August 28, 2016 The true son, the snide scribes & sincere offerings Mark 12: 34-38

Sun Aug 28 – “The true son, the snide scribes & sincere offerings”

• The True Son of David – The Title “Son of David” means a) King David was a man after God’s own heart, b) David’s posture towards God is an example all should follow c) Jesus is the Ultimate & Eternal Son of David’s Lineage.
• Beware of the Snide (scornful, sarcastic, spiteful) Scribes Kind of reminds one of the Grinch Song or the Mr. Scrooge Song
• Sincere and Best Offerings stem from The Greatest Commandment and its outcomes.

The Snide Scribes Mark 12: 34 ESV 34And 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 (of the snide SCRIBES dared to ask him any more questions.    This is in contrast to…

Mark 12:37 And the COMMON people (= the great, numerous throng who came from far and wide) heard him gladly.

Those who tried to trip up Jesus got shut down – or shot down, if you liked Jon’s analogy to the Scribes and Pharisees coming to the OK Corral to callout Christ and take Him down.

The Gospel of Mark Profiles the Pharisees, Scribes and Herodians as hypocrites – those who claim to have higher standards and more noble beliefs than they do.  Because their focus was wrong, their interpretation of Scripture was wrong.  Tim Wallace says “The challenge with scripture interpretation is that we do one of 3 things”

• We try to fit in with man’s current scientific and cultural narrative, (EW often driven by politics).
• We haven’t yet READ and digested the other Scriptures that explain the ones we don’t understand.
• We want to prove how SMART we are, so we lean on our own understanding – which Prov 3: 5-6 tells us not to do – and we come up with our own “private interpretation of scripture,” which 2 Pet 1: 20 warns against.  (We avoid private, one-passage interpretations of Scripture by weighing multiple Bible verses against others that mention the same words, topics and themes.  Each of those passages must be examined within the contextual passages in which they occur.  It takes some time and work, but we should make an honest attempt.)
• Prov 3: 5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
• 2 Peter 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.” This means, “we do not make a doctrine out of one scripture out of context!!!”

The sacrificial son of the king

The Gospel of Matthew, which was written to Israelites to prove Jesus Christ of Nazareth is their Messiah and Heavenly King, so it begins in Matt 1: 1 “This is the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham:

Jesus is the Son of David because a) David was a man after God’s own HEART and b) David was a warrior King, who unified or saved Israel.

Jesus is the son of Abraham because like ISAAC, He was going to lay down His life and be SACRIFICED — for real!!!

PROPHECY was fulfilled by tracing Christ’s genealogy through both Abraham and David.  (For David see: Jeremiah 23:5; Psalm 132:10-11, compared with Acts 13:22-23, and John 7:42. For Abraham see: See Genesis 12:3; Genesis 21:12; compare Hebrews 11:13; Galatians 3:16.

FOR DAVID see –

Jeremiah 23:5; “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.

Psalm 132:10-11 ¹⁰For the sake of your servant David, do not reject your anointed one. ¹¹The LORD swore to David a sure oath from which he will not turn back: “One of the sons of your body I will set on your throne.”

Acts 13:22-23 22And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ 23Of this man’s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised

John 7:42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?”

FOR ABRAHAM see:

Genesis 12:3; I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Genesis 21:12; But God said to him, “Do not be so distressed about the boy and your slave woman. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. (NIV)

Hebrews 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. (KJV)

Galatians 3:16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather to one, “And to your seed,” that is, Christ.

Beware of the Snide, Stuffy, Self-Important Scribes

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

Jesus said the Scribes …

1. were condemned (vs. 40 if they don’t repent)
2. walk around in long robes – symbolic of their OUTWARD (vs. 38) “self-prescribed” piety.
3. like greetings, wanted to be acknowledged by MEN (vs. 38) Matthew 23:8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. (KJV) ESV says, But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers.

Be not ye … – Jesus forbade his disciples to seek such titles of distinction. The reason which he gave was that he was himself their Master and Teacher, They were peers on the same level, equal in authority under Christ; they were brethren; and they should neither covet nor receive a title which implied either was elevated above others, or which appeared to infringe on the absolute right of the Saviour to be their only Teacher and Master.

1. like the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, because they wanted to be NOTICED by men (in the name of religion) (vs. 38)

The Parable of the Pompous Prayers

1. who DEVOUR widows’ houses and (vs. 40) Devour = bite & consume intensely, and John 2:17; “to devour” by forcible appropriation, as of widows’ property, Matt. 23:14 (AV only); Mark 12:40; “to demand maintenance,” as false apostles did to the church at Corinth, 2 Cor. 11:20; “to exploit or prey on one another,” (A husband dies, and these guys barge in, and demand a share of the inheritance presuming that the husband would have given xxx amounts of money had he lived.)

cont..: The Parable of the Pompous Prayers – Mark 12:40 …and for a pretense make long prayers. 

Jesus said the Scribes … f) for a pretense make LONG prayers.  (vs. 40) Pretense means “Cloke” in Matt. 23:14; Mark 12:40; Luke 20:47 (AV “show”); It signifies the assuming of piety or religiosity to disguise one’s real motives.

• It’s not the length but the HONESTY (free of deceit and untruthfulness) of our prayer that carries weight/value with God.
• Long repetitive prayers, which the Bible in Matt 6:7 calls babbling vain repetitions are worthless, regardless of how sincerely you . NIV = “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words and The KJV = But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
• Why when Jesus repeatedly in Scripture says to “Pray In My Name” would we risk praying to or in the name of anything else?

Luke 18: 9-14 The Parable of The Pompous Prayer (The Parable of Pharisee and the Tax Collector)  9He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed^a thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

The Grace of Proportional Giving   Mark 12: 41-44 The Widow’s Offering – ⁴¹And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. ⁴²And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny.^{f 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. ⁴⁴For 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.”

• Mk12:43 says this lesson on giving is only for disciples.
• Jesus beheld HOW (in what way or manner) they were giving.
• Widow’s offering was about 1/2 – 1/3 of 1 cent. She could have put in 1, but she put in 2.   Barnes says, “about three mills and a half in value, or one-third of a cent. Others generally say it was about 1/2 a cent.
• The Omniscient Christ knows she has given “all she had to LIVE”
• Barnes says her offering “showed more love to the sacred cause, more self-denial, and, of course, more sincerity.” This is the rule by which God will reward us. Compare 2 Corinthians 8:12. (ESV) For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.

God Sees the Circumstances of Our Giving 

Mark 12: 43-44 ⁴³And 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. ⁴⁴For 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.

The Omniscient Holy Spirit records the woman is a poor WIDOW.  So the circumstances under which she gave may include she …

1. has suffered loss – the loss of a husband. Widowhood is associated with particular sorrow, which either can make people hard, bitter and selfish, but this widow was benevolent and giving though she was poor.
2. being poor, either never had wealth, or has suffered the loss of her former financial status.
3. made a decision to give vs. holding on to her last few cents.
4. may not know from where her next money or means of support may come.
5. Both c and d may indicate that she is displaying a special trust in God for her well being.

Sincere Offerings Stem from Right Relationship

Mark 12: 28-33 Sincere and Best Offerings stem from The Greatest Commandment and its implication that “A Right Relationship with God works far more in our lives than focusing on rules – ever could.”   

A right relationship with God is based on Calvary – Christ’s Finished Work on the Cross!

1. To love God with all our MIND / understanding means we THINK God’s Biblical thoughts. (We mentally affirm and ascent (give a high place of importance to)
2. To love God with all the HEART means we FEEL affection for God, and experience the fruit of the Spirit – Gal 5: 22-24

• To love God with all our strength means we physically obey God,
• By loving God and one’s neighbor as oneself, we fulfill the law more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

Giving That Has Meaning With God

The giving that has meaning with God includes which of the following?

Matt 6:21 Where your heart is there will your treasure be.

2 Cor 8:12 KJV For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.

1 Cor 13:3 ESV – If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Since The Greatest Commandment and is to love God, the “love spoken of here is “love of God.”   For if we love God right, we’ll also love our neighbor correctly.

Let’s Commune with Christ, our Savior, who knows the heart of the doer behind the deed.

May we open our lives to Him, so He works in us to make us the type of doers who do deeds that are acceptable in his sight.

To view the recorded service on YouTube, go to:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GZ1lsym_q0