You Can Read the Bible

Yesterday, the rich young man approached Jesus, “As He was setting out on His journey…” Today we learn the destination of that journey: Jerusalem. With thousands heading there for the Passover feast, it would have been possible for Jesus to attend unnoticed, and certainly would have fit with his pattern of secrecy. But all of that gets overturned, literally, in just a few hours.

First, he proceeds into town on a colt – just as the prophet Zechariah had said the king would – and not only do his supporters pick up on this, but He does nothing to stop them making a parade out of it. Second, after a night in Bethany, He discovers that the Temple has been turned into a profit center for worship items. Enraged, He drives out the sellers and overturns their tables, and would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple.

The remainder of our reading is launched by Mark’s observation that, upon hearing of this, the chief priests and scribes…were seeking a way to destroy Him, for they feared Him, because all the crowd was astonished at His teaching. The events of the next day – which occupy the rest of chapter 11 and 12 – focus on the various approaches the Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes use to try to discredit and entrap Jesus.

Notice the cat-and-mouse game of this pivotal day. Jesus is asked a series of questions: “By what authority are you doing these things?”… “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”… “If a woman is widowed seven times, in the resurrection, whose wife will she be?”… and, “Which commandment is the most important of them all?” Mark lets you know that each one is a trap, and lets you see Jesus’ agility and boldness in implicating the questioners. Only once does He answer directly, and readers of the Pentateuch will recognize the references.

As I’ve said many times, notice how Jesus plays the crowd against the Jewish leaders. At times, the crowd is leveraged to protect Jesus, as when Jesus appears to condemn the Jewish leadership as “ungrateful tenants” on God’s rightful property. At others, Jesus speaks indirectly to the Jewish leadership through them, as when in His teaching He said, “Beware of the scribes…”. Mark gives you a front row seat to the rising tension, preparing, it appears, for a final confrontation.

Our verse for this week is Psalm 138:8: The LORD will fulfill His purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.

Mark 11 and 12. Now let’s read it!

Mark 11 - 12

When they came near to Jerusalem, to Bethsphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples and said to them, "Go your way into the village that is opposite you. Immediately as you enter into it, you will find a young donkey tied, on which no one has sat. Untie him and bring him. If anyone asks you, 'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord needs him;' and immediately he will send him back here." They went away, and found a young donkey tied at the door outside in the open street, and they untied him. Some of those who stood there asked them, "What are you doing, untying the young donkey?" They said to them just as Jesus had said, and they let them go. They brought the young donkey to Jesus and threw their garments on it, and Jesus sat on it. Many spread their garments on the way, and others were cutting down branches from the trees and spreading them on the road. Those who went in front and those who followed cried out, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is coming in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" Jesus entered into the temple in Jerusalem. When he had looked around at everything, it being now evening, he went out to Bethany with the twelve. The next day, when they had come out from Bethany, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came to see if perhaps he might find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. Jesus told it, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again!" and his disciples heard it. They came to Jerusalem, and Jesus entered into the temple and began to throw out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and overthrew the money changers' tables and the seats of those who sold the doves. He would not allow anyone to carry a container through the temple. He taught, saying to them, "Isn't it written, 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations'? But you have made it a den of robbers!" The chief priests and the scribes heard it, and sought how they might destroy him. For they feared him, because all the multitude was astonished at his teaching. When evening came, he went out of the city. As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away from the roots. Peter, remembering, said to him, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree which you cursed has withered away." Jesus answered them, "Have faith in God. For most certainly I tell you, whoever may tell this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and doesn't doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is happening, he shall have whatever he says. Therefore I tell you, all things whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you have received them, and you shall have them. Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father, who is in heaven, may also forgive you your transgressions. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your transgressions." They came again to Jerusalem, and as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to him, and they began saying to him, "By what authority do you do these things? Or who gave you this authority to do these things?" Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John--was it from heaven, or from men? Answer me." They reasoned with themselves, saying, "If we should say, 'From heaven;' he will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?' If we should say, 'From men'"--they feared the people, for all held John to really be a prophet. They answered Jesus, "We don't know." Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things." He began to speak to them in parables. "A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a pit for the wine press, built a tower, rented it out to a farmer, and went into another country. When it was time, he sent a servant to the farmer to get from the farmer his share of the fruit of the vineyard. They took him, beat him, and sent him away empty. Again, he sent another servant to them; and they threw stones at him, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated. Again he sent another, and they killed him, and many others, beating some, and killing some. Therefore still having one, his beloved son, he sent him last to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' But those farmers said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let's kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' They took him, killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. What therefore will the lord of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the farmers, and will give the vineyard to others. Haven't you even read this Scripture: 'The stone which the builders rejected was made the head of the corner. This was from the Lord. It is marvelous in our eyes'?" They tried to seize him, but they feared the multitude; for they perceived that he spoke the parable against them. They left him and went away. They sent some of the Pharisees and the Herodians to him, that they might trap him with words. When they had come, they asked him, "Teacher, we know that you are honest, and don't defer to anyone; for you aren't partial to anyone, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Shall we give, or shall we not give?" But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, "Why do you test me? Bring me a denarius, that I may see it." They brought it. He said to them, "Whose is this image and inscription?" They said to him, "Caesar's." Jesus answered them, "Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." They marveled greatly at him. Some Sadducees, who say that there is no resurrection, came to him. They asked him, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote to us, 'If a man's brother dies and leaves a wife behind him, and leaves no children, that his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.' There were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and dying left no offspring. The second took her, and died, leaving no children behind him. The third likewise; and the seven took her and left no children. Last of all the woman also died. In the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be of them? For the seven had her as a wife." Jesus answered them, "Isn't this because you are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God? For when they will rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. But about the dead, that they are raised, haven't you read in the book of Moses about the Bush, how God spoke to him, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are therefore badly mistaken." One of the scribes came and heard them questioning together, and knowing that he had answered them well, asked him, "Which commandment is the greatest of all?" Jesus answered, "The greatest is: 'Hear, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 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. The second is like this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." The scribe said to him, "Truly, teacher, you have said well that he is one, and there is none other but he; and to love him with all the heart, with all the understanding, all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices." When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from God's Kingdom." No one dared ask him any question after that. Jesus responded, as he taught in the temple, "How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? For David himself said in the Holy Spirit, 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies the footstool of your feet."' Therefore David himself calls him Lord, so how can he be his son?" The common people heard him gladly. In his teaching he said to them, "Beware of the scribes, who like to walk in long robes, and to get greetings in the marketplaces, and to get the best seats in the synagogues and the best places at feasts, those who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation." Jesus sat down opposite the treasury and saw how the multitude cast money into the treasury. Many who were rich cast in much. A poor widow came and she cast in two small brass coins, which equal a quadrans coin. He called his disciples to himself and said to them, "Most certainly I tell you, this poor widow gave more than all those who are giving into the treasury, for they all gave out of their abundance, but she, out of her poverty, gave all that she had to live on."

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