Mark 12:41-44 - And He [Jesus] sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And He called His disciples to Him and said to them, "Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. 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."

This devotion pairs with this weekend's Lutheran Hour sermon, which can be found at lhm.org.

Grace, peace, and joy from God our Father, Son, and Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen.

We know that God, who created the universe and every single human being, can see what is in the most profound corners of our hearts. Nothing escapes to His powerful eyes.

But God's eyes are not only powerful, they also shed tears when He sees our situation as lost creatures. One example of God's supernatural eyes is recorded in the Gospel of Mark, when Jesus sat in front of the temple treasury watching people bring their offerings. He was looking at their hearts, not their large sums or their fine clothing. And to teach His disciples a lesson, Jesus compared the offering of the widow who put in the treasury all she had against the large amounts of money that the rich people brought to the temple. Looking at their heart, Jesus knew that the widow put in all she had to live on. The widow showed that she trusted God more than anything on this earth. Jesus also knew that the rich put in the treasury only their leftovers. They trusted more in their bank accounts than in God.

Jesus teaches His disciples this lesson during the last visit to the temple of Jerusalem. He, the Creator and Owner of the entire universe, was about to put His life as a sacred offering to rescue sinners like you and me.

When you Look at Jesus, can you see God's heart? Notice, Jesus offered His life in silence. He was executed. He was left hanging from nails, naked. Somebody provided mortuary clothes and a tomb. Jesus died with nothing. But God lends us His eyes to see Jesus' motivation and intentions. The Holy Spirit helps us. He says: "Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God" (Ephesians 5:2b).

Looking at Jesus and to what He did for us we discover the heart of God. In God's heart we see compassion, forgiveness, and grace.

WE PRAY: Thank You, Father, for Your tender heart. Thank You for offering Jesus to rescue us for You. You are a very generous God. Help us to be like Jesus. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Rev. Dr. Hector Hoppe.

Reflection Questions:

1. How rich are you? How poor are you? Does that matter to God?

2. What does God see when He looks at your heart?

3. What does the generosity of Jesus teach you about God?

Today's Bible Readings: Ezekiel 18-19    2 Timothy 3

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