SEE (head)
Once again Jesus is in the Temple, teaching the truths of God. Using a common everyday situation to teach a profound spiritual truth, Jesus describes the nation of Israel as a vineyard owned and leased out by God. Its tenants, the nation's religious leaders, refuse to give God his due. Instead, they kill first the owner's messengers and then his son. They themselves will be killed, says Jesus, and the vineyard will be given to other tenants. Jesus ends by predicting that he, the one rejected by the religious leaders, will become the chief cornerstone of God's new building.

A vineyard (v. 1). Jesus' story, or parable, describes an everyday situation in the Palestine of his day. "Wealthy foreign landlords owned large land estates which they leased to tenant farmers. The tenants agreed to cultivate the land and care for the vineyards when the landlords were away." [ref] At harvest time the tenant farmers would pay the owner's agents, sent by him to collect a set percentage of the crop. "Generally this amounted to a quarter to a half of the crop, probably in the form of wine, not grapes." [ref] It was during this time that "[t]ensions often arose; records exist of bitter disputes between landowners and their tenants." [ref] In order for the landowner to retain his legal rights to the land, he had to receive some produce from the tenants. [ref] Thus a deliberate failure to pay the landowner actually represented a calculated effort on the part of the tenants to undermine his legal rights to the property.

His son (v. 6). While the landowner convinced himself that the tenants would respect his son, they took the son's presence to indicate that the owner was no longer alive. "In Palestine at the time, a piece of land could be possessed lawfully by whoever claimed it first if it was 'ownerless property,' unclaimed by an heir within a certain time period (cf. Mishnah Baba Bathra 3.3). The tenant farmers assumed that if they killed the son they could acquire the vineyard." [ref] [ref] Get rid of the son and the land would be up for grabs. [ref] Hence it is not a matter of impulse. "On the contrary, it is 'malice aforethought,' the result of wicked deliberation, of corrupt, selfish scheming. It is premeditated murder." [ref]

The cornerstone (v. 10). Jesus quoted from Psalm 118:22-23 to sound a note of hope. ("Psalm 118 was a key part of the Passover service, and all the pilgrims coming to Passover would recite 118:25-26 as they came to Jerusalem." [ref]) "A slain son cannot be revived but a rejected stone can be retrieved and used." [ref] Thus the rejection of Jesus will spell not the end but the beginning as Jesus himself becomes the chief cornerstone - "considered the most important stone of a building," [ref] "used as the standard to make sure the other stones of the building were straight and level" [ref] - of the Church "international, gathered from both Jews and Gentiles." [ref] [ref] (Of course there is also a sense in which Israel, rejected by all other nations, was/is the cornerstone in God's plan of redemption. [ref])

Teaching (v. 1). One source outlines the main elements of this parable: 

1. the man who planted the vineyard = God
2. the vineyard = Israel
3. the tenant farmers = the Jewish religious leaders
4. the landowner's servants (12:2) = the prophets and priests who remained faithful to God and preached to Israel
5. the son = Jesus (12:6), and
6. the others to whom the vineyard was given (12:9) = the Gentiles [ref] (quoted verbaim)

As one source rightly points out: "A vineyard is naturally planted for the sake of the fruit it will yield. But this parable does not center our attention on the productivity or the unproductivity of the vineyard or of its vines ... but on the vicious action of these vine-growers to whom the vineyard is leased, and who were to meet the terms of that lease." [ref]

A number of additional points are worth noting:

• Isaiah 5:1-7. This parable "builds upon the imagery of Isaiah 5:1–7, the Song of the Vineyard, which portrays the coming destruction of those who fail to bear fruit for God." [ref] [ref]

• OT imagery. The parable includes imagery found throughout the OT: the idea of "fruit-producing growths" intended to yield a full and useful crop, in particular "the olive tree, the fig tree, and the grapevine" [ref]; "the vineyard representing God's possession Israel (ISAIAH 5:1–7); the harvest as judgment time (Jeremiah 51:33; Hosea 6:11a; Joel 3:13); and the servants as spiritual leaders (Exodus 14:31; Judges 2:8; 1 Samuel 3:9; 2 Samuel 3:18)." [ref] (Later rabbinic literature explicitly equates the watch tower with the temple and altar. [ref])

• Judgment. This is "a juridical parable, that is, a parable that induces the hearers to pass judgment on themselves. The vineyard is Israel, its owner is God, and the fruit is the behavior of Israel." [ref] It foretells the harsh judgment awaiting them after they've committed the ultimate atrocity of killing God's Son. ("Throwing the heir's body out of the vineyard [v.8] pictures Jesus' death outside of Jerusalem." [ref]) "God's love and patience exceed absolutely everything that men have ever heard of here on earth. Yet let us not overlook the other point, how Jesus here pictures the corresponding guilt of all those who abused these messengers and finally killed also the son. If God's love and patience exceed all bounds, so also does this guilt." [ref]

• The prophets ... the Son. This parable recounts the shameful treatment rendered God's spokesmen, the prophets, at the hands of the nation's religious and political rulers, who will thus lose their stewardship. [ref] "Throughout Israel's history, the leadership constantly rejected the prophets God sent to them, refusing to turn away from idols or to follow God's guidance. Many of God's prophets were beaten; others were killed." [ref] Moreover, "[e]ach generation of the Jewish leaders allowed the deeds of their fathers by repeating them. They made all the previous murders their own by adding to them; and the climax was reached by the last generation of these leaders in killing Jesus. They put into final practice the lessons in killing taught them by all former persecutors of the prophets by killing God's own Son." [ref] ("'Beloved' occurs elsewhere in Mark only at Jesus' baptism and transfiguration (1:11; 9:7). Both are allusions to Ps. 2, wherein in the face of insurrection God affirms his messianic son's inheritance, which is the focus of the parable in Mark." ) [ref]  

• Perverted thinking. "Jesus came to call Israel back to God. But the religious leaders, caught up in their positions, wanted to hold on to their power and prestige with the people. Jesus threatened to take that away; they couldn't match his teaching, his miracles, or his popularity. They thought that killing Jesus was the only way to gain back the respect of the people that seemed to be slipping from their grasp." [ref]

• God's patience. God's miraculous long-suffering can be depicted only by the most unlikely human situation, as no landowner in his right mind would subject his servants to such severe mistreatment, capped off by the sending of his own son. As one source puts it: "The patience of God toward Israel's religious rulers is without parallel in human history - an illustration must be invented to picture it, and the illustration will have to be unreal." [ref]

• Rejecting God. The parable teaches the hard truth that "God's long-suffering love ... turns to judgment when we reject God's message. ... For the Christian, failure to follow Christ leads to loss of spiritual gifts and a loss of a sense of God's presence and power. Will God give our responsibilities to others who will use them appropriately? To the person who is not yet a Christian, putting God off leads to spiritual deafness or hardening. Soon that person can't hear God's Word at all. At all times, we must embrace God's truth eagerly, follow his lead faithfully, and respect the importance of his message daily." [ref]

HEAR (heart)
A Gangster Christian

Billy Graham has shared the Gospel with an enormous number of people. He has spoken to everyone from ordinary individuals to vast crowds, from presidents to kings. Once he even shared the Gospel with a notorious gangster named Mickey Cohen.

Cohen seemed interested in the message but did not make a profession of faith. Until, that is, a friend shared the Gospel and included Revelation 3:20: "'Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me'" (NASB).

The gangster made a profession of faith, but there was no subsequent evidence of genuine repentance. He continued his life of crime, just as before. And he even rebuked the believer who had shared the Gospel with him, complaining that he was never told he would have to give up his "work" (his rackets) and his "friends" (his gangster associates).

Cohen had heard that there were Christian actors and Christian politicians. And so he really thought he could be a Christian gangster! [ref] (paraphrased)

Like the gangster Mickey Cohen, Israel's religious leaders refused to understand what it meant to represent God. They thought they could take the privileges without the responsibilities. But, warned Jesus, that kind of attitude leads only to hard, selfish, sinful hearts that refuse to listen to God. People possessing such hearts will do anything to silence God's voice. But, said Jesus, there reaches a point where God leaves them alone to face the full consequences of their sin.

DO (hands)
??? "We are shocked that these renters killed the owner's son with such disregard, ungratefulness, and violence. Yet we do violence to Jesus and his messengers when we think they disrupt our security, leisure plans, or pleasure. How are we 'killing' God's claim on our time and treasure? Are we possessive and murderously resentful when our leisure or pleasure gets bumped for Christian responsibilities? Would [Jesus'] return be unwelcome because of the plans that we have made?" [ref]

SEE (head)
Jesus is approached by "some Pharisees and supporters of Herod" seeking to trap him. These traditional enemies have joined forces in an effort to ensnare their mutual enemy, Jesus. They raise the topic of paying taxes to the Roman government. Jesus first assures them that they are fooling no one but themselves, and then he asks for a denarius. He reminds them that the coin belongs to Caesar and thus should be given to him. God, however, deserves and must be given what belongs to him. 

Pharisees and supporters of Herod (v. 13). As we have seen, the Pharisees were "a religious and political party in Palestine in New Testament times. The Pharisees were known for insisting that the law of God be observed as the scribes interpreted it and for their special commitment to keeping the laws of tithing and ritual purity." [ref] Jesus' most scathing rebukes were directed at this group (see Matthew 23). And the "supporters of Herod" (= Herodians) were "Jews of influence and standing who were favorable toward Greek customs and Roman law in New Testament times." [ref] They regarded the Herodian dynasty "as the safeguard against direct pagan rule which the Jews loathed, and also as the best compromise between the ancient faith and pagan civilization." [ref] To them, the Herodian family represented "'the last hope of retaining for the Jews a fragment of national government, as distinguished from absolute dependence upon Rome as a province of the empire.' Supporters of the family of Herod, who held their dominions by the grant of the Roman emperor, would be in favor of paying tribute to the supreme power." [ref] The one thing the (conservative) Pharisees and the (liberal) Herodians agreed on was the need to get rid of (independent) Jesus. 

Taxes to Caesar (v. 14). The Pharisees opposed paying taxes (which at least some saw as a form of idolatry [ref]), while the Herodians supported it. [ref]  [ref] [ref] As one source explains the taxation system: "There were three basic types: (1) a land or produce tax took one-tenth of all grain and one-fifth of all fruit (or wine), (2) everyone aged fourteen to sixty-five paid a head or poll tax collected when a census was taken - one day's wages, and (3) a custom tax was collected at ports and city gates as tolls for goods transported - rates were 2 to 5 percent of the value of the goods." [ref] Most commentators identify the "taxes" Jesus was asked about as "the annual poll tax (head tax) ... [which] went directly into the emperor's treasury. This tax was unpopular because it typified the Jews' subjugation to Rome (cf. Acts 5:37)." [ref] [ref]

Roman taxation was seen as "a recognition of Rome's right to rule over Israel" and as a way of honoring Caesar over God. [ref] Any Israelite who said taxes should be paid would immediately be branded by the religious leaders as a traitor who thought more of serving Rome than of serving God. Open denunciation of the tax, however, especially by a popular leader, could easily be interpreted by the Roman government as an act of insurrection. Add to this the delegates' public acknowledgement of Jesus' reputation for scrupulous honesty - which doubtless they proffered in an effort to cut off any possible escape [ref] [ref]  - and we see why Jesus' enemies felt certain they had him this time. (Victims of flattery usually come in one of two sizes: extra-large ego or extra-small self-esteem. [ref]) At the very least, they hoped to discredit Jesus among his supporters, [ref] while at most they hoped "to provide a basis on which He might be accused of treason to the Roman government." [ref]

A Roman coin ... picture and title (vv. 15, 16). Jesus asked them for a denarius - a small, silver Roman coin  "worth approximately one day's wage for a laborer." [ref] The front of the coin was inscribed with an image of the emperor and the words ""Tiberius Caesar, Son of the Divine Augustus." The back of the coin pictured the emperor "seated on a throne wearing a diadem and ... clothed as a highpriest" [ref] and read "High/Chief Priest (of the Roman Nation)."[ref] [ref] "This inscription originated in the imperial cult of emperor worship and was a claim to divinity, which was particularly repulsive to Jews" [ref] because the emperor proclaimed himself the "supreme authority not only in political but even in spiritual affairs." [ref]

The denarius, "the only coin acceptable for imperial tax payments," [ref] [ref] was different from the copper coins that were circulated throughout Jewish Palestine. [ref] In carrying and using the Roman coin, Jesus' opponents were submitting to Rome's authority, including indirectly acknowledging "the benefits of the civil government ... and consequently the obligation to pay taxes." [ref] [ref] [ref] [ref] [ref] [ref]

Give to Caesar ... give to God (v. 17). While we, no less than Jesus' original audience, may (and should) feel chafed when we think of government abuse and corruption, [ref] we should be quick to recall that the government's authority is God-given. For that reason alone, Christians are to submit to the government, including paying taxes. [ref] What's more, the government uses our tax dollars to provide us with innumerable benefits, including public defense, public roadways, public sanitation services, etc., etc. In that respect, to pay taxes is simply to pay a debt we owe. Which, not coincidentally, is the precise meaning behind Jesus' "Render to Caesar ..." (Mark 12:17, NASB): "In their question, the religious leaders used the word didomi, meaning 'to give.' Jesus responded with the word apodidomi, meaning 'to pay a debt.'" [ref] [ref] [ref] (For more info, see: Prayer, Submission, and Our New President.)

As one source brings out, submission to God includes submission to the governing authorities:

[W]e misunderstand Jesus when we have him say that the obligation to God has nothing to do with the obligation to our government. Even the Pharisees and their disciples were not that shallow as their question shows. The 'and' of Jesus intends to cancel the 'or' of his questioners (in both v. 14 and 15). These are not alternatives, they harmonize, yea, more: in giving to God what is God's we will for his sake give also to the ruler what is his. Our obligation to God covers everything in our life, its citizenship as well as our religion. [ref] (quoted verbatim)

Jesus' somewhat ambiguous response was intended to challenge "one's loyalties and motives." [ref] When Jesus spoke of giving God his due, he "probably meant it as a protest against the emperor's claim to deity. Indeed the emperor must receive his due, but not more than that; he must not receive the divine honor and worship he claimed. Those are due only to God. People are 'God's coinage' because they bear His image (cf. Genesis 1:27) and they owe Him what belongs to Him, their allegiance. This, not the poll tax, was the crucial issue to Jesus." [ref] [ref] [ref]

As one source puts it:

Jesus avoided the trick question by showing that believers have dual citizenship (1 Peter 2:7). Our citizenship in the nation requires that we pay money for the services and benefits we receive. Our citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven requires that we pledge to God our primary obedience and commitment. (See Acts 4:18-19 and Acts 5:29 for discussions on obeying God rather than people.) As God's followers, we have legitimate obligations to both God and the government. But it is important to keep our priorities straight. When the two authorities conflict, our duty to God always must come before our duty to the government. The coin bearing the emperor's image should be given to the emperor; our lives, bearing God's image, belong to God. [ref] (quoted verbatim)

HEAR (heart)
No Escape
Warren Wiersbe tells a story of the time he carried on a brief correspondence (via snail mail) with a man who objected to his interpretation of Romans 13 (regarding submitting to governmental authority). The man said all government was of the devil and that Christians must resist it. Wiersbe pointed out that through his use of the U.S. Postal Service, the man was actually accepting governmental authority. The money he used was printed and guaranteed by the federal government. And, for that matter, the very freedom that the man employed in voicing his opinion was a right guaranteed by the government. [ref]

DO (hands)
??? Read Acts 5:26-29 and Romans 13:1-7. How do these Scripture passages compare with Christ's command in Mark 12:17?

SEE (head)
A group of Sadducees poses a hypothetical question to Jesus in an effort to disprove the resurrection. They are correct in their understanding of the Mosaic law requiring a man to marry his widowed sister-in-law in order to provide his deceased brother with an heir. But they are committing a grave error in trying to use this law to prove that the resurrection does not make sense. Jesus responds by teaching them about the general nature of the resurrection, as well as the fact that death is not the end of our existence.

Sadducees (v. 18). Not very much is known about the Sadducees. "Our information about them is meager and derived exclusively from hostile sources. Clearly they consisted mainly of the most influential priestly and aristocratic families ... [and] they are presented essentially as the preservers of ancient priestly traditions." [ref] This group "included most of the priests; the office of high priest was regularly held by a Sadducee." [ref] [ref] Like most wealthy and "connected" people, the Sadducees exercised an influence disproportionate to their size, controlling "the official political structures of Judaism at this time." [ref] They accepted as authoritative only the writings of Moses - the Pentateuch, or first five books of the Bible. And since, they believed, the resurrection was not taught in those books, it could not be true. ("They denied the truths of the resurrection, future judgment, and the existence of angels and spirits." [ref]) In light of their renowned animosity toward the Pharisees, they must have thought they had found "a way to trip Jesus and at the same time to maintain their skeptic views against the orthodox Pharisees." [ref] [ref] (Historical note: "Many of the Sadducean leaders were murdered by the Zealots during the revolt against Rome [A.D. 66-70], as real or suspected collaborators; the destruction of the Temple [A.D. 70] deprived their survivors of their position of religious significance. They disappeared, and the Pharisees saw to it that they left no traces behind them." [ref])

Marry the widow (v. 19). "Apparently one of the favorite sports of the Sadducees was to make fun of their opponents by showing how their beliefs led to ridiculous conclusions." [ref] ("We may suppose that they had tried this proof [regarding levirate marriage and the resurrection] in controversy with many a Pharisee and had made a laughingstock of every opponent. Jesus was to be the next victim." [ref] [ref]) Thus they approach Jesus with a "free rendering of the Mosaic regulation concerning levirate (from Latin, levir, 'husband's brother') marriage (cf. Deuteronomy 25:5-10).  If a husband died without leaving a male heir his (unmarried) brother (or, if none, his nearest male relative) was to marry his widow. The first son of that union was given the name of the dead brother and was considered his child. This was to prevent extinction of a family line and thereby kept the family inheritance intact." [ref] As another source brings out: "Levirate marriage was an ancient solution to the problem of the widowed and childless woman. In great antiquity a woman had two places: her father's house as an unmarried virgin, or her husband's house, in which she would bear him children. A childless widow had no secure place in ancient society. Through levirate marriage she had the opportunity to bear children in the name of her deceased husband." [ref] ("The story of Ruth and Boaz, recorded in the Book of Ruth, is a good example of the levirate form of marriage." [ref]).

The resurrection (v. 23). Since the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection, it was obvious they were ridiculing the very idea. [ref] "The underlying premise is that the doctrine of resurrection is inconsistent with the teaching of Torah, especially so when someone like Jesus adopts a strict, monogamous position that rules out divorce." [ref]

For his part, Jesus affirmed the reality of a future resurrection, and taught that the life associated with it will be characterized by serving and fellowshipping with God. [ref] [ref] People will relate to each and to God in a very different way, as there will be no death and thus no need for marriage and offspring. [ref] "The entire arrangement of sex, marriage, reproduction, and childbirth, and any laws pertaining to these is valid for the earthly life only and not for the life to come." [ref]

The Scriptures ... the power of God (v. 24). Based as it was on the very words of God [ref] as recorded in the Pentateuch (Exodus 3:6), the Sadducees had no choice but to accept Jesus' teaching regarding the afterlife. "God implied that the patriarchs were still alive and that He had a continuing relationship with them as their covenant-keeping God, even though they had died long before. This demonstrates, Jesus concluded, that He is not the God of the dead, in the Sadducean understanding of death as extinction, but of the living. He is still the patriarchs' God which would not be true had they ceased to exist at death, that is, if death ends it all. And His covenant faithfulness implicitly guarantees their bodily resurrection. ... Both bodily resurrection and life after death depend on the faithfulness of 'the God of the living.'" [ref]  (For more info, see: Jesus: The Resurrection and the Life.)

Jesus not only made his point, but he did so in such a way as to affirm that the Bible is totally trustworthy - right down to the verb tense of the words used. In choosing this particular line of reasoning, Jesus made several assumptions that help to affirm the truth and accuracy of God's inspired, authoritative Word, the Bible. Jesus assumed:

• God's appearance to Moses was a genuine, historical event.
• God reveals himself in propositional statements.
• Doctrine must be historically accurate in order to be true.
• Every passage of Scripture, including some that on the surface may seem unlikely to prove a point, is totally trustworthy. [ref]  (paraphrased)

HEAR (heart)
The Truthful Barometer

A young farmer in North Dakota brought home a fancy barometer for which he paid $24.65. In the following days he watched it avidly as it predicted the weather. On one of the walls of his home it hung in an honored place. But the day came when for three days it predicted "storm" while the sky was turquoise and clear. So he took it off the wall and back to town where he demanded his money back.

Returning home, he and his wife became alarmed when they saw evidence of a storm ten miles out. When they turned in their yard, their home had blown away. The furniture was up in the apple trees, and the bathtub three blocks away in a pasture.

But the grandmother had believed the barometer, and when a dark cloud appeared she took the two small children and went to the shelter in the old storm cellar, long unused, and they were saved. [ref] (quoted verbatim)

We live in a world that openly questions, and even mocks, the very idea that the Bible is God's inspired, authoritative Word. As a consequence, many people deny the existence of absolute moral truth, live immoral lives, and see God as a crutch for the weak-minded. [ref] The truth is that the Bible is our only sure and reliable barometer. We may not understand everything about it, but if we are willing to give it the honored place it both deserves and demands, God will use it to guide us and keep us safe through life's storms.

As for the skeptics and critics, one source wisely advises: "Where active unbelief is strong, Christians need to concentrate strong intellect, persuasive witness, and steady prayer. Remember to pray for professors, educators, student workers, and missionaries who present Christ in atmospheres of aggressive and hostile unbelief." [ref]

DO (hands)
??? Like the Sadducees of Jesus' day, many people of our own day are less than sincere in their questioning of God's Word and/or God's people. How should we handle such people? One source offers some excellent counsel.

As Christians, we will face unfair theological questions from religious leaders who do not believe in Christ as Lord or in his Word as divine. We also will face unfair questions from unbelievers who have no knowledge. To stand our ground, we must discern the thoughts and feelings that lie beneath their questions.

• Do their own consciences suffer, so they are reacting against Christianity as the source of their conviction?
• Do they resent the assurance of faith that Christians hold?
• Have they been severely hurt or disappointed by so-called religious people?
• Do they wish to proudly flaunt their own freedom and power of intellect?
• Are they reacting on partial knowledge, misconceptions of God, or poor interpretations of Scripture?
• Have they confused the love and compassion of Jesus Christ with the sometimes improper actions of professing Christians?

Many who attack the Bible have never truly studied it or considered Christ's claims. Turn the discussion to the love of Christ. [ref] (quoted verbatim)

SEE (head)
Jesus is asked about a topic commonly debated among the religious leaders of his day: the most important commandment in the Scriptures. He responds by saying that loving God with our entire being, followed by loving and caring for those around us, is the most important thing in life. Jesus then asks a question of his own regarding the identity of the Messiah. Although the Messiah is to be a descendent of David, he will also be far superior to David, who was the greatest king of Israel and a man after God's own heart.

All the commandments (v. 28). In sharp contrast to the Sadducees, the scribe in this story "came with no apparent hostile or hidden motive," but simply "to appraise Jesus' skill in answering a much-debated subject in scribal circles." [ref] [ref] "The Pharisees had codified the law into 248 commandments and 365 prohibitions. These 613 precepts were imposed by the Pharisees on their followers as their obligation." [ref] It was inevitable that, at certain times and in certain situations, one command would come into conflict with another. Thus there were ongoing debates regarding which command was to be obeyed and which one was to be ignored. There were also attempts to summarize the entire law in one single command. [ref] [ref] "As a Pharisee himself [see Matthew 22:34-36], the man had in mind the debates over the relative importance of ritual, ethical, moral, and ceremonial laws, as well as the positive versus negative laws." [ref]  

Linking passages of Scripture together based on key words was actually a common Jewish interpretive technique. "These passages were also linked in Jewish tradition (e.g., Philo), and some other teachers felt that these were the greatest commandments that summarized the law. This was especially true of 'Love the Lord your God'." [ref] That said, it appears that no one prior to Jesus placed these two commands on equal footing. What's more, "Jesus, not only by word but also by very deed, was the first to set forth the true meaning of perfect love toward God united with perfect love toward man." [ref] The order in which Jesus placed the commands is also very important. If we truly love God, then love for our neighbor will follow. However, if we try to put loving our neighbor above loving God, we will be unable to properly love either one. [ref]

Listen, O Israel (v. 29). Jesus responded by first of all reciting the Shema ("from the opening word 'Hear,' which in Hebrew is shema" [ref]), described as "[t]he 'watchword of Israel's faith,' a declaration of the oneness and uniqueness of God as found in the opening words of Deuteronomy 6:4: 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.' ... The Shema is not a prayer (rabbinic literature never refers to 'praying' the Shema) but a confession of faith or creed. ... [T]he main focus of the Shema in its original setting - ancient Near Eastern polytheism - is clearly on the fact there is one God. Yahweh alone claims the unqualified love and obedience of all His creation." [ref]  "[R]ecited by pious Jews every morning and evening[,] [i]t basically affirms two things: (1) the unity of God ('the Lord is one') and (2) the covenant relationship of God to the Jewish people ('the Lord our God')." [ref] Apparently Jesus' aim in reciting the Shema was to bypass endless debate and get back to a basic, foundational truth: "What mattered were not laws and their relative importance; what mattered was a relationship with the one true God." [ref]

Love the Lord your God (v. 30). Jesus affirmed that "[t]he whole duty of man, the whole moral-spiritual law, can be summed up in one word: love." [ref] In simplest terms, we are to love God with every ounce of our being. As one paraphrase renders it, we are to love God "with all [our] passion and prayer and intelligence and energy" (The Message). Jesus said:

• And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart (Greek kardia: "the center of desires and affections" [ref]).
• all your soul (Greek psuche: a "person's 'being' and uniqueness" [ref]).
• all your mind (Greek dianoia: "the center of a person's intellect" [ref]).
• and all your strength (Greek ischus: "physical capabilities" [ref]).

Notice the repetition of the word "all," meaning that "[n]ot even the smallest corner is to be closed against [God] and opened to another." [ref] A more precise definition of the various terms reveals much overlap [ref], indicating that "[t]he use of the various terms is not meant to delineate distinct human faculties, but to underscore the completeness of the kind of love that is called for." [ref] To love God as Jesus said "calls for a volitional commitment to God that is personal, comprehensive, and wholehearted." [ref] It is "the love of intelligence and purpose and is thus far above the love of mere liking or affection." [ref] Through Christ "God gives himself totally in love to his people; therefore he expects his people to give themselves totally ('soul,' 'mind,' and 'strength') in love to him." [ref]

It is also helpful to see this command in light of its original context: "Loving the Lord with all the heart and soul and strength is placed at the head, as the spiritual principle from which the observance of the commandments was to flow (see also Deuteronomy 11:1; 30:6). It was in love that the fear of the Lord (Deuteronomy 10:12), hearkening to His commandments (Deuteronomy:13), and the observance of the whole law (Deuteronomy 11:22), were to be manifested; but love itself was to be shown by walking in all the ways of the Lord (Deuteronomy 11:22; 19:9; 30:16)." [ref]

Love your neighbor (v. 31). But Jesus did not stop there. He cited "a second commandment ... which is of the same supreme quality as the first." [ref] Jesus said we are to love neighbor as self - that is, to be just as concerned for the well-being of others as we are for our own. A "neighbor" (Greek plesion) is "'one who is nearby,' a generic term for fellowman" [ref]; "any other man irrespective of nation or religion with whom we live or whom we chance to meet." [ref] As one source puts it: "[A neighbor] is anyone who has been providentially placed in [our] path for sympathy and help. A person should really never ask, 'And who is my neighbor?' Instead, he himself should be a true neighbor to those in need, even though they be his enemies. See Matthew 5:43-48; Luke 10:30-37." [ref] As another source notes, "neighbor" refers to "one who is near us, i.e., one with whom we come in contact, no matter who he may be. It is idle to demand love for one of whose existence we know nothing." [ref] Thus rather than some lofty philosophy that produces much heat but little light, love of neighbor is actually an imminently practical idea that can/should be practiced daily.

Along those same lines, one Bible commentator notes that it is for very practical reasons that the command says to "love your neighbor" rather than to "like your neighbor":

This love for our neighbor could not be expressed by ["like"] for the simple reason that liking would not be enough, and that we could not possibly like everyone with whom we come in contact. Take some vicious individual or some filthy person - can you embrace and kiss him and take him into your home? But you can, indeed, love him (agapan) with the intelligence that sees and comprehends what is wrong with him and with the noble and true purpose of ridding him of what is wrong with him. This love will ever make the true interests of its neighbor its own. [ref] (quoted verbatim)

Taken together, the two commands Jesus gave can serve as a summary of the Ten Commandments: the first four commandments focus on our relationship with God, while the remaining six focus on our relationship with people. [ref] The two greatest commands describe the type of person God chooses to honor. They also convict us of our need for a Savior, since we all fall far short of keeping them completely. [ref] In his parallel account, the apostle Matthew includes Jesus' declaration that: "'The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments'" (Matthew 22:40). Or, as one modern paraphrase renders it: "These two commands are pegs; everything in God's Law and the Prophets hangs from them." (The Message). In other words, according to Jesus, "all of the commandments were given for two simple reasons - to help us love God and love others as we should." [ref]

More important than ... offerings and sacrifices (v. 33). The scribe was delighted at Jesus' response, declaring that love for God and neighbor were of greater importance than offerings and sacrifices. "In other words, love was more important than all the ritual and ceremonial laws." [ref] As one source puts it, the scribe found Jesus' answer to be "so complete, so rich and satisfying, so illuminating in every way that the scribe himself said so in his own way." [ref] Obviously the scribe had been seriously wrestling with this issue, and it may well be that prior to his conversation with Jesus he had attached more weight to the offerings and sacrifices. [ref] On the other hand, he may have already reached the same conclusion as Jesus and was overjoyed to have his interpretation affirmed. [ref] It is certainly the case that the truth of Jesus' words were "emphasized and constantly repeated in the Old Testament. See especially the following passages: 1 Samuel 15:22; Psalms 40:6-7; 51:16-17; Isaiah 1:10-17; Hosea 6:6: Micah 6:6-8." [ref] While the Judaism of Jesus' day gave equal weight to love and sacrifices, [ref] the scribe declared, and Jesus implicitly affirmed, that love was superior. Thus "[t]his man had caught the intent of God's law as it is so often stressed in the Old Testament - that true obedience comes from the heart." [ref] ("Because the Old Testament commands lead to Christ, the man's next step toward obtaining God's kingdom was faith in Jesus himself. ... Perhaps after Jesus' death and resurrection, this understanding Pharisee also became a believer." [ref])

Son of David (v. 35). "It was a common belief in Judaism that Messiah would be David's son in that he would come from the lineage of David." [ref]  Quoting from Psalms 110, Jesus taught that the Messiah is both a son of (= descendant of) David and far superior to David, strongly implying that the Messiah is both man and God. [ref] [ref] [ref] "The Davidic sonship of the Messiah was a standard Jewish belief (cf. John 7:41-42) firmly based on the Old Testament Scriptures (cf. 2 Samuel 7:8-16; Psalms 89:3-4; Isaiah 9:2-7; 11:1-9; Jeremiah 23:5-6; 30:9; 33:15-17, 22; Ezekiel 34:23-24; 37:24; Hosea 3:5; Amos 9:11). Jesus added that it is equally true that the Messiah is David's Lord." [ref] As another source puts it: "David's Son is God's Son. Accordingly, when Jesus now says, 'How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?' he means, 'How can they say that the Christ is merely the Son of David?'" [ref] And so, "[w]ithout clearly stating it, Jesus was lifting the veil of his divine identity. The divine Messiah would indeed come in human form, and he was standing among them." [ref]

Besides serving as a marker to set him apart from all the rest of David's descendants, [ref] the Messiah's deity spelled profound implications for Israel's religious leaders. Like the rest of the nation at that time, they thought of the promised Messiah in earthly terms - "a human ruler who would reign on King David's throne, deliver them from Gentile domination by establishing God's rule on earth, and restore Israel's greatness as in the days of David and Solomon." [ref] To the religious leaders' way of thinking, such a Messiah posed no real threat to them personally: he would have his power, and they would still have theirs. Jesus, on the other hand, was very much a threat, as his open, repeated, and vehement denunciation of the religious leaders' false teaching and hypocritical ways represented a clear and present danger to their power and control. If he really was the Messiah, then they were in serious trouble. Their solution? Get rid of him.

HEAR (heart)
Not for Sissies

The story is told of a group of senior citizens who lived in a retirement home. One day they were sitting around comparing their various and sundry aches, pains, and illnesses.

Arthritis made everyone's list. Indigestion was very popular. And of course there were ulcers, as well as insomnia. And on it went.

Finally one gentleman who was 85 years old spoke up and said, "Well, it just goes to prove that getting old ain't for sissies!" [ref] (paraphrased)

"[Jesus'] provocative questions brought delight to the crowds, thoughtfulness to the attentive, and continued anger to his enemies." [ref] As Jesus' followers, we too can expect mixed reactions as we openly proclaim in both word and deed God's life-transforming truth. Some people will be delighted by it, some will give it serious thought, and some will want to kill the messenger. Which just goes to prove that being a faithful follower of Jesus ain't for sissies!

DO (hands)
??? What are some practical, everyday habits we can form that will help our "thoughts, decisions, and actions" to be governed by the two greatest commands? [ref] (Hint: Begin with the basics of prayer, Bible study, and fellowship.)

SEE (head)
Jesus denounces the religious leaders as hypocrites who hunger for wealth and status as they practice their religion in public to be seen and admired by other people. In reality, they aren't the least bit interested in helping people; rather, they want only to help themselves to whatever they can get out of other people, even the most helpless and marginalized members of society. Jesus contrasts these religious hypocrites with a widow whose sincere faith and trust in God leads her to give away all she has. Her contribution, says Jesus, is far more valuable than the large sums of money given by the rich.

Flowing robes ... greetings ... seats of honor ... head table (vv. 38, 39). Regarding the "flowing robes" Jesus mentioned, one source explains: "The robes of the intellectuals and aristocrats were long, reaching to the feet. The religious leaders wore white linen robes, with white symbolizing religious purity. These robes were supposed to be worn mainly for religious duties. However, the religious leaders had taken to wearing them into public, such as to the marketplaces, for attention. The white robes singled them out and thus caused the people to recognize them as authorities and greet them respectfully. The leaders had no reason for these actions except vanity." [ref]

Regarding the other items on Jesus' list, one source explains how many (most?) of the religious leaders liked to:

• be greeted in the marketplaces with formal titles - Rabbi (teacher), master, father (cf. Matthew 23:7; Luke 20:46) - by the common people who respected them highly;
• have the most important synagogue seats, those reserved for dignitaries, situated in front of the chest containing the sacred scrolls of Scripture and facing the whole congregation; and
• have the places of honor at banquets, special evening meals at which they were seated next to the host and received preferential treatment. [ref] (quoted verbatim)

As one source says (with tongue in cheek): "What an honor to ordinary mortals to have the privilege of greeting such distinguished men!" [ref]

Cheat widows (v. 40). Because religious leaders were not allowed to charge for their teaching, [ref] "they depended on the hospitality extended by devout Jews. Some of them used this custom to exploit people, cheating the poor out of everything they had and taking advantage of the rich." [ref]  They set the tithe at 20 to 30 percent "on top of the heavy land taxes levied by the government." [ref] In general, they sought to convince others that to help a religious leader live in comfort on earth is to earn a special place in heaven. [ref]

While "[t]he temple establishment was supposed to have provided social protection and economic assistance to widows," [ref] in fact they did the exact opposite. As one source notes: "Scribes often served as estate planners for widows, which gave them the opportunity to convince distraught widows that they would be serving God by supporting the temple or the scribe's own holy work. In either case, the scribe benefited monetarily and effectively robbed the widow of her husband's legacy to her." [ref] [ref] [ref] [ref] This practice was so commonplace that the phrase "devour widows' houses" (Mark 12:40 NASB) became "a vivid figure of speech for exploiting the generosity of people of limited means." [ref]

Is it any wonder Jesus said they would be severely punished? "The punishment for these scribes would be especially severe because as teachers they were responsible for shaping the faith of the people. But they saddled people with petty rules while they lived greedily and deceitfully. Their behavior gave a pretense of piety, while they oppressed and misled the very people they were supposed to lead." [ref]

The collection box (v. 41). This ("the treasury" NASB) likely "refers to the receptacles in the temple forecourt by the Court of Women used to collect freewill offerings." [ref] As one source explains: "In the Court of the Women, which covered a space of two hundred feet square. All round it ran a colonnade, and within it, against the wall, were the thirteen chests or 'trumpets' for charitable contributions. These chests were narrow at the mouth and wide at the bottom, shaped like trumpets, whence their name. Their specific objects were carefully marked on them. Nine were for the receipt of what was legally due by worshippers, the other four for strictly voluntary gifts." [ref] [ref]

Many rich people (v. 41). As one source notes: "Many of those donating large sums were wealthy landowners who lived in or near Jerusalem; others were Jewish businessmen and merchants of the Diaspora who had journeyed to Jerusalem for the Passover holiday." [ref] Apparently "there were always bystanders at these treasure chests who noted the large contributions and murmured praises when these were cast in. Such people would surely have overlooked [the poor widow] and her tiny gift." [ref]

A poor widow (v. 42). Beyond the court of the Gentiles lay the court of the women, which contained "13 trumpet-shaped collection receptacles for receiving worshipers' freewill offerings and contributions." [ref] Jesus watched as the Passover crowd was putting their money "into the treasury" (NASB), and took note of a widow whose contribution was as nothing compared to that of the others. Her "two small copper coins" (NASB) amounted to "1/64 of a Roman denarius, a day's wage for a laborer." [ref] "[A] widow ... had few resources for making money. If a widow in New Testament times had no sons, no protector, and remained unmarried, she was often destitute. Since there was no social security or public aid for widows, a widow would often be without financial support." [ref]

Given more ... given everything (vv. 43, 44). Apparently Jesus was making two points regarding the widow. First of all, she stood as proof of what he had just been condemning, namely, "a temple establishment that exploits the poor and powerless, rather than assists them, as the Law of Moses commands." [ref] [ref] Secondly, while the widow's minuscule contribution would, in the long run, mean nothing to those in charge of furnishing the temple, it cost her a great deal. Thus Jesus commended her not because of how much she gave, but because of how much it cost her. She gave everything and held back nothing. In so doing, she was placing herself completely in God's hands. [ref] Where would her next meal come from? (Her two small coins "could buy one a handful of flour, or the equivalent of one meager meal." [ref]) God would provide. Where would she get more clothes when what she had began to wear out? God would provide. Where would she live if she were evicted? God would provide. The wealthy, on the other hand, gave large amounts - while making sure they had plenty left over for the next several months and years. They were trusting in their money; the widow was trusting in God. [ref] [ref]

The story of the poor widow offers a number of valuable lessons on grateful giving:

• Grateful giving is sacrificial. "It is not the portion but the proportion that is important: the rich gave out of their abundance, but the poor widow gave all that she had. For the rich, their gifts were a small contribution, but for the widow, her gift was true consecration of her whole life." [ref] As another source notes: "Many who live in abundance decline to give or give too little because they fear that they will not have enough for the future. They give from lack of faith, and that robs their giving of its true value." [ref]

• Grateful giving is reckless (but not irresponsible). We are to trust in God, not our wealth. "Though her gift was by far the smallest in monetary value, it was the greatest in sacrifice. The value of a gift is not determined by its amount, but by the spirit in which it is given. A gift given grudgingly or for recognition loses its value." [ref]

• Grateful giving involves quality more than quantity. Even if we are able to give little in the way of money, time, or talent, God can take that little and use it to accomplish great things for his kingdom. [ref] "We may not be asked to give all we have; Jesus was not making that point in this example. But we must have the generous heart attitude of this widow and not the deceitful heart attitude of the Pharisees. Our Lord notices every act of service coming from a sincere heart." [ref]

• Grateful giving is contagious. "Even in regard to money this widow's gift has been multiplied endlessly. How many givers' hearts has she not helped to purify, fill with better faith, and make truly generous in their gifts! When the final computation is made in heaven, the interest which this woman's gift bore for the kingdom will be far beyond anything that the gifts of others, such as those at the treasure chests, could possibly produce." [ref]

• Grateful giving leads to great growing. God doesn't want our money; he wants us. Giving with an attitude of joy will help us better trust in, depend on, and obey our loving God. "Jesus wanted the disciples to see this lesson in total surrender of self, commitment to God, and willingness to trust in his provision." [ref]

• Grateful giving knows that poverty can be a curse or a blessing. "It becomes a curse when it fills the heart with anxious care and worry, with murmuring and complaint, or leads to unbelief and dishonesty. It becomes a blessing when it compels the poor man to cast himself upon God who has promised to care for his children." [ref]

HEAR (heart)
Going the Extra Mile

At the bottom of the Grand Canyon is an American Indian reservation void of paved streets, stoplights, and cars. What it does have is several hundred people, houses and buildings, and a United States Postal Service office.

The postal carrier is a man named Charlie who for the past 20 years has been leading a mule train from the top of the Grand Canyon down to the reservation below. It's a slow, cumbersome three hour trip one-way, the first part of which is along narrow ledges comprising a dizzying array of switchbacks.

The folk at the bottom need the same daily supplies we all do, and they are all hand delivered via U.S. Postal Service mule train. (FedEx and UPS will not make the trip.)

Charlie calculates that he has traveled enough miles to circle the globe twice. To him it's not simply a job, it's a way of life.

(summary of a report given on the Sunday Morning television news program, August 19, 2001)

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to a life of adventure filled to the brim with opportunities to serve God through helping others. As we leave behind the safe and ordinary in order to give freely of our time, talent, and treasure, God will honor our sacrificial service by using us as his spiritual mail carriers, delivering the love, joy and peace available only through personal, committed faith in Jesus Christ.

DO (hands)
??? Who do you know in need of a helping hand or an encouraging word? What can you do to help him or her?