scribes - Drew Boswell

“Questions” Mark 12:13-34

Christ’s Power Over Every Need

The Gospel of Mark Sermon Series

“Questions”

Mark 12:13-34

Introduction

I want us to begin our study of Mark 12:13-34 by jumping to v. 30-31, we will look at the heart of this body of Mark’s gospel because it will help us better understand it, “And 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.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” In whatever theological, political, historical, or personal opinion you or I may have – everything that we are and do, should come from a complete love of God, and for our fellow man (regardless of color, nation of origin, level of income, or beliefs).

Prayer

Are You a Republican or a Democrat? (vv. 13-17)

And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, to trap him in his talk. 14 And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone’s opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?” 15 But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” 16 And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.” 17 Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they marveled at him.

With this first group (there are three separate encounters that Mark gives us), we see that they are sent (from a larger group), with the specific task of trapping Jesus “in his talk.” They are trying to get Jesus to make an unguarded statement, to slip up, that they could use against Him. They want a sound bite that they can replay again, and again, to destroy Jesus’ credibility.

Luke calls this group, “spies who feigned themselves to be righteous,” and their plot was to deliver Jesus into the hands of the governor. The Herodians were strangers to Jesus, and would have served as witnesses whose word would have gone further than any of the Pharisees with the governor. They are pretending to have this argument between their groups, and want Jesus to help them settle the dispute.[1] They are trying to camouflage their true intent.

“The land of Palestine was under the rule of the Romans, and the Jews were essentially captives under the rule of the Romans. Some Jews went along with this quite willingly, and as a consequence were able to profit considerably (tax gatherers, etc.).”[2] Other Jews resisted and fought against the Romans. This was a question about a poll tax imposed on the Jewish people by the Roman government.

By the time of Jesus, the poll had been in place beginning around 6AD. It led to a revolt in Jerusalem in 66AD, revolutionaries found a following, and eventually was one of the major factors leading to the destruction of the temple in 70AD. It also, led to a group called the Zealots – which was a political patriotic Jewish group.

The Zealots refused to pay the tax because it acknowledged Caesar’s domination over them. They would not even look upon a coin which bore an image.[3] A Jewish person had to pay the annual tribute in the emperor’s silver coins.[4] “This question was therefore an essentially political one, aimed to elicit Jesus’ stance with regard to the ‘Zealot’ ideology.[5]

We have seen a hint of this ideology in Mark 6:42 ff. as the feeding of the feeding of the five thousand miracle was drawing to a close, “And they all ate and were satisfied. 43 And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. 44 And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men. 45 Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.”

Why did Jesus push the disciples to leave? Because there were a group there that were trying to force Jesus to start a revolution (according to their ideology), so Jesus stopped that group, but He didn’t want the disciples, at that point, to get caught up in the politics.

As a Galilean Jesus would not have been required to pay the poll tax, which applied only to those residing in areas under direct Roman authority (like Judea). But they want to use his answer against Him. This could have been his out to this question – it doesn’t affect me, so I’m not going to answer.

Judas of Galilee (not Jesus’ disciple) had led a revolt in 6AD and for him the issue had been as much theological as political. “The historian Josephus described his [Judas] calling to revolt in these terms: ‘He called his fellow countrymen cowards for being willing to pay tribute to the Romans and for putting up with mortal masters in place of God. The theology underlying such language is that allegiance to God and Rome as a pagan occupying power are fundamentally incompatible.”[6]

There is no answer that Jesus could give that would make everyone happy. If Jesus said ‘yes’ then he would alienate the Jewish patriots. If Jesus said ‘no’ then he could be reported to the authorities as a rebel.

(v. 15) “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” 16 And they brought one.” The coin had a stamped faced of Tiberius, and said, “Son of the divine Augustus.” For a Jewish person, it would have been religiously and politically offensive – it was carrying around a ‘graven image’ and that a man was claiming to be God. The Jewish people avoided this by carrying another copper currency – but the Pharisees and Herodians have no problem getting their hands on a denarius. Jesus wasn’t carrying this idolatrous coin, but one them had one very handy.

But Jesus is actually making an even deeper statement, than just catching them in their hypocrisy, by requesting the coin. (v. 17) “Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” – Jesus is saying that there can be obligations to the state (honor to those who hold positions, paying required taxes, following the law), and to God, and both can be maintained at the same time.[7]

To be loyal to God, does not necessarily mean civil disobedience (because the government is not theocracy). The coin bears the image of Caesar, what image does your heart bear? The Zealots would only be happy when the kingdom returns to a theocracy run by a king (either what we want, exactly how we feel it should be, or nothing).

Who are the Zealots of today? These are those that claim to be Christian, but cannot even look at, interact with, a society they feel has compromised their interpretation of Scripture. They do not completely love God, and they do not love their neighbor as much as they love themselves.

(v. 17) “And they marveled at him,” is their response to Jesus’ ability to escape their trap. This issue is much more important that Jesus doing verbal judo. How we deal with the issue of politics shows the world our heart towards God, and towards our fellow man. Bellevue Baptist Church exists to make disciples of Jesus Christ, and we must be careful that in our disciple making process ends where our personal opinions, emotions, feelings, begin. Our means of shaping the world is the gospel, when we get the voting booth and the baptistry mixed up – we are headed toward decline.

What Are Your Pronouns? (vv. 18-27)

18 And Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection. And they asked him a question, saying, 19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 20 There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no offspring. 21 And the second took her, and died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. 22 And the seven left no offspring. Last of all the woman also died.[8] 23 In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.” 24 Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26 And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 27 He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.”

First off, the Sadducees did not even believe in an afterlife, nor a resurrection. So, the fact that they design their question around the resurrection, “who say that there is no resurrection” Mark is showing us their hypocrisy and warns us that they are trying to trap Jesus. But instead of it being a political trap, this question is a theological trap.

The issue that the Sadducees bring up is “what happens with relationships, specifically marriage bonds, in the afterlife?” If a person marries, and then remarries, etc. who will be their spouse in eternity? They remove the question of whether the marriages are legitimate by crafting a scenario based on a passage of Scripture.

It is a paraphrase of Deuteronomy 25:5-6, “If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her husband’s brother shall go in to her and take her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. 6 And the first son whom she bears shall succeed to the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel.” There was the cultural belief that the man lives on through the continuation of the family line.

Jesus suggests that the earthly perspective is not an appropriate view in eternity. Individuals will not be bonded together, but will be individuals, like angels (Luke tells us that the Sadducees don’t believe in angels). Earthly life is temporary; therefore, children need to be brought into this world for repopulation. God has established marriage as the context, between a man and woman, to raise that child. But in heaven, this will not be the case.

This question focuses on a current controversy on which the dominant groups in Jerusalem were sharply divided. So, again if he chooses one side over the other, then Jesus becomes alienated from the opposing side of the argument.

But, Jesus seeks to respond not only to the surface level question, but also to the foundational belief underneath. He says they are wrong for a couple of reasons, “because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God

(v. 26) “‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?” – Jesus is referencing the scene of Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3:6. God has been the guide, the protector, the sustainer, helper, etc. of the fathers, and God promises salvation and deliverance to His people. “If God has assumed the task of protecting the patriarchs from misfortune during the course of their life, but fails to deliver them from the supreme misfortune which marks the definitive and absolute check upon their hopes, his protection is of little value.”[9]

If the death of these men (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob) is the last word of their history, there has been a serious breach of the promises God guaranteed by the covenant.

(v. 27) “He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.” – If a person thinks that this is all that there is, there is nothing waiting for them but for them to cease to exist, then Jesus says, “you are quite wrong.” If you believe that your decisions and actions on this earth, mean noting after you draw your last breath, then “you are quite wrong.”

Jesus has told the disciples that He will die, but will be raised again three days later, and if you think that his death burial and resurrection mean nothing to you, except how you live now, “you are quite wrong.” God is the God of the living, Jesus is alive, everyone who has every been born in this world is alive – if you know Christ, you have life (eternal), and if you are not saved, then you still have life eternal, but you are eternally separated from God, which is what the Bible calls hell.

Jesus is not cute in his response to the Sadducees, he says, (v. 25) “For when they rise from the dead” – where we spend eternity is not a question of if, but when. We are not talking about how many angels can fit on the head of a needle (who cares), but where you spend eternity is incredibly important to know and understand. God keeps His promises in this life, and in the life to come.

Who Are the Sadducees of Today? They brought certain presuppositions to the Scripture (anti-supernatural, no afterlife, no angels, etc.) so that when they opened up the Scriptures, they ignored what was right in front of them, because of the false beliefs they brought with them.

They deceive themselves by drawing a false conclusion from Duet. 25:5, and Jesus replies, “because you did not know the Scriptures.” When one does not believe the Word of God, or so mishandles it, one will not have “the power of God.”

Remember Satan appealed the Scriptures when he tempted Jesus – “the Saduccees are appealing to the Scriptures falsely; Jesus crushed their argument by appealing to the Scriptures truly.”[10]

Where Should I Focus My Life? (vv. 28-34)

28 And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And 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.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

32 And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. 33 And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices[11].” 34 And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Mark now gives us, yet another religious leader (a scribe) but their interaction is quite different from the previous two. The scribe is moved by Jesus’ previous responses, which leads him to ask his own question, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” The Jewish law included 613 commandments, so it is understandable that someone may want to group them and organize them in some way, and “He seems to be asking Jesus what he understood to be the fundamental purpose and character of the law.”[12]

The rabbis often discussed which commandments were “heavy” and which ones were “lite,” and sometimes ranked certain categories of the law as more essential than others.[13]

(v. 33) “And 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.’” – all is repeated four times, we are to be completely, wholly devoted to God. Everything that makes a person is to be fully devoted to the relationship with God. “The four following phrases are not condensed: ‘out of thy whole heart, soul, mind, and strength,’ but are spread out so as to put emphasis on each one.”[14] Also, heart is first, then soul, then mind, and last strength.

The scribe, in spite of all the plotting and scheming to trap with words, and seeking to kill Jesus (that he is more than likely aware of) – this scribe is able to see past all out that hear Jesus’ words, see his reaction to the hate, and begins to open his heart to the Savior. The scribe is able to cut through the politics, the doctrinal differences, the hateful statements – all of it. Jesus’ response to this man is not the same as the others – He does not lump all religious leaders together. He is gentle, conversational, and complementary.

(v. 34) “when Jesus saw that he answered wisely” – the original language uses the word “nounechos, from nous (intellect) and echo (to have). Using the mind to good effect is what the adverb means.”[15] “When Jesus saw that he had used his brain . . .”

“You are not far from the kingdom of God.”— The scribe is so close, what is his next step? He needed to realize that he had not loved God nor his neighbor in the way God commands, he would realize that he has sinned against God. He needed a Savior – he was there right in front of him, “not far.”

_____________________

[1] R. C. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Mark’s Gospel (Minneapolis, Minnesota; Augsburg Publishing House, 1964) 517.

[2] Larry W. Hurtado, New International Biblical Commentary, Mark (Peabody, Massachusetts; Hendrickson Publishing, 1989) 192.

[3] William L. Lane, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Gospel of Mark (Grand Rapids, Michigan; William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1993) 423.

[4] Hurtado, 192.

[5] R.T. France, The New International Greek Testament Commentary, The Gospel of Mark (Grand Rapids, Michigan; William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2002) 465.

[6] France, 465.

[7] Romans 13:1-17; 1 Peter 2:13-17; 1 Tim. 2:1-6; Titus 3:1f.

[8] The Sadducees are attempting to use reductio ad absurdum to prove their side of the argument.

[9]

[10] Lenski, 530.

[11] 1 Sam. 15:22

[12] Larry W. Hurtado, New International Biblical Commentary, Mark (Peabody, Massachusetts; Hendrickson Publishers, 2001) 200.

[13] France, 477. One method was to judge by the severity of the penalty attached. Thus some teachers magnified the commandments about the sacrifices, other Sabbath laws, others the law and regulations about circumcision.” (Lenski, 535).

[14] Lenski, 538.

[15] Archibald Thomas Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, Volume 1 (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1930) 369.

“Teaching as Doctrines the Commandments of Men” Mark 7:1-23

Drew Boswell Ministries

“Teaching as Doctrines the Commandments of Men” Mark 7:1-23

00:00 / 00:49:10

Christ’s Power Over Every Need The Gospel of Mark Sermon Series “Five Characteristics of Religious People” Mark 2:1-3:6

Christ’s Power Over Every Need

The Gospel of Mark Sermon Series

Five Characteristics of Religious People

Mark 2:1-3:6

Introduction

Mark now moves from five stories about Jesus beginning his preaching ministry (calling disciples, astonishing teaching, casting out a demon, healing many, healing a leper) to now five more stories that deal with Jesus and how the religious leaders react to Him. So, Mark’s gospel is not chronological but put together in concepts. So, let’s define who Jesus is going to be arguing with.

Scribes – In pre-exile days of the nation of Israel, scribes were responsible for the care and storage of documents, and eventual copying of documents, including legal findings, laws, and deeds of purchase, etc. Over time they became known as “doctors of the law.” Because they were so familiar with the actual biblical documents and the commentaries of other teachers about the books of the Bible. By the time of Jesus, “The main business of the scribes was teaching and interpreting the law.”[1] They were essentially religious lawyers.

Spiritual Blindness (vv. 2:1-12)

And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. 3 And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. 4 And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. 5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— 11 “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” 12 And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

(v. 1) “it was reported that he was at home” – word gets out that Jesus was back home, so people began to flood to see and hear Him. Many gathered so that there was a great crowd, “And he was preaching the word to them.” Jesus left the previous town because (even though there were great crowds) they would not receive his preaching – but here the focus of the evening was preaching and not healing.

The men bring their paralyzed friend but can’t get through the crowd. They go up to the roof, tear away the tiles (unroof the roof) and lower the man down in front of Jesus. “when Jesus saw their faith” – the four men showed faith in Jesus’ ability to heal their friend by going to great effort to get their friend close to Jesus. They believed that Jesus had the capability to heal their friend.

The scribes are mentioned in Mark 1:21 “And they were astonished at his [Jesus’] teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.” So, word had spread of Jesus returning to Capernaum, so the scribes go and see what his teaching was like (for themselves).

Jesus is expected to heal the man, but Jesus once again focuses on teaching and preaching. He is making a point, “that all suffering is rooted in man’s separation from God. For this reason, Jesus must call attention here to man’s deepest need; otherwise the testimony of this healing would be nothing more than the story of a remarkable miracle.”[2]

(v. 7) ““Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Blasphemy is irreverent, profane, impious speech about God; and its penalty in the Old Testament was death (Lev. 24:16).

The scribes are right – Jesus was claiming to be able to forgive sin, and only God can forgive sin (Isa. 43:25); Therefore, Jesus has to be God in order to forgive sin. “Their fatal error was in not recognizing who Jesus really was – the Son of God who has the authority to forgive sons.”[3] They “were not looking with open minds and hearts at a work of amazing mercy and power. They could see nothing but a departure from their tradition.”[4]

(v. 10) “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— 11 “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” Jesus preached and taught the Word of God, Then He presented a situation where there can be no question as to His claim to be God, and then proves His claim by healing the man.

“Here appears for the first of fourteen times in Mark the term, “Son of Man.”[5] It was Jesus’s favorite way to refer to himself. It was ambiguous in that it could refer to a supernatural being; It could mean humanity or divinity. “By using the term, Jesus forced people to make up their minds as to what kind of person he was.”[6] The term “Son of Man” was also a reference to His destiny. The one who is truly human must suffer and die. But this same person is more than a man, and he must also be raised from the dead and return to glory.

(v. 12) ““We never saw anything like this!” – Here is a clear distinction between the Jewish religion and Christianity.

Earn Your Spot (vv. 2:13-17)

13 He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. 14 And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. 15 And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16 And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 17 And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

(v. 13) “as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” With the fishermen who were called to be disciples, there was a connection to John the Baptist, and a seeking for the Savior. Here, with Matthew, there seems to be no relationship other than Matthew hearing the Word preached “by the sea.” If you were religious, and were following Jesus’ ministry the absolute last person expected to be called a disciple by a teacher would be a hated tax collector. This was not acceptable conduct by a Jewish teacher.

“Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.” – the call of Christ upon your life is one of action. Matthew got up, and began walking with Jesus. A disciple of Jesus is moving – not sitting around waiting for the world to come to him; he is moving with Jesus.

The question of the scribes of the Pharisees causes us to ask the question, “How long does it take for a person to no longer be considered a “sinner?”

Jesus is being criticized for associating with undesirable people, sinners. Mark is wanting to show how Jesus’ presence in their lives changed them. He is reenforcing the idea that Jesus can forgive sin, “for there were many who followed him,” Many who? There were people who the religious scribes saw as sinners, but as they circle around Jesus, he has forgiven their sin.

Jesus’ message begins in Mark 1:15 “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” There were people who repented and believed the gospel, yet would still be called “sinners” by the scribes. Jesus is not saying remain in your sin – no He is preaching repent (turn from) of your sin.

He is not saying that robbing people, or prostituting your body, or in any way sinning is ok to continue doing – but if you desire to be forgiven of that sin, to turn from it, Jesus, as the Son of God, would forgive you – and these people were circling around Jesus. It was the scribes who continued to call them “sinners.”

This is the difference between the Jewish and Christian concept to the forgiveness of sin, “No jew would have denied that God forgave people of their sin. It was the assertion ‘that God loves and saves them as sinners without waiting for them to become righteous an deserving of salvation . . . repentance to them would have meant evidence of change and the adherence to the Law’s regulations.’”[7] Why would Jesus sit at a table and eat with people who had not shown themselves to be righteous?

(v. 17) “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” – I think this is Jesus using sarcasm. “You are righteous (in your mind), you don’t want to have anything to do sinners, I’ll focus on them, and you guys do you.”

“Jesus’ call is to salvation, and in order to share it, there must be a recognition of need. A self-righteous man is incapable of recognizing that need, but a sinner can.”[8] No Jew would deny that the Messiah would save them from sin, but they would need to assert that God loves them and saves them as sinners.

The law was given by God and for mankind (before Jesus) was to be followed. But over time, religious leaders and teachers added to the law rules that they felt would keep people breaking the law – a wall in front of the law. So, between the law and the wall was a grey area. Jesus made the religious leaders angry because He kept jumping over the wall, and running around in that grey area.

Doing Things That Don’t Make Sense (vv. 2:18-22)

18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 19 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day. 21 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. 22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.”

In the Old Testament law the only required fast is on the Day of Atonement.[9] However, over time, more and more annual feasts were added by the religious leaders, so that by the time of Jesus, truly religious and pious people were fasting twice a week.

How do the people know that John’s disciples and the Pharisees are fasting? How do they know that Jesus’ disciples are not fasting? So the people have been observing religious people, and Jesus and His disciples are claiming to be religious (teaching and preaching in synagogues and along the sea, etc.) Because that’s what religious/pious people do.

In response to the people’s question, Jesus gives a series of three illustrations (a wedding, a piece of cloth, and wineskin). Explain. Why would you fast at a feast? Why sew unshrunk cloth to a shrunk cloth? Why put new wine in an old wineskin? Jesus says, “these things don’t make sense.”

Also, in each example that Jesus gives, there is something old being connected to something new. Singles now wedded (married people can’t act single), old cloth connected to new cloth, old leather coming into contact with new wine.

There is a constant tension between the old and the new. Damage is done by trying to keep the two at the same time. Jesus’ new cannot be contained by the old traditions of the religious leaders. We must not try to limit what God is doing now, because it doesn’t fit into what we have experienced in the past. Remember these old practices are keeping people from the forgiveness of sin – they are keeping people away from God.

Tradition First, People Second (vv. 2:23-28)

23 One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. 24 And the Pharisees were saying to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” 25 And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: 26 how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?” 27 And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”

“Much more significant to Judaism than fasting was the observance of the sabbath. The sacredness of the day was traced back to God’s creative work (Gen. 2:1-3), and the charge to keep the sabbath day holy is one of the ten commandments (Ex. 20:8-11).”[10]

“The main point at issue was not the act of harvesting the heads of grain (v. 23). Such activity as Jesus and his disciples were involved in was explicitly allowed in the law: “If you enter your neighbor’s grain field, you may pick kernels with your hands, but you must not put a sickle to his standing grain” (Duet. 23:25). What the Pharisees objected to (v. 24) was doing this (regarded as reaping) on the Sabbath.”[11]

Jesus responds to their accusation by asking them a question from 1 Samuel 21:1-6, where David and the men with him were hungry and they ate consecrated bread, “twelve loaves baked of fine flour, arranged in two rows or piles on the table in the Holy Place. Fresh bread was brought into the sanctuary each Sabbath to replace the old ones that were then eaten by the priests.[12]

Jesus is not saying that the Sabbath law has not been technically broken but that such violations under certain conditions are warranted. Human need is higher than religious ritualism.

Hardness of Heart (3:1-6)

3 Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. 2 And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. 3 And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” 4 And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. 5 And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6 The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.

By the time we get to Mark’s fifth story of Jesus’ encounters with the religious leaders, we see that instead of accepting him as the Son of God, or Messiah, or Son of Man they are intentionally looking “so that they might accuse him,” and “how to destroy him.” They were there not to worship God, but to catch Jesus.

Notice that they fully believed that Jesus had the ability to heal, “And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath.” So, the issue was not could He heal, but would He heal “on the Sabbath.” Think about their reasoning; it is better for a man to suffer another 24 hours, than to be healed.

Why were they so angry with Jesus? Jesus refuses to submit to the adding on of man’s traditions. He didn’t recognize the Jewish leader’s skewed interpretation of the law (which He is the author). Even in the fact of healing proof, they held to the traditions of men.

Why is Jesus so angry with the religious leaders? Because he was “grieved at their hardness of heart.”[13] They are accusing Jesus of breaking the sabbath, while at the same time plotting to kill him. They don’t see the hypocrisy in their own hearts. It is more important for these religious leaders to hold on to an old way, even if it is keeping sinners away from God.

_________________________

[1] This consisted mainly in the transmission of traditional legal judgements, known as HALACHAH, and distinguished from HAGGADAH, or edifying religious discourse. The scribes’ real interest – and this applied especially to the Pharisaic scribes – was less in the plain meaning of the text than in the preservation of the legal system built upon it. . . . It was to their faithful transmission of the religion of Israel in the Greek and Roman periods that we owe the preservation of our OT scriptures, together with the foundations in Judaism of the Christian religion.” George Arthur Buttrick, Dictionary Editor, The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, R-Z (Nashville, Tennessee; Abingdon Press, 1962) 248.

[2] Frank E. Gaebelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 8 (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing, 1984) 632.

[3] Geabelein, 633.

[4] Buttrick, 671.

[5] James A. Brook, The New American Commentary, Volume 23, Mark (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1991) 59.

[6] Brooks, 59.

[7] Clifton Allen, The Broadman Bible Commentary, Volume 8 (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1969) 281.

[8] Geabelein, 635.

[9] Lev. 16:29, 31; 23:27-32; Num. 29:7

[10] Allen, 284.

[11] Geabelein, 637.

[12] Exod. 25:30; 35:13; 39:36; Lev. 24:5-9.

[13] “According to the passage in Romans 1:18-32, the wrath (or anger) of God followed this pattern: (1) men who knew God nevertheless did not honor him but followed their own willful thoughts: (2) this resulted in futile thinking: “their senseless minds were darkened” (v. 21); (3) God gave them up to themselves, their own choices, their own baseness; (4) they received in their own persons the due penalty for their error” (v. 27); and (5) they came finally, no matter what they may have understood earlier to be right, blindly approve of evil (v. 32). This description of the workings of God’s wrath is also a description of hardness of heart.” Allen, 287.

Generous Sermon Series “The Heart of Giving” Luke 20:45-21:4

Generous Sermon Series

“The Heart of Giving”

Luke 20:45-21:4

Introduction

In today’s passage Jesus is continuing his preaching ministry in the temple, and after a long and trying day Jesus wants his disciples to observe something. He is going to compare scribes who are looked at by society as being examples and persons to be looked up to (well-dressed, positions of power, respected when they enter into an area), against a widow (poor, low position in society, and for the most part invisible). But Jesus saw her. This is a story about being seen. Jesus is saying, “I know typically you pay attention and watch these guys, but today, I want you to see this person – watch her.”

Giving to Get Something (20:45-47)[1]

45 And in the hearing of all the people he said to his disciples, 46 “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, 47 who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”[2]

Earlier in the day while Jesus was teaching in the temple, scribes and the Saducees on separate occasions asked Him questions. In vv. 41-44 Jesus is pointing out that they do not interpret the Scriptures correctly, and here they are no responding to Scripture correctly (v. 45) tells us that once He had answered their questions, he warns the people about their pride. He makes comments about the scribes that where “in the hearing of all the people.”

Jesus is not saying all scribes are bad or wrong, but that they should “beware” of the scribes who have certain character flaws. When these flaws become too apparent, we must beware.

The scribes Jesus mentions are men who “like” . . . They coveted these marks of distinction.

1) “walk around in long robes” – this was the distinctive dress of the Jewish scholar. Ostentatious. “One could always recognize a scribe because he wore a white linen robe with a long fringe that reached to his feet.”[3] The robes also marked them as people who did not do physical labor, “his living would not be cumbered with such clothing.”[4]

These men made their living with their minds, and they wanted everyone to know it. Only those involved in physical labor when they passed didn’t have to stop what they were doing and recognize them.

2) “love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts” – People were to call them Rabbi, invite them to their social parties, giving them the place of honor at the left or right of the host. In the temple, there was a semicircular bench in front of the ark and faced the congregation. They sat with their back to the Torah.

Jesus even specifically warned about assuming the seat of honor, and how we should not do that in Luke 14:10-11 “But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

3) who devour widows’ houses – as part of their responsibility to oversee the affairs of widow’s estates, they would collect an exaggerated administrative fee.[5] As a leader there were a dozen ways they could devour a widows resources, “the widows saw themselves impoverished while their guardians grew fat.”[6]

For the most powerful to devour the most vulnerable was heinous to Jesus. They used their positions to improve their estate at the cost of those they were supposed to be helping and ministering to.

4) “for a pretense make long prayers” – When you combine excessive pride, with unrelenting greed, you cover that with as Hamlet said, “thou protest too much.” Their public prayers had to show they deserved to wear the robes, and cover the guilt of their conscience.[7]

“Such behavior represents the hypocrisy of the religious elite who were concerned only with external appearance and sought to look good in the eyes of others.”[8] James even warns those who desire to teach and lead in the church, James 3:1 “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” “Increased responsibility means increased accountability.”[9] Some people just want the position because of how other people will see them, the church must beware.

Jesus wanted the disciples to look at the giving of the scribes (even though they had power, riches, and fame), they took advantage of their position to take from (the widows) even though it was their job to help them.

Hosea 6:6 “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” This passage tells us that our hearts is more important than the rituals of worship. The scribes and the Pharisees gave to get something (prestige, power, flattery, etc.)

Giving to Honor Someone (21:1-4)

Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. 3 And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. 4 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

Where are the scribes and Pharisees, now? They have left the scene having been blasted by Jesus’ comments about them.

“Contributions for running the temple were placed in trumpet-shaped receptacles, thirteen of which were located on the court of women.” The chests had specific offerings that the contents of the chest were to go towards (doves, coins, etc.) Some were for required offerings by the worshippers, some were voluntary gifts.

“According to the Misnah, each of the chests bore inscriptions designating what the offerings were for: “New Shekel dues, old shekel dues, bird offerings, young birds for the whole offering, wood, frankincense, gold for the mercy seat, and on six of them ‘free-will offerings.’”[10]

When Mary went to the Temple after Jesus’ birth (Luke 2:22,24) this is where she would have gone to present her offering, and where she would have met Simeon.[11]

“An officer oversaw the collection and often counted what had been given. The coins the widow gave were the smallest ones made – each worth 1/100 of a denarious (about five-minutes of labor at minimum wage).”[12] The coins were called lepta, literally “peeled” or “fine.” The two lepta represented barely anything.

Bock says, “We tend to appreciate the amount of the gift, not necessarily the sacrifice that went into the giving.”[13]

How did Jesus know she was a widow? Just like the scribes wore their white robes, widows also wore distinctive mourning clothes. Hers were probably worn and tattered.

(v. 4) “For they all contributed out of their abundance” – Jesus is referencing everyone there in the temple.[14] Jesus is not saying that those who gave made a big deal of it, or that they did not give in such a way that was wrong. The contribution from abundance means that it will not be missed. Giving it to God, did not really cost them anything.[15]

But, only the widow gave in sacrificially. Luke (the author) uses a rare and archaic word for poor, “he saw a poor (penichra) widow”; it suggests one who has to labor hard with toil for a living (penurious). Luke’s word choice is telling us that this poor woman has to labor hard for whatever she has. While the scribes were devouring and taking, this woman has to labor hard.[16]

For the scribes and the rich it was their wealth that got in the way of their giving.[17] They had everything to lose, the widow had nothing to lose, so she gave it all. This is a mindset that we have to watch out for – the wealthier we become, the more likely we are to stop depending on God, and seeing our possessions as our own – everything has always and will always belong to Him, whether you have two pennies or two billion pennies.

Her loss, was used by God to bring honor to her. God does not waste our tears. In Psalm 42:7 “Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your waves have gone over me.”

The giving that Jesus praises is the one where a person gave everything they had. So, is this teaching saying that Jesus wants me to give everything to God? Yes. Our hand should be open to God. God knows we have to have a place to sleep, a way to move around in our environment, we need to eat and drink, and we need clothing. Our kids need school supplies, and medicine when they get sick.

All of this comes out of our pockets – along with our expenses is our giving to the Lord at church. We are not a compartmentalized person; we should not have closed fists with God – we are always and completely a worshipper of God (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, etc.) All of our possessions are to be used for the glory of God (the couch, our car, our home, and giving to the Lord). Our gifts, skills, talents are used throughout the entire week for the glory of God – We are a whole person.

If this widow had decided to keep her two widow’s mites – it would not have been missed. Her offering would not have changed the temple worship very much – but she would have lost her participation in the life of the temple. We are able to participate on the life of the church when we give. God doesn’t count the coins, He weighs the heart. Just like Jesus saw the widow, God sees us, in our entirety (a loves us anyway).

Two leptas was the smallest amount that could be given by law.[18] God allowed this woman to have something to give, so that she could participate in the time of worship. She could not give less, and she could not give more (it was the perfect amount for her) – it was all she had. It was enough to worship, but not enough to draw any kind of attention.

She was saying to God, “I love you. Here’s my heart, my life, I trust you with it all. It’s not much, but it’s all I have.” It is also a question of security. The rich people had kept and used a vast majority of their money – their giving to God did not really cost them anything in the future. Therefore, they didn’t really need God in the future. Their security was in themselves and their riches. For the widow, her security comes from God alone.

Giving is a way that God uses to teach us about ourselves, our desires, what we are willing to live without, our hearts, our relationship to Him, how we put God’s priorities first or our own, where does our security come from?

Whereas, the poor widow gave all she had now – and had to trust the Lord for her future.[19] Marshall says, “what matters is not the amount that one gives, but the amount that one keeps for oneself.”

There are some things we can hold on to from this passage:

The condition of our heart matters to God when we give. If I have credit card debt, the credit card doesn’t care about the condition of my heart, I need to pay my bill. That’s all they care about, give them the money owed. This is not true with God; He cares about the motive and the condition of our relationship with Him as we are giving.

The giving that pleases God will cost you something. We must give in such a way that we go without something we would like to hang on to. 2 Samuel 24:24 “But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing.”

God is the one who grows His church – He takes what we give Him and He can do great things with tiny offerings given with the right heart. Hughes says, “If there is love in the sacrifice on the part of the giver, there will be spiritual power in the gift.”[20]

Once Jesus left the temple that day, he would never return. At this point He is destined toward the cross and crucifixion for the salvation of mankind. In that ultimate offering, He held nothing back. He gave it all.

________________________

[1] Mark 12:37ff.

[2] “Matthew 23:1-39 has a very full and rich description of this last phase of the debate in the temple where Jesus drew a full-length portrait of the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and scribes in their presence. It was the last solemn climax to this last public appearance of Christ in the temple when Jesus poured out the vials of his indignation as he had done before (Matt. 6:12; Luke 11:12; 15-18).” A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, Volume 2 (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Publishing, 1930) 255.

[3] R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word, Luke (Wheaton, Illinois; Crossway, 2015) 715.

[4] Leon Morris, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, Luke (Grand Rapids, Michigan; W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1990) 321.

[5] George Arthur Buttrick, General Editor, The Interpreter’s Bible, Volume 8 (Nashville, Tennessee; Abingdon Press, 1952) 359.

[6] W. N. Clarke, Commentary on the Gospel of Mark (Valley Forge, Pennsylvania; Judson Press, 1881) 298.

[7] See also, Jeremias, Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus.

[8] David Dockery, General Editor, The New American Commentary, Volume 24 (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1992) 508.

[9] Hughes, 720.

[10] Hughes, 724.

[11] Alfred Edersheim, The Temple Its Ministry and Services (Peaboy, Massachusetts; Hendrickson Publishing, 2002) 25.

[12] Darrel L. Bock, The NIV Application Commentary, Luke (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing House, 1996) 526.

[13] Bock, 527.

[14] Robertson, 256. Constative second aorist active indicative, “covering the whole crowd, except for the widow.”

[15] Buttrick, 359.

[16] Ibid.

[17] E. J. Tinsley, The Cambridge Bible Commentary, The Gospel According to Luke (New York New York; Cambridge Press, 1965) 182.

[18] Herschel H. Hobbs, An Exposition of the Gospel of Luke (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Baker Book House, 1972) 290. “Schottgen on Mark 12:42, cites a Rabbinic rule that a single mite should not be given to the eleemosynart chest, from which he infers that the widow’s gift was the very smallest that was allowed.” (Clarke, 299).

[19] Clifton Allen, The Broadman Bible Commentary, Volume 9 (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Publishing, 1970) 158.

[20] Hughes, 727.

Generous Sermon Series

“The Heart of Giving”

Luke 20:45-21:4

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