Mark 12:39   Of course, these men would have veiled their desire for the grandiose. Jesus and his disciples held their last supper in an upper room. But Jesus here has ‘the best seats’ in mind. The scribes wanted to always be seen and applauded. Heavenly Father, you have taught us that humility and service are…

Mark 12:38   I have often thought that this is one of the most interesting ways to word something in all of the Bible. His doctrine, embodies all that Christianity really is. Jesus’s doctrine was not inconsistent with the Old Testament, but it was not with the Jewish leaders were teaching. Indeed, sadly enough, it is…

Mark 12:37   I have found that interrogatives in the Greek are somewhat difficult to translate. We generally would not ask ‘whence’ in connection with a question of this nature. Even in older English the ‘whence’ cannot convey all that seems to be meant here. What Jesus is asking is how it is possible for the…

Mark 12:36   Jesus here points out the distinction between God the Father and God the Son. He is highlighting how David referred to the second person of the Trinity. He did not call him son, but Lord. Jesus was not trying to deny the fact of his Davidic lineage. He was instead helping his hearers…

Mark 12:35   It seems it was more rare to find Jesus asking a question without being asked something first. But, when he did, the questions always baffled the experts of the law. In this case, he is trying to get them to think about their claims. He gives them a difficult question that drives them…

Mark 12:34  This scribe did not attempt to hide his answer, that is not the meaning of the word ‘discreet’. It means that this man was very careful and thoughtful about his answer. Yes, he reiterated what Jesus had said, but he put it in his own words. Thus, he applied himself and actually put…

Mark 12:33 The key here is that this man realized the truth that to obey is better than sacrifice. He saw that the spirit of the law was found in these two primary commands. He realized that all of the rest was just the system connected with these two vital truths.  In our day we…

Mark 12:32 The scribe was a wise man and didn’t try to argue against the truth. God alone is to be worshipped as supreme, for there is no other God. Why would this man do this? I think he was intrigued by Christ. Talking to him was different from talking to the other Jews. Heavenly…

Mark 12:31 Though we call this the Golden Rule, the Bible’s name for it is the Royal Law. Take a look at James 2:8. This is where we find James talking about how we should treat others. This law is the very heart of what it means to act like a Christian. To live out…

Mark 12:30 How can we delineate between loving the Lord with ‘all’ of each of these things? Is loving the Lord with all of our heart different from loving him with all of our soul? To answer this we really have to start with the meaning of love. These words make it obvious that this…