The passage
      v38-39. The theologians of the day (priests, Levites, scribes - the clergy and teachers) were highly respected, addressed as "Rabbi", "Father", "Master", and given the seats of honour at the synagogue and at feasts. The people even stood as they passed by in their flowing white robes. The point Jesus makes is that people who are so meticulous at keeping the law would surely know that God alone should receive the praise of men. Their self-intoxication exposes their hypocrisy.
      v40. Not only are they status-ridden, but they abuse their privileges. Scribes could not be paid for their religious duties and so often sponged on the hospitality of people with limited means. Justice was set aside and replaced by religious display. This selfish behavior cast them under God's judging eye.
      v41-42. The hypocrisy of righteous Israel is now fully exposed by comparing the devotion of the scribes with that of a poor widow. In her devotion to God she gives all that she has. She has two coins, so she could have kept one back, but she gives everything (unlike those who "devour widows' houses"). The coins were the smallest minted in Palestine, a copper "lepton". For his Gentile readers Mark notes that a "lepton" is a fraction (about one eighth) of the smallest Roman copper coin, a "quadrans" ("a penny"/"cent"). While Jesus is seated on a bench, he sees the widow place her coins in one of the thirteen trumpet-shaped money boxes found against the wall in the Court of the Women.
      v43-44. Jesus uses the widow's gift to teach his disciples about the nature of service to God. A sizable gift, with its capacity to do great things for God, is not as valuable in God's sight as the motivation behind the gift. The widow's expression of total commitment to God is far more valuable than a generous gift which does little to the affluence of the giver, even though the gift may achieve wonderful ends.

The danger of pretence
      "Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks upon the heart", 1Sam.16:7.
      William Lane, in his commentary on Mark, identifies the teaching of this passage as "a call for absolute surrender to God and total trust in him." Other commentators have suggested that it serves as a moral judgement on an affluent society. For some it affirms that for the "poor", or at least the truly pious, "the coming kingdom will mean deliverance from oppression and the fulfillment of their hope in God."
      This episode serves as an indictment upon religious Israel, the pious rich, the "righteous" ..., and thus points to impending judgement; "such men will be punished most severely." Yet, Jesus' righteous judgement upon religious Israel is not just for reading "in" church, but rather "for" the church. The widow does not serve to image what we must be to receive the fulfillment of our hope (salvation), rather she serves to expose the hypocrisy that can easily be ours, a hypocrisy that leads to condemnation. The danger facing we churchies, is that our religiosity can easily hide our true life-motivations - motivations toward status, privilege, wealth.... God views the substance of our behavior, not the external act and its consequences. He looks at the heart.
      God is not fussed whether we give all as did the widow. Maximizing our resources for the kingdom is a worthy financial ideal to work toward, as is a piety of total dedication toward God, a total giving of self to the Lord. Yet, it is more important that we know ourselves as He knows us - unrighteous, but forgiven and accepted in Christ.
      The danger we face is the danger of self deception. Not only can we convince ourselves of our own moral rectitude, but we can spend our whole life trying to convince others. Church is a good place to play the self-righteous game. For example, in every church conflict I have been involved in, and I've been in a few (and sadly sometimes of my own making), I've always been on the right side. The trouble is, my opponents thought they were on the right side as well. In a conflict, both sides believe they possess the high moral ground. With protestations of innocence and offense we can easily fool ourselves while we "devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers".
      Beware the danger of self-righteous piety.

v38
      en th/ didach/ autou "as he taught" - in his teaching. Usually taken as a temporal clause, "while he was teaching", TH.
      blepete (blepw) pres. imp. "watch out" - beware. "Be on your guard", Barclay.
      twn qelontwn (qelw) pres. part. "[they] like" - the ones desiring. This verb here, followed by an infinitive, expresses a personal liking, wishing, desiring. The articular participle "desiring" takes the attributive position to the noun "scribes", so the warning is specific of those particular scribes who are hypocritical, rather than all scribes in general: "watch out for those teachers of the law who like to ..."
      en stolaiV (h) "in flowing robes" - long robes. Variant, "in porticos / cloisters", probably not original.
      aspasmouV (oV) "be greeted" - greetings. "Deferential salutations", Moule.

v39
      prwtokaqedriaV (a) "the most important seat" - the chief seat. The box in front of the ark within which is stored the scrolls of scripture.
      prwtoklisiaV (a) "the places of honor" - the chief seat at a dinner table. The seat next to the host. "The best seats at banquets", CEV.
      deipnoiV (on) "banquets" - formal dinner, reception. Usually an evening meal. "Dinner parties", Phillips.

v40
      oi katesqionteV (katesqiw) pres. part. nom. "they devour" - the ones devouring, exploiting. Referring to "the scribes / teachers of the law", and so most commentators argue that as such, this substantive should agree in case and thus be genitive, not nominative as here (a solecism - a grammatical mistake). Gundry disagrees, suggesting it is Markan style. A new sentence is intended with the nominative, "the ones devouring", followed by a resumptive, "such men"; "Those who eat up the property of widows, ........., (these ones) will receive a sentence all the more severe", REB.
      taV oikiaV (a) "[devour widow's] houses" - The sense is of a religious person abusing the generosity of those who have little to spare. So, "house" may be better expressed as "property / belongings / wealth." "Grow fat on widow's property", Phillips.
      profasei (iV ewV) dat. "for a show" - for show, pretense, pretext.
      ouJtoi "such men" - these ones. A resumptive, see above.
      lamyontai (lambanw) fut. "will [be punished most severely]" - will receive [greater judgment].
      perissoteron adj. "most severely" - greater [judgment]. Possibly elative, as NIV, although a comparative sense is also possible, such that those scribes who do such things will receive a more severe sentence. Variable punishments on the day of judgment are a matter of conjecture. "Punished more harshly", Gundry.

v41
      kaqisaV (kaqizw) aor. part. "Jesus sat down" - having sat. The participle possibly forms a temporal clause; "Then he sat down in front of the collection box", Williams.
      calkon (oV) "money" - copper. Often meaning "copper coinage", but here probably just "money", as NIV.
      tou gazofulakiou (on) "the temple treasury" - the treasury. Usually identified as the thirteen trumpet-shaped offering bowls in the Court of Women, although Taylor suggests it is the treasury itself where the gift must be publicly declared and so, easily overheard.
      eqewrei (qewrew) imperf. "watched" - he was watching. The imperfect expressing a repeated observation of those who were putting money in the offering boxes. "He was watching how the crowds of people were putting their money into the treasury", Barclay.
      eballon (ballw) imperf. "threw" - [rich people] were throwing [much]. Again, the imperfect tense expressing a repeated action, here in the sense of a repeated payment of the temple tax - obviously for effect.

v42
      elqousa (ercomai) aor. part. "came" - having come. The participle probably forms a temporal clause, "but then a poor widow came and ...."
      lepta (on) "very small copper coins" - leptons. The smallest Jewish coin worth a fraction of a cent.
      oJ estin kodranthV "worth only a fraction of a penny" - which is a kodrantes. Mark explains the value of a lepton by comparing it with Roman coinage, again a coin of minute value. "Put in two small coins worth a few cents", NAB.

v43
      amhn legw uJmin "I tell you the truth" - truly I say to you. Always used to underline the saying that follows.
      ebalen (ballw) aor. "has put" - put. Variant perfect tense is accepted by many translations, so NIV, NRSV...
      pleion "more" - much, many. "To a greater extent."
      pantwn twn ballontwn "all the others" - [more than] all the ones throwing. The sense is possibly that the value of her gift exceeded the total value of all that was thrown in, although probably Jesus is saying she gave a gift of greater value than even the most generous gift given that day. "This poor widow has put more in than any of the others who have contributed to the treasury."