Worldview 103

Worldview 103

Text: Mark 12.13-44

Intro: One of the biggest threats to our world today is the religion of political correctness or “wokeness”. I call it a religion because I believe its end goal is to save people from themselves and the world from the “unbelievers”.

We do not combat new religions like this by “verse splaining” or proof text Scriptures. They expect us to do that and they are prepared with answers that make them feel good and are intended to make us feel bad even if we still think we are right.

The way we make a difference is to live and teach principles that connect us with the very character and nature of God.

Theme: Jesus changes everything as He moved the discussion from politics to principle.

Review:

A. Jesus has completed the travels and is now in the Jerusalem area.

B. Even though the people say they want Him to be King, the leaders don’t want that.

C. He also has been teaching that He must die in Jerusalem and that His death will be for the forgiveness of sins – all our sins.

Setting of this passage:

A. Jesus’s teaches the crowds mostly in a “question and answer” format.

B. The leaders are trying to trap Jesus to destroy His credibility and following. 13a

C. Herodians vs Pharisees vs Sadducees - Think three political parties!

a. Herodians were backers of Herod as King & pro-Rome – hated by religious Jews

b. Pharisees – Religious ruling class who also controlled the Temple area and apposed Rome.

c. Sadducees – Spiritual elitists. “This group accepted only the Law of Moses as their religious authority; so, if a doctrine could not be defended from the first five books of the Old Testament, they would not accept it. They did not believe in the existence of the soul, life after death, resurrection, final judgment, angels, or demons (Acts 23:8). Most of the Sadducees were priests and were wealthy. They considered themselves the “religious aristocrats” of Judaism and tended to look down on everybody else. Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, pp. 152–153). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

1. Attack #1 - A question of responsibility. (vv. 13–17)

A. Taxes & Authority – who’s side is Jesus on?

a. People often try to destroy our credibility by forcing us to take a side on a given issue. Life is not always a choice of only 2 options.

climate change or denier for example

B. Notice how Mark comes right out and labels it as a trap.

Mark 12:13

a. Jesus has a lot on His heart and mind, and all these 3 groups want to do is destroy Him! Because He stays focused on God and principles based on God, He gives wise answers.

C. God established human government for our good (Rom. 13; 1 Tim. 2.1–6; 1 Peter 2.13–17). Even if the people in office are not respectable, we must respect the office and pray for the people there.

Daniel Webster said, “Whatever makes men good Christians makes them good citizens.”

2. Attack #2 - A question about eternity. (vv. 18–27)

A. This is still part of the trap! Again, Jesus does not fall for it because He knows, inherently, Godly principles. He knows the Scriptures, that were written long ago, and He knows what the future life will be like.

B. Resurrection is not the restoration of life as we know it; it is the entrance into a new life that is different. Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 153). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

a. God is working His plan – not my plan, our denominations plan, or any other groups plan.

b. “Jesus did not say that we would become angels …, for God’s children are higher than the angels (John 17.22–24; 1 John 3.1–2). He said that in our resurrection bodies, we would be sexless like the angels; and therefore marriage would no longer exist. In the eternal state, where our new bodies are perfect and there is no death, there will be no need for marriage, procreation… Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 153). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

1 John 3:1–2 ESV

1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.

c. Moses does teach a life with God after death. He used present tense and not past tense to describe how God is still the God of the patriarchs. Not “He was” but “He is”.

3. Attack #3 - A question of priority. (vv. 28–34) From a Pharisee who was a scribe and lawyer also.

A. The scribes had determined that the Jews were obligated to obey 613 precepts in the Law (365 negative & 248 positive). One of their favorite exercises was discussing which of these divine commandments was the greatest. Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 153). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

a. Jesus places the priority on Worship of God. V30

Mark 12:30 ESV

30 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.’

b. The second priority is ministry – loving others and serving them. V31

Mark 12:31 ESV

31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

B. Jesus quoted 2 passages

a. Deuteronomy 6:4–5

b. Leviticus 19:18

c. By doing this He made love the greatest and most important thing in life.

i. Rom. 13:8–10

Romans 13:8–10 ESV

8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

ii. 1 Cor 13.13

1 Corinthians 13:13 ESV

13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

C. Jesus told this man that because he honestly evaluated Scripture, and did not hold to a party line, that his heart was close to accepting God’s plan of salvation.

All good evangelism takes people to God’s plan from whatever plan they have been following. See Booklets

4. Reply #1 A question of identity. (vv. 35–37)

A. Jesus focused on the most important question of all: Who is the Messiah? “What do you think of Christ? Whose Son is He?” (Matt. 22:42) This is a far more important question than the ones His enemies had asked Him, for if we are wrong about Jesus Christ, we are wrong about salvation. Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 153). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

B. Jesus quoted Psalm 110:1. The only way David’s son could also be David’s Lord would be if Messiah were God come in human flesh. We know that He was, but those who sought to kill Him could not consider this possibility.

5. Reply #2 Warning #1

(Mark 12:38–40)

A. A warning against the pride from a position.

B. “If a person is “important” only because of the uniform they wear, the title they have, or the office they hold, then their “importance” is artificial and unimportant to God and His people.

C. Character is what makes a person valuable, and nobody can give us character: we must develop it ourselves as we walk with God, as we understand Authority, as we study His Word, as we align our priorities with God’s priorities!

6. Reply #3 Warning #2

(Mark 12:41–44)

A. A warning against pride from riches.

B. Rich people liked to show off in the temple courts. Matt. 6:1–4

C. “It is not the portion but the proportion that is important: Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 154). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

D. It is not the amount but the attitude.

E. It is not the denomination of the notes but the dependency on God as the supplier of all our needs.

Pride of living and pride of giving are sins we must avoid at all cost. Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 154). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

Conclusion:

Jesus changes everything as He moved the discussion from politics to principle.

Lots of people are speaking out these days. They are convinced they are correct, but they often show, as did the people of today’s passage, that they have some knowledge but do not understand God. Our view of the world, worldview, must express what we know of God according to what He has shown us in His Word. Only then will we find God’s grace and blessings pour into, through, and out of our lives in a way that impacts others.

1. Are we honouring God by the way we handle and view money? Twice mentioned in this passage.

2. Jesus placed the priority on the Worship of God followed by the service of others. Do we do one or the other without expectation of doing both?

3. Twice in this section Jesus addresses pride. Are we keeping our pride in perspective?