow there is inward reality. We need to learn to appreciate reality and to beware of vanity. Someone may be an excellent speaker, eloquent and knowledgeable. However, his speaking may be empty. By contrast, someone else may be poor in his speaking, without eloquence or knowledge. Nevertheless, with this one there is inward reality toward God. This is the significance of the two incidents—the warning concerning the scribes and the appraising of the poor widow—being placed together at the end of chapter twelve.
When we read chapter twelve of Mark under the heavenly light, we can see the significance of what is recorded in this chapter. In particular, we see the significance of the Lord’s warning against the scribes and His appraising the poor widow. On the one hand, we see that someone’s teaching may be knowledgeable and eloquent, but vain and empty. On the other hand, someone may be poor, yet full of reality. We may be poor in every way, but we can have within us the reality of the Lord on whom we call, a reality toward the very God whom we serve. We may not have much eloquence or knowledge, and we are not pursuing such things. But we may have one thing—inward reality.
Nothing proves a believer’s inward reality more than the matter of money. The reason money proves a believer’s inward reality is that in human life nothing is more tangible than money or material possessions. Your money and possessions test whether or not you have reality toward God.
May we all beware of vanity, especially vanity in speaking, eloquence, knowledge, doctrine, and teaching. At the same time, we all should learn to appreciate, to treasure, what is real in the sight of the Lord.
We should not forget that Peter, John, James, and other close followers of the Lord were present when the Lord gave His warning regarding the scribes and offered His appraisal of the poor widow. They saw all the things that took place in chapters eleven and twelve. I believe that after the day of Pentecost, all these things came back to them in their living as heavenly visions. Today we need vision after vision from the Gospel of Mark to be impressed into our being. Then when we open ourselves to the life-giving Spirit to have sway over us, all these visions will come back to us in a real and living way.