We shall continue with the study of the Book of Mark this week.
(1) These messengers from the religious leaders gave a rather detailed description of the character of Jesus and inadvertently provided us with a great definition of “integrity”. What is their definition?
(2) Examine yourself in light of Jesus’ character and reflect on how you may imitate Jesus’ integrity.
(3) Their action also led to the charge of “hypocrisy”. How may you define hypocrisy in light of their action?
(4) Without reading Jesus’ reply, come up with your own reply to their question, “Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar?”. (Remember like most Caesars who were ruthless and violent, Tiberius, the Caesar in Jesus’ time, was also slothful, self-indulgent, hypocritical and greatly despised by historians, not to mention that he was a foreign occupying ruler of the Jews.)
(5) If the “image” on the coin confers authority to Caesar, what “image” confers God’s authority on earth?
(6) Since what belongs to Caesar really belongs to God, how does Jesus’ reply speak to our relationship with the government of our land? (Refer to Rom. 13:1)
(7) What is the most significant lesson you have learned today and how can you apply it to yourself?
“Teacher, we know you are a man of integrity.” (Mark 12:14)
The Pharisees were no friends of the Herodians, but because of their common enemy, Jesus, they were united in their cause — to get rid of Him. This always reminds me to be careful when someone openly sides with me in a dispute over church matters. The person does not necessarily agree with me, but his or her dislike of those whom they oppose outweighs their dislike or indifference to me. That is hypocrisy to the extreme.
And yet, these Pharisees and Herodians inadvertently testified that true integrity is exemplified by the life of Jesus:
- He is not swayed by men.
- He pays no attention to who they (the people) are.
- He teaches the way of God in accordance with the truth!
This example of integrity is especially important to the servants of the Lord. We serve, we teach and we pastor strictly in accordance to our understanding of the Word of God in the Scripture, and preach, speak out, and act without regards to people’s status, wealth, age, relationship and/or influence (or the lack of any of these). We will likely not win any popularity contest, but we shall win the praise of God.
The Sadducees are believed to be a priestly class that elevated the Law of Moses above all other OT scriptures, and since the Law of Moses does not touch on the resurrection, they “say there is no resurrection” (See COBTAEL, Vol. IX, 236)
(1) Read 2 Timothy 3:16. What might be the danger of elevating one book of the Bible over the rest? In the case of the Sadducees, how did they suffer spiritually by their denial of the resurrection?
(2) The Sadducees are quoting from Deuteronomy 25:5-10. What is the intention of the Law of Moses in this respect?
(3) The Sadducees sadly illustrate to us how one might wrongly interpret the Scripture. Do you agree that their errors included: 1) interpreting the Scripture out of context, and 2) not comparing scripture with scriptures? Can you think of other errors of interpretation that they committed?
(4) What kinds of error does Jesus charge them with in v. 24 and why?
(5) What does v.25 really mean and how should such an understanding of it affect your life on this earth?
(6) Let’s learn from Jesus’ interpretation of Exodus 3:6. What is the context of this statement? What is the main purpose of this statement by God? How does Jesus interpret it?
(7) How does Jesus’ interpretation differ from the Sadducees’?
(8) What is the most significant lesson you have learned today and how can you apply it to yourself?
“Are you not in error, because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?” (Mk. 12:24)
We love to tell seekers of the Christian faith that no question is a foolish question, but presumably it isn’t true. The question that the Sadducees asked amounts to a foolish question:
(1) It is not a question that seeks the truth, but is an attempt to prove that Jesus is wrong. Any question whose purpose is not to learn the truth is a foolish question.
(2) It is a question that reflects their sole concern for the earthly relationship. Any question that focuses only on the temporal and does not believe in or ignores the reality of eternity is a foolish question.
(3) It is a question that scorns at God’s power to resurrect the dead. Any question that does not believe in miracles is a foolish question.
(1) What might be the reason behind asking what the most important commandment of all was? Are not all commandments important?
(2) One would think that since the Ten Commandments are of such importance that the most important commandment should be quoted from them, yet Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and Leviticus 19:18. The Jews might have expected His quote from Deuteronomy 6 which is a key part of their daily Shema prayer, but Leviticus 19 is certainly a very obscure quote.
(3) Matthew charged that the teacher of the law asked a question in order to “test” Jesus (Matt. 22:35) and that he gave a very wise response as he agreed with Jesus. What was Jesus’ response to his wise answer in Mark 12:34? Is there a difference between being “not far” from the Kingdom of God and being “in” it? What is the problem with this scribe then?
(4) In citing Psalm 110:1 in Mark 12:36, Jesus is showing us some important pointers in understanding scripture. What might they be?
(5) What is the most significant lesson you have learned today and how can you apply it to yourself?
“David himself calls Him ‘Lord.’ How then can He be his son?” (Mk. 12:37)
In Mark 12, Mark records a series of questions raised by the religious leaders to either test or trap Jesus. The Pharisees and the Herodians started with asking whether they should pay tax to Caesar; it was followed by the “foolish” question by the Sadducees, and it ended with a great question by one of the teachers of the law concerning what the greatest commandment is.
When I said the last question by one of the teachers of the law was a great question, maybe I should have added, “inadvertently”, because Matthew tells us that he asked also to test Jesus (Matt. 22:35). But this provided an excellent opportunity for Jesus to help them see beyond the ritualistic and the ceremonial to the heart of God — the essence of all commandments — of loving God and people.
Then it was Jesus’ turn to ask them the question from Psalm 110:1—“David himself calls Him ‘Lord’. How then can He be his son?” (Mk. 12:37) and presumably He asked without giving them the answer. The fact is He did, not at that point, but throughout His ministry — He called God His Father, and acknowledged Himself as the Son of God. The people either did not take it to heart or were not willing to believe Him. This question based on Psalm 110:1 serves to validate His own claim as both the Son of David and the Son of God. Although they might be slow in coming to grips with this revelation, upon His death and resurrection, the people (and especially the apostles) had come to fully understand this very truth as demonstrated by Peter’s first sermon after His ascension (Acts 2:34).
Yes, there are foolish questions and there are wise questions, but the fact remains that questioning or inquiring is the key to understanding the truth in the Scriptures. Mark 12 helpfully teaches us the following:
- We need to ask out of sincerity.
- We need to ask, not out of a critical spirit, but a spirit of faith and submission.
- We need to wrestle with deeper questions and accept that we may not be able to come to a satisfactory answer right away. But, if we continue to inquire, and as our faith grows, the answer will come in God’s time.
The next thing that is worse than asking a foolish question is to accept a cliché answer or jump to a conclusion without the patience to accept our ignorance and wait for God to show us the answer at a future time.
(1) Not all teachers of the law were guilty of all the charges by Jesus, but in general, these charges do represent the collective sins of these religious rulers:
Examine yourself in light of the above charges to see if you are also guilty of any of them.
(2) Jesus exhorts us to “watch out” which literally means, “looking away from them” (Lenski 551). What does it mean to “watch out”?
(3) Since Jesus says such men will be punished most severely, why do such behaviors draw the wrath of God?
(4) In general, our
tithing to the Lord, should come out of the following:
Which do you think represents the heart of the widow and why is her offering so special to Jesus?
(Note: The temple did provide something like a soup kitchen for the poor, but would it then diminish the action of the widow?)
(5) How should the widow’s offering affect your offering?
(6) If you were responsible for the counting of the weekly offering in the church, how does this story change your attitude toward the counting of small change?
(7) What have you learned today that you need to apply to your life?
“Watch out for the teachers of the law…Such men will be punished most severely.” (Mk. 12:38, 40)
Jesus launches his usual, severe attack on the teachers of law and the Pharisees of His time in Mark 12. I used to read this passage with other people in mind, but more and more I have come to see how much I need this message too.
The other day, I was attending a banquet as (what I thought) “the” honorable guest. As I was assigned to what I perceived as a less important table, I found myself having a slight feeling of surprise. To be honest, I was not angry or disappointed at all, but the presence of a sense of unease, however slight, spoke volumes of my ego.
Then, on another occasion, I attended a Christian function only to find that they had invited a friend of mine to speak — a friend whom I thought was far less qualified than I was — so I thought. Again, the presence of such a thought of being better than someone else alarmed me. I really used to think that I was not egocentric, but by His mercy, God has shown me that I am no better than the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, and I needed to repent just as they did. I did repent, yet I need to continue to “watch out” for such a “love” for the praise from men (Jn. 12:43) because as a servant of the Lord, I am coveting what is God’s and only God’s—praise and glory.
The temple that the disciples saw was still under re-construction. Although nowhere near the splendor of the original built by Solomon, this rebuilding which was supported by King Herod was still a stunning piece of architecture: The stones laid were massive and its exterior glistened in the sun.
(1) What did the temple represent as far as the people were concerned?
(2) What did the temple represent as far as God was concerned?
(3) What is meant by “Not one stone here will be left on another”?
(4) What would such destruction mean to the people and to God?
(5) Matthew adds that the disciples were relating the destruction of the temple also to Jesus’ second coming and the end of the age (24:3). In light of this, jot down the signs that Jesus gives from vv. 6-8 and group them into logical categories. How long have some of these signs been around? Have they intensified? In what way and especially in what period of time?
(6) Are you alarmed by the news of wars or rumors of wars?
(7) Are you alarmed by the news of earthquake? (Go to sites like www.emsc-csem.org and get an idea of how widespread earthquake is on a daily basis. You will be amazed).
(8) Preceding His coming, Jesus highlights in vv. 9-13 the sign of persecution. Although the immediate setting was in “local councils” and “synagogues”, it did spread beyond these (v. 10). There is a report that there are more martyrs in the last century than at any time in the history of Christianity. Name five countries that you know which are persecuting believers today. Pray for them now. (If you have access to the internet, take time to visit www.persecution.org today.)
(9) Are you afraid of persecution? How can you prepare yourself for persecution?
(10) What is the most significant lesson you have learned today and how can you apply it to yourself?
"Jesus said to them, 'Watch out that no one deceives you'.” (Mk. 13:5)
It is interesting to read that the disciples were so captivated by the “end-time”. It is true that Jesus was making a very alarming statement about the destruction of the temple, but the disciples immediately thought of “the signs” of His coming and “the end of the age” (Matt. 24:3).
This explains why so many Christians are caught up with and are running around to hear the latest expositions of the “end-time”. However, it is important to note that Jesus’ immediate concern and reply about the “end-time” is, “Watch out that no one deceives you” (Mk. 13:5).
Within our generation, we have already witnessed irresponsible expositions about the end-time by preachers who ended up with eggs on their face—the prediction concerning the European Union (which by now has grown far beyond ten nations), and the pinpointing of Henry Kissinger as the Anti-Christ are prime examples.
While such expositions had their following at the time is understandable, but the following of some of the cult-leaders as Christ is certainly baffling. Doesn’t Jesus ask us to watch out, because “Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he’” (Mk. 13:6)? Amazingly, Jesus also predicts that these false Christs “will deceive many” too (Mk.13:6).(1) Some of these gullible believers are not really born again: If they are not truly born again, we cannot expect them to have any spiritual discernment.
(2) Some of these gullible believers are attracted to following charismatic leaders: They base their belief on a person, rather than God Himself, and this results in blind submission and belief. These lead ultimately to the shipwreck of their faith as their leaders are eventually revealed as who they really are.
(3) Some of these gullible believers approach faith in God only through their emotions and feelings, and not on a sober-minded faith that grounds itself on the Word of God. As long as the services, the teachings and their faith community can satisfy their emotional needs, they could not care less about what the gospel truth is.
(4) They are never taught to study and understand the Bible on their own. Like spiritual babies, they have never learned to eat solid food, and as a result they fail to “have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” (Hebrews 5:14)
We should be aware that as much as Jesus is giving us signs of the end-time, we have to confess that like prophecies of His first coming, we will not fully comprehend these signs at this time, except for things that have been made obvious to us. Also, it is important to note that this section appears to add more urgency to those who live in Judea, i.e. the Jews (see v. 14).
(1) What kind of a picture is being depicted in vv.14-18 as the tribulation occurs? Can you sum it up in one word? Read Zechariah 14:1-3 as reference as well.
(2) Vv. 19-20 emphasize the severity of the tribulation. Why would God allow such days to happen and for what purpose? (See Zech. 12:10 and recall parables like the one in Mk. 12:1-12 that we read earlier.) Do you think it is a result of natural disaster or human warfare or both?
(3) If “false Christs” can perform miracles, how then can we discern that they are false?
(4) Vv. 24-27 describes what will happen at His actual coming. Do one of the following:
(5) What will happen to all those who would not believe in Jesus at the time?
(6) What is the most significant lesson you have learned today and how can you apply it to yourself?
“(B)ecause those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again.” (Mk. 13:19)
J.I. Packer once lamented that many Christians of our generation do not “accept their destiny of self-denial and cross-bearing,” and likened them to orchids that “grow as hothouse plants.”
I think an important reason for this phenomenon has to do with the relatively free-from-persecution state that marks Christianity in the western world. It is so unlike the Christianity of the first centuries after Christ (or for that matter, the Christianity that perseveres in many parts of the third world today).
But the day will come and I believe that it will not be too far away, when no Christians will be able to live as “hothouse plants” and continue with our “green-house” Christianity. Whether we label ourselves as “Pre-tribulation”, “Mid-tribulation”, or “Post-tribulation” believers, I believe the signs as described by Jesus that precede His Second Coming will culminate soon before our eyes. Even if we are spared from experiencing the “Tribulation” itself, we will be rocked and alarmed as it approaches.
Are you ready?
(1) As Jesus concludes His answer to the disciples’ question about the signs of His coming, why does He emphasize that “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away”?
(2) As you mull over all the signs in the preceding verses, do you get a sense that Jesus is “right at the door” (v.29)? Why or why not?
(3) Like leaves on a fig tree, of all the signs, which ones appear more “tender” to you? Why?
(4) As we consider His parable of the fig tree, it is helpful to read what Peter (who heard Jesus’ words with his own ears) reminds us of in 2 Peter 3:8-10.
(5) In the analogy of the household servants, all are put in charge of something, with the one at the door being entrusted with something rather important. What is it? How important is it?
(6) Have you ever tried to stay awake and yet kept went back to dozing? What caused you to doze and how could you have avoided it? How can you apply this to Jesus' command that we "keep watch"?
(7) In some manuscripts,verse 33 reads, “Be alert and pray.” Why are “watching” and “praying” so often mentioned together? (e.g. Matt. 26:41)
(8) What is the most significant lesson you have learned today and how can you apply it to yourself?
The other day, someone shared with me that the reason that she looked forward to Jesus’ coming was that she would be able to get out of this life of misery soon. While this is understandable, we need to be reminded that He is here with us already and we can truly experience His presence even in the here and now. Let’s reflect on the lyrics of this very touching song written by Thomas Dorsey in response to his inconsolable bereavement at the death of his wife, Nettie Harper, in childbirth, and his infant son in August 1932:
Precious Lord, take my hand
Lead me on,
Let me stand
I’m tired, I am weak I am worn
Through the storm, through the night
Lead me on to the light
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home
When my way grows drear precious Lord linger near
When my life is almost gone
Hear my cry,
Hear my call
Hold my hand lest I fall
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home
When the darkness appears and the night draws near
And the day is past and gone
At the river I stand
Guide my feet,
Hold my hand
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home
Precious Lord, take my hand
Lead me on,
Let me stand
I am tired, I am weak, I am worn
Through the storm, through the night
Lead me on to the light
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home
Thomas Dorsey (1899-1993)