The story of the widow’s two mites (Mark 12:41-44) has an important lesson to teach us about contemplative practice: What we see depends on where we look.
At first, only Jesus who sees the widow. But then he invites his disciples to look and so they also see.
Then he invites them to look closer. Now they see not just the widow, but the significance of what she has done.
And thus we have a simple lesson on contemplation: what we see depends on where we look.
This is true in everything. Whether in prayer, worship, bible reading, anything, the story of the Widow’s Two Mites gives us a gentle reminded that what we see depends on where we look. And not only that, Jesus is the one who tells us where to look.
This connects with the parable of the vine and branches in John 15. There Jesus reminds us that we must “abide in him” because “without me you can do nothing.” In Mark 12 it’s more a case of “without me you can see nothing” – but the principle’s the same.
And it applies to contemplative practice which, really, is exercise in asking Jesus to show us where to look. As such, it’s all about coming to see as Jesus sees. And being transformed in the process.
Neither the seeing nor the transformation happens in a single moment. Think of it a bit like a spiral staircase. We go around and around, always returning to the same place. But each turn takes us just a little higher. It’s a journey of both constant return and constant movement. Each time we return to Jesus we see a little bit more. And that’s how we grow.
We even see this in the story of the Widow’s Two Mites. At first the disciple see nothing. But then Jesus says “look here” and they see a woman of no real significance. “Look closer,” Jesus says. And now they see her more clearly – a woman of outstanding faith who has given more than anybody. They have seen, and grown, because Jesus told them where to look.
The same thing happen to Bartimaeus last week (Mark 10:46-52). He starts with a desperate cry for healing. He finishes following Jesus on the road. Unlike the nine lepers of Luke 17:11-19 it’s not a case of “Jesus healed me, and that’s that.” Rather, Bartimaeus sees there is more to Jesus than just a healer. . Enough, in fact, to justify making the commitment to follow him. Bartimaeus does a lap of the staircase, and he grows.
The lesson for us is clear: keep returning to Jesus. As we do so, we see more. And as we see more, we grow. We develop the spiritual fruit that Paul speaks of in Galatians 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. And that impacts the world around us.
Luke’s account of the early church in Acts 2:40-47 shows us how that personal growth ties to missional impact—the fulfilmentof the Great Commission.
It’s in the church, after all, where we should see the love of Christ most clearly at work. “By this shall everybody know that you are my disciples: if you love one another” (John 13:35). And that’s what we see in Luke’s description of the church—a community of people living out the two great commandments: love for God, and love for one another.
But it doesn’t stop there. That community is a growing, missional community. But notice how Luke makes that point. He first describes the church in detail. Only then does he finish by stating: “the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” The point isn’t that mission was just an after thought. The point is that mission is the fruit of a church which abides in Christ.
So now we start to see more clearly how contemplative practice connects to the Great Commission.
As we return to Jesus again and again, we see more and more. And as we see more we grow. We produce fruit—not just in ourselves, but in the church. Together we become that community which displays love for God and love for neighbour and which, as a result, becomes a community which draws others in and welcomes them.
The more we return to Jesus in contemplation, the more we declare him to the world.