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Series Code: IIWSS
Program Code: IIWSS024035S
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00:13 ♪♪♪ 00:14 >>Eric Flickinger: Welcome to "Sabbath School," 00:16 brought to you by It Is Written. 00:18 This week, lesson number 9, 00:20 "Jerusalem Controversies." 00:22 We are following the life of Jesus 00:25 through the book of Mark, 00:26 and we're glad that you could join us. 00:28 Let's start with prayer. 00:30 Father, we ask that You'll bless us today 00:31 as once again we open Your Word 00:33 and You allow us to get a clearer picture of Jesus 00:37 and His ministry, His love for us 00:39 through the book of Mark. 00:41 We ask that You'll bless our time together 00:42 and we thank You in Jesus' name, amen. 00:46 We're grateful that you are here, 00:47 but we are also grateful that the author 00:49 of this quarter's "Sabbath School" lesson 00:50 is also here. 00:52 The author is Thomas Shepherd. 00:53 He's the senior research professor of New Testament 00:56 at the Theological Seminary, Andrews University. 00:59 Tom, thanks for joining us again today. 01:01 >>Thomas Shepherd: It's good to be here. 01:02 >>Eric: So this week, lesson number 9, 01:04 "Jerusalem Controversies." 01:06 We're moving our way rapidly now 01:08 towards some of the closing events 01:11 in the story of Jesus' earthly ministry here. 01:14 And as we're getting into chapter 10, chapter 11 now, 01:19 we're looking at the triumphal entry 01:21 that Jesus has into Jerusalem. 01:23 What's the significance of His triumphal entry? 01:26 >>Tom: Okay, so just to give a setting to this, 01:28 we noticed that we're gonna talk about controversies. 01:30 We noticed that there was a series of controversies 01:32 at the beginning of the Gospel. 01:33 We already talked about those. 01:35 Now we're coming to the controversies with Jesus 01:38 at the end of the Gospel. 01:40 This section of the Gospel, chapter 11, actually through 01:44 the end of the book, only covers a short period of time, 01:49 maybe a couple weeks, maybe less than that. 01:52 And His whole ministry is three and a half years, 01:55 so this is--we call this narrative time being stretched 01:58 or slowed down so that you really see that 02:02 the Gospel writer or the evangelist is telling us, 02:06 "This is the important part of the story. 02:08 This is the big stuff that I want you to really understand." 02:10 And it begins with this triumphal entry of Jesus. 02:14 Well, you could even go before that, but we didn't have time 02:16 to talk about all of those other characteristics. 02:19 But this important triumphal entry, 02:22 he takes a long time, Mark does, 02:25 to describe Jesus getting a donkey to ride on. 02:29 You know, He sends two guys, 02:31 He tells them what to look for, and they go. 02:34 The people will say, "Why are you taking the donkey?" 02:36 And, you know, you also explains it. 02:37 But the emphasis of this or the significance of this 02:42 is that the kings, the ancient kings, 02:45 would ride on a donkey. 02:48 You have the story of the crowning of Solomon. 02:51 You know, his brother is trying to usurp the throne. 02:54 And David calls for them to bring the donkey, you know, 02:59 and they say, "Long live the king." 03:02 And the other guy eventually gets killed. 03:05 But it's that riding of the donkey, it's a humble beast, 03:10 and yet it's--this is what the king did. 03:13 And so Jesus riding this is like a pronouncement 03:16 that He's the King, 03:17 and He's coming into Jerusalem. 03:20 Now, where He comes into is probably the golden gate 03:24 that leads right into the temple. 03:26 And He goes onto the Temple Mount. 03:28 And there He sees-- He looks around, 03:30 but it's late in the day, 03:32 and so He goes out to Bethany with the 12 disciples. 03:35 >>Eric: As He's going out, we see now a transition. 03:39 Again, it's in a short period of time. 03:41 It's--He's hungry as He's going out. 03:44 And we see the story of the fig tree. 03:47 >>Tom: Yeah, it's actually the following day, 03:49 the following morning, and He's coming back. 03:51 And He sees this fig tree, and He goes--He's hungry. 03:56 Now again, we said before it wasn't wrong for you to go 04:00 into your neighbor's field and pick some fruit 04:02 or eat something. And so He goes to the tree. 04:05 He's hungry for some breakfast. 04:07 He hasn't had breakfast, evidently. 04:08 And He looks on the tree, and there's no fruit. 04:11 And so He said, "'May no one ever eat fruit from you again.' 04:16 And His disciples heard [Him say] it." 04:18 Now, this is, like, the strangest thing. 04:23 Why did Jesus curse a fig tree? [laughs] 04:25 Like, the poor fig tree, what did it do wrong, you know? 04:29 Well, Jesus is actually personifying the fig tree, 04:33 and this is actually the start 04:34 of one of those sandwich stories. 04:36 So this is going to surround the story 04:39 of the cleansing of the temple. 04:40 So that's the next part that comes, 04:42 and so maybe we should read that, verses 15 through 19. 04:47 >>Eric: "So they came to Jerusalem. 04:49 "Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those 04:52 "who bought and sold in the temple, 04:54 "and overturned the tables of the money changers 04:57 "and the seats of those who sold doves. 04:59 "And He would not allow anyone to carry wares 05:01 "through the temple. 05:03 "Then He taught, saying to them, 'Is it not written, 05:06 "'"My house shall be called a house of prayer 05:08 "'for all nations"? 05:09 "But you have made it "a den of thieves."' 05:11 "And the scribes and [the] chief priests heard it and sought 05:14 "how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, 05:17 "because all the people were astonished at His teaching. 05:21 When evening had come, He went out of the city." 05:24 >>Tom: Okay, well, this is a dramatic experience. 05:29 It's one of those unforgettable church kind of experiences. 05:33 He goes to the temple. Now, 05:34 the temple was an amazing building. 05:37 It covered--I think it's something like 15% 05:41 of the entire city was the temple complex. 05:44 And it was embellished; it was beautiful. 05:48 I mean, you can go there today and see the remains 05:51 of some of the walls that were used as retaining walls 05:54 that Herod the Great had put up. 05:56 And those retaining walls are, I mean, just huge stones, 06:01 some of them like 100 tons. 06:03 And even today you can't put a piece of paper 06:05 in between these stones. 06:08 So it's really an amazing-- we're going to come back 06:11 to describing the temple and everything. 06:13 But when He goes in there, they were selling animals 06:17 for sacrifice. 06:18 Now, where they were probably selling these is in the, 06:24 what's called the Royal Stoa, which was on the south side, 06:27 beautiful big area with huge pillars. 06:32 They would take--if you took three men and joined their hands 06:35 together, that's how much space it took to be the circumference 06:39 of one of these pillars. 06:41 And there was, like, 120 of these different pillars. 06:44 So it was really an amazing place, but they were 06:46 selling cattle there and different animals for sacrifice. 06:50 Now, the temple was set up in such a way 06:53 that the Gentiles could only come in to a certain point. 06:58 They couldn't go all the way in, and of course, 07:01 further and further go, the fewer and fewer people 07:03 can go in until you get to the Most Holy Place. 07:05 Only the high priest can go there once a year, right? 07:08 So there was this kind of sense of holiness and of protection. 07:14 There was a barrier the Gentiles were not supposed to go past, 07:19 and they had signs there written in different languages 07:23 that said, "The Gentile who goes past this barrier will only have 07:29 himself to blame for his death, which will shortly follow." 07:34 Welcome to church. 07:35 So, you know, we have a very different sense of church today 07:39 than what they had. So the Gentiles couldn't go in there. 07:41 And so they were selling--the Gentiles could worship there, 07:44 but only up till that barrier. 07:46 So the Royal Stoa was nearby there and so, 07:50 selling cattle in there, you know, 07:51 and money, changing the money and everything, 07:53 it really disrupted the worship for the Gentiles. 07:56 So Jesus goes in there, and He is incensed 08:00 that they're doing this. 08:01 He starts throwing over the tables, 08:04 driving out the animals, you know, 08:06 and everybody is shocked, you know. 08:08 John tells this cleansing of the temple, 08:12 he tells of the cleansing 08:14 at the beginning of Jesus' ministry, 08:15 and the disciples are like, "Whoa," 08:18 and they remember a text, that 08:20 "zeal for your house has consumed me." 08:22 So, Jesus really felt strongly about this: 08:26 "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations, 08:29 but you have made it a den of robbers." 08:31 Now, it's interesting He says "for all nations." 08:32 That includes the Gentiles. 08:34 There's a little, you know, knowledge there again 08:36 about the Gentiles to be included, see? 08:39 And the chief priests and the scribes, you know, they-- 08:42 this was their area of authority. 08:45 And so He was directly challenging their authority, 08:48 and they just couldn't accept it. 08:50 >>Eric: So what did they do? 08:51 What was their--you said they couldn't accept it. 08:54 This challenge to their authority, 08:56 surely it made them incensed as well. 08:59 But what did Jesus do when they attacked Him or to their attack? 09:07 What did that look like? 09:08 >>Tom: Yeah, so first of all, when they go out of the city 09:12 and they come back the next morning, 09:13 the fig tree is withered. 09:15 Peter notes this, and he says, 09:17 "Rabbi, look, the fig tree that You cursed 09:18 is withered." 09:20 And so then Jesus says to them, "Have faith in God. 09:23 "Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 09:25 "'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' 09:27 "and does not doubt in his heart, 09:28 "but believes that what he says will come to pass, 09:32 it will be done for him." 09:33 So the cursing of the fig tree actually parallels 09:38 the cleansing of the temple. 09:41 Now, what happened is the cleansing of the temple 09:44 was meant to restore it to holiness, 09:47 but because the religious leaders rejected it, 09:50 rejected what Jesus was doing, rejected Him, 09:54 that cleansing actually became a curse 09:56 because they wouldn't accept the cleansing. 10:00 And so the temple is eventually going to be destroyed. 10:03 They've rejected what God is trying to do 10:06 to make it a holy place. 10:07 And they just can't understand it. 10:10 So they come at Him, you know, strong on, and they say, 10:16 "By what authority are you doing these things, 10:19 or who gave you this authority to do them?" 10:21 So they wanted to get Him with this tails-I-win-heads-you-lose 10:26 type of thing. 10:27 And so they say, you know, if He claims that authority 10:32 is from heaven, they'll scoff at Him, you know, 10:34 and if He says it's from men, they'll just reject Him. 10:37 So He says, "I will ask you one question; answer me, 10:41 "and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 10:44 "Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? 10:46 Answer me." Suddenly they realize that they're not dealing 10:49 with a country bumpkin, 10:51 but with Somebody who's got a real wit. [laughs] 10:54 And they see--it says, "They discussed...with one another, 10:58 "...'If we say, "From heaven," He will say, 11:00 "'"Why then did you not believe him?" 11:02 "'But if we say, "From man"?'-- they were afraid of the people, 11:04 "for they all held that John really was a prophet. 11:07 "So they answered Jesus, 'We do not know.' 11:09 "And Jesus said to them, 'Neither will I tell you 11:12 by what authority I do these things.'" 11:14 So they have attacked Him. 11:18 He just comes right back at them and tells them that, you know, 11:23 He's not going to explain to them 11:24 if they can't say to Him what it is. 11:26 And He goes on to tell the story of a vineyard, 11:31 with the strangest story, 11:33 where the vineyard keepers-- the guy makes a vineyard, 11:36 he rents it out, and then when he sends people 11:39 to get, you know, his due part of the crop, 11:43 they beat the guy; they beat another one; 11:45 they mistreat another one. 11:46 Finally, the man says, "I'll send my son; 11:48 they'll respect my son." 11:50 And they kill his son, saying, "Oh, we're gonna-- 11:51 we'll inherit it." 11:53 I mean, it's like, what in the world are you thinking? 11:56 And they recognize what He's talking about. 11:59 He is forecasting what they will do in killing Him. 12:05 And He says, "The stone... the builders rejected 12:08 has become the cornerstone." 12:10 And they're just taken aback to see that He's described-- 12:15 now, He's actually linking into the same story 12:18 that's described in Isaiah, chapter 5. 12:20 Everybody knew what this story was about, 12:22 this vineyard story. 12:24 And so Jesus is really strong. 12:26 It's a controversy story. 12:28 And He's really--it's mercy that He's showing to them 12:31 where their steps are leading, but they won't listen. 12:35 >>Eric: Unfortunately, sometimes that happens today as well. 12:37 >>Tom: Oh my. 12:38 >>Eric: We're gonna come back and look at some more 12:39 of the Jerusalem controversies in just a moment. 12:41 But we have that companion book 12:44 to this quarter's "Sabbath School" lesson. 12:46 Tell us a little bit about chapter 9, lesson number 9. 12:48 >>Tom: Right, this companion book goes with 12:50 the lesson quarterly, and for teachers or for students, 12:54 it gives you more information. 12:55 In this particular chapter, I take some time 12:57 to describe the Temple Mount itself. 13:00 What was the Temple Mount like? 13:01 What was it like to be there? 13:04 And so you get, you know, some of the extra flavor. 13:07 >>Eric: So you'll get a deeper appreciation for this story 13:10 when you understand a little bit more 13:11 about what that temple was actually like. 13:14 We're going to come back and continue looking 13:15 at these Jerusalem controversies in just a moment. 13:18 But if you do want to pick up that companion book, 13:20 you can find it at itiswritten.shop, 13:23 again, itiswritten.shop. 13:25 We'll be back in just a moment, continuing our look 13:27 at the "Jerusalem Controversies." 13:29 [uplifting music] 13:33 >>John Bradshaw: You know that at It Is Written 13:35 we are serious about studying the Word of God, 13:37 and we encourage you to be serious as well. 13:40 Well, here's what you do if you wanna 13:42 dig deeper into God's Word. 13:43 Go to itiswritten.study for the It Is Written 13:46 Bible Study Guides online, 13:48 25 in-depth Bible studies that will take you 13:51 through the major teachings of the Bible. 13:53 You'll be blessed, and it's something 13:55 you'll want to tell others about as well. 13:57 itiswritten.study. 13:59 Go further: itiswritten.study. 14:04 >>male announcer: Loving well is a way of life. 14:08 And loving well means wanting the very best for others. 14:12 "Go ye therefore" becomes "I'll go; send me." 14:17 Send me across the world or across town. 14:21 Work in me to impact lives for such a time as this. 14:25 And if I can't go myself, I want to send others 14:28 who can take the everlasting gospel to the world. 14:33 It Is Written's office of planned giving gives you 14:36 the opportunity to leave a legacy, to make a major impact 14:40 for Christ, to lead others to faith in Jesus 14:44 in preparation for eternity. 14:47 Let God use you to enable others to go. 14:52 To learn more, visit hislegacy.com. 14:55 That's hislegacy.com. 14:57 [soft music] 15:04 [upbeat music] 15:08 >>Eric: Welcome back to "Sabbath School," 15:10 brought to you by It Is Written. 15:11 We're looking at lesson number 9 in our study 15:14 of the book of Mark, "Jerusalem Controversies." 15:17 Tom, we were in the middle of chapter 12 of the book of Mark, 15:21 and we see this teaching about taxes in here. 15:25 What was Jesus' position on taxes, 15:28 and why did He have that position? 15:31 >>Tom: Okay, so what happens is these controversies-- 15:34 the religious leaders are trying to trap Jesus 15:38 by something He says so that 15:40 they can either discredit Him to the people 15:44 or they can get Him in trouble with the Roman government. 15:47 And so they ask Him one of these questions again 15:50 where they think it's a 15:52 heads-I-win-tails-you-lose kind of a deal. 15:56 In verse 14 of Mark, chapter 12, 16:00 it's very interesting in this regard. 16:03 "They came to him and said to Him, 'Teacher, we know 16:07 "'that You are true and do not care about anyone's opinion. 16:12 "'For You are not swayed by appearances, 16:15 "'but truly teach the way of God. 16:18 "'Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? 16:20 Should we pay them, or should we not?'" 16:23 That's a pretty tricky question. 16:25 First they butter Him up, you know. [laughs] 16:28 Now, if they really believed what they had said, 16:30 it would've been wonderful. 16:31 "Teacher, we know that You are true"-- 16:35 you know, there's something about somebody who's true, 16:38 who will tell you straight, you know-- 16:41 "and do not care about anyone's opinion"--not swayed by, 16:45 you know, "Well, what do you think? 16:47 Well, then I'll mold my statement to you." 16:50 "For You are not swayed by appearances, 16:53 but truly teach the way of God." 16:55 Why, that's a beautiful statement. 16:58 And then they slip in this question at the end real fast. 17:01 "Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?" You know, 17:04 should we pay them or should we not? 17:06 Now, if He said, "Pay the taxes," 17:09 they could discredit Him to the people 17:10 because people hated the Roman taxes; 17:13 they hated the Romans. 17:14 If He said, "No, don't pay the taxes," then they'd just go 17:17 to the governor and say, "This man's telling people 17:18 not to pay taxes to Rome." 17:21 So they think they got Him either way He answers, you see. 17:24 So now we should see how He responds. 17:28 And let's read verses 15 through 17. 17:33 >>Eric: "'Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?' 17:35 But He"--Jesus--"knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, 17:39 "'Why do you test me? Bring me a denarius that I may see it.' 17:43 "So they brought it. And He said to them, 17:45 "'Whose image and inscription is this?' 17:48 "They said to Him, 'Caesar's.' 17:50 "And Jesus answered and said to them, 17:52 "'Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, 17:55 "and to God the things that are God's.' 17:57 And they marveled at Him." 17:59 >>Tom: Okay, so they think they've trapped Him. [laughs] 18:02 And so He knows what's going on. 18:05 "Why put me to the test?" 18:08 And He does a little illustration thing. 18:11 He says, "Bring me a denarius and let me look at it." 18:15 So it kind of slows things down, you know, and everybody's, 18:18 you know, wants to see what's going to go on now, you know. 18:22 So He's a good teacher, you know; 18:24 He's going to use a physical illustration. 18:26 They bring Him a denarius. 18:28 Now, the denarius was a common laborer's daily wage. 18:32 We see that in some of Jesus' parables; you know, 18:34 you get a denarius for your daily wage. 18:36 It was not the smallest coin, 18:39 but it was the typical day's wage. 18:41 I think these were typically made of silver. 18:43 I've seen denarius. 18:44 I do not have a denarius, but I've seen them. 18:47 And so, of course, they were stamped. 18:50 The Romans had a thing about how they made their coins. 18:53 They would make them so that they would-- 18:57 they were kind of advertisements in a way. 18:58 And of course, our coins are today, 19:00 but we have so much other kinds of ways 19:03 of advertising and letting people know that coins 19:07 don't carry as much weight for us in that sense. 19:09 But they would put on there pictures of the Caesar 19:12 and pictures of different people and different events and things. 19:16 And so He asked them, 19:18 "Whose likeness and inscription is this?" 19:21 And said to Him, "Caesar's." 19:23 So then He draws His lesson: "Render"--or pay back-- 19:26 "to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, 19:28 and to God the things that are God's." 19:30 Now, they marvel at Him because they haven't trapped Him. 19:33 They couldn't go and say, "Oh, He says not to pay taxes," 19:38 and yet He says, "Render to God the things that are God's." 19:41 So He hasn't, you know, broken the law and has responded 19:46 with them in a way that they can't trap Him. [laughs] 19:49 So it's wonderful. 19:51 >>Eric: So He managed to find a way 19:54 out of what looked like a certain trap. 19:56 >>Tom: Yes, and He also laid down a principle 19:58 that's true for Christians today. 20:00 We are supposed to pay our taxes. 20:02 Paul tells us this, too, in Romans 13. 20:04 We are to pay our taxes. 20:06 As long as the government is not doing something 20:08 that's opposed to the will of God, 20:09 we're supposed to be supportive. 20:11 When they go against what God has said, 20:13 we have to speak up. 20:14 >>Eric: Very good. A lesson for today. 20:17 We go straight from that story into a story with the Sadducees. 20:21 What did the--what story did the Sadducees tell? 20:24 And then Jesus, He shifted things, corrected them, 20:28 if you will. What was that about? 20:30 >>Tom: Yeah, so the Sadducees were people who--they were 20:33 aristocratic group, largely linked up with priests 20:37 in the temple area, 20:39 and they did not believe in the resurrection. 20:41 So, I mean, you think about that--you have religious leaders 20:44 who don't believe in the resurrection. 20:46 And they think that they're going to trap Him. 20:49 Again, this is a controversy story. 20:51 So they're going to trap Him. 20:52 And so they say to Him-- they tell Him this little story. 20:57 They say, "Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies 21:01 "and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, 21:03 "the man must take the widow 21:04 and raise up offspring for his brother." 21:06 This was called levirate marriage, 21:08 and it was according to the law, 21:10 and it was to keep a man's goods to stay with his family 21:13 and not be lost or he lost his inheritance, his land, 21:16 and his linkage with Israel. 21:18 So the man would have to marry the widow-- 21:20 his brother would marry the widow, and then the child 21:23 that they would have would be the dead man's son. 21:25 And we get the inheritance of the dead man. 21:27 So, you know, we don't do that today, but that's what they did. 21:31 So, they little--probably a suppositional, 21:35 not a real, fictional story that they bring to Him, it says: 21:38 There were seven brothers. 21:40 So the first takes a wife, 21:41 he dies, leaves no offspring, 21:43 the second takes her, third, fourth, fifth, 21:45 all of them have her as wife, 21:47 and finally, the woman dies. 21:50 So then their question at the end to discredit 21:53 the resurrection is, "In the resurrection when they rise 21:56 again, whose wife will she be, for the seven had her as wife?" 21:59 Kind of giving the idea that this idea of resurrection 22:02 is immoral because it would be one woman 22:06 with seven husbands, and that's just wrong. 22:09 So that resurrection can't be correct, okay? 22:12 So let's see how Jesus responds, 22:15 verses 24 through 27. 22:18 >>Eric: "Jesus answered and said to them, 'Are you not therefore 22:21 "'mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures 22:24 "'nor the power of God? 22:25 "'For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry 22:28 "'nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 22:32 "'But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read 22:35 "'in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, 22:37 "'how God spoke to him, saying, "I am the God of Abraham, 22:41 "'the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob"? 22:44 "'He is not the God of the dead, 22:45 "'but the God of the living. 22:47 You are therefore greatly mistaken.'" 22:49 >>Tom: Okay, so it's very interesting. 22:52 He says, this is not the reason you're wrong. 22:54 "You know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God." 22:57 Well, that's pretty strong language: 22:58 You don't know your Bible. [laughs] 23:00 Now, the Sadducees only believed 23:02 in the five books of Moses, okay? 23:04 So actually, His response to them comes from Moses, 23:08 all right? But He says, "You don't know the Scriptures 23:11 nor the power of God." Then He describes them 23:13 in opposite order. First He talks about the power of God, 23:17 the power of God to raise the dead. 23:20 "For when the dead rise from the dead, 23:21 "they neither marry nor are given in marriage, 23:23 but are like angels in heaven." 23:24 Now, some people get worried about this and say, 23:27 "What, we're not gonna be married in heaven?" 23:29 Well, let's leave that to God to determine what that will be. 23:33 But it seems that what Jesus says, "neither marry"-- 23:37 that's what the man would do-- "nor are given in marriage"-- 23:41 in that culture that's what would be done with the woman-- 23:43 "They neither marry nor are given in marriage." 23:46 Although it doesn't say that people 23:47 who are already married won't be married there, 23:49 but He seems to be suggesting 23:51 that there won't be marriage there in heaven. 23:54 Somebody says, "Well, how can that be anything good?" 23:57 You know what, God is so good that whatever He's got in store 24:00 for us is gonna be better than what we have here. 24:02 We don't have to worry. 24:04 But then about the dead being raised, 24:06 He actually uses a passage from the book of Exodus, 24:10 where Moses, at the bush, hears God: 24:14 "I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, 24:17 and the God of Jacob." 24:18 Well, that's not like they're dead. 24:20 It's like they're still alive, like they're alive to God. 24:22 Now, they're not alive now. [laughs] 24:24 They're dead, sleeping in the grave. 24:27 But God is not going to leave them in the grave. 24:29 He's going to raise them up. 24:31 And so, "He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. 24:35 You are quite wrong." 24:36 So they're dead now, but for them to be--for Him 24:39 to be their God, He has to raise them up, you see? 24:42 So He will raise them up. 24:44 >>Eric: Like you mentioned, this--it moves quickly. 24:47 And we're down in around verse number 28 now. 24:51 And one of the scribes comes and says, 24:53 "Which is the first commandment of all?" 24:55 So they're talking about these two great commandments. 24:58 What do we learn from this passage? 24:59 >>Tom: Yeah, this is really a interesting story, 25:02 'cause most of the time in the Gospels, 25:06 the religious leaders are Jesus' enemies. 25:08 Scribes, the Pharisees, the priests, 25:10 they're all against Him. Not this guy, you know. 25:13 This guy hears that He's making a good answer, 25:16 and he asks an honest question: 25:17 "Which commandment is the most important of all?" 25:19 Jesus then refers to the two greatest commandments. 25:24 He says the most important is-- 25:26 now here comes what's called the "Shema," 25:28 the confession of faith of Israel. 25:30 "'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 25:34 "'And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart... 25:37 "'with all your soul... with all your mind... 25:39 "with all your strength.' 25:40 "The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' 25:43 There is no other commandment greater than these." 25:46 The Ten Commandments are based on these two. 25:50 The first commandment--the first four commandments 25:53 are focused around loving God with all your heart. 25:55 The last six commandments are an expression 25:57 of loving your neighbor as yourself. 26:00 You need more than these two because, you know, we don't-- 26:02 we can so misunderstand the word "love." 26:05 We need the commands that are given to us 26:07 in the Ten Commandments. 26:09 But the scribe then likes this, and he says, 26:12 "'You are right, Teacher. 26:13 "'You have truly said...He is one, and there is no other 26:15 "'besides Him.... To love Him with all the heart 26:18 "'and with all the understanding ...with all the strength, 26:20 "'and to love one's neighbor as oneself, 26:22 "is much more than all...burnt offerings and sacrifices.' 26:25 "...When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, 26:28 "'You are not far from the kingdom of God.' ...After that, 26:30 no one dared to ask Him any more questions." [laughs] 26:34 So He says, "You're not far from the kingdom of God." 26:36 He doesn't say he's in the kingdom of God. 26:39 What was missing is, well, of course, 26:41 he would have to believe in Jesus. 26:43 Now, did that guy become a believer? We sure hope so. 26:46 We don't know, but he was sure on the right track. 26:49 And he, affirming Jesus in what He had answered, 26:54 places Jesus on vantage ground. 26:57 And so no one dares to ask Him any more questions 26:59 because they can't beat Jesus. 27:02 If you come to argue with Him, you're not gonna win. 27:04 >>Eric: Yeah. But everybody who does come in faith, 27:07 He doesn't turn away. >>Tom: Yep, 27:08 when you come for His help, you'll get help. 27:11 >>Eric: Beautiful picture of how Jesus was able to come through 27:15 victorious over and over again in these stories. 27:18 The truth is, you can be ready as well. 27:22 This scribe's story was a little bit unfinished. 27:25 Yours doesn't have to be. 27:27 You can be ready for Jesus when He comes. 27:29 You can make that decision. 27:31 And your name can be inscribed in the courts of heaven 27:35 on the list of those who are going to be saved, if you make 27:38 that decision that you want to follow Him completely. 27:41 Well, our journey is not quite over. 27:42 We have lesson number 10 next week as we continue 27:45 our journey through the book of Mark. 27:47 And we look forward to seeing you again that time 27:49 here on "Sabbath School," brought to you by It Is Written. 27:52 [upbeat music] 28:23 ♪♪♪ 28:26 [Captions provided by Aberdeen Captioning www.abercap.com] |
Revised 2024-08-22