Sermon Tone Analysis

*“Things Are Not As They Appear”*

*Mark 12.35-44*

*            *

Shalom.

My name is Yosef.

I am a Jewish scribe.

And being a scribe, I possess great wisdom regarding the Law of Moses.

In fact, I have a PhD from Harvard.

I understand that you have been studying the Scriptures, namely about Jesus.

You need to know that I, too, am a student of the Scriptures.

I am a Pharisee who studies diligently the Law of Moses.

We are very scrupulous in our interpretations and hold people to strict adherence to this Law.

And perhaps we add a few additional requirements of the people as well.

You know, just in case we’ve missed something.

I’m not so sure of this Jesus fellow.

He speaks and acts as if he is some sort of authority on the Scriptures.

I’ve never seen him in any of the educational institutions (and he doesn’t even have a Master’s degree…).

People seem to listen to him.

They think he is some sort of revolutionary.

Somehow he tricks the commoners by pretending to heal them.

I even heard that he made the blasphemous assertion of forgiving sins!

What a heretic!

Along with the rest of the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and Herodians, we have been trying to bring justice to this blasphemer!

And we will.

I feel that we are getting close.

Jesus claims to be from God and yet he is just so intolerant and divisive.

How does he think that he has it right and no one else?

What arrogance!

Why he’d probably even suggest that unless anyone believes in him that they are left to be condemned.

Jesus is so dogmatic and has no desire to enter into conversations about philosophical things.

I also understand that he will even say some things about us in the text you are looking at this morning.

Just remember, we are the authorities.

He is merely a peasant from Nazareth.

I am a very learned man – much smarter than you or this Jesus.

I have connections.

People look up to me.

Pay no mind to this intolerant revolutionary who rocks the boat.

Please turn in your Bibles to Mark 12. *Read.

Pray.

*

We find ourselves in the Passion Week of Christ.

This is the time leading up to Jesus’ death on the cross.

The animosity is intensified against him.

The religious leaders continue to bombard Jesus with questions in order to indict him.

Jesus, in turn, is seeking to condemn the leaders and their religious system that does not save.

So I want our launching point today to be the words found in verse 38.

Jesus no longer is concerned that people discover who he is.

He is not keeping things under wraps any more.

He knows that he will be quickly fulfilling his mission on the cross.

And thus he speaks most directly to the issues at hand.

Verse 35 indicates that he is in the temple courts teaching the people that have assembled to Jerusalem for the time of the Passover.

And in verse 38, Jesus boldly declares “Beware of the scribes!” Watch out for them!

Be on your guard against these scribes!

Where are the scribes?

Yep.

Probably right there.

He has been fielding their questions in the previous section of our text.

He doesn’t seem to mind calling them out here.

In our times (and I believe the Canadian context), it has become increasingly unpopular to point out false teachers or false teachings.

Am I right?

I recall recently hearing some comments regarding a pastor I admire because of his commitment to the Word of God and the declaration of the Gospel of Christ.

He was characterized as a “mud-slinger.”

By this, I believe he referred to the fact that he was not afraid to identify some false teachings regarding the nature of salvation.

As many of you know, John MacArthur takes a lot of heat because he identifies the false teachers by name.

His philosophy is, if these people are willing to assume the limelight, promote and benefit from their false teachings, they need to be held accountable.

I agree.

Consider the amount of Scripture directed to false teachings and the commands to ensure sound doctrine.

Acts 20:28–31 “*28* Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.

*29* I know that after my departure *fierce wolves* will come in among you, not sparing the flock; *30* and from among your own selves will arise */men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them./*

*31* Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears.”

2 Corinthians 11:13–15 “*13* For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.

*14* And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

*15* So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness.

Their end will correspond to their deeds.

2 Peter 2:1–3 “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.

*2* And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.

*3* And in their greed they will exploit you with false words.

Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.”

Jude 3–4 (ESV) “*3* Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.

*4* For */certain people have crept in/* unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who */pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ/*.”

Notice that these are people that would have blended in the churches.

They were likely those would have come and worshiped week after week.

And very subtly, they began to introduce false teachings and destructive heresies.

I hope you understand the importance of being able to identify false teaching and its danger to the church of Jesus Christ.

You also need to understand that when you attempt to be faithful to these things, it comes at a cost.

You will be labeled as intolerant and legalistic.

But more importantly, you will be called ‘faithful’ by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Notice also who it is that is guilty of such things in the Gospels.

It is not the Roman oppressors or other foreign nations.

It is the Jewish religious leaders who bear the brunt of Jesus’ condemnation.

These were very influential learned men.

So what was it?

What was it that drew the ire of the Lord Jesus?

Let’s look at verses 35-37.

I believe that one of the reasons that Jesus teaches the people to be on guard against the scribes is because they didn’t get Jesus right*.

*That’s our first point, *They Misrepresented Jesus.

*Jesus is teaching the crowds in the temple area and he throws out this question, “How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?” I’m sure there were likely several people that were scratching their heads over this question.

We know that Matthew’s Gospel begins by very specifically detailing the genealogy of Jesus Christ.

In verse 1, Matthew identifies Jesus Christ as the son of David.

Luke’s Gospel is the same.

We recall the many Old Testament prophetic passages indicating that the Messiah would sit on the throne of David.

But we see also that the majority of these leaders and the people expected the Messiah to be solely a political figure who would relieve the physical oppression and establish the physical kingdom.