Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
A score of 0.5 or higher indicates the tone is likely present.
Emotion Tone
Anger
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Disgust
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Fear
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Joy
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Sadness
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Language Tone
Analytical
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Confident
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Tentative
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Social Tone
Openness
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Conscientiousness
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Extraversion
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Agreeableness
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Emotional Range
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Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
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A church had fund drive for a building renovation.
One after another, members pledged.
$50.
$100.
$500.
Then Frank stood up.
"I'd like to give $10k, anonymously."
The total still wasn't enough.
So, Pastor preached.
Afterward, an usher slipped him a note.
"Your stewardship sermons are getting better.
Still no money, but a lot more IOUs."
Just before thanksgiving, the Butterball Turkey company set up a hotline to answer cooking questions about turkeys.
One woman called & asked, " If the turkey was in my freezer 23 years, can I still cook it?".
The operator said, "It might be safe if the freezer never got above 0 degrees.
But even if it's safe, the flavor is likely bad.
I wouldn't recommend eating it."
The caller replied, "That's what I thought.
I'll just give it to the church."
See a heart attitude problem?
So would Jesus.
Just before our verses, in Mk 12:35 Jesus points to 2 Sam 7:12-16.
35"The Christ is the son of David."
Then, in Mk 12:36, Jesus sets Ps 110:1 beside it.
1The Lord says to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet."
What's up?
Jesus is setting up a rabbi's hagada question.
Each text is true by itself.
But side-by-side, it looks like both can't be true.
In Mk 12:37, Jesus asks the question.
37David calls him 'Lord.'
How then can the Messiah be his son?" Jesus wants hearers to find the answer: THE Son (of God) is also A son (of man, David's descendant).
The point?
Scribes study Scripture's tiny details.
But they miss the main thing, Jesus.
They settle for feel-good rewards.
Public respect, honor, & wealth.
Little or no eternal value.
They can't see the rich spiritual life God wants for them.
They've thrown away their chance to know God.
Even worse, they missed their Savior.
Refusal to accept Christ is the only unforgiveable sin.
In Mk 12:38-44, we pick up the story.
38aAs he taught... What did Jesus teach?
It starts in Mt 23:2-3.
2The teachers of the law & Pharisees are government.
3You must obey them.
(Unless they require sin.) 38bJesus continues in Mk 12:38b.
38b"Watch out for them.
Why?
In Mk 23:3, He explains.
3They don't practice what they preach.
How so? 38cThey like to walk around in flowing white linen robes.
Their tassels are all across the fringes.
Not just the corners (law).
<picture> Power suits.
Good only for show & ceremony.
Useless, otherwise.
They plan trips to people's gathering places.
Why?
So they can 38d be greeted in the marketplaces.
Aloha, Rabbi!
Howdy, Teacher!
Hello, Father.
They love their titles.
They love the respect & honor.
But in Mt 23:8-10, Jesus already warned.
Those titles are for God alone.
They like to 39have the most important seats in the synagogues & the places of honor at banquets.
They like to be 1st.
Pride.
But God's place is 1st.
Even if Pharisees & scribes enter the KoG, they'll be last.
Pride like that is bad enough.
But it's never the only sin.
Pride always leads to worse sins.
40aThese men devour widows' houses.
Scribes didn't get a state income.
They lived on donations.
So, in public they'd act pious.
40bFor a show they make lengthy prayers.
Long, beautiful prayers for anyone with a need.
Especially someone who could pay them.
They worked hard to gain people's sympathy.
Especially widows.
Back then, widows were especially vulnerable.
They needed prayers.
But they also needed their income to survive.
Teachers of the law often targeted widows.
Why?
They were especially likely to make donations.
So, scribes pretended to love God.
Greatly.
In reality, their showy devotion was all meant to get others to love them.
They wanted donations!
People thought God saw their donations to scribes as good works.
No doubt, that's true.
What does God judge?
Their oh-so-dramatic devotion.
It was a mask for greed.
We still see it.
One televangelist sent out a brochure asking for money.
In it were pictures of him.
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