[:en]SCRIPTURE: MARK 12
Bible Verses:
“The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;
the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes?” (Mark 12:10-11)
“Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” (Mark 12:17)
“When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.” (Mark 12:25)
““The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29-31)
“As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.” (Mark 12:38-40)
“ Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” (Mark 12:43-44)
THE PARABLE OF THE TENANTS (vs. 1-12)
A landowner had a vineyard which he rented to some farmers and went away on a journey. At harvest time, he sent servants to tenants to collect some fruits. But they maltreated them, sent them away and killed them. So the landowner sent his son thinking that they would respect him. But when the son arrived, the tenants said to one another. “Let us kill the heir so that we can get the inheritance” (v.7). So, they killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. When the owner of the vineyard knew, he came and killed the tenants and gave the vineyard to others.
This parable identified the nation of Israel and the tenants are the leaders of the nation. Jesus quoted Psalm 118:22-23 by applying himself the image of the cornerstone. He was affirming that he is the Messiah. This was blasphemous to the religious leaders so that they were looking a way to arrest him.
PAYING TAXES TO CAESAR (vs. 13-17)
The Pharisees opposed Rome while the Herodias cooperated with Rome. But they came together to deal with their common enemy, Jesus Christ. They wanted to trap Jesus with a question that has political and religious implication. They asked Jesus: “Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we? (vs. 14-15). This question is quite controversial because the orthodox Jews despised having to acknowledge Roman power over the nation. If he approved paying taxes to Rome, he would be in trouble with His own people. But if he opposed the paying of taxes, he would be in trouble with Rome. Knowing their hypocrisy, Jesus told them to bring a denarius and asked them: “Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?” (v. 16) They replied “Caesars” (v. 17). So Jesus said to them: Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s” (v. 17).
MARRIAGE AT THE RESURRECTION (vs. 18-27)
The Sadducees did not believe in resurrection. So they asked Jesus concerning Moses law. They said: There are 7 brothers. The first brother dies and leaves a wife but no children. The second brother married the widow leaving no children. This continued until the last. So, at resurrection, whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her? (vs. 19-23) Jesus answered: “When the dead rise, they will neither marry or be given in marriage. They will be like angels in heaven” (v. 25)
THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT (vs. 28-34)
The greatest commandment is this: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself”.
WHOSE SON IS THE CHRIST? (vs. 35-40)
Jesus explained how David’s Lord could also be David’s son. The answer is dtha David’s Lord had became man. In other words, when Jesus was born as a man, he was David’s son. But since Jesus was God from the beginning, he was David’s Lord.
THE WIDOW’S OFFERING (vs. 41-44)
When offerings were made, many rich people put in large amount but a poor widow put in two very small copper coins worth only a fraction of a penny. Jesus called his disciples and said: “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth, but she out of her poverty, put in everything all she had to live on” (vs. 43-44)
LESSONS:
- During the Old Testament time, there were regulations about harvesting. An owner had to receive a certain amount of “token payment” in order to maintain his rights over the land. By refusing to pay him, the tenants stripped away his right to the land. If the heir died, the land would then fall to the residents. It was a selfish scheme to claim the possession. Because of selfishness and greed, the tenants commit murders. But at the end, they were also being killed. The parable of the vineyard teaches us the lesson of selfishness.
- The coin had Caesar’s portrait and inscription in it so taxes must be paid to the government. God created us in His own image, so we must pay back to God the things that belongs to God. As good Christian citizens, we are obligated to pay taxes to human government and to give tithes to God.
- After resurrection, God’s children shall be like Christ. We shall be like angels for we will not marry or have families. It will be a new kind of life in heaven.
- The greatest commandment is a summary of the Ten commandments. The first four commandments pertain our relationship with the Lord while the last six commandments pertain to our relationship with our fellowmen.
- We should believe in the deity of Christ. He is both God and man. He is the son of God the Father and is also the Son of Man born of virgin Mary.
- What God values most in our offering is not how much we give from our wealth but how much we give out of our poverty. The Lord knows how we give and examines the motives of our heart. He measures the proportion of what we give, not the portion.
[:]