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Scripture Reading: Mark 12:18-44
The testing and examining of the Slave-Savior (Mark 11:27-33; 12:1-44) took place during the days immediately before the feast of the Passover. Jews from many different places had come to Jerusalem for this feast. The Lord’s cleansing of the temple aroused the attention of the people. First, the chief priests, scribes, and elders came to the Lord Jesus with a question concerning His authority (Mark 11:27-33). After the chief priests, scribes, and elders were defeated by Him, the Pharisees and Herodians tried to catch Him in His speech (Mark 12:13-17). However, they also were defeated by the Slave-Savior.
In Mark 12:18-27 the Sadducees came to the Lord Jesus. The Sadducees were a sect among the Jews (Acts 5:17). They did not believe in the resurrection, nor in angels, nor in spirits (Acts 23:8). Both the Pharisees and the Sadducees were denounced by John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus as a brood of vipers (Matt. 3:7; 12:34; 23:33). The Lord warned His disciples against their doctrines (Matt. 16:6, 12). While the Pharisees were supposed to be orthodox, the Sadducees may be considered ancient modernists.
In Mark 12:18-27 the Sadducees thought that they could defeat the Lord Jesus regarding the matter of resurrection. They questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if anyone’s brother should die and leave behind a wife, and leave no child, his brother should take the wife and raise up seed to his brother. There were seven brothers; and the first took a wife, and dying, left no seed; and the second took her, and died, leaving behind no seed; and the third similarly; and the seven left no seed. Last of all the woman also died. In the resurrection, when they rise, which one’s wife will she be, for the seven had her as wife?” (vv. 19-23). The Sadducees thought that they were very clever in asking the Lord such a question.
The Lord Jesus said to them, “Are you not deceived because of this — not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God?” (v. 24). Knowing the Scriptures is one thing, and knowing the power of God is another. We need to know both. Here “the Scriptures” refer to the verses of the Old Testament concerning resurrection, and “the power of God” refers to the power of resurrection.
The Lord went on to say that in the resurrection there will not be any marriage: “For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are as angels in the heavens” (v. 25).
The Lord Jesus, however, did not stop here. He continued by saying, “But concerning the dead, that they are raised, did you not read in the book of Moses, at the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are greatly deceived” (vv. 26-27). Since God is the God of the living and is called the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, therefore these three who had died, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, will be resurrected. This is the way the Lord Jesus expounded the Scriptures — not only by the letter, but by the life and power implied within them.
In His word to the Sadducees in verse 26, the Lord Jesus was actually referring to Himself, for He, as the Angel of Jehovah, was the One who spoke to Moses in Exodus 3. Here the Lord seems to be saying, “I was the One speaking to Moses. I, your God, was the Angel who spoke to him from within the bush. Furthermore, Jehovah is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. If they will not be resurrected, how could God be called their God? He would never be known as the God of the dead — He is the God of the living. Therefore, this title indicates resurrection.”
We should not think that to understand the Bible it is sufficient to know the original languages of the Bible, Hebrew and Greek. The ancient scribes knew the Old Testament in Hebrew. But although they had the knowledge of the language, they did not have any light. The Lord Jesus, on the contrary, had the divine light. For this reason, He was able to point out how the matter of resurrection is implied in the title of God as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Without divine light, no one would be able to see that this divine title involves resurrection.
I encourage the saints to learn Hebrew and Greek. But you may have a doctoral degree in Hebrew or Greek and still be blind. You need light from God. In order to receive light, you should not trust in your knowledge of biblical languages or in the expositions of the great teachers, but you need to kneel down before the Lord and open to Him. You may need to say, “Lord Jesus, although I know Hebrew and Greek, without You I cannot see any light. Lord, I need Your enlightenment. Light does not come from my study or analysis. Light comes, Lord, through Your mercy. O Lord, how I need to receive light from You.”
If we do not receive light from the Lord, we may read the Gospel of Mark again and again without seeing anything. We need the visions contained in this book to be “telecast” into our being. I can testify that, by the Lord’s mercy, I have seen the visions in this book. Sometimes the light comes while I am speaking. For example, it was during the course of one of the messages that I saw the comparison of the six days for the old creation with the six days of preparation for the new creation. Such light does not come from knowing the biblical languages or the writings of expositors. It comes from the Lord through His mercy as we open ourselves to Him.
In 12:28-34 the Slave-Savior was questioned by a scribe. In Matthew 22:35 this one is called a lawyer. “Scribe” is a wider term that includes the lawyers, who were Mosaic jurists. The lawyers were versed in the law of Moses; they were professional interpreters of the law of the Old Testament.
This scribe, who knew the law in a thorough way, boldly came to the Lord Jesus. Knowing that He had answered well those who were disputing with Him, the scribe asked the Lord, “Which is the first commandment of all?” (v. 28). The Lord answered, “The first is, Hear, Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God from your whole heart, and from your whole soul, and from your whole mind, and from your whole strength” (vv. 29-30). To love the Lord in this way is to love Him with every part of our being, with our spirit, soul, and body.
In verse 31 the Lord continued His answer: “The second is this, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.”
These two commandments are both a matter of love, either loving God or loving man. Love is the spirit of God’s commandments. The greatest commandments, therefore, are altogether a matter of love, a love toward God and toward man.
Verse 34 ends like this: “And no one dared to question Him anymore.” The Lord Jesus answered all the questions and gained a full victory. No doubt, Peter, John, James, and all the other close followers of the Lord Jesus saw these confrontations and were impressed with the way the Lord handled them. Do you not believe that they were deeply impressed with how the Lord answered the questions raised by the opposers, with how He passed through an insidious test and examination? Certainly, the Lord’s followers must have been very impressed with Him.
In type, the Passover lamb was examined for four days before it was killed (Exo. 12:3-6). The Slave-Savior, as the real Passover Lamb (1 Cor. 5:7), was also examined for four days before He was killed. He came to Bethany six days before the Passover (John 12:1; Mark 11:1). The next day He came into Jerusalem and went back to Bethany (John 12:12; Mark 11:11). The third day He came to Jerusalem again (11:12-15) and began to be examined by the leaders of the Jews, according to the Jewish law (11:27—12:37; 14:53-65; John 18:13, 19-24), and by Pilate, the Roman governor, according to the Roman law (John 18:28—19:6), until the Passover day when He was crucified (Mark 14:12; John 18:28). This insidious and ensnaring examination from many angles took exactly four days, and the Lord Jesus fully passed through every test. This proved that He was fully qualified to be the Lamb required by God for the accomplishment of His redemption so that God may pass over sinners, both Jews and Gentiles.
As we shall see, under God’s sovereignty, the Slave-Savior was judged not only by the Jewish leaders as a sheep before the shearer (Isa. 53:7; Mark 14:53-65), but also by the Roman governor, as a criminal before the accusers (14:64; 15:1-15), that He might die to serve sinners with His life as a ransom (10:45). He died not only for the Jews, represented by the Jewish leaders, but also for the Gentiles, represented by the Roman governor.
Mark 12:35 says, “And Jesus, teaching in the temple, answered and said, How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?” The Lord had been questioned about a number of different things. But here He asked His testers and examiners a question concerning Christ.
During these days in Jerusalem, the center of Judaism, the Slave-Savior had been surrounded by the chief priests, elders, scribes, Pharisees, Herodians, and Sadducees, who endeavored to ensnare Him by asking puzzling and insidious questions. First, the chief priests, scribes, and elders, representing the authority of the Jewish religion and the Jewish people, asked Him concerning His authority (11:27-33). This was a question according to their religious concept. Second, the fundamental Pharisees and the political Herodians asked Him a question related to politics (12:13-17). Third, the modernistic Sadducees questioned Him concerning fundamental belief, in particular concerning belief in resurrection. Fourth, a scribe, a lawyer, asked Him a question related to the interpretation of the Bible.
After answering all their questions wisely, the Lord asked them a question concerning Christ. This is the question of questions. Their questions were related to religion, politics, belief, and the interpretation of the Scriptures. His question was concerning Christ, who is the center of all spiritual and divine things. They knew religion, politics, belief, and the Scriptures in letter, but they paid no attention to Christ. Therefore, in 12:35-37 He asked them concerning Christ.
After asking why the scribes say that Christ is the son of David, the Lord Jesus continued, “David himself said in the Holy Spirit, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand until I put Your enemies under Your feet. David himself calls Him Lord, and how can He be his son?” (vv. 36-37). The answer to the Lord’s question is that as God, in His divinity, Christ is the Lord of David, and as a man, in His humanity, He is the son of David. The Pharisees and scribes had only part of the scriptural knowledge concerning Christ’s Person, that He was the son of David according to His humanity. They did not have the other part concerning Christ’s divinity as the Son of God.
After the Lord answered the four different kinds of questions raised by those who were testing and examining Him, and after He asked the question of questions — the question concerning Christ — He went on to give a warning concerning the scribes and to speak approvingly of a poor widow. We shall consider these matters in the following message.
