Mark 12:18-4418Then come unto him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying, 19Master, Moses wrote unto us, If a man's brother die, and leave his wife behind him, and leave no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. 20Now there were seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed. 21And the second took her, and died, neither left he any seed: and the third likewise. 22And the seven had her, and left no seed: last of all the woman died also. 23In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife. 24And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God? 25For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven. 26And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? 27He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err. 28And 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? 29And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30And 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. 31And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. 32And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: 33And 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 neighbor as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. 34And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question. 35And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the Son of David? 36For 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. 37David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly. 38And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces, 39And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts: 40Which devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation. 41And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. 42And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. 43And 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: 44For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living. (Mark 12:18‑44)
“THEN COME unto Him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection.” If you are reading this portion of the Bible along with our Bible Talks, you will find that the Sadducees ask an extremely ridiculous question, hoping like those before them to “catch Him in His words.” They tell the story of a woman who had had seven husbands, and then they ask, Whose wife would she be in the resurrection?
The Lord not only tells them that they do not know the Scriptures (or they wouldn’t make such an inquiry), but also points them to Moses’ writings, whom they loved to quote. He exposes their ignorance and disbelief, saying: “And as touching the dead, that they rise; Have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, sang, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.”
Following the Sadducees, there comes one of the scribes, asking: “Which is the first commandment of all?” Jesus answers: “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. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” Jesus expressed in these two portions of the law the whole force of the commandments applying to His earthly people. If these two are met, then the rest of the law must needs have been kept also, for all points thereof are contained therein.
The scribe replies in full agreement and the Lord comments: “Thou art not far from the kingdom of God.” But while this scribe was intelligent about the law, he failed to truly recognize the Person with whom he was speaking, and thus was not within the kingdom of God—even though near to it.
After these things no man ventured to ask Him any question. But now the time had come for Jesus to advance one of His own: “How say the scribes that Christ is the son of David? David therefore himself calleth Him Lord: and whence is He then his son?” It was true that the scribes acknowledged Jesus as of the lineage of David, but would not acknowledge Him as David’s Lord. Since the scribes were familiar with the Old Testament Scriptures they would recognize this quotation from Psalm 110, but they would not bring themselves to acknowledge the fulfillment of prophecy in the Person of Jesus.
He then rightly warns the common people against the scribes, who “go in long clothing, and love salutations in the market places, and the chief seats in the synagogues,...” Then, seating Himself in the temple, He observes the people casting their money into the treasury—some giving much and some giving little. “And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. 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: 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.”
We are reminded that the Lord measures us, not by the outward appearance, but by the heart; not by what we give, but by what we hold back. We can be sure this poor widow will be eternally rewarded for her faithfulness in giving her all to God.
ML-02/16/1964