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    Mark 12:28-44
    ​Lessons 90

    Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

    In this lesson: 
      
    Trick questions and the poor widow.
     
    This is Jesus' last visit to the Temple. ​
    Study Tip:
     
    Click on the links to the Old Testament.

    The Gospel According to St. Mark

    The King James Bible    ​

    Mark 12:28-44
    The greatest commandment
    ​
    28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?

    29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:

    30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

    31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

    32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:

    33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

    34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far fro     m the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.

    35 And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the son of David?

    36 For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool.

    37 David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly.

    38 And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces,

    39 And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts:

    40 Which devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation.

    41 And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.

    42 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.

    43 And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:

    44 For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.
    ​Margin notes: 
     
    "Heard them reasoning together." (12:28) - "Heard them arguing together."
     
    "He had answered them well." (12:28) - The scribe thought Jesus had answered the Sadducee's questions posed in Mark 12:13-27 (reading 89) well.  
     
    "Which is the first commandment of all?" (12:28) - The Pharisees had drawn up a list of 613 commandments and constantly debated amongst themselves which one was the most important.
     
    "Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord....." (12:29-30) - Jesus is quoting Deuteronomy 6:4-5.
     
    "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (12:31) - Jesus is quoting Leviticus 19:18.  But who is our neighbor?  See Luke 10:29-37.
     
    "There is one God; and there is none other but he." (12:32) - The scribe is paraphrasing Deuteronomy 4:35. 
     
    "To love him with all the heart....is more than all whole burnt offerings." (12:33) - The scribe learned this from 1 Samuel 15:22 and Hosea 6:6.
     
    "He answered discreetly." (12:34) - "He answered wisely."   
     
    "No man after that durst ask him any question." (12:34) -"No one after that dared ask Jesus any questions."  They gave up trying to catch Jesus in their verbal traps.
     
    "How say the scribes that Christ is the son of David?" (12:35) - "Why do the scribes say that the Messiah will be a descendant of David?"
     
    "Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool." (12:36) - Jesus is paraphrasing Psalm 110:1. 
     
    "David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son?" (12:37) - "David himself called Him Lord, so how can Jesus be his son?"  Jesus is a descendant of King David (Romans 1:3; Revelation 22:16).  So why would David call Him "Lord?"  Because David recognized Him as more than a mere descendant.  Centuries before Jesus was born, David knew that He was the Son of God.
     
    "Love salutations." (12:38) - "Love being greeted."   
     
    "The chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts." (12:39) - "The best seats in the synagogues, and a place of honor at (religious) feasts."  See also Matthew 23:6-7 and Luke 11:43.

    "Devour widows' houses." (12:40) - Scribes were not paid for teaching, so they worked regular jobs or depended on gifts to support themselves.  Greedy scribes often preyed on wealthy widows to support their religious work.
     
    "Jesus sat over against the treasury." (12:41) - "Jesus sat opposite the treasury."  The treasury refers to the thirteen donation boxes located in the Temple.
     
    "Two mites." (12:42) - Made of copper, mites were the smallest denomination coin used in Palestine.
     
    "All her living." (12:44) - "All she had to live on."

    ​         For Matthew's account of the scribe's question, see     Matthew 22:34-40 (lesson 45). 
    New Living Translation
    Mark 12:28-44
    The Most Important Commandment
     
    28 One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the debate. He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"
     
    29 Jesus replied, "The most important commandment is this: 'Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord.

    30 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.'

    31 The second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these."
     
    32 The teacher of religious law replied, "Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth by saying that there is only one God and no other.

    33 And I know it is important to love him with all my heart and all my understanding and all my strength, and to love my neighbor as myself. This is more important than to offer all of the burnt offerings and sacrifices required in the law."
     
    34 Realizing how much the man understood, Jesus said to him, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God." And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions.
     
    Whose Son Is the Messiah?
     
    35 Later, as Jesus was teaching the people in the Temple, he asked, "Why do the teachers of religious law claim that the Messiah is the son of David?

    36 For David himself, speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, said,
     
      'The Lord said to my Lord,
       Sit in the place of honor at my right hand
          until I humble your enemies beneath your feet.'
     
    37 Since David himself called the Messiah 'my Lord,' how can the Messiah be his son?" The large crowd listened to him with great delight.
     
    38 Jesus also taught: "Beware of these teachers of religious law! For they like to parade around in flowing robes and receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces.

    39 And how they love the seats of honor in the synagogues and the head table at banquets.

    40 Yet they shamelessly cheat widows out of their property and then pretend to be pious by making long prayers in public. Because of this, they will be more severely punished."
     
    The Widow's Offering
     
    41 Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts.

    42 Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins.
     
    43 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions.

    ​44 For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on."

    ​This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible.  However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."
    Today's question:
     
    1.     Why beware of scribes in "long clothing"? (12:38-39)



    ​

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    Answer: (Do you agree?)
     
    1. Jesus' words were aimed at the Pharisees and scribes who tried to make false spiritual impressions.  They liked to wear long formal robes and to be recognized and warmly greeted when out in public.  True believers don't pray or read the Bible in public just to be noticed and admired.  A Christian's actions should be consistent with their beliefs even when no one is watching.  Jesus deliberately leveled this condemnation against the Pharisees and scribes while they were in earshot.  No wonder they plotted against Him.




    Good advice to the scribe:
     
    Believers must strive to obey the Lord if they "love God" (Deuteronomy 6:5; 10:12; 30:6; Joshua 22:5) and "love thy neighbor" (Luke 10:27).  The scribe in this passage knew the importance of loving God and others, all he needed to do next was accept Christ as his Messiah (12:28-34).
    Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress Books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; "The Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies"; "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible".  All were critical in putting these lessons together.
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