Mark 12:28-44 We have taken a short break for some topical studies for Christmas and the New Year, but when we last studied Mark, it was the Sadducees who were questioning Jesus on the resurrection. The Scribes & Pharisees would normally be debating against the positions of the Sadducees, but Matthew gives us a hint why they are operating like a tag team against Jesus (Mt 22:34). This could also simply be an honest question because they were impressed with His ability to silence the Sadducees. Tradition holds that the specific person asking these questions is Nicodemus. Orthodox Jews recite the “Shema” twice a day. (Sh’ma is the Hebrew word for “Hear”). The full title of this short prayer is Sh’ma Yisrael, which means “Hear [O] Israel.” These are the first two words in Deuteronomy 6:4-9, also 11:13-21 and Numbers 15:37-41. Collectively these are all know as Shema, but more commonly the word Shema is used to refer to Deuteronomy 6:4 or 6:4-5 as a combined statement. These verses are also recited every Sabbath and are typically the first prayer taught to Hebrew children. When Jesus is asked for the greatest commandment, He connects two sections of the Shema (Deut 6:4 & 11:13) as one consistent thought. Then Jesus offers a second commandment, which again is not new to the Jews. He is quoting Leviticus 19:18. The answer Jesus gives is not antagonistic, which might favor the idea that this was an honest question. His answer is based in the scriptures they accept as authoritative. Why do you think Jesus says that these are the two greatest commandments? When the Scribe responds to Jesus, he is paraphrasing ideas found in (Deut 4:35, Ex 8:10, 1Sam 15:22, Is 1:11, 45:21 and Hos 6:6). The way that both men are stringing together ideas from various verses indicates a deep familiarity with scripture. The point of many of these verses is that God delights in our love and obedience. After the Scribe acknowledges that the answer Jesus gives him is a correct answer and properly connects that answer to other passages of scripture, Jesus says to him: “Thou art not far from the kingdom of God.” (KJV) Jesus has made some very harsh statements to other Scribes and Pharisees, but to this man He gives a backhanded compliment. On the one hand, Jesus seems to offer a compliment by saying that because of this man’s understanding of God’s word, he has come very close to the kingdom of God. The backhanded nature of this comment is that if you are close to something, it also means that you haven’t arrived at it yet. What we know from this exchange is that love of God and our fellow man is very important to God, and practicing love will get you very close to, but not into, the kingdom of God. No matter how good a person is or how much they show love, they still only get close to the kingdom. Why is love and being a good person not enough to get into the kingdom? The next question is another interesting theological exchange. It was a common understanding among the Jews that the Messiah (the Christ) would be a descendant of King David. In Jewish culture, the son is NEVER the ruler over his father or ancestor. Jesus quotes Psalm 110:1. He acknowledges the inspiration of scripture by attributing this comment to David saying this under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. Jesus further affirms the person and actions of the Holy Ghost. Having acknowledged the authority of this passages above any question, Jesus points out that David refers to Messiah (his descendant) as his Lord. This conflicts with normal Jewish culture, custom and tradition. We know the reason for this deviation from their culture, custom and tradition is because the Messiah will be his Lord. These types of hints about the true identity of the Messiah as God in human flesh are sprinkled throughout the Old Testament. Isaiah 43:10-13 contain another such hint: “Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour. I have declared, and have saved, and I have showed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God. Yea, before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it?” This passage reaffirms that there is only one God and that God is our only saviour. This is one reason why sects that claim Jesus as their saviour but deny that He is the one God are not considered brothers and sisters in Christ by the orthodox Christian sects. Why is it important to recognize that Jesus is David’s Lord because He is God in human flesh, rather than just a good man whom God chose to die for the sins of mankind? Jesus just had kind words for the Scribe who seemingly asked an honest question. Now He contrasts those kind words with His warning to the people not to be like the Scribes, who like to make a show of what they do for God. Everything from their clothing to their long talks about religious subjects in the public square, long prayers, and seeking the most prominent seats at the feasts and in the synagogues are attempts to promote themselves as very pious, while at the same time they were taking the property of widows. Jesus promises a greater punishment to people who do this. I have a friend who put it this way: “I think God and Jesus will take a dim view of people who use Their names to swindle people or for their own glory.” I think this verse makes it clear that my friend’s statement is an understatement. Sometimes we need to bring attention to things we are doing for God or others. If we do everything in a closet, we can’t bring those activities into the world. How can we balance the need to get out the word and the warning from Jesus not to make a public display of what we are doing? The story of the widow’s mites is familiar to most of us, but what is a mite? The smallest, copper/bronze coin in circulation at the time of Christ was known as a lepton (singular and lepta plural). The lepton wasn’t a Roman coin but rather a Judean coin that was still in circulation but no longer minted. It took 2 lepta to equal the value of the smallest Roman coin (the quadrans). Each lepton was worth 1/128 of a denarius. A denarius was the average daily wage of a common laborer. The lepton was of so little value that I was unable to find record of any coin having ever been minted, by any nation, at any time in history, with a lower value. There weren’t coins called a “mite” or a “farthing” at the time of Jesus, but there were at the time the KJV was translated. Instead of doing what I’m doing here and explaining the relative value of each coin, the translators of the KJV inserted the names of the coins with the least value at the time they published. The British mite was worth ⅛ of a penny. The farthing was worth ¼ of their penny, so the names of these commonly used coins at the time the KJV was translated were inserted for ease of understanding. What can we learn from the example of Jesus showing honor to the widow despite the world’s valuation of the coins in her donation?
Posted on: Mon, 05 Jan 2015 14:40:51 +0000
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