July 30, 2023
Evening Service

Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem and riding on a colt. He told the disciples to go find the colt and if anyone asked, tell them the Lord has need of it. The disciples went and found the colt and when questioned of why they were loosing the colt, they told them just as the Lord said to do and they let them go. As Jesus road the colt into Jerusalem, the people laid down their clothes and branches in the path. They shouted praises to Jesus as the One who comes in the name of the Lord. The next day as they came out from Bethany, Jesus was hungry and went to a fig tree that did not bear any fruit. He cursed the fig tree saying let no one eat fruit from you ever again and the disciples heard Him say this. When they came to Jerusalem, they went to the temple and Jesus saw them buying and selling in the temple and He overturned the money changers tables and said, “Is it not written, 'MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER FOR ALL NATIONS' ? But you have made it a 'DEN OF THIEVES.'" The scribes and the chief priests heard this and they feared Him and sought how to destroy Him. At evening, they went out of the city. In the morning, they were passing by the fig tree Jesus cursed and found it to be dried up from the roots. Peter said, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away." Jesus then said that whoever says to a mountain to be removed and thrown into the sea and has no doubt in his heart, it would be done. He then said that when you pray, you must believe that you have already received that which you are praying for and you will have them. He then warns His disciples that when they pray, forgive anyone they may something against them, and their Father in Heaven will also forgive them, but if they do not forgive, they Father will not forgive them. The scribes, chief priests, and elders came to Him and asked Him by what authority does He do these things? Jesus then said, I will ask you a question and when you answer, I will tell you by what authority I do these things. He then asked them if the baptism of John was from Heaven or from men. They reasoned among themselves that if they claimed it was from Heaven, then why did they not believe and if it were of man, they feared the people because all the people believed John to be a true prophet. They then said, “We do not know” and Jesus said, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things." 

The Parable of the Tenants

Mark 12:1  Then He began to speak to them in parables: "A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a place for the wine vat and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. 

Mark 12:2  Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that he might receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the vinedressers. 

Mark 12:3  And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 

Mark 12:4  Again he sent them another servant, and at him they threw stones, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated. 

Mark 12:5  And again he sent another, and him they killed; and many others, beating some and killing some. 

Mark 12:6  Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them last, saying, 'They will respect my son.' 

Mark 12:7  But those vinedressers said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' 

Mark 12:8  So they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard. 

Mark 12:9  "Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vinedressers, and give the vineyard to others. 

Mark 12:10  Have you not even read this Scripture: 'THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED HAS BECOME THE CHIEF CORNERSTONE. 

Mark 12:11  THIS WAS THE LORD'S DOING, AND IT IS MARVELOUS IN OUR EYES'?" 

Mark 12:12  And they sought to lay hands on Him, but feared the multitude, for they knew He had spoken the parable against them. So they left Him and went away.

Jesus showed them in parables, that He would put the Jewish church on the back burner, so to speak. God put to use many Jewish ministers over the years and they have enjoyed the great privilege and protection he sustained them, but many of these of Jewish faith did not bring forth any fruit in honor of their Lord and God. God finally sent His Son, His Son in which He was well pleased hoping through their free will, to honor their Master through Him with love, honor, and respect. However, it was not what they chose to do; they instead hated Him because He was the Son and the Heir. The Father in Heaven chose to elevate Christ through His great suffering and obedience to open the path to all who believe. Through the blood shed at Calvary, we have been gifted the opportunity to set up the throne of Christ in our hearts, this was amazing work done by Jesus to follow the will of His Father, even unto to death on the cross. Our hearts should have great praise to our Lord Jesus, the written Word, and all the Disciples of Christ who preach of Jesus faithfully that He came in the flesh to redeem us from our sinful fate! All who choose to willingly live in their sin and seek no repentance should examine themselves of their pride and worldly spirit. If people choose to insult, slander, and mock the preachers of Christ, they would have also acted in the same manner to Jesus if they had lived in the time He was on the earth. 

Paying Taxes to Caesar

Mark 12:13  Then they sent to Him some of the Pharisees and the Herodians, to catch Him in His words. 

Mark 12:14  When they had come, they said to Him, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? 

Mark 12:15  Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?" But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, "Why do you test Me? Bring Me a denarius that I may see it." 

Mark 12:16  So they brought it. And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?" They said to Him, "Caesar's." 

Mark 12:17  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." And they marveled at Him. 

These Pharisees and Herodians had no intention of learning what Christ would say to this question of taxes, their intent was to give Him a question that they thought would entrap Him into saying something they could use to accuse Him. These people thought, in their wisdom, this was a question that no matter what Jesus said, either pay or not pay; it would give reason to them to find something wrong in what He answered. However, the wisdom of man is nonsense to our Lord, they left from Him marveled at His words and had nothing with which to accuse Him. Views on worldly politics is something that can entrap followers of Jesus, these viewpoints are often debated because of the difference of opinion and become heated with progressiveness on the subject. It is best to avoid conversations that have opposing views, simply because more times than not, it will lead to some kind of ill will in thought or deed. Jesus did not fall for this trap of words, He already knew of their hypocritical hearts and their intent to snare Him with His own words. He simply discredited their attempt by referring to their own decision to pay the taxes and followed with, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." Everyone present who heard Him were astonished at the higher wisdom of His answer. Many people will hear a sermon and even give an “Amen” to the preaching of the Word of God, only to go away unaffected by the convictions of the commands the doctrine addresses.

The Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection

Mark 12:18  Then some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him; and they asked Him, saying: 

Mark 12:19  "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, and leaves his wife behind, and leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. 

Mark 12:20  Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife; and dying, he left no offspring. 

Mark 12:21  And the second took her, and he died; nor did he leave any offspring. And the third likewise. 

Mark 12:22  So the seven had her and left no offspring. Last of all the woman died also. 

Mark 12:23  Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be? For all seven had her as wife." 

Mark 12:24  Jesus answered and said to them, "Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God? 

Mark 12:25  For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 

Mark 12:26  But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, 'I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB' ? 

Mark 12:27  He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. You are therefore greatly mistaken."

Here Jesus speaks of the exact course of action everyone should take when a question of what is right or wrong or how something is perceived in the correct manner. He refers them to the scriptures of the written Word of God as the source for light and the truth as it should be pursued. We are equipped to gain knowledge of the Scripture, to know what is written and to ground our faith in the Word. This is how we rightfully use the Word to guide our plans and decisions about living in this life and the life to come. If we seek the truth, we will find that truth within the pages of the bible, it will not lead you into condemnation. The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection, so they thought the question was nonsense, but Jesus rightly put their unbelief aside and correctly set the doctrine of the next life in the true state of how it will be. The relationship between a husband and wife as known in this present life will not be known the same in the kingdom of heaven. It is easy to see how confusion of the spirit world comes to us when the only thing we have to base our understanding from is the world we now live in. If the resurrection were not real, it would be foolish to think God would be our forever God if man were forever dead! If someone is of the belief that there is not going to be a resurrection, they are in great error in their thinking and we as believers should make sure they are at least told of the life after the life we now have. Our hope is to look past this world and look unto the next world, a world of joy and happiness eternally through the resurrection. 

The Great Commandment

Mark 12:28  Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, "Which is the first commandment of all?" 

Mark 12:29  Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is: 'HEAR, O ISRAEL, THE LORD OUR GOD, THE LORD IS ONE.  

Mark 12:30  AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.' This is the first commandment. 

Mark 12:31  And the second, like it, is this: 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' There is no other commandment greater than these." 

Mark 12:32  So the scribe said to Him, "Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. 

Mark 12:33  And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices." 

Mark 12:34  Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." But after that no one dared question Him.

Those of us that desire sincerely to be taught by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Christ will guide us through the spirit to the truth we seek. Jesus informs the scribe that the greatest commandment is that we love God with all our hearts and this includes every being of mankind that He created. If we truly set God as the love of our hearts with all our abilities to do so, we will be guided in every decision to maintain the correctness of our soul’s spiritual condition. In addition to that, as we put God first in all our thoughts and actions, this will also guide our decisions for how we conduct ourselves in all matters of this life and the next. Love is the strongest of all emotions and concerns for others; this is why the greatest commandment pertains to loving the One True God. As the sacrifices were offered on the behalf of the children of Israel, they only provided atonement for the sins against the moral laws, by carrying out the sacrifices; it represented obedience to the given instruction. It is important to know that we stand in debt for our transgressions and are not able to save ourselves through any actions of our own and we cannot simply be good enough to make it into Heaven. This is the reason for the New Covenant of Christ and His blood shed, to make atonement for our sins, and to receive forgiveness of those sins by faith in Jesus as our Redeemer. His righteousness is what we must put on as a garment in order to be received into the kingdom of Heaven and not be held accountable for judgment on that great Day. Once again, it is mercy that we seek and not justice, because justice would be us standing before the Holy God and measuring up to being Holy, every man of every race and creed would fall very short of the holiness standard. Jesus approved what the scribe said and told him he was not far from the kingdom of God, therefore giving him encouragement. When we come to realization that the bible is the truth of life now and in the future, it brings us to conviction of our sins and thus making us understand fully we need to repent and receive the mercy offered by Jesus to be justified by Him and through Him!  

Whose Son Is the Christ?

Mark 12:35  Then Jesus answered and said, while He taught in the temple, "How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David? 

Mark 12:36  For David himself said by the Holy Spirit: 'THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, "SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, TILL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES YOUR FOOTSTOOL." ' 

Mark 12:37  Therefore David himself calls Him 'LORD'; how is He then his Son?" And the common people heard Him gladly. 

Beware of the Scribes

Mark 12:38  Then He said to them in His teaching, "Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, 

Mark 12:39  the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, 

Mark 12:40  who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation."

When we examine ourselves to the truth of the Scriptures, especially the person and ruling authority of Christ, we know we must confess Him as our Lord and God, to live in obedience to Him as our esteemed Savior. If you have ordinary people hearing the words of Jesus and listening gladly, then we see the distinguished people trying to oppose His words, the commoner then will be happy and the distinguished will be disgraced and shamed. When we can see obvious sinning taking place and being obscured by a show of reverence, this is in fact a doubled case of wickedness, so the judgment of such a falsehood will be doubled heavy. About the statement of Christ being the Son of David, the scriptures say this about the throne of David.

1st Kings 9:5  then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, 'You shall not fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.' 

            Jesus is the man and God who forever is on the throne over Israel, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! 

The Widow's Offering

Mark 12:41  Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. 

Mark 12:42  Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. 

Mark 12:43  So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; 

Mark 12:44  for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood." 

Jesus still sees the way in which people give according to their giving to the church. Of course, Jesus is pleased with a cheerful giver and does not honor anything given as would cause the giver to be grieved in doing so. Johnny read this passage of scripture Wednesday night about our giving and how it should be done.

2nd Corinthians 9:7  So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

Jesus knows how much or how little and from what motivation of the heart in which people give to His cause. Jesus will always look at the heart and see what our viewpoints are in our giving, whether we give cheerfully as unto the Lord and His cause, or to be seen by our fellows, which carries no honor at all. Some people would look at this widow’s offering as offensive because it was very little in terms of monetary value; however, Jesus sees her giving as an offering of great value because she gave all that she had! Jesus gives praise to this widow because of her generosity of giving her entire livelihood and compares how valuable this offering was as to those who only gave of their wealth and abundance. Jesus said her offering was more than all the others because of the motivation of her heart to the things of the Lord. Nothing we do in an effort to “show” how much we do for the Lord is acceptable by our Savior. It is no different from the Pharisees that stood on the corners, prayed aloud, and compared themselves to others as better than they were.

 

Luke 18:11  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.

Luke 18:12  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.' 

Luke 18:13  And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' 

Luke 18:14  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." 

 

Matthew 6:2  Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 

Matthew 6:3  But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 

Matthew 6:4  that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.