Beware of Be Like - Mark 12:38-44 - December 13, 2020

These are the Sermon Notes for December 13, 2020. We are meeting at the church with limited seating and specific procedures and protocols that need to be followed. Read our Covid-19 plan here. You can still watch our livestream service every Sunday at 9:37 am on our facebook page or watch the livestream recordings any time.

 Mark 12:38-44 Beware or Be Like

Good morning and welcome!

We are continuing our study in the Gospel of Mark this morning with chapter 12, verses 38-44, page 849 in the pew Bibles. Our text for this morning is the conclusion of chapter 12 and also the conclusion of Jesus’ public ministry in the Temple.

It’s no mystery, I think, why Jesus concludes His time in the Temple, in the center of all things religious, in the Jewish national center of worship, with these statements regarding what true devotion to God looks like. It’s also no coincidence, in my opinion, that we are dealing with this idea when the attention of our culture right now is on the manger and the marketplace, focused on the Savior and on Santa.

Well, let’s look at our text and we’ll dive in.

38 And in his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces 39 and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, 40 who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.” 

41 And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. 43 And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. 44 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

Let’s pray.

So here we have two apparent points made by Jesus to His disciples and the crowd gathered with them which are actually only one point, as every good sermon is…

First, Jesus starts with the Scribes. Beware of the Scribes. Now, He’s not warning His followers to keep a nightlight on when they go to bed because the scribes are going to come out from under the bed and get them while they’re sleeping. He’s warning His followers not to emulate their behavior.

And what characterized their behavior? Pride, greed, and hypocrisy.

The Scribes liked to walk around in long robes, regal robes, with long fringes, dressing in such a way as brought attention to them as important people, as religious leaders. They took the instruction of Deuteronomy 6:8 to put reminders of God’s commandments on their hands and as frontlets for their eyes to a whole new level. 

In Matthew’s account of this teaching in Matthew 23, he quotes Jesus as saying, “They like to make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long.”

A phylactery was a strap wrapped around the left arm and another around the head as reminders of the words of Deuteronomy 6. 

These were all outward adornments to make sure that people recognized them as important. Frank Zappa called it, “religimous costumery.” It was all a function of pride.

They dressed to look important, they loved the greetings of honor and distinction that they received around town, “oh, yes, hello rabbi, greetings teacher, and so on.” 

John Calvin wrote, “The Scribes carried about with them the commandments of God more magnificently inscribed on their garments; and in this boasting there was displayed an offensive ambition.”

They always sat in the seats of honor at feasts and in the synagogue. Not like in church now where it seems the best seats are way in the back. They wanted to sit up front, they deserved to be at the head table because of their elevated status and honor. In the synagogue they would sit up front on the other side of the chest that held the Torah scrolls so that they were looking back at the congregation and everybody could see them and recognize their elevated-ness.

Not that any of you would, but if you’ve ever wondered why we don’t use these little deacon’s benches and put them up on the platform for me and the elders to sit on during the service. It’s not just because there isn’t any room up there, it’s because of this passage!

Beware of the Scribes, don’t be like them, because their lives are marked by pride. 

Not only pride, but also greed.

Verse 40 says, “they devour widows’ houses…” Now this isn’t describing Cookie Monster in a gingerbread house village. These supposed religious leaders, men of influence, would use that influence to swindle poor widows in the name of devotion to God.

They exploited the generosity of those with limited means to feather their own nests.

The Scribes received no salary for being scribes, they had to have a trade to provide for their needs. Many of them applied the trade of swindling the vulnerable out of their own living and property convincing them that they were serving God by serving them.

Pride, greed, and hypocrisy were the marks of the Scribes. Verse 40 concludes with, “…and for a pretense make long prayers.”

It’s been said that the veil of hypocrisy is a transparent covering. The prayers of these hypocrites was nothing more than a religious show to entertain and impress the people. They chose to exalt themselves among men rather than enjoy the approval of God.

Do you think the Scribes were the first to display this attitude and behavior? They weren’t, Satan was.

Satan sought to exalt himself only to be brought low, to be cast out of heaven, and condemned. 

This is the exact opposite of what Jesus did. He was exalted but humbled Himself, took on the form of a servant, a human, and became obedient to death, even death on a cross, for us.

Beware the Scribes, don’t be deceived by them, don’t imitate their conduct. Just as they were not the first to act in this way they are certainly not the last. This is the carrot that dangles in front of every teacher, every pastor, every leader. But like a worm on a hook, it’s a trap that has captured and destroyed the lives of so many that may have started out sincere but the allure of the bright lights and all the attention deceived them and they chose lives of pride, greed, and hypocrisy all in the name of the church.

Mark presents the other side of the coin, no pun intended, in verses 41-44.

41 And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny.

This area where Jesus sat down for some people watching, like you used to do at the mall, was in the area in the Temple called the “Court of Women” where the treasury was. 

The offering box mentioned here was actually twelve different boxes where people could make free will offerings. What was unique about these boxes was, instead of slot to stuff your checks or dollar bills in the top of the box, there was a big metal trumpet shaped thing. 

Also remember that the current currency was not paper nor PayPal, it was coins. So when you put your coins into the trumpet, or maybe more accurately, funnel, it made noise. And if you wanted, you could make quite a bit of noise depending on the size of your offering.

Now Jesus observed many people putting their offerings in the offering box, and you’ll notice, I hope, that He doesn’t condemn them for being rich, He doesn’t condemn them for the size of their offerings either.

Instead, Jesus chose to showcase the opposite attitude and behavior of the Scribes in the poor widow.

The poor widow put in two small copper coins, called leptas that equaled 1/64 of a denarius which was about a day’s wage for a laborer.

43 And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. 44 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

Instead of the pride, greed, and hypocrisy of the Scribes, this poor widow displayed humility, sincerity, and service.

It was not the amount that got Jesus’ attention, it was the intent.

This is best illustrated by Alistair Begg’s fable of the chicken and the pig.

A chicken and a pig decide to go into business together. The pig asks the chicken, “What sort of business shall we go into?” The chicken replies, “The bacon and eggs business of course!” To which the pig replies, “Now wait a minute! That business only means contribution for you, but it means sacrifice for me!”

The widow’s offering was made in humility, after all, two leptas would hardly make any noise going into that trumpet. Her offering showed her sincerity, her true devotion to God because she gave all she had to live on. One of those leptas would have bought her loaf of bread but she chose to give them both, all she had to live on. 

But the poor widow’s offering was also an example of service. These offering boxes were not to collect the Temple tax that was due annually, and her two leptas wouldn’t cover that anyway. Her offering was a free will offering for the service of the Temple. 

These two small coins, all the poor widow had to live on, were given freely, an act of service, an act of worship.

“The rich gave out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” And in that way she followed the Way of Christ, the way of humility, sincerity, and service.

The Scribes, in their pride, greed, and hypocrisy, chose to exalt themselves before men, but the poor widow, in her humility, sincerity, and service enjoyed the approval of the Lord.

Let’s be more like her and so be more like Jesus the ultimate humble, sincere, servant who gave His life as a ransom for us all.

Amen.

Whose Son? - Mark 12:35-37 - December 6, 2020

These are the Sermon Notes for December 6, 2020. We are meeting at the church with limited seating and specific procedures and protocols that need to be followed. Read our Covid-19 plan here. You can still watch our livestream service every Sunday at 9:37 am on our facebook page or watch the livestream recordings any time.

 Mark 12:35-37 Whose Son?

Good morning! 

I hope you all have been enjoying the Advent devotional we have been reading together this year, The Christmas We Didn’t Expect. 

I particularly enjoyed Day two when the author reminded us that Christmas is not just a celebration of Jesus’ birthday, as if He didn’t exist before His conception, but a celebration of His incarnation, that he existed eternally before that night that the Holy Spirit visited Mary, and before that day He was born in a stable and laid in a manger.

It’s that same idea that our text is centered around this morning, and it’s no accident either.

Let’s look at Mark 12:35-37, page 849 in the pew Bibles.

You’ll remember that Jesus has been fielding questions from the Scribes and Pharisees, from the Herodians and the Sadducees, all the leading men of Israel. 

Their questions had seemed to them to be quite clever, and even unanswerable, but Jesus had stumped them all with His answers.

Now it’s Jesus’ turn to ask a question…

35 And as Jesus taught in the temple, he said, “How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? 36 David himself, in the Holy Spirit, declared, 

“ ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet.” ’ 

37 David himself calls him Lord. So how is he his son?” And the great throng heard him gladly.

Let’s pray

Last week we talked a little about the purpose of the Law, how the Jews saw the Law as rules for living, how to please God and prove you were worthy of Him, but the reality is, that the Law exists to expose sin and the need of a Savior.

Jesus, in our text here, expands on that notion even more. He shows here that the whole Old Testament points to Him and our need for Him, to His person and work. It also shows some rich theology as to who He really is and what His nature is and what the nature of the Bible is.

I’d like to look at those ideas in reverse order.

First, quickly, the nature of the Bible.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 clearly say,

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

All Scripture, the Old and the New Testaments were breathed out by God, they were inspired by God.

What does this mean? This doesn’t mean that the individual authors of the 66 books contained in the Bible were used like God’s typewriters. He didn’t just posses them and write it all out, neither did He simply dictate the words and they wrote them down like a stenographer.

God spoke through people, and as they wrote it was as if they were writing the very words of God. And it is these words that He has preserved and has been using to draw people to Himself through faith for millennia. 

Jesus recognized that the Scriptures were inspired by God when He said, 36 David himself, in the Holy Spirit, declared, “‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet.”’ 

The Scribes and the Pharisees also held that the Scriptures were inspired by God and that King David was speaking by the Holy Spirit when he wrote his psalms. What they didn’t recognize was that this particular Scripture was about Jesus.

The Scribes were looking for a human king, a mere human successor to David’s throne who brought nothing more than a human nature to a human kingdom.

Thanks be to God that this was not His design!

John Calvin wrote, “Had [Messiah] been only a man, we would have no right to glory in him, or to expect salvation from him.”

If Jesus was just a man, he would have failed as the kind of Messiah the Scribes and Pharisees were looking for, and billions of people would have fallen for the greatest hoax in the history of mankind.

But Jesus proved by His resurrection that He was not just a man but that He is God.

But he is also a man. The Scribes were right when they said that the Christ is the Son of David. The prophecies of the Old Testament told how Messiah was to be born from the house and line of David, how He was to be born in Bethlehem, the City of David, of a virgin, that His coming forth was from of old, from ancient days.

So in Jesus’ riddle, is the Christ the Son of David, is He the Son of Man?

Yes. The Scribes were half right. 

Matthew chapter one outlines Jesus’ genealogy from Abraham to David, fourteen generations, from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to Mary and Joseph and Jesus, fourteen generations.

But what about Jesus’ question, how can David call Christ, who was supposed to be his Son, his Lord?

The simple answer is that He is both. But that simple answer is not so simple, because it’s not possible.

The word translated, “Lord,” in our text actually represents three different words, two in Hebrew and one in Greek.

In Psalm 110:1, which Jesus is quoting, the first, “Lord,” as written in the Old Testament is actually typed in all capitols in the English translations of the Bible. This is the Hebrew word, “Yahweh,” which means, “I am that I am,” the closest we have to the name of God the Father. Every time you see it written this way in the Old Testament it should read, “Yaweh.”

The second, “Lord,” in Psalm 110 is the Hebrew word, “adon,” maybe you’re familiar with, “adoni.” This is not a specific name but a word meaning, one possessing absolute control – master or ruler.

In our text in mark there is a third, “Lord,” which is the Greek word, “kyrios,” that is used every time the New Testament uses the word, “Lord,” no matter who the author is talking about, it simply means, “master.”

Why is any of that important? 

It’s important because in Psalm 110, that Jesus quotes, David is not talking about himself, he is writing about the Father and the Son, calling the Son, “Lord, Master, Ruler.”

You have to understand that a father, a king, can’t be subordinate to his son. It just didn’t work that way. 

In order for Christ to be David’s Son and David’s Lord meant that He had to be more than just a natural man. 

The long and the short of it is, that, in order for David to call Him Lord, He had to be God.

JP Lange wrote, “Christ as David’s Son, and at the same time David’s Lord, could not be a man simply, though He is a real man. For David calls Him, not in a general way, his lord; but Lord, the Lord, directly and most positively.”

“David himself calls Him Lord. So how is he his Son?”

This was a real puzzle for the Scribes.

Robert Jamieson wrote, “There is but one solution to this difficulty. Messiah is at once inferior to David as his Son according to the flesh, and superior to Him as the Lord of a kingdom of which David is himself a subject, not the sovereign. The human and divine natures of Christ, and the spirituality of His kingdom – of which the highest earthly sovereigns are honored if they be counted worthy to be its subjects – furnish the only key to this puzzle.”

Jesus was asserting that He is both Son of Man AND Son of God, He is fully God and fully man, and the Church, His kingdom, is safe through the protection of a heavenly and invincible King.

And why is this important?

As Philippians 2 says,

4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

And in the words of David Mathis from Day 2 of our Advent devotional, “Christmas is far more that the celebration of a great man’s birth. God Himself, in the second Person of the Godhead, entered into our space and into our frail humanity, surrounded by our sin, to rescue us. He came. He became one of us. God sent God. The Father gave His own Son for us and for our salvation.”

Amen.

Father in heaven, may your Son assume His rightful place in our hearts this Advent. At this most material time of year in our materialistic society, your Son’s pre-existence reminds us of His preciousness over every party and present, over all the trees and trimmings. He is before, and better than, anything in this created world. Cause our hearts to swell in this season at the gift of the Person of Christ as our greatest treasure. In His precious Name we pray. Amen.

Shema Israel - Mark 12:28-34 - November 29, 2020

These are the Sermon Notes for November 29, 2020. We are meeting at the church with limited seating and specific procedures and protocols that need to be followed. Read our Covid-19 plan here. You can still watch our livestream service every Sunday at 9:37 am on our facebook page or watch the livestream recordings any time.

 Mark 12:28-34 Shema Israel

Good morning! I hope you all had a happy thanksgiving!

We are returning in our study to the Gospel of Mark with chapter 12, verses 28-34, page 848 in the pew Bibles. 

I have to admit, every time I look at the Scripture in preparation for that Sunday’s service the topic that is discussed in that section pops up on a mental scale in my mind of easy to hard for preaching. As if to say, “this topic will be easy and fun to deal with,” or, “Oh no, what am I supposed to do with this.” That’s the scale, “oh good,” to, “Oh no…”

Just so you are aware, I am wrong every time.

When I looked at this text for today I thought, this one will be fun, love God, love your neighbor, let’s talk about how we can do that! Sounds great!

The trouble with that is, that I don’t think that is the author’s original intent, that is not why this passage was included in the Gospel of Mark. 

Well let’s look at it and you’ll hopefully see what I mean.

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.” 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.

Let’s pray.

So this scene is a little different from the ones that we have examined over the last few weeks. Jesus has been questioned over and over by Jewish leaders seeking to trap Him in His talk, to try and expose fraud, or fanaticism, to try and get the people or the authorities to turn against Him. But every time, He answers in such a way that has only exposed their faithlessness and hypocrisy.

This time, however, it is a little different. This time Jesus is questioned by a man that actually seems sincere, he actually wanted to know Jesus’ opinion on which commandment was the most important.

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.”

So my first thought in approaching this account was: love God, love your neighbor. Let’s start with a more accurate definition of love than just feelings of affection, and let’s look at how we apply that with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and exercise that same love towards our fellow man.

I’m sure that would make a fine sermon.

Jesus quotes what is called “the Shema,” a Hebrew word that means, “hear,” from Deuteronomy 6:4-9:

4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

And also from Leviticus 19:18,

18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

Robert Jamieson wrote, “God will have all these qualities in their most perfect exercise. ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God,’ says the Law, ‘with all thy heart,’ or, with perfect sincerity; ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy soul,’ or, with the utmost fervor; ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy mind,’ or, in the fullest exercise of an enlightened reason; and ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy strength,’ or, with the whole energy of our being!”

And John Calvin wrote,  “And although we ought to love God far more than men, yet most properly does God, instead of worship or honor, require love from us, because in this way he declares that no other worship is pleasing to Him than what is voluntary; for no man will actually obey God but he who loves Him. But as the wicked and sinful inclinations of the flesh draw us aside from what is right, Moses shows that our life will not be regulated aright till the love of God fill all our senses. Let us therefore learn, that the commencement of godliness is the love of God, because God disdains the forced services of men, and chooses to be worshipped freely and willingly; and let us also learn, that under the love of God is included the reverence due to him.” 

A fine sermon indeed!

But if that was Jesus intention, then the second half our text makes no sense.

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.” 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.

You are not far from the kingdom of God.

Do you know where, “not far from the kingdom of God” is? It’s outside the kingdom of God. 

Was Jesus right? Is loving the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, the most important commandment, and the second like it, to love you neighbor as you love yourself? Yes, of course.

What does this commandment have in common with all the other commandments?

They are a summary of the two tables of the Law, they summarize the Ten Commandments.

You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make an idol to bow down to. You shall not take the Name of the Lord in vain. You shall keep the Sabbath holy.

All of these are summarized by Jesus’ statement from Deuteronomy, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.”

Honor your father and mother. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not lie. You shall not covet.

All of these are summarized by Jesus statement from Leviticus, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

The Jews saw the Ten Commandments as instructive, as rules for living. They had 613 rules for living in the Old Testament, 365 prohibitions, and 248 commandments. They saw the way to honor God was to follow the rules. 

That is what religion is all about, following the rules to show God how much you love Him and are worthy of His love.

The Jews were hardly the last to think this way. This has been the way of the church as well. Following the rules to show God how much we love Him and that we are worthy of His love.

Is that the purpose of the Law? Is that the purpose of the greatest commandment? To show us how we should live?

No.

Alistair Begg said, “Unless our religion shows us our need of God, our religion will actually keep us from God.”

This Scribe agreed with Jesus’ words, he agreed with God’s desire for obedience rather than sacrifice but yet, Jesus said He was not far but not in the kingdom of God.

He was near but not in because he didn’t see that obeying this great commandment was impossible. Can we truly love God with all, all, all, all? All our thoughts, and feelings, and desires, and purposes, and actions?

No.

This commandment does what all the others do: it reveals our sinfulness and our need of a Savior. It reveals that we have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

This sincere, religious, well meaning Scribe was near the kingdom but not in the kingdom because he didn’t recognize his need for God’s grace, he didn’t hear Jesus’ words from all the way back in chapter 1, “The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

Repent, turn away from your own efforts to show God that you love Him and are worthy of His love, turn away from your own self-righteousness, or even your selfish indifference towards God.

Believe in the gospel. 

The Good News, that though God commands you to love Him with your whole heart, soul, mind, and strength, you can’t, and you don’t, no matter how hard you try, that though God commands you to love your neighbor as yourself, you can’t, and you don’t, know matter how hard you try. 

Believe the Good News that God sent His only Son, who loves God perfectly, who loves His neighbor perfectly, to take the penalty for our failure, for our sin and sinfulness, upon Himself on the cross. 

He willingly shed His blood so that we, through faith in Him, would be forgiven, would be adopted by Father God, and would be welcomed into His eternal kingdom as His children.

So ask yourself, are you like the Scribe, near the kingdom of God, but dependent on your own efforts and understanding to get you in?

Or are you in the kingdom of God, adopted as a child of God by trusting in His grace through faith in Jesus Christ?

It’s not too late!

We can love because he loved us first!

Let’s pray.