Chapter 12
Editor’s comment. These notes on Mark are the work of the following pastors and teachers: Chuck Smith, Andrew Womack, John Wesley, and Jimmy Swaggart. Additional comments are taken from the New English Translation and The Passion Translation notes.
Verses 1-12.
12 Then[a] he began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard.[b] He put a fence around it, dug a pit for its winepress, and built a watchtower. Then[c] he leased it to tenant farmers[d] and went on a journey. 2 At harvest time he sent a slave[e] to the tenants to collect from them[f] his portion of the crop.[g] 3 But[h] those tenants[i] seized his slave,[j] beat him,[k] and sent him away empty-handed.[l] 4 So[m] he sent another slave to them again. This one they struck on the head and treated outrageously. 5 He sent another, and that one they killed. This happened to many others, some of whom were beaten, others killed. 6 He had one left, his one dear son.[n] Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and the inheritance will be ours!’ 8 So[o] they seized him,[p] killed him, and threw his body[q] out of the vineyard.[r] 9 What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy[s] those tenants and give the vineyard to others.[t] 10 Have you not read this scripture:
‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.[u]
11 This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”[v]
12 Now[w] they wanted to arrest him (but they feared the crowd), because they realized that he told this parable against them. So[x] they left him and went away.[y]
TPT. V. 1. See Is. 5: 1-7. The vineyard is a metaphor for the promises of life and glory for Israel. The leaders of the nation were but tenants who were to tend the vineyard. The fence was God’s protection and favor that surrounded them. The winepress was the Holy Spirit, who gave them the inspired revelation of Scripture. The watchtower could speak of the ministry of the prophets, who were like watchmen on the walls for God’s people.
Swaggart. God planted the vineyard. The husbandmen represent the Jewish leaders; the servants are the prophets. The vineyard represented Israel in scripture. The hedge speaks of God’s protection over the land of Judah and the blessings He had reserved for His chosen people. Servants is doulos (slave/bondman).
Smith. Now we remember that Jesus is in the temple. This is the day after He had cleansed it again. It is on Tuesday. It is His final week. Sunday, He had made His triumphant entry into Jerusalem on the donkey. Monday, He came in and cleansed the temple. Now Tuesday He returns to the temple with His disciples, where immediately He is challenged by the religious leaders concerning the authority by which He has done these things.
And he began to speak unto them by parables. [And He said,] A certain man planted a vineyard, and set a hedge about it, and digged a place for the wine vat, and built a tower, and [he] let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country ( Mark 12:1 ).
Now, if you can hold your place there in Mark and turn to Isaiah, chapter 5, I think that you'll see how they were able to see exactly what Jesus was getting at. Verse Mark 12:1 of Isaiah 5 , "Now will I sing to my well-beloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My well-beloved hath a vineyard and a very fruitful hill: and he fenced it, gathered out the stones, he planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a wine press: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, between me and my vineyard. What could have been done more to my vineyard, than I have not done to it? Wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, did it bring forth wild grapes? Now go to; I will tell you what I'm going to do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge, it will be eaten up; I will break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down. I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: and I also will command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold there was oppression; he sought righteousness, but there was a cry of those who were oppressed" ( Isaiah 5:1-7 ).
So, when Jesus said to these leaders, "There was a certain man who planted a vineyard and set a hedge about it and digged a place for the wine vat and built a tower," their minds connected with Isaiah. "And he let it out to husbandmen, went to a far country."
And at the season [at a time when he should be reaping the benefits of that vineyard] he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard. And they caught him [the servant], and beat him, and sent him away empty. And again, he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled [mistreated]. And again, he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some. Having yet therefore one son, his well-beloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son. But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours. And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? ( Mark 12:2-9 )
The parable is very obvious. It is against the religious leaders, the husbandmen whom the Lord had set over the vineyard, the nation of Israel. And the Lord sent to them the prophets, His servants. But the prophets were mistreated; they were beaten, they were stoned, many of them were killed. Finally, the Lord said, "I will send My only Son," or "My well-beloved Son." And so, Jesus separates Himself in a totally different capacity from the servants, the prophets that had been sent. Finally, the Son has come. And the religious leaders have determined to get rid of Him in order that they might somehow take possession of the vineyard. The question, "What will the lord of the vineyard do?" Of course, God is the Lord of the vineyard.
he will come and destroy the husbandmen and will give the vineyard unto others ( Mark 12:9 ).
So, here we see as last week when Jesus cursed the fig tree and it withered and died, because it failed to bring forth fruit. The nation of Israel had failed to fulfill the purposes for which God had established them as a special people unto the Lord. They failed to bring forth that fruit that God was desiring the nation to produce. So, what will the Lord do? He will take away the privileges, the opportunities, and he will give them to others. And so, we see the door opened to the Gentiles, and Jesus here is prophesying and predicting that God is going to do His work, not among the Jews in this age, but more among the Gentiles. And thus, we see the work of God's Spirit in a powerful way among those Gentile believers in Jesus Christ. And then the Lord quoted to them the Psalm 118, which is a psalm that was predicting the triumphant entry of the Messiah.
And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner: This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes? ( Mark 12:10-11 )
This particular Psalm, 118, "the stone set of not by the builders, or rejected by the builders, becoming the head cornerstone," is an often-quoted Psalm in the New Testament. Peter quoted it when he was talking to the religious leaders in the fourth chapter of Acts. Paul quotes it in his epistles to the Romans and in also his epistle to the Ephesians. Jesus here refers to it. Obviously, it is a reference to Jesus, the stone. Now, you remember that there was that prophesy in Daniel of the stone that would come, not cut with hands, striking the image and its feet and growing up into a mountain covering the earth. The stone being Jesus Christ, rejected by the builders, the religious leaders, and yet in reality, it's the chief cornerstone.
There's an interesting story of the building of Solomon's temple. The stone was all quarried away from the temple and was brought to the temple site and then set one upon another. So perfectly were these stones hewn and so well designed that they did not need mortar for them, but they just would interlock and would lie flat. And in fact, these stones you can't even put a knife blade between them; they are hewn so perfectly. And so, each stone was quarried and then smoothed in the area of the quarry, which is actually on the north side of the city of Jerusalem. And then it was brought to the temple site, and each stone was marked for its place and set into the building. And as the story goes, a stone was sent from the quarry and the fellows who were doing the building didn't understand where it went. It seemed like it didn't fit in the natural progression of the building, and so they didn't know what to do with it and they just tossed it aside. And of course, in the years as they were building the temple, finally they came to the completion of the building. But the chief cornerstone was missing. And according to the story, they sent to the quarry for the chief cornerstone. "We want to complete the building, have its dedication. We need the chief cornerstone." And the foreman checked his records, and said, "It's already been sent." And they said, "We don't have it." And he said, "Well, we've already sent it to you." And someone remembered that stone that was tossed over and now the bushes had grown up and over it, and they dug the thing out. And sure enough, the stone that was rejected by the builders was in reality the chief cornerstone of the building. And thus, this psalm. But yet, tremendous prophetic significance. "The stone that was set of not by the builders has become the chief cornerstone. This was the work of the Lord, it's marvelous in our eyes." And so Jesus quotes this very familiar psalm, Psalms 118:0 to them, a psalm by which He is asserting that He is indeed that stone, the Messiah.
Womack. At the end of chapter 11, the Jews sought to snare Jesus in His words by asking who gave Jesus the authority to do the works He did. Jesus responded by asking them to tell by what authority John the Baptist did his works (Matthew 21:23-27, Mark 11:27-33, and Luke 20:1-8).
But then Jesus proceeded to give three parables that revealed the Pharisees’ unfaithfulness as God’s stewards and their impending doom: 1) the two sons - Matthew 21:28-32; 2) the wicked husbandmen - Matthew 21:33-46, Mark 12:1-12, and Luke 20:9-19; and 3) the marriage feast - Matthew 22:1-14. Only Matthew recorded all three of these parables.
Wesley. V. 12. How wonderful is the providence of God, using all things for the good of his children! Generally, the multitude is restrained from tearing them in pieces only by the fear of their rulers. And here the rulers themselves are restrained, through fear of the multitude!
Verses 13-17.
Then[a] they sent some of the Pharisees[b] and Herodians[c] to trap him with his own words.[d] 14 When they came they said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are truthful and do not court anyone’s favor, because you show no partiality[e] but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.[f] Is it right[g] to pay taxes[h] to Caesar[i] or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we?” 15 But he saw through their hypocrisy and said[j] to them, “Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius[k] and let me look at it.” 16 So[l] they brought one, and he said to them, “Whose image[m] is this, and whose inscription?” They replied,[n] “Caesar’s.” 17 Then Jesus said to them, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”[o] And they were utterly amazed at him.
Smith. Whose is this image and superscription? ( Mark 12:16 )
And it would have the picture, and under it the superscription, "Pontifus Maximus." "Who is this?"
And they said unto him, Caesar's. [So, He flipped the coin back] And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. [ If it's Caesar's give it to Caesar, but give to God the things that belong to God] ( Mark 12:16-17 ).
Now in reality, these coins were all considered to be Caesar's, the governments. The people were able to use them, but in reality, they considered that it was all the governments. Even as your money all says, "Federal Reserve Note," it's really the government's loaning you this medium of exchange, or letting you use this medium of exchange. So, Jesus thoroughly escaped the trap that they were setting for Him.
TPT. Actual coins from that era have been found with the emperor’s image and a superscription saying, “Tiberius Caesar Augustus, son of the divine Augustus.”
Swaggart. The word for “catch” means to “catch wild animals.” They intended to snare or entrap Jesus.
Womack. Jesus gave three parables to expose the Pharisees’ hypocrisy. Mark only listed the second of these three. Between the parable of the wicked husbandmen, which Mark had just recorded (Mark 12:1-12), and Mark’s next record of the payment of tribute to Caesar (Mark 12:13-17), Matthew recorded the third parable–the marriage feast (Matthew 22:1-14).
This question about paying tribute to Caesar was also recorded by Matthew (Matthew 22:15-22) and Luke (Luke 20:20-26).
The Jewish leaders were insincere. They tried to flatter Jesus and entrap Him in His ego. But he wasn’t like them; He came only to do His Father’s will. But the Jewish leaders reveal a distinguishing characteristic of Jesus. He told people the truth. He was very outspoken. What a difference from most ministers today. They thought they could use this tendency to get Jesus to criticize Caesar and thereby get Him in trouble with the Romans.
Just as these men supposed in Mark 12:14, Jesus didn’t care what people thought about Him and was very outspoken. He saw clear through their hypocrisy and used that candidness to rebuke them.
Matthew’s account has Jesus calling the Pharisees and Herodians “hypocrites” (Matthew 22:18). Most ministers today would not call someone a hypocrite because they think that would not be Christ-like. But here is Christ telling them they are hypocrites. See also Matthew 23:13-19, 23, 25, 27, 29.
This is so simple and obvious that you would have to have someone help you to misunderstand it. But these hypocrites were masters at “straining at a gnat and swallowing a camel” (Matthew 23:24). Hard hearts make people spiritually retarded.
We are both spiritual and natural. Just because we are part natural doesn’t mean we can ignore the spiritual. And just because we are spiritual doesn’t mean we can ignore the natural. We have responsibilities to the natural world we live in (Romans 13:7).
Verses 18-27.
18 Sadducees[a] (who say there is no resurrection)[b] also came to him and asked him,[c] 19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us: ‘If a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, that man[d] must marry[e] the widow and father children[f] for his brother.’[g] 20 There were seven brothers. The first one married,[h] and when he died he had no children. 21 The second married her and died without any children, and likewise the third. 22 None of the seven had children. Finally, the woman died too. 23 In the resurrection, when they rise again,[i] whose wife will she be? For all seven had married her.”[j] 24 Jesus said to them, “Aren’t you deceived[k] for this reason, because you don’t know the scriptures or the power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels[l] in heaven. 26 Now as for the dead being raised,[m] have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush,[n] how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the[o] God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?[p] 27 He is not the God of the dead but of the living.[q] You are badly mistaken!”
The Sadducees controlled the official political structures of Judaism at this time, being the majority members of the Sanhedrin. They were known as extremely strict on law-and-order issues (Josephus). They did not believe in resurrection or in angels, an important detail in v. 25. See also Matt 3:7; 16:1-12; 22:23-34; Luke 20:27-38; Acts 4:1; 5:17; 23:6-8.
TPT. V. 24. Or “you wander off the path of truth.”
V 26. Jesus’ implication is that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were all alive (in glory) when God spoke to Moses in the burning bush.
Swaggart. Jewish groups of leaders mentioned in the New Testament. Pharisees: Strict observers of the law and the traditions that had developed. The Herodians were a political party allied with the Romans. The Sadducees were rationalistic, were wealthier, and aristocratic. The Pharisees believed in the resurrection while the Sadducees did not believe in angels, spirits, or the resurrection. The Mosaic provision was designed to prevent the family inheritance from being dissipated. If there was a resurrection, whose wife would she be in eternity? Jesus’ point is that the Patriarchs and all other saints are alive now. They have not ceased to exist. Spiritual death is separation from God.
Smith. Now this was a part of the Mosaic law. It is given to us there in Deuteronomy, and it's a very interesting law. And the purpose, of course, was that the family name does not die in Israel. And basically, the law is like this: if you married a woman, and before you could have children, you died, it was your brother's responsibility to marry her. And the first son that was born would be named after you, so that your name would not die in Israel.
Now, say your younger brother doesn't want to marry her. He says, "Hey, hey, no, she gave my brother such a bad time. No way. You're not going to stick me with that one." Then they would come to the gate of the city where judgment was always made. You read that in the gates of the city that's where they always made the judgments. The elders of the city would be there in the gates to pass judgment. So, they would come to the gate of the city before the judges, the elders there, and the fellow would say, "My brother died, didn't have any kids and I don't want to marry her." And he'd take off his sandal and hand it to her. It's sort of like saying, "Hey, woman, you're an old dirty shoe as far as I'm concerned. No way." And she would spit in his face. And he would be released from the obligation of marrying her. But he was called "the man from whom the shoe was loosed" in Israel. He got that title after that, and it was sort of a dirty title. In other words, he wouldn't fulfill the family obligation and that was a very important thing to them.
Now, in the book of Genesis, and this goes back before the law actually, in the book of Genesis we find the case of Judah, the son of Jacob, and his son married this gal, Tamar. And he died not having any children, so Tamar's brother took her to wife. And he died not having any children, and so the other brother was supposed to marry her. But Judah said, "Well, no, no. I'm a little worried about that tea that gal fixes." And two sons died, and he said, "This is my last son, I don't want to lose him. He's too young; wait awhile before he marries you." And this is the story of Tamar; it's an interesting story in Genesis. She put on the clothes of a prostitute and sat in the way when Judah was coming by the old man. He says, "How much do you charge?" And so, she gave the price, and he said, "I don't have it with me, but here. Take my ring." And this is where we get the idea of giving a ring; it's a pledge to guarantee that I'm going to keep the covenant..."I promise you I'll pay you this little..." And of course, she coveted for a little goat. He says, "I'll send it back to you." And she says, "Well, what pledge do you give?" "Well, take the ring." And so, he gave her the ring. Then the idea is, "I'm going to keep the promise; I'll send the goat." And when the goat comes, she gives the ring back.
Well, he went in unto her. You see, she felt that she was getting cheated because he didn't give the third son. And so, she was all veiled and everything else, and had the veil of a prostitute on and all. So, he went in and then went on down, and he said to his herdsmen, "Take a goat back to the prostitute that's back there in that corner and get my ring back." And so, the guy came back with the goat, and he looked around. He said to fellows around there, "Hey, where's the prostitute that hangs out on this corner?" "There's no prostitute around here." So, he came back, and the Jew said, "I couldn't find her; they said there's no prostitute around there." So later on, word came to Judah that Tamar is pregnant. He said, "Have her stoned to death!" So, Tamar came in and she said, "By the man who owns this ring I'm pregnant." Judah, of course, had it. What could he do?
So, the interesting thing to me as that as the lineage of Christ is traced back, it traces back through Tamar. That's interesting, isn't it? That God would bring His Son through this lineage. He was able to identify with sinners.
Another case of it in the Old Testament is in the book of Ruth. Elimelech, with his wife Naomi, sold their parcel and moved with their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, over to Moab. And in Moab, Mahlon and Chilion married some young girls in Moab, and Elimelech died, and the two sons died. And there were no children. So, the name was about ready to die. Naomi, of course, came back with Ruth. And later on, Boaz, who was a brother to Elimelech, married Ruth. He became what they called the "gaal," the family redeemer. He's the one that redeemed the family name by having a child through Ruth, whose name was Obed, whose son's name was Jesse, whose son's name was David. And in tracing the lineage of the line of Christ, it goes back through Ruth and Boaz.
So this idea of a kinsman redeemer is tied into the lineage of Jesus, which I think is significant, because that's what He became to be. He became a man that He might be kin to us, but His purpose was to redeem us. Man couldn't redeem himself. And so, He became a man that He might become our kinsman redeemer, and in two places in his lineage that particular Jewish law was kept, fulfilled.
So, here the Sadducees, they go an extra step. They create a hypothetical case,
Now there were seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed [he died without any children]. And the second took her, and died, neither left he any seed [without any children]: and the third likewise. And the seven had her [all seven married her] and left no seed [and died without any children]: last of all the woman died also. In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife [all seven were married to her] ( Mark 12:20-23 ).
Now you see, they were creating a hypothetical case by which they were trying to show that the idea of the resurrection from the dead could only create a lot of problems. And here is a big problem, because you see seven guys now fighting over the one woman, for she had been married to all seven, but none of them had any children. And they pictured this big confusion at the resurrection.
Of course, there are others who have foreseen great problems with the resurrection. Say you have a kidney transplant. Who gets the kidney in the resurrection? Our bodies are made up of chemicals, and when a person died out on the prairie and they dug a hole and buried him, the body decomposed into the various chemicals. And the little prairie grass sent its roots down and fed off of the chemicals from the decomposed body, and those chemicals were drawn up through the root and into the prairie grass. And the cows came and ate that prairie grass with the chemicals from somebody's body. And someone milked the cow and got the chemicals out of the milk and drank the milk and assimilated it and became a part of his body. Now in the resurrection, what body will get these chemicals? These same difficulties that people have hypothecated all stem from the same ignorance. That Jesus said,
And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the Scriptures, neither the power of God [You fellows err, because you don't know the scriptures, and you don't know the power of God]? ( Mark 12:24 )
Your mistake lies in the fact that you don't know the scriptures; you're ignorant of the scriptures, and that's where your problem is.
For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven. And as touching the dead, that they rise: [and Jesus is affirming the resurrection of the dead here] have ye not read in the book of Moses ( Mark 12:25-26 ),
Now the Sadducees, being the materialists, rejected all of the Old Testament except for the five books of Moses. And they said, "There is no place where immortality or resurrection is taught in the Pentateuch. That all came along later with the prophets and all. But there's nothing in the Pentateuch." So, Jesus takes them to the Pentateuch.
have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spoke unto him [Moses], saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? [And Jesus said,] He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living ( Mark 12:26-27 ):
And with their own book of Moses, He really cut them down.
Womack. The Sadducees didn’t believe there was a resurrection. See also Matthew 22:23-33 and Luke 12:27-40. See Moses’ instructions in Deuteronomy 25:5-10 - practiced before the Law was given (Genesis 38:6-11). The Sadducees didn’t believe in resurrection (Mark 12:18). They wanted to stump Jesus. But the foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of men (1 Corinthians 1:25). Jesus answered their question and proved a bodily resurrection of the dead (Mark 12:26-27). Those who don’t know the Truth will be deceived (John 8:32 and 17:17).
Jesus taught the resurrection from the dead.
The Sadducees’ reasoning against the resurrection was flawed because they tried to conceive of heaven in earthly terms. In heaven, there isn’t marriage. Heaven will be different in many ways. We accept by faith that heaven exists and that it’s glorious.
The word “heaven” comes from the Greek word “OURANOS,” and it means “the sky; by extension, heaven (as the abode of God); by implication, happiness, power, eternity” (Strong’s Concordance). Paul mentioned being caught up into “the third heaven” (2 Corinthians 12:2). Since “the third heaven” exists, there must be a first and second heaven. The first is probably the atmospheric heavens (Genesis 1:20 and Jeremiah 19:7); the second, the abode of supernatural angelic beings (Ephesians 3:10 and 6:12); and the third, the place where God dwells (Genesis 21:17, 22:11, 15; Deuteronomy 26:15; 1 Kings 8:30, 43, 49; and 2 Corinthians 12:1-4). God now dwells in the hearts of His people (Luke 17:20-21, John 14:16-17, Colossians 1:27, and Hebrews 13:5), but He also sits on His throne in heaven (Mark 16:19; Acts 2:33-34, 7:56; Romans 8:34; Ephesians 1:20; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 1:3, 13, 8:1, and 12:2). Heaven has a real temple in it (Revelation 7:15, 11:19, and 14:17), which the Old Testament tabernacle was patterned after (Hebrews 8:2, 5; 9:11-12, and 23-24). Saints who die go immediately into heaven and into the presence of God (2 Corinthians 5:8 and Philippians 1:23). As depicted in Revelation 21:1-3, God will move His throne here and dwell with man on the new earth. It is here on earth that we will dwell with God throughout eternity. The New Jerusalem that God will establish on earth (Revelation 21:2) will have mansions (John 14:1-3), trees and rivers (Revelation 22:1-3), animals (Isaiah 11:6-9 and Revelation 19:11-14), gates made of pearls and streets made of pure gold (Revelation 21:21), food (Exodus 16:4; Psalms 78:25; Revelation 2:7, 17, and 22:1-2), music (Revelation 5:8-14, 14:1-3, and 15:2-4), and musical instruments (Revelation 5:8, 14:2, and 15:2). The saints will wear clothes (Revelation 6:9-11 and 19:8) just like Jesus (Daniel 7:9 and Revelation 1:13).
Wesley. V. 27. He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living — That is, (if the argument be proposed at length,) since the character of his being the God of any persons, plainly intimates a relation to them, not as dead, but as living; and since he cannot be said to be at present their God at all, if they are utterly dead; nor to be the God of human persons, such as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, consisting of souls and bodies, if their bodies were to abide in everlasting death; there must needs be a future state of blessedness, and a resurrection of the body to share with the soul in it.
Verses 28-34.
28 Now[a] one of the experts in the law[b] came and heard them debating. When he saw that Jesus[c] answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The most important is: ‘Listen, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love[d] the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’[e] 31 The second is: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[f] There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 The expert in the law said to him, “That is true, Teacher; you are right to say that he is one, and there is no one else besides him.[g] 33 And to love him with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your strength[h] and to love your neighbor as yourself[i] is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 When Jesus saw that he had answered thoughtfully, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”[j] Then no one dared any longer to question him.
Swaggart. The scribe is asking Jesus to prioritize a class of commands. The tendency of the Jews was to emphasize technicalities of ritual observance such as circumcision. The word used for love is agapao which infers love which is generated in the heart of a yielded saint by the Holy Spirit. It is a God-given, divine love, which includes brotherly love. The first commandment means total devotion to God. V. 34. The man answered intelligently as a result of this own thinking.
Wesley. V. 28. The principal, and most necessary to be observed. Matthew 22:34; Luke 10:25. To love him with all the heart — To love and serve him, with all the united powers of the soul in their utmost vigor; and to love his neighbor as himself - To maintain the same equitable and charitable temper and behavior toward all men, as we, in like circumstances, would wish for from them toward ourselves, is a more necessary and important duty, than the offering the most noble and costly sacrifices.
Smith. And Jesus answered him, The first of all commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord ( Mark 12:29 ):
He goes back to Deuteronomy in what is known as the shima, the hear. It is that portion that the Jews roll up in these little boxes that they tie on their wrists. The boxes that they put on their foreheads; they all have this shima in it. "Hear, O' Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord." It used to be in their feast days, when they would gather in the temple mount, that they would start chanting this. And it would build and build and build, as they would chant together, "Hear, O' Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord." It is interesting to me that even in this declaration, the shima, the great commandment, the first, the primary commandment, that the word one ..."the Lord our God is one Lord"...the word one is the Hebrew word echad, which is a compound unity. There is another Hebrew word for one, yechyd, which is an absolute unity.
Now, I have four fingers, but I have one hand. Now, on the one hand, there are the four fingers and the thumb. So, you have one hand, but in it is a compound unity. There are better examples of compound unity. You have one egg, but it's composed of a shell, a white and the yoke. Yet, it's one egg; compound unity. "The two shall be one," speaking of marriage. Echad, one, there's two but they become one, the compound unity. So, the Lord our God is echad, a compound unity, "is one Lord."
You cannot do this unless God is at the center of your life. You see, he's striking at that self-centered life, because now instead of loving yourself supremely, you've got to love your neighbor as you love yourself. You can't do that unless you love God supremely. And it's only as you love God supremely, that you can fulfill the second, loving your neighbor as yourself. But in this is all the law in the prophets. This sums up the whole Old Testament. It's what it's all about. A loving relationship with God, that you might have a meaningful relationship with your fellow man; God at the vertical axis of your life, in order that the horizontal plane might be imbalanced.
Now, people get all messed up in this horizontal plane. Their interpersonal relationships are just messed up completely. And so, you go to a shrink, and you try to understand yourself, and "Why do I react? Why do I respond? Why do I yell? Why do I scream? Why do I drive people away? Why do I act in such an anti-social way?" And he tries to delve into your psyche and all, and to tell you, "Now, if you'll just do this and that, and take a little Valium and all, it won't make any difference." So, he's trying to help you to balance out these interpersonal relationships out on the horizontal plane. And so, no sooner do you get one in the focus, and you sort of balance it, then the whole thing begins to go overboard. And the other side is way up, and you get up on the other side and jump up there, so that you can balance this thing out...and so, you see people spending their lives trying to keep things in balance. And it's always just sort of topsy-turvy. You've got to come to the center axis, man. It's out of kilter. Your relationship with God, it's just way off. And if your axis titled, then the horizontal plane spinning around that axis is going to be just in a crazy whirl. Just up and down, up and down, up and down, until you say, "Oh, God, stop this thing. I want off!" First thing: get right with God, know God, love God. The second then will fall into order, loving thy neighbor as thyself.
Now, this fellow was intrigued with the answer. He thought, "Alright, I'll buy that." And he repeated it just to confirm it in his mind. And he said,
Well, Master, [that's good] thou hast said [you've told] 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 neighbor as himself, is more [important] than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices [that you could ever give]. And when Jesus saw [that it was sinking in] that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God ( Mark 12:32-34 ).
You're not far from the kingdom of God because the moment God comes at the center of your life, you are in the kingdom of God. That's what the kingdom of God is about, is having the King on the throne. The moment you bow and submit your life to God as King, as the Lord of your life, then you're in the kingdom of God, you see. But no man can serve two masters; no man can have two kings. And if you are sitting on the throne of your life, if you're living a self-centered life, then you're not in the kingdom of God, and you can't be in the kingdom of God as long as you're living a self-centered life. It's not until you're living a God-centered life that you've really entered into the kingdom. And this fellow was beginning to see the picture. And Jesus said, "You're not far from the kingdom." Get God into the center of your life, and you've come into the kingdom of God.
Womack. V. 28.
Matthew indicates that this scribe was a lawyer and that he asked this question to tempt Jesus (Matthew 22:35). Mark’s account leads us to believe that the lawyer was sincere. By comparing the two records, we see that the lawyer’s original intent was to snare Jesus, but he had been swayed into agreement with Jesus through His words. This was not the first time that the enemies of Jesus were overcome by His wisdom (John 7:32 and 45-46). V. 29. Jesus repeatedly referenced His deity for which the Jews sought to kill Him, and yet here He quotes Deuteronomy 6:4 that “the LORD our God is one LORD.” There are not two or three Gods, and yet Jesus claimed to be God just like God the Father. This union is a great mystery that the church has come to call the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Ghost - all one Lord). It defies human understanding but can be accepted and believed. V. 30. This is from Deuteronomy 6:5, which says, “And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” Notice that when Jesus quoted this, He added “mind” to the list and changed the word “might” to “strength.” V. 31. Jesus quoted Leviticus 19:18: “Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I am the LORD.”
Loving God with all that we have and loving our neighbor as ourselves are the two greatest of all the Old Testament commandments. Yet there is an even greater commandment given in the New Testament. V. 32. Jesus never quoted from Exodus 20 and the Ten Commandments. Loving God and other people would cause us to fulfill every one of the Ten Commandments and all the other commandments. Love is the fulfillment of the Law (Romans 13:8-9, Galatians 5:14, James 2:8, and 1 John 4:21). V. 33. This scribe had a revelation that most of the leaders of the Jews didn’t. This scribe used the word “understanding” instead of the word “mind” that Jesus used (Mark 12:30). V. 34. Other translations say he answered “intelligently” (Amplified Bible), “wisely” (New International Version), “insightful[ly]” (The Message), and “discreetly (NKJV). Strong’s translates as “prudently.”
Jesus saw that this lawyer answered Him with understanding and that he had the understanding necessary for salvation. He was close, but he wasn’t there yet. He had to do more than just know the truth; he had to act on it (James 2:17-20). The Scriptures don’t tell us if this lawyer went on to act on this knowledge and actually enter into the kingdom of God. V. 35. See Matthew 22:41-46 and Luke 20:41-44.
Verses 35-37.
35 While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he said, “How is it that the experts in the law[a] say that the Christ[b] is David’s son?[c] 36 David himself, by the Holy Spirit, said,
‘The Lord said to my lord,[d]
“Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet.”’[e]
37 If David himself calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?”[f] And the large crowd was listening to him with delight.
Womack. The Jews asked Jesus questions in an attempt to entrap Him. But He answered so wisely that they gave up. No one asked Him any more questions (Mark 12:34). So, here, He asked them a question that seemingly has no answer. It’s like He was pointing out to them a question they should have asked.
Swaggart. “Messiah” for the Jews meant that the future King of Israel would come from the royal line of David. Since David was human, he would be human also. But Jesus reminds them of Ps. 110:1 and you would not call a human being this. The Messiah was to be recognized as deity (Yahweh of the OT). Jesus asked: “If the Messiah is deity, how can He also be human?” Jesus was directing their attention to the Incarnation.
Smith. And no man after that durst [didn't dare] ask Him any question. And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, [said to the scribes], How say the scribes [how is it that you scribes say] that Christ [the Messiah] is the son of David? ( Mark 12:34-35 )
Now this, of course, was something that is taught that the Messiah will be the Son of David, because there were many predictions in the Old Testament. "He will sit upon the throne of David. He'll be the root out of the stem of Jesse," and so forth. And God promised to David, "I will build you a house;" and by this David understood that the Messiah was to come through his seed. And so, "How is it that you say that the Messiah is the Son of David?
For David himself said by the Holy Ghost [through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit] ( Mark 12:36 ),
And Jesus here recognizing the Holy Spirit as the One who inspired the writing of David. David, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, in Psalms 110:0 said,
The Lord [or Jehovah, Yahweh] 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? ( Mark 12:36-37 )
In that patriarch society, the father always ruled. As long as the old man was alive, he ruled. His word was law. Even when his sons were eighty, ninety years old, if he was still alive his word was the law. And in that culture, there is no way that a father would call his son Lord. That would be a total antithesis to the culture and society itself. And so, how is it that if the Messiah is the Son of David, how is it that David called Him Lord? Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. How can He be a Son?
Verses 38-40.
38 In his teaching Jesus[a] also said, “Watch out for the experts in the law.[b] They like walking[c] around in long robes and elaborate greetings[d] in the marketplaces,[e] 39 and the best seats in the synagogues[f] and the places of honor at banquets. 40 They[g] devour widows’ property,[h] and as a show make long prayers. These men will receive a more severe punishment.”
Swaggart. The scribes/pharisees loved things related to vanity and the praise of men.
Wesley. There was an absolute necessity for these repeated cautions. For, considering their inveterate prejudices against Christ, it could never be supposed the common people would receive the Gospel till these incorrigible blasphemers of it were brought to just disgrace. Yet he delayed speaking in this manner till a little before his passion, as knowing what effect it would quickly produce. Nor is this any precedent for us: we are not invested with the same authority. Matthew 23:5; Luke 20:46.
Smith. Go to it, Lord! It's hard for me to express how I feel about those who would take advantage of people for religious purposes or under a religious guise. I really had no intention, when I was a young man, of being a minister. I had very set ideas. I was always sort of a goal-oriented person. And I knew from the time I was in junior high school that I was going to be a neurosurgeon, and I had studied all about the brain. From the time I was a kid, I'd check out all of the books from the library and read about the brain, fascinated with the human brain. And I just knew I was going to be a neurosurgeon, taking all the courses to prepare me for that profession. And I had a big thing against most of the ministers that I knew. I didn't feel that they were true, honest, normal people. I saw a lot of hypocrisy and it troubled me, and that's one of the reasons why I never wanted to go into the ministry. But when the Lord began to speak to my heart concerning the ministry, I said, "Oh, no way! I don't want to be one of those guys. I'm too normal, Lord. You know, I don't like to wear ties. I don't like to dress up in suits all the time. I love sports and..." The Lord said, "Who asked you to wear suits all the time? Who asked you to wear a tie all the time? Who said you can't enjoy sports? Who said you can't be normal?" You'll find me a very normal person. I don't try and create some illusion that I'm super spiritual or better or...God help us.
Womack. Mark (Mark 12:38-40) and Luke (Luke 20:45-47) devote three verses each to Jesus’ exposure and rebuke of the scribes and Pharisees. But Matthew devoted a whole chapter for that purpose (Matthew 23).
Jesus exposed hypocrisy and error. Luke 20:45 says this was done publicly. There is a place for exposing error and warning people against false doctrine.
These things were all about selfishness. The scribes loved themselves and the praises of man more than the praises of God (John 12:43). This kills true faith (John 5:44).
Jesus was referring to the same thing He had rebuked the scribes for earlier in Matthew 15:3-9 and Mark 7:10-13. Hypocrites love to pray. Notice there are varying degrees of damnation.
Verses 41-44.
41 Then[a] he[b] sat down opposite the offering box,[c] and watched the crowd putting coins into it. Many rich people were throwing in large amounts. 42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins,[d] worth less than a penny. 43 He called his disciples and said to them, “I tell you the truth,[e] this poor widow has put more into the offering box[f] than all the others.[g] 44 For they all gave out of their wealth.[h] But she, out of her poverty, put in what she had to live on, everything she had.
Womack. This treasury was located in the Women’s Court, which was in the temple complex but was not part of the temple itself. Women were not allowed in the temple, so the fact that this widow was casting her offering into the treasury would verify its location. In the treasury area, there were thirteen receptacles for offerings called trumpets because of their shape. These trumpets were large at the bottom and narrowed to a small opening at the top much like a megaphone. This method of receiving offerings was used during the reigns of the kings in the Old Testament. Jesus didn’t say anything to the widow or give her money. As far as she knew, no one noticed. But God sees it all. Even a person who gives a cup of cold water in His name will be rewarded (Matthew 10:42 and Mark 9:41). I’m sure this widow received a hundredfold return while she was on the earth and in the world to come, eternal life (Mark 10:29-30). Mark made it very clear that Jesus used this instance to teach His disciples a very important lesson, but He did not say these things to this widow personally. God’s promises concerning giving give us an assurance that this offering was blessed back to this woman in this life (Mark 10:28-30 and Luke 6:38), but His commendation that we read here was not heard by the widow. There is no indication that this poor widow ever knew anyone recognized the extent of her sacrifice. Likewise, there are times when we may feel that no one knows or appreciates our sacrifices. However, just as surely as Jesus saw this woman’s giving and knew of the sacrifice involved, God takes note of our smallest deeds and will one day reward us openly (Matthew 6:4). Our greatest opportunities for giving are when we are in need. If what we have isn’t enough for our need, we should turn it into a seed and plant it.
Smith. God doesn't measure your gifts by the amount. Never. But by what it costs you. By that measure God always measures what we give to Him. What did it cost me to give? David said, "I will not give to the Lord that which cost me nothing." Paul the apostle, talking to the church of Corinth, suggested that we examine ourselves. He said, "For if we will judge ourselves, then we will not be judged of God." As you look at yourself tonight, as you examine your heart, can you honestly say that your heart, your life, is centered in God? That He is the center of your existence? That your life is revolving around Him? If not, then you're far from the kingdom and you are heading down a road that can only bring despair, emptiness and frustration. I would encourage you: discover the true and the living God. Make Him the center of your affections, love Him with all of your heart, with all of your soul, with all of your mind, with all your strength, and you'll find out how God intended man to live, rich, fulfilled, as you walk with Him. And thus, may you walk this week with God at the center of your life. May you be filled with His Spirit. And may God, by His Spirit, guide you, strengthen you, help you. In Jesus' name. "