Copper Coins, Catchwords, and Contextual Cues: The Climactic Placement of the Widow’s Mites (Mark 12:41–44)

The story of the widow in temple with her two small copper coins (Mark 12:41-44) is a familiar one, but recent scholarship has yielded surprisingly divergent array interpretative options. In particular, noting catchword χήρα (vv. 40,42,43) that links this episode to Jesus’s diatribe against scribes preceding pericope 38-40), argued, traditionally positive interpretation narrative, context requires negative or tragic interpretation. present study argues catchwords and other contextual clues link narrative not just pericope, whole series five disputations 13-40). With functioning way as an epilogue section, may be seen both model discipleship well figure whose poverty illustrates failure religious leadership. Because are frequently noted rarely defined, criteria must first proposed for their identification verification. These then applied passage question demonstrate lexical semantic between it passages. Seen context, emerges greater clarity complexity, illustrating piety true on one hand, cult its leaders other.