Month: May 2022

12 ²⁸ One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” ²⁹ Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; ³⁰ you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ ³¹ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” ³² Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘he is one, and besides him there is no other’; ³³ and ‘to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength,’ and ‘to love one’s neighbor as oneself,’ – this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” ³⁴ When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that no one dared to ask him any question. 

The question about David’s son

³⁵ While Jesus was teaching in the temple, he said, “How can the scribes say that the Messiah is the son of David? ³⁶ David himself, by the Holy Spirit, declared,
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet.”’ 
³⁷ David himself calls him Lord; so how can he be his son?” And the large crowd was listening to him with delight. 

Jesus denounces the scribes

³⁸ As he taught, he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, ³⁹ and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! ⁴⁰ They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.” 

The widow’s offering

⁴¹ He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums.
⁴² A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. ⁴³ Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury.
⁴⁴ For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” NRSV

Get into the Word

1. What question is put to Jesus? Why do you think the scribe asked this question? How does Jesus answer? What is he quoting [see Notes]? Why do you think Jesus answered this way?

2. How does the scribe respond to Jesus’ answer? What else does the scribe say about Jesus’ answer? What does Jesus say about the scribe’s comment? What effect does this have?

3. Who asks the next question? Did this surprise you? What is the question? Why do you suppose Jesus asks this question? What does Jesus quote [see Notes]? 

4. What does Jesus say about religious leaders? What does he condemn? Why do you think he selected these things? How do you think the crowd reacted? 

5. What does Jesus do next? What does he see happening? What does he say about this? Why do you think Jesus makes this point?

Get Personal

What is common to each of theses three incidents? What is Jesus saying about our actions? What is important about what we do versus what we say? How has God helped you “walk his talk?”

(Cross-references to Matthew and Luke are given in brackets)

12:28-34. The first commandment — Matthew calls this question another attempted trap from the Pharisees: When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” And Jesus’ reply omits the Shema (“Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one” [Deut 6:4]). He also describes the two commandments differently: On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets, [Matt 22:28-40].
Matthew also includes other comments by Jesus about the law; check 5:18-20; 7:12; and 19:17-22.
Luke reports a different conversation earlier in Jesus’ ministry: Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live,” [Luke 10:25-28].
12:33. More important — God told the Israelites many times that actions are more important than sacrifice: I want you to be merciful; I don’t want your sacrifices. I want you to know God; that’s more important than burnt offerings, [Hos 6:5-6; also check 1 Sam 15:22-23 and Isa 1:16-17].

12:35-37. David’s son — In Matthew’s version Jesus challenges the Pharisees: Jesus asked them this question: “What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” Jesus then responds as in Mark. Matthew then concludes: No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions, [Matt 22:41-46].
Luke’s report of this exchange is even shorter than Mark’s and has no comment about the crowd, [Luke 20:41-44].
12:38-40. Denouncing the scribes — Matthew includes a more extensive warning to the crowd and disciples, and Jesus tells the people: Call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father – the one in heaven . . . The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted. He also includes a series of “Woe’s” to the scribes and Pharisees,
[Matt 23:1-36].
Luke’s version is almost identical to Mark’s, [Luke 20:45-47].
12:36. Jesus is quoting Psalm 110:1. “The Lord” is “Yahweh,” the Hebrew name for God the Father; and “my Lord” is “adonai,” which is the Hebrew word for “Messiah” or “anointed one.”
12:41-44. The widow’s offering — Matthew does not include this incident.
Luke’s version, again, is briefer than Mark’s, but Jesus’ comment is identical, [Luke 21:1-4].

11 ²⁷ Again they came to Jerusalem. As he was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to him ²⁸ and said, “By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority to do them?”
²⁹ Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. ³⁰ Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin? Answer me.” ³¹ They argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ ³² But shall we say, ‘Of human origin’?”—they were afraid of the crowd, for all regarded John as truly a prophet. ³³ So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

12 Then he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a pit for the wine press, and built a watchtower; then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. ² When the season came, he sent a slave to the tenants to collect from them his share of the produce of the vineyard. ³ But they seized him, and beat him, and sent him away empty-handed.
⁴ And again he sent another slave to them; this one they beat over the head and insulted.
⁵ Then he sent another, and that one they killed. And so it was with many others; some they beat, and others they killed. ⁶ He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ ⁷ But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ ⁸ So they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. ⁹ What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. ¹⁰ Have you not read this scripture:

‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; 
¹¹ this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes’?” 

¹² When they realized that he had told this parable against them, they wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowd. So they left him and went away. 

¹³ Then they sent to him some Pharisees and some Herodians to trap him in what he said.
¹⁴ And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality, but teach the way of God in accordance with truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not? ¹⁵ Should we pay them, or should we not?” But knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why are you putting me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me see it.” ¹⁶ And they brought one. Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” They answered, “The emperor’s.” ¹⁷ Jesus said to them, “Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were utterly amazed at him. 

¹⁸ Some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him and asked him a question, saying,
¹⁹ “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that ‘if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no child, the man shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother.’ ²⁰ There were seven brothers; the first married and, when he died, left no children; ²¹ and the second married her and died, leaving no children; and the third likewise; ²² none of the seven left children. Last of all the woman herself died. ²³ In the resurrection whose wife will she be? For the seven had married her.” 

²⁴ Jesus said to them, “Is not this the reason you are wrong, that you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God? ²⁵ For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. ²⁶ And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the story about the bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? ²⁷ He is God not of the dead, but of the living; you are quite wrong.” NRSV

Get into the Word

1. Who approaches Jesus in the Temple? What do they ask him? What does Jesus say in response? What question does he pose? How do the Jewish leaders deal with this? What do they answer? How does Jesus respond to their answer? 

2. What is going on in the story Jesus tells? What details does he include? How does the owner try to collect his share? What happens to the collector? What is different in the three versions, [see Notes]?

3. Who does the owner finally send to collect his share? How does Jesus end the story? Why does he use this reference? Who is the son in the story? Who is the “stone” in the quotation?

4. How do the Jewish leaders react to this story and quotation? Why do you think they felt this way? What do they actually do next? Why?

5. Who do the leaders send next? What do they hope to accomplish? How do the men open the conversation? What question do they ask Jesus? How does Jesus respond to the men? To the question? What does he ask for? What does he say about the coin? 

6. Who confronts Jesus next? What is different about this group, [see Notes]? What do they ask? Where does this question come from, [see Notes]? How does Jesus deal with this question? What does he say about marriage? About the men’s beliefs?

Get Personal

Have you ever come across what seems like a contra-diction in your understanding of Christianity? How did you deal with the situation? Was there a particular person who helped you understand? Have you helped others deal with questions about what the Bible says about our faith?

(Cross-references to Matthew and Luke are given in brackets)

11:27-33. Jesus authority challenged — Matthew and Luke report this exchange in almost the same words Mark uses, [Matt 21:23-27; Luke 20:1-8].
12:1-12. The evil farmers — Matthew’s version of this parable is very similar to Mark’s, except the vineyard owner sends two groups of slaves before sending his son, and the “religious leaders” answer Jesus’ question, [Matt 21:33-46].
In Luke the story is similar to Mark’s, but Luke says the crowd responds, “Heaven forbid!” which leads Jesus to explain the meaning of the Psalm, [Luke 20:9-19].
12:10-11. The quote is from Psalm 118:22-23, a central part of the Passover ritual.
12:13-17. Taxes for Caesar — Matthew’s version is almost identical to Mark, except that Jesus begins his answer with “You hypocrites!”[Matt 22:15-22] Matthew also

inserts a parable about a wedding feast before this incident.
Luke says the Jewish leaders sent “spies,” and reports they failed to trap Jesus, [Luke 20:20-26].
12:18-27. The question about the resurrection — Matthew’s wording is very similar to Mark’s, but he adds the crowd was astounded at his teaching, [Matt 22:23-33].
Luke reports the Sadducees’ question in the same words as Mark, but Jesus’ answer does not include the opening about the Sadducees not knowing Scripture or God’s power; and Jesus says marriage is for those who belong to this age, and he says the scribes told Jesus he has “spoken well” and no longer dared to ask him another question, [Luke 20:27-40].
12:19. The reference is Deut 25:5-6. In an agrarian economy it was important that a man have an heir to keep the land and property in the family.