Mark 12
-The parables continue as Jesus addresses the Jerusalem
crowd right before His crucifixion. The parable of the vineyard and the
annihilated son projects the LORD’s view of the unresponsive religious and
political elite to His ordained prophets and messengers including the Incarnate
Son. It is interesting that the religious leaders understood that He spoke the
parable against them. They wanted to seize Him, but they feared the people.
“The Stone which the builders rejected, this became the Chief Cornerstone; this
came about from the LORD and it is marvelous in our eyes (Psalm 118:22-23, Mark
12:1-12).”
-The religious leaders then sent some of the Pharisees and
Herodians to Jesus in another attempt to trap Him in His words. This is the
great episode where they inquire about the Roman poll-tax that so infuriated
the Jewish populace. They wanted to either turn the people against Him if He
said yes to the question, or bring an accusation of treason and rebellion
against Rome if He said no. Jesus, “knowing their hypocrisy,” had them bring a
denarius (a day’s wage) and asked whose inscription was on it. When they
rightly replied “Caesar’s,” He uttered these famous words, “Render to Caesar
the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” The crowd
was amazed at His wisdom in the answer. His intellect and quick wit was
impeccable. He was the perfect Lamb of God (Mark 12:13-17). Some Sadducees, who
say there is no resurrection, then quizzed Him about the marriage of seven
brothers to one woman under the Law and how that would apply in the afterlife.
Jesus took advantage of this opportunity to teach on the other realm and how to
properly interpret Scripture. First, He let them know that there is neither
marrying or giving in marriage in Heaven, but individuals would be “like
angels.” Secondly, He pointed to the tense of the text in the Old Testament
writings of Moses to prove that God is the God of the living, not the dead. The
Sadducees were greatly mistaken in their theology, and Jesus rightly corrects
their fallacy. This proves that Jesus is a verbal-plenary advocate in
interpreting the Word of God (Mark 12:18-27). One of the scribes who had come
up upon the discussion recognized that He had answered the Sadducees well. This
inquisitive individual asked what the greatest command in the Law was. Jesus
answered, “The foremost is, ‘Hear, O Israel! The LORD our God is One LORD; and
you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul,
and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You
shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater
than these.’” When the scribe agreed with Him and made the comment that these
essentials were “much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices,” Jesus
recognized his intelligence and said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom
of God.” After this, no one would venture to ask Him any more questions (Mark
12:28-34).
-Jesus was then teaching in the Temple posing the question,
“How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? David
himself said in the Holy Spirit, ‘The LORD said to my Lord, sit at My Right
Hand, until I put Your enemies beneath Your Feet.’ David himself calls Him
‘Lord’; so in what sense is He his son?” The crowd loved these deep questions
and hung on every word He was speaking (Mark 12:35-37). He was explaining the
concept of Messiah plainly written about in the Old Covenant for any who wanted
to know the truth.
-He continued with a scathing rebuke of the hypocrisy of the
religious elite who like the look of holiness only for their own personal
benefit. He called them out for their lust for power and respect in the
synagogues and places of honor at banquets, while really they were devouring
widows’ houses. The Lord told his audience to “beware” of them (Mark 12:38-40).
Now He made a point on real sacrificial giving when He observed the scene at
the Temple treasury. The rich were putting in their large sums, but this didn’t
impress the Christ. Calling His disciples to Him, He explained after seeing a
poor widow put two copper coins amounting to about a cent, “Truly I say to you,
this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they
all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she
owned, all she had to live on (Mark 12:41-44).” Again, God was focused on the
heart of holiness, not the appearance of it.
-*Application* How genuine is our faith? Jesus has a way of
exposing the real truth doesn’t He?
Verses to Memorize:
Mark 12:32-34
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