Rumination Journal

Jesus sat in the temple courts across from the treasury—the place where people brought their offerings. And Jesus watched the people put money into the treasury. Many rich people put their large gifts into the treasury. Then Jesus saw one poor widow who came and put into the treasury two Greek lepta—two small copper coins worth one Roman codrant, or one Roman penny. Seeing this, Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, “Truly I tell you; this poor widow has put into the treasury more than all the others. For they all gave out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, has given all she had to live on.” See Mark 12:41-44; Luke 21:1-4 Notes: “two lepta”: a lepton was a Jewish coin made of bronze or copper and worth about 1/128 of a denarius. So, the woman’s two lepta was equal to 1/64 of a labor’s daily wage, or one Roman kodrantēs (codrant), one Roman penny. -

 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones to death those who are sent to her! How often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! Listen: your house is left to you desolate! And I tell you, you will not see Me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’” See Matthew 23:37-39; Luke 13:34-35 Notes: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD.”: from Psalm 118:26. Psalm 118 is a song of thanksgiving and is a regular part of Jewish and Christian liturgies. It seems that this psalm was well known to the people who were gathered in Jerusalem on the day of Jesus’ triumphal entry. -

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you allow in those who wish to enter. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel the land and sea to win a single convert, and when they become one, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are. “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears an oath by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears an oath by the gold of the temple, they are bound by their oath.’ You blind fools! Which is more important: the gold, or the temple that sanctified the gold? And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on the altar, they are bound by their oath.’ You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So then, whoever swears an oath by the altar swears by the altar and by everything on it. And whoever swears an oath by ...