Stories of the Rabbi 20

Mark 12: Slamming the Pharisees once again, a question of image and the Sadducees strike back. The greatest commandment, Messiah, the son of David, a warning, and an offering

Remember the three themes of the rest of Mark: a new temple, a new Passover, and a New Covenant.

I. Mark 12:1-12 A pointed parable

a. Parables can convey a message in many different ways. Sometimes, the elements of the parable are not as crucial as the individual lesson. Take, for instance, the parable of the Good Samaritan. The individuals in the parable are not as critical as the overall message of “who is our neighbor.” However, in the parable of the Prodigal Son, the individuals are significant in understanding the overall message. These kinds of parables are called allegorical parables.

b. Remember the context – The fig tree, symbolizing the religion of the Pharisees, is cursed. Jesus has disrupted the commerce of the Temple, and the Pharisees are questioning Jesus’ authority.

c. The backdrop of the Story – read Isaiah 5:1-7

d. Vss. 1-5—This is an allegorical parable in which the characters represent others.

i. The Vineyard owner – God the Father – the creator.

ii. The Vineyard – complete with wall, winepress, and tower – this is Israel

iii. The Farmers – Pharisees

iv. Servants – prophets – notice the increase in violence against the servants of the Master

e. Vss. 6-7 – The Son – Jesus – is sent – and He is killed

i. Jesus is letting them know two things:

1. He knows that they want to kill him

2. He is equating Himself with God the Father as a son – the son has all of the authority of the Father

f. Vs. 6- notice how it is the Master’s beloved (ἀγαπητός agapētos) son. This word is combined with the number εἷς he is, which is “one” or “only.” The one and only son has full equity with the Father. This is not lost on the Pharisees.

g. Vss. 9-11 – Jesus pronounces judgment on the Pharisees as a rhetorical question: “What then will the owner of the vineyard do?”

i. Jesus closes the parable by quoting Psalm 118:22 (Read Psalm 118 for context – it is the same Psalm used for Palm Sunday)

h. The Parable animates the religious leaders – Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herodians to find a way to kill Jesus.

II. A question of image

a. Vs. 13 – They begin to try and get Jesus to say something that will cause the Romans to execute him (the Romans are very quick and efficient with this kind of thing).

i. The Herodians were a political alliance led by Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Butcher of Bethlehem, who was interested in keeping the Romans happy. It did not appear that they had a religious role, but they were not pleased that Jesus was making trouble.

b. Vss. 14-15 - notice that their approach is dripping with the disingenuousness of their question.

c. Vs. 16 – Jesus asks a question to them - “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” – obviously, it is Caesar’s

d. Vs. 17 – Jesus’ great answer is far more profound than just paying taxes: “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”

e. If the Pharisees were interested in Jesus’ answer, they should have followed up with another question – “What belongs to God?” This is where I imagine Jesus would have asked – “Whose image is God on?” – discuss this.

f. Add to this the financial deception of the Pharisees, were they giving to God what the Law required them, or were they using loopholes in order to keep their money

III. The Sadducees strike again

a. The Pharisees and Herodians failed in ensnaring Jesus politically, so the Sadducees tried a theological question.

b. Vs. 18—The Sadducees were deists. They did not believe in the supernatural and denied a resurrection.

c. Vss. 19-23 – their question is ridiculous; they are attempting to ask a question that will disprove the resurrection and make the Pharisees and Jesus look bad.

i. As an aside, the Pharisees, not ones to leave a hanging question out there, had in their writings already decided that the wife belonged to the first husband in the resurrection

d. Vs. 24 - Jesus rebukes them in two ways:

i. They don’t know the scriptures

ii. They don’t know the power of God

e. Vs. 25 – Read I Cor. 15:20-26 and Romans 1:4 – discuss how they relate

f. Vss. 26-27 – Jesus quotes Exodus 3:6 – read this passage

i. Jesus is saying that God is not a God of dead people – for Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were “resting with their fathers,” as the OT saying went. In the Jewish mind, death was a time of separation from the living, not a cessation of existence. The patriarchs were alive in spirit and would return in the resurrection.

ii. Discuss the power of what Jesus says: “He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”

iii. How does this affect our view of death?

IV. Mark 12:28-34 The greatest commandment

a. Vs. 28 – Go back to last week’s discussion (vss. 18-27); there are those who are impressed with Jesus’ teaching. This teacher, who wants to know what the greatest commandment, is genuine.

i. Think of the hundreds of laws imposed by the Pharisees; it seems reasonable to want to simplify these rules.

b. Vs. 29-30 – Notice that, unlike most other times He is asked a question, Jesus answers the question directly.

i. Jesus answers by directly quoting Deut. 6:4-5

ii. This is the Hebrew Shema – or hearing. This is sung at every Orthodox and Conservative Jewish service to this day.

Shema Yisrael

Adonai eloheinu

Adonai Echad

iii. This first part declares that there is only one God.

iv. The second part vs. 30 Expands the human relationship to God. We are to love (worship) Him (love being the supreme ethic in Judaism and Christianity) with:

1. All of our hearts (or our emotions) – discuss this, what does loving (worshiping) God with all of our heart mean?

2. All of our soul – How does the heart differ from the soul? The heart is specifically referring to our emotions. The soul ψυχή psyche is our complete inner world – who we are as people. What does love (worship) God with all of our soul mean?

3. All of our mind – Jesus adds this as it is not a part of the original text. Our mind is our intellect. What does love (worship) God will all of our minds mean?

4. All of our strength – our strength refers to our physicality, our bodies. What does love (worship) God will all of our strength mean?

c. Vs. 31 – Jesus ties Deut. 6:4-5 with Lev. 19:18.

i. This is revolutionary; Loving God is tied to the outward expression of loving your neighbor

ii. Loving your neighbor as yourself means that you must love yourself

iii. Loving yourself correctly can only be done when you love God completely (heart, soul, mind, strength).

iv. This leads to the Kingdom expression of loving others compassionately

v. Jesus declared with an absoluteness that there are no greater commandments than these (Deut. 6:4-5 and Lev. 19:18)

d. Vss. 32 – 33 The teacher’s response

i. The teacher indicates that he agrees with Jesus and even highlights that Loving God/others is more important than religious tradition and ceremony.

1. Some have used this to denigrate religious ceremonies and traditions, and that would be a huge mistake. Mark is saying, through the teacher, that religious ceremony and tradition are always subordinate to loving God/others.

2. One simply cannot worship through ceremony and tradition (both very important) without first loving God/others.

3. The mark of the new Covenant is this ethic

e. Vs. 34 – Jesus puts His stamp of approval on the teacher’s answer

V. Mark 12: 35 – 37 Who’s son is the Messiah?

a. Vs. 35 – Jesus now asks a very hard question to the teachers (Scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees): “Why do the teachers of the law say that the Messiah is the son of David?”

i. This harkens back to Mark 11:27-33 – read for refreshing

ii. Jesus (whose earthly foster parents Mary and Joseph were both related to David) is establishing His messianic authority

iii. The Messiah, according to the teachers, was to usher back into place the Davidic kingdom

b. Vs. 36-37 – Jesus Quotes Psalm 110:1

i. By quoting this passage, Jesus is telling the people that the Kingdom of God under a New Covenant is not of earthly human origin

ii. Jesus is asking the rhetorical question, “If David is what the messiah is supposed to be, how come David himself called the Messiah ‘Lord’?”

iii. From the context of the passage, the teachers did not have an answer for Jesus.

1. That’s because the answer is Jesus!

VI. Mark 12:38-40 – A warning against the Teachers

a. Notice how Jesus focuses on how teachers like outward praise. All of these things are items that an earthly kingdom would value:

i. Nice clothes (wealth)

ii. Public honor (respect)

iii. Seats of authority (power)

iv. Seats of notoriety (fame)

b. Jesus condemns them on two items (see the relationship here between this passage and 12:29-31)

i. Devour widows’ houses (this was a practice of swindling widows from their property by using the law) – They do not love their neighbor as themselves

ii. For a show make lengthy prayers – empty religion – They do not wholly love God.

VII. Mark 12:21-44 A widow’s offering

a. Think about this passage in light of what Jesus has just said about the teachers

b. Vs. 41 – remember this is the Passover; there are thousands of people coming through Jerusalem, and all of them, as was the religious law, made donations to the temple. Jesus called out those who gave out of their wealth.

c. Vs. 42 – Jesus then highlights a widow (see vs. 40) who gives out of her poverty

d. Vss. 43-44 – how does what Jesus says here relate to Vss. 29-31?