Devotional Commentary

And He said, ‘Truthfully, I tell you, that the destitute widow, she has put in more than all of them.’

Luke 21:3

Jesus makes a very direct statement concerning this widow. It is interesting here that Jesus uses a different word in verse 3 for the ‘poor’ widow than what we find in verse 2. It is as if the message here is that this woman was seen as just ‘poor’ to most, but Jesus highlights the fact that she is destitute. Indeed, in the next verse Jesus uses yet another word to describe her desperate financial situation.

Heavenly Father, thank You for helping us in our desperate need. In spite of financial needs, we have all a great debt of sin that is only paid by Christ. We will praise You forever for the deliverance from that debt! You are worthy of all the glory in all of this. You are holy and we will seek always to serve You and rejoice. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray and praise You, Amen.

and He also saw a certain needy widow put two small coins in there.

Luke 21:2

This particular woman was not only a widow but had not been left well off by her deceased husband. Being in a disadvantaged position in society, she would likely never have much for the remainder of her life. She may very well have been a victim of the avarice of the Scribes Jesus had just been speaking about.

If ever someone had an excuse to give less, it would have been this poor widow. As little as she gave, she could have given less. Many others would be giving far less of their relative income on that day, though their gifts would be larger. But this woman gave out of a full heart, and she gave a genuine gift.

Heavenly Father, thank You for helping us to have the proper perspective. We can get so hung up on the world’s thinking and we forget Your Wisdom. You alone are God and You own everything. We owe You ourselves and we can never praise You enough. You are holy, just, loving, pure, kind, and faithful. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray and praise You, Amen.

And looking up, He saw the wealthy men putting their gifts into the contribution box;

Luke 21:1

This would have been quite a spectacle. The drawback of public contribution methods is that they are open to ostentatious gifting. These rich folks likely made quite a production of the process. Since money was all physical in that day, a large contribution could take some time and garner a lot of attention.

Heavenly Father, thank You for all that You have given. We can never out-give You! All that we have is Yours anyway. Thank You for the lesson of humility! You alone own all. We see Your blessings every day and we cannot help but be amazed. I love You. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Who consume the houses of the widows, and make long prayers as a pretext. These shall receive extraordinary judgement.

Luke 20:47

As experts of the law, the Scribes were looked to for answers about legal matters. Rather than following the guidelines that love, mercy, and kindness would dictate, they interpreted the law in such a way as to enrich themselves as much as possible. Widows were an especially vulnerable target because their position in society had quite a few legal disadvantages. The prayers of the Scribes praised their own activity as if there were nothing wrong.

Heavenly Father, You are pure! You are loving and kind. May we always reflect You in our lives. I will praise You forever for Your wisdom! You know everything there is to know about us, and yet You have made a way for us to be redeemed. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Beware of the scribes, who are fond of walking in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplace, and the seats of honor in the synagogues, and the places of honor at feasts,

Luke 20:46

Each of these things is not necessarily bad. There will be those who appropriately sit in a place of honor, and long robes were not inappropriate attire in every case. But the emphasis here is on the litany of ‘first-place’ honors and recognitions that the scribes loved to always have. Each of these things would afford them the greatest attention and the feeling of superiority.

Heavenly Father, thank You for showing us the ignorance of pride. It will always hurt us, and it destroys good society. We will constantly remind ourselves of the truth that You are Sovereign over everything, and we can trust Your tender care. You will see to our honor; we do not have to seek it ourselves. Thank You! Life lived for You is full of joy rather than empty pleasures that fade. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray and praise you, Amen.

The where all the people could hear, He said to His disciples,

Luke 20:45

Jesus had compassion on the multitudes. He attempted to guide the Jewish people to the truth. He did truly desire their repentance, though He knew what would happen.

Heavenly Father, thank You for going on with Your plan in spite of us! You are good regardless of what we do. Your mercy, grace, and love are Your own. We cannot fathom Your character, it is wonderful to us. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

David therefore calls Him ‘Lord’, how then is He his Son?

Luke 20:44

The logic here is airtight. The Jewish elites had no idea how to answer such a question. It seemed to them to be an irreconcilable conundrum. And, indeed it is if one refuses to accept the fact of the virgin birth. The Christ would have to be both human and Divine simultaneously, and the virgin birth is the means by which that was possible.

We might be tempted to think that the truth of the hypostatic union was altogether hidden and the Jews were justified in largely missing it. But such is not the case. There is a plethora of evidence for it in the Old Testament, not just the passage from Psalms that Jesus presents here. To miss it requires that one be resistant to the idea.

Heavenly Father, thank You for giving to us Your Truth in spite of our tendencies towards unbelief. You are merciful and Your faithfulness cannot be overemphasized. We praise Your Wisdom, the Christ. He has made our lives abundant and free. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

‘Until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’

Luke 20:43

This verse is short but loaded with meaning. The ‘until’ here should not be taken to mean that after this footstool business the Lord will be somehow demoted. The point is that there is a process by which all the enemies of the Lord will come to naught. And, God the Son sits on the right hand of the Father, the place of honor, as this process takes place.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your mercy and Your grace. Thank You for reminding us of how You work in our lives each and every day. Your wisdom is something we look to constantly. We search through the pages of Your word and apply ourselves diligently to study, because we know Your words are of inestimable value. We praise You for Your loving kindness and for Your truth! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray and praise You, Amen.

Even David himself says in the book of Psalms, ‘The LORD said to my Lord, Sit at my right side,’

Luke 20:42

Jesus is here quoting Psalm 110:1. The ‘LORD’ refers to the I AM, the proper Name of Almighty God. The ‘Lord’ is Adonai, meaning Lord or Master. This is a perfect example of the reality of God the Father and God the Son in the Old Testament. Jesus is setting up for the Jewish leaders one of His most profound attempts to get the truth across to them.

Heavenly Father, You are the One Who we adore! You in Your Trinity are amazing and wonderful beyond description. I stand in awe daily of Your mighty power and perfect truth. Thank You for Your love and goodness! I cannot thank You enough for Your leading. I will look always to Your way for me. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray and praise You, Amen.

Then He said to them, ‘How do they maintain that the Christ is the Son of David?’

Luke 20:41

Jesus is preparing to delve more deeply into the doctrine of the hypostatic union than the Jewish leaders were prepared to bear. Jesus is not here challenging the idea that the Christ is the son of David. He is challenging the means by which the Jewish religious elite could make sense of that truth.

Heavenly Father, thank You for guiding our lives! It is a joy and a privilege to be able to seek Your will and Your face in connection with our daily activities. It is a wonder to be able to turn through the pages of Your Word and see things that help us in our daily lives, as well as our lifelong choices and aspirations. You are merciful, loving, kind, and good to us. We praise you for your great wisdom, power, justice, and faithfulness! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray and praise You, Amen.