Read Mark 12:28-34

"Which is the first commandment of all?"

Why did the scribe hit Jesus with this question? The scribe was asking an honest question because there was confusion at the time over which were the important commandments and which were the lesser ones. Jesus answered by quoting the first part of the OT shema and a verse from Leviticus. The scribe was impressed with Jesus' answer and Jesus commended the scribe for answering wisely.

Read Mark 12:35-44

Jesus is reminding the people that David called his descendant "Lord", and that David knew he would be the Messiah, not just a son.

Then Jesus reminds us that giving sacrificially is more important than the amount that is given. Mark was using Jewish units (2 mites) to describe the scene, and compares it to quadrons, a Roman unit, for his Roman readers. The poor widow gave about 80 cents while the others put in hundreds of dollars.