www.biblestudiesonline.org.uk
The Gospel of Mark Chapter 12:1-17 The Resurrection 18 - 27. 12.18. Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection) also came to him and asked him, The Pharisees and the Herodians had sought to trap Jesus and failed now it was the turn of the Sadducees. These were a religious party who denied that the Israelites received the spoken law given by God to Moses and maintained that the written law only was legal and to be kept. Secondly they denied man's resurrection after death. Also that there are no angels or spirits and no future punishment and rewards (Acts 23: 8). 12.19. "Teacher, Moses wrote for us: 'If a man's brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, that man must marry the widow and father children for his brother.' They came to Jesus not with an inquiring mind but to mock. In order to do this they use the written law of Moses. 12:20 There were seven brothers. The first one married, and when he died he had no children. They state a ridiculous hypothetical situation, a made up story to suit their own purposes. 12:21 - 23. The second married her and died without any children, and likewise the third. None of the seven had children. Finally, the woman died too. In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For all seven had married her." They pretended to want to know whose wife this woman would be after the resurrection if in fulfilling of the law of Moses she had married seven brothers (Deut. 25: 5 - 6). 12.24. Jesus said to them, "Aren't you deceived for this reason, because you don't know the scriptures or the power of God? His answer to these so called experts in the law was that they had no understanding of the word of God (1 Tim. 1: 7) and were ignorant of His power.
12.25. For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. In the resurrection the body will be a different body. It will be heavenly, incorruptible, immortal (1 Cor. 15: 42 -44, 49) and like unto the Lord Jesus Christ's body (Phil. 3:21). There will be no male or female in heaven so there will be no marriage. These Sadducees did not know the power of God in being able to raise up and change the body in the resurrection (1 Cor. 6: 14). 12.26- 27. Now as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God said to him, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?' He is not the God of the dead but of the living. You are badly mistaken!" He then points out to them their lack of understanding of the scriptures by referring to Exodus 3: 6 where God spoke to Moses declaring Himself as the, “I am” not the "I was," God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who had already been dead for some time before Moses. So God Himself declares that He is not the God of the dead but of the living!
The Greatest Commandment 28 - 34. 12.28. Now one of the experts in the law came and heard them debating. When he saw that Jesus answered them well, he asked him, "Which commandment is the most important of all?" The scribes were not a separate religious or political party but were the interpreters of law they were the equivalent to lawyers. This particular one who now comes to Jesus does not do so in order to catch Him out with a trick question. He had heard how Jesus had handled His opponents and was impressed by the professional way that He had answered them. In asking which is the greatest commandment he was endeavoring to discover how much Jesus upheld the true religion. 12.29 - 30. Jesus answered, "The most important is: 'Listen, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” The Lord quotes in answer to him from Deuteronomy 6: 4 - 5 that God is one God although we know that He is three persons in One, the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. There is no other God besides Him and He is to be loved with the whole heart. The heart is the seat of the affection, that are our emotions and feelings. The whole soul - that is with our very life. The whole mind - that is with your understanding. With all your strength - that is with all your physical abilities. While this is the first and greatest command the Lord carries on to the second. 12.31. The second is: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." If we fulfil the first command the second one to love our neighbours as ourselves must follow (Lev. 19: 18). We cannot say we love God and have hate in our hearts for anyone (1 John 4:20). Although these were two separate commands Jesus unites them together as one for He says ’"there is none other “commandment” greater than these".
12.32. 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. The scribe is overwhelmed with the answer he has received from the Lord and expresses his admiration for Him. 12.33. And to love him with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your strength and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." He repeats what Jesus has already said but adds that to keep these commands are far greater and more acceptable to God than all the offerings and sacrifices that have ever been made (1 Sam. 15: 22). 12.34. When Jesus saw that he had answered thoughtfully, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." Then no one dared any longer to question him. When Jesus saw that the man answered carefully and sensibly He told him that He was near to the Kingdom of God. We do not know whether he ever did accept Jesus as his Saviour but many of the scribes did. This is the final encounter that Jesus had with His opponents for they did not dare to ask Him anything again.
He is Lord 35 - 37. 12.35. While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he said, "How is it that the experts in the law say that the Christ is David's son? Jesus now asks a question of them concerning the teaching of the scribes who said that Christ was the son of David. 12:36 David himself, by the Holy Spirit, said, “The Lord said to my lord, "Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet." How can this be when David himself inspired by the Holy Spirit declared that the LORD, capital letters so that is Jehovah, the I am, said to his Lord (David's Lord), that is the Christ, Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool under you (Ps.110:1). 12:37. If David himself calls him 'Lord,' how can he be his son?" And the large crowd was listening to him with delight. If David calls Him Lord how can the Christ be his son? Notice that this discourse ended with a question that was left unanswered by the people. There was no need for an answer the questioned said it all!
An outward show of Godliness 38 - 40. In these verses Jesus gives a warning against those who make a big show of being godly but in fact are no more than impostors (2 Tim. 3: 5). Such were the scribes they loved to dress up in there flowing robes as a mark of their office and standing in life. To get greetings in the public places sit in
the front seats in the synagogue and to sit in the places of honour at feasts. They sought after and reveled in earthly honour. 12.40 They devour widows' property, and as a show make long prayers. These men will receive a more severe punishment." For all their show they were unscrupulous and had no moral principles in their dealings with other people. They robbed the widows of their homes and to cover it up they said long prayers. Because of this they will receive the heavier sentence of condemnation.
Giving All 41 - 44. It was not by chance that this incident of the widow casting in her mites followed the Lord saying how the scribes treated widows. He might have been already sat near the place where the offerings were cast in when He gave the warning about the scribes. 12.41 Then he sat down opposite the offering box, and watched the crowd putting coins into it. Many rich people were throwing in large amounts. He noticed how the rich gave out of their wealth; they could afford to give. 12.42 - 43. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, worth less than a penny. He called his disciples and said to them, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the offering box than all the others.” He took more notice of this poor widow woman who came and gave such a small insignificant amount and yet she gave out of her poverty not just a tenth or a portion but all that she had, not counting the cost. There is nothing that we do or give for the Lord that He does not see and note no matter how small it may be. 12.44. For they all gave out of their wealth. But she, out of her poverty, put in what she had to live on, everything she had." While the rich gave from their abundance and would not feel any loss at the amount they had given she gave from her heart and it was a real sacrifice for her to do so. It is not the amount that matters to God but the willingness and the act of faith in all our giving to Him and trusting that He will supply all our needs in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4: 19). For God so loved us that He gave His Son - what ought we to give? © Derek Williams 2013 Bible Studies Online UK www.biblestudiesonline.org.uk You may copy, print or distribute our studies freely in any form, just so long as you make no charges. Sign up today for our FREE monthly Bible study magazine “Living Word” Scriptures taken from the NET Bible www.bible.org