This is a devotional with my thoughts added to verses from the Bible. I highly encourage you to dig into the word with your own thoughts. The Daily Devotion series is one way to do this. However, I know that sometimes we want to read other people’s ideas about Bible passages, so I am starting the Everyday series. I hope and pray that these posts will draw you nearer to Jesus.
DAY 4–Remember to pray before you begin.
Mark 12:28-34 Not Far from the Kingdom
One of the scribes came, and heard them questioning together. Knowing that he had answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the greatest of all?” Jesus answered, “The greatest is, ‘Hear, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one: 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.’ This is the first commandment. The second is like this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” The scribe said to him, “Truly, teacher, you have said well that he is one, and there is none other but he, and to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from God’s Kingdom.” No one dared ask him any question after that.
Jesus was questioned one last time, but not as a test. One of the scribes had been impressed with Jesus’ responses to the skeptics who were challenging Him. This scribe’s question was sincere, and Jesus dealt with him as a genuine seeker of the truth. This kind of situation is why we should always be aware that there are others around us listening to our conversations when we are challenged by people who we know are not truth seekers. These listeners may be searching for spiritual answers, and the attitude and competence with which we answer questions may affect their ability to trust any responses about God that we provide. This scribe asked a question that he already knew the answer for but that many of his peers would not have provided. He asked which commandment was the most important of all.
The scribe requested only one commandment, but Jesus provided the most important and the second most important commandments. At this response, the scribe felt comfortable finally speaking with someone who understood his ideas, so he enlarged on what Jesus had said by saying that loving God with every part of our being and loving our neighbor as ourselves was more important than any offerings or sacrifices that we make to God. Jesus saw that the scribe was in earnest and told him that he was close to the kingdom of God.
This interaction demonstrates that there were sincere believers among the scribes and Pharisees who did not agree with everything that the majority said or did. Instead, these seekers studied the scriptures for themselves in order to know God and to obtain God’s approval. This scribe contrasts sharply with the Sadducees who Jesus had just rebuked for not knowing the scriptures or the power of God. However, it is interesting that Jesus did not commend the scribe for knowing the scriptures. Instead, Jesus told him that he was getting close to the reality of heaven. Our lack of knowledge can cause us to not understand and have wrong beliefs; however, knowing facts and comprehending the scriptures should not be our end goal. The final destination of studying God’s word is to become part of the kingdom of heaven.
The message of this passage is simple enough that any child could understand, yet deep enough that we can barely plumb its depths. Jesus said at one point that we must become like little children to enter heaven. Maybe, this is because God is childlike in the simplicity of His love. Sometimes, we make life too complicated when all we really need to remember is to love God and love others, just as a child loves, just as Jesus loved us and loves us still and will always love us. In the end, if we follow these two basic rules, we will be like God in the right way.
DAY 5–Remember to pray before you begin.
Mark 12:35-40 Son of David
Jesus responded, as he taught in the temple, “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? For David himself said in the Holy Spirit, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies the footstool of your feet.”’ Therefore David himself calls him Lord, so how can he be his son?” The common people heard him gladly. In his teaching he said to them, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk in long robes, and to get greetings in the marketplaces, and the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts: those who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”
Jesus remained in the temple teaching the people gathered there after the leaders’ testing was completed. Now, Jesus introduced His own question for the scribes. He said that the scribes claimed that the Messiah would be the son of David. Then, Jesus brought up a seemingly contradictory statement from one of David’s Psalms. “A Psalm of David. The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.’ The LORD sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies! Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours. The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.’ The Lord is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath. He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses; he will shatter chiefs over the wide earth. He will drink from the brook by the way; therefore, he will lift up his head” (Psalm 110:1-7). Using this obviously Messianic Psalm, Jesus pointed out that David considered the Messiah to be his lord, above King David in rank.
Jesus’ point is that the people’s expectations were too narrow. While it was true that the Messiah was the son of David, a direct descendant, it was not true that David was greater than the Messiah. Jesus was demonstrating to the people that the Messiah had authority over even David; thus, the authority of the priests, councils, Pharisees, scribes, and Sadducees was lower than that of the Messiah. In a way, Jesus was still responding to the question of whether He had authority to cleanse the temple. He was pointing out that one who had higher authority than the people and Jewish leaders of that time (King David) had called the Messiah “Lord” giving the Messiah higher rank than the king of Israel.
Then Jesus spoke about a seemingly unrelated topic—the scribes. In reality, He was still talking about the same topic: authority. He had discussed His own authority as the Messiah, i.e. heavenly authority; now, He turned to authority as the secular world defined it. Earthly authority is marked by love of reputation, love of pomp and ceremony, love of privilege and honor, love of the spotlight, and a lack of love for others who have no influence or reputation. Jesus reminded the people that this kind of authority is condemned by God, and those who exercise worldly authority instead of the spiritual authority that God has given them will be doubly condemned.
As leaders gain more authority, whether in the church or in society, they must remain aware of the temptations involved in the position. It is important for people in leadership positions to ask themselves if they are humbly seeking to serve the Master in any way He chooses, or if their hearts are focused on manipulating an audience, obtaining recognition for achievements, and enjoying the privileges of being part of the in-group of leaders. God wants His leaders to humbly serve others who need them rather than arrogantly making decisions without considering the effects on other people.
DAY 6–Remember to pray before you begin.
Mark 12:41-44 The Value of Money
Jesus sat down opposite the treasury, and saw how the multitude cast money into the treasury. Many who were rich cast in much. A poor widow came, and she cast in two small brass coins, which equal a quadrans coin. He called his disciples to himself, and said to them, “Most certainly I tell you, this poor widow gave more than all those who are giving into the treasury, for they all gave out of their abundance, but she, out of her poverty, gave all that she had to live on.”
Jesus had begun his day in the temple with a confrontation with the Jewish council members, then been tested by various Herodians, Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes, before teaching important spiritual lessons to the crowd. It must have been an exhausting morning. After lunch, the treasury area may have simply been the most convenient place to sit down and rest for a while. Jesus watched as person after person approached the treasury to donate money.
The treasury was in the women’s court of the temple. There were thirteen trumpet-shaped collection boxes spread around the area. The shape caused the coins to jingle as they descended into the boxes. This was Passover time, so there would have been a lot of people lined up around the boxes to insert their offerings. Many came to the temple infrequently and some only visited annually for the Passover celebration, so they would have taken this opportunity to give a year’s worth of contributions. Great amounts of money were pouring into the offering boxes. Many of the givers listened proudly as their large quantities of coins jangled down to the bottom of the box. They must have felt satisfied that they would not be ashamed even though they were among so many other generous donors.
The widow also wanted to serve God at Passover, so she brought all she could afford to the offering box. She probably did not think about anyone watching her. She knew that her gift was nothing compared to the others, but she did not care. She was simply desiring to return something to God. In reality, she could not afford to give even the tiny amount that she placed into the box, but in her mind, she could not afford to NOT give. She had access to the promises in Old Testament scriptures about God blessing those who gave, so she knew that her gift would be returned to her in some manner. As her two coins made the tiniest of jingling sounds, she may have smiled in satisfaction, happy that she also was able to contribute.
In pointing out the generosity of the woman’s gift when compared to others who were contributing that day, Jesus taught an important lesson. When we give something to God with pride because we are aware that we are giving as much as everyone else, we have the wrong motivation. We should not even consider other people’s actions. On the other hand, when we present our gifts to God without worrying about anyone or anything else, except pleasing God, we are working from the right motivation. That poor widow is going to have a lot of friends in heaven who will tell her that her gift inspired them and gave them hope. She will be shocked at how God used her tiny donation to inspire millions of people into giving large amounts to Him. This is an example of one way that God can take our seemingly insignificant offerings and multiply the effects a thousand-fold. It is enough that we provide our poor offerings and efforts. God knows how to use them effectively if we trust Him with our money and talents.
DAY 7–Remember to pray before you begin.
Mark 13:1-2 Not one stone
As he went out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Teacher, see what kind of stones and what kind of buildings!” Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone on another, which will not be thrown down.”
The Jews felt a special sense of exclusive national pride and at the center of that pride was Jerusalem and at the center of their pride in Jerusalem was the temple. They looked at the temple and felt reassured that they were still a special people. They thought of the temple with a touch of arrogance, not only because it was beautiful but also because they knew that they had had another temple before it (Solomon’s temple) that was even more beautiful. Thus, Herod’s temple was a symbol of both their present status and also their past glorious history. This historical pride was then focused onto their desired future where they would once again have a powerful kingdom but this time with Messiah reigning over them so that they would never be a conquered people again.
In Matthew it says that right before the group left the temple, the disciples commented on its beauty, and Jesus responded, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’” (Matthew 23:37-39). At this point in time the Jewish leaders had hardened their hearts so much that it was inevitable that they would order Jesus’ death. Thus, Jesus was leaving the temple for the last time from both His own decision and the choice of the leaders of His chosen people. Without Jesus, there was no temple. Thus, when Jesus left on that final day, God withdrew His protection from His house and showed His rejection of the Jewish nation (not the people) by allowing the total destruction of the temple approximately forty years later.
The Jewish nation had a kind of arrogance about their temple and belief system that was at odds with the humility that God had planned for them. In part, this was a reaction against the pain of their circumstances. They were despised by the rest of the world because of their belief in only one God, but they handled that scorn by holding the rest of the world in contempt. They rejected the Gentiles as inferior and unworthy. Unfortunately, modern Christians may sometimes indulge in the same feeling of superiority towards skeptics and atheists because these unrepentant sinners are worse than us. We think that at least we know that there is only one God and how to behave. Although we know that the Bible describes even our best behavior as filthy rags compared to the kingdom of heaven, we still think that our behavior is less filthy than the unbelievers surrounding us. Instead of focusing on their sinful behavior, we should pity those who are not Christian because they have not experienced the intimate relationship that God wants to have with all of us. They cannot see the blessings that God gives us, and most of all, they have never experienced the transforming love of Jesus, but we have. That love welling within us should lead us to humility and a desire for others to experience the same gift.