Reflections for Mark 12:38-37

The question tossed back to the Pharisees is a question that should be tossed to every person who claims to be a disciple or followers of Jesus Christ. This question is, “who is Jesus, and why do you follow Him?” There are so many Christians who really cannot answer that question beyond, “He is the Messiah,” or “He died for my sins.” So many Christians today cannot give an answer to who Jesus is a question beyond the basic statement of “he is the savior.” What does it mean that Jesus is the savior of the world? How does Jesus save the world from its sins? This was a fundamental question that I asked. How can a man who died 2000 years ago on a cross-save me from my sins? I never received an adequate answer from church folks. The answer to this question, for me, has evolved over the years as I studied the Scriptures and traditions of the church. Perhaps a decline in church relevance in our society today revolves around how many people sitting in the pews on Sunday cannot answer the basic question about Jesus. If they could answer the question, then their behaviors and attitudes would certainly reflect it.

Thoughts for Mark 12:28-37

A Hebraic view of this passage can be understood when a correct interpretation of Psalm 110:1 is done. The words “The LORD said to my Lord,” is a phrase that is misunderstood today. The Targums on the Psalms clean up the verse by offering the verse with the rabbinic understanding of it. Since the Targums were written only slightly prior to Yeshua’s life, we can use them as a resource. Yeshua would have read the Targums and knew of the correct usage of Psalm 110. Psalm 110:1 tells us that King David, the Lord (a title for the King), was told by Yahweh, the LORD, that he needed to wait to assume the throne of Israel. The LORD needed to deal with King Saul before the change could take place. So, David waited. How long did King David have to wait? Psalm 110 does not tell us. However, the Scripture does tell us that David did indeed wait until the LORD removed King Saul from power. Then King David could assume the throne with the full power of the LORD behind him. In the same way, Yeshua is telling us that it is the LORD who will inform us about His Son, the Messiah. When a person’s heart is prepared for the truth, the LORD sends the truth.

Reflections on Mark 12:18-27

The narrative could be used to show an underlining statement that not all the Torah Laws have to be followed. The question is, does following the Torah Law lead to a time in Heaven? The answer from this encounter is, “no, it does not have any effect.” If marriage is viewed as a metaphor representing the Torah law, then Yeshua said that not following a Torah law does not affect the entry into the Kingdom of Heaven. That is what the Gentiles wanted and needed to hear as they began to accept Yeshua instead of Mithras as their God. Therefore, the Pauline churches could toss the kosher laws out and not have to worry about them. The Church has disposed of many of the Torah laws over the years. In the day of accepting sexual attitudes by society, which could be considered antibiblical, whether one has to follow the Torah laws is the real question. A church denomination that says that homosexuality is against the Bible cannot say that kosher laws can be ignored (one of many examples that the Church determined a believer does not have to follow). Using the Church’s examples from its past, homosexuality should not be dividing the Church. It should not matter what a person’s sexual orientation is. Marriage has no meaning in Heaven.

Thoughts on Mark 12:18-27

The situation that the Sadducees brought to Yeshua would probably have never happened. Indeed, in Yeshua’s day, this problem would not have occurred. The need to have children for land was long gone. The encounter could have been as simple as the Sadducees wanting to know if Yeshua thought like them. After all, Yeshua broke many traditions and rituals that the Pharisees had established. The Sadducees could have been doing a final check on Yeshua. The Sadducees also liked the traditional ways under the Roman government. They were prospering, and life was good for them. They did not want some rouge teaching changing the way the Romans interacted with them

Reflections on Mark 12:12-17

Some things belong to the Emperor, and some to God is a misnomer. Everything belongs to God. So, the Emperor did not understand that fact. Psalm 24 reminds us that the Earth was created by God and belongs to God. We are simply stewards of the planet and its resources. We owe everything to God. While on Earth, we must show allegiance to the human powers, but our ultimate and deeper allegiance is to God. It sometimes may be confusing throughout our lives as to which allegiance to follow. A way to determine this is to ask, does your allegiance follow the Laws of God. An overused example is kids’ sports on Sunday morning. When a parent decides that Sunday sports is more important than worshiping God, they send a signal to their children and God that their allegiance is to earthly manners first. Each of us must make the decision as to where our loyalties are. Which side of the coin are you on? God’s side or an earthly side.

Reflections on Mark 12:1-11

This parable has always been viewed by Christians as the rejection of Jesus as the Messiah and the beginning of the end for Jesus. Modern Christians should be sensitive to this interpretation because it has sparked centuries of anti-Semitism. Even today, anti-Semitism exists, with many Christians being taught that the Jews of Jesus’ day wanted Him dead. How can the followers of the Messiah of Peace use His words to condemn another ethnic group to death? Anti-Semitism exists in today’s churches. Even Jews who have come to know and follow the Lord Jesus Christ find anti-Semitism in the church. The church should rejoice when a Hebrew comes to know the true Messiah. In fact, that rejoicing should be for anyone.

Thoughts on Mark 12:1-11

Yeshua came to tell the people of Judah and the Galilee that they needed to follow the calling to repentance that the prophets of old and the prophets of then brought. The prophet of then was John the Baptist and his contemporaries. What happened to each of these previous prophets? The prophets of old were killed when they brought their message from the LORD. John the Baptist was killed when he told Herod Antipas that he stole his brother’s wife against the LORD’s Laws. Kings and rulers did not like prophets telling them when they sinned. The typical response was to kill them. So, Yeshua was not killed by the Jews. Instead, He was killed by the ruling class, who did not like the message that He brought. Even the Son of God was not going to be listened to. Today we have rabbis, ministers, and priests who interpret the Bible. People attend worship settings and hear the Word of the LORD, listen to the interpretation offered, and then leave the worship time and either forget what they heard or say to themselves, “he/she does not know what they are talking about.” People go to the medical doctor or lawyer and follow them implicitly. Then why do they not listen to their spiritual leaders? It is true that before following a spiritual leader, the education level and knowledge of the spiritual leader need to be verified. Once this is done, then one should have confidence in the leader the LORD has sent.