h
by Matthew. In the brief summary of the discourse made by Mark and by Luke
we find only a few short sentences which sketch three principal features
in the character of these unworthy leaders of religious thought. The first
is their vanity, their ambition for display and for high position, and
their love of flattery. The second is their cruel avarice, expressed by
our Lord in the suggestive clause, "who devour widows' houses." The third
was their shameful hypocrisy; they are described as men who "for a
pretence make long prayers." It has always been remarked that the most
bitter denunciations of Jesus were addressed to the men whose outward
lives were most respectable and whose religious professions were most
loud. This does not mean, however, that open vice and flagrant sin are
better than selfish and proud morality; but it does remind us that great
religious privileges and the possession of revealed truth involve solemn
responsibilities and that hypocrisy and pretense are abominations in the
sight of God.

H. The Widow's Mites. Ch. 21:1-4

1 And he looked up, and saw the rich men that were casting their
gifts into the treasury. 2 And he saw a certain poor widow casting
in thither two mites. 3 And he said, Of a truth I say unto you,
This poor widow cast in more than they all: 4 for all these did of
their superfluity cast in unto the gifts; but she of her want did
cast in all the living that she had.

What a contrast this charming sketch supplies to the picture which Jesus
drew of the Pharisees! In the eyes of the world the service of the poor
widow was meager and worthless, while the gifts of the hypocrites were
costly and great; in the eyes of the Lord their offerings were
comparatively worthless and she gave more than they all. As a matter of
fact, she had brought but two small coins, worth less than a half cent,
but they were all that she had. With this scene in mind we should be
careful not to call our offerings "mites" unless they are all that we
possess; we should be encouraged, however, to know that our Lord looks
upon the heart and estimates the gift by the motive and the love and the
sacrifice involved; above all, we should be reminded that we can best
measure our offerings not by what we give but by how much we keep. The
influence of the woman is still moving multitudes toward the treasury of
the Lord.

I. The Destruction Of Jerusalem And The Coming Of Christ. Ch.