TRYING TO TRAP THE MASTER – MARK 12:28-40 Our Heavenly Father, Creator of all things and Master Teacher, we humbly come into Your presence to seek Your Holy Spirit to open our eyes to these Holy Scriptures. We earnestly pray for enlightenment as we study together, and we ask You, Father, to open our eyes to see the truths contained in these words. Open our minds to comprehend that which we are reading, and open our hearts to receive the message that You have for us. Finally, dear Father, we ask for the strength and courage to live our lives in a manner of the called, constantly giving You the glory, honor, and praise that You deserve. We claim these things in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Mark 12:28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? In asking, which is the greatest commandment of all, the last question addressed to Jesus dealt with priority. Mark 12:29, 30 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. Jesus answered with the Shema, Deuteronomy 6:4, the verse the orthodox Jew quotes many times each day and wears inside the phylactery on his forehead and wrist. Mark 12:31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. The Jews had six hundred thirteen commandments from the Old Testament law. Three hundred sixty-five were negative commandments—one for each day of the year, and two hundred forty-eight positive commandments—one for each of the two hundred forty-eight generations from Adam to their day. In Psalm 15, however, David reduced this number to eleven; and in the sixth chapter of his book, Micah reduced it to three (6:8). Here, Jesus reduces it to two; and in Galatians 5:14, Paul would reduce it to one: love. Mark 12:32, 33 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. Realizing that relationship far surpassed religion, the scribes could do nothing but agree with the beauty, simplicity, and logic of Jesus’ answer. Mark 12:34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question. After answering their questions regarding authority and integrity, theology and priority, it is now Jesus’ turn to ask a question… Mark 12:35–37 And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the Son of David? For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool. David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly. Quoting Psalm 110, which the Jews knew to be a prophecy concerning Messiah, Jesus asked how David could call his son his lord. The only way a son could be greater than his father was if he was more than simply the son of the father. In other words, the Messiah for whom the Jews waited was more than a political leader or religious instructor, more than mere man. He was God. Mark 12:38–40 And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts: Which devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation. Addressing those who weren’t trying to trick Him, those who heard Him gladly, the common people, Jesus said, “Watch out for scribes who make a great show of religion, but are first on the scene to swindle widows.” Be careful! In today’s society, there are wolves in sheep’s clothing! Have a blessed day!
Posted on: Fri, 05 Jul 2013 13:00:00 +0000
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