Mark 12:42 (KJV)

Passage

And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.

Nearby Context

Mark 12:40 Which devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation.

Mark 12:41 And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.

Mark 12:42 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.

Mark 12:43 And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:

Mark 12:44 For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "came", "certain", "poor", "widow", "threw", "mites", "make", and "farthing". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "came" and "certain", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 41's "And Jesus sat over against the treasury..." into verse 43's "And he called unto him his disciples...", so "came" and "certain" belong inside that flow. In Mark context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "came" and "certain" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.