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Scripture Reading: Mark 11:27-33; 12:1-44
In 11:27—12:34 the Lord Jesus was asked four kinds of questions. These questions represent different aspects of man’s culture. The first question (Mark 11:27-33) concerned religion. The chief priests, scribes, and elders asked the Slave-Savior a question related to typical, bona fide religion. In particular, they questioned the Lord Jesus concerning His authority. The chief priests, scribes, and elders thought they were serving God and that they knew the law of Moses. We may say that they had a typical religion. Now they wanted to know the origin of the things the Lord Jesus was doing. Therefore, the first question asked of the Lord in 11:27-33 was related to bona fide religion.
The second question was raised by the Pharisees and Herodians (Mark 12:13-17). They came to Him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are true, and you do not care about anyone; for you do not regard the face of men, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not? Should we give, or should we not give?” (v. 14). This question was related to politics.
The third question, asked by the Sadducees (Mark 12:18-27), was related to belief. In particular, the Sadducees wanted to know what the Lord believed concerning resurrection. As we have pointed out, the Sadducees, who may be considered ancient modernists, did not believe in resurrection. The third question, therefore, concerns belief.
The fourth question (Mark 12:28-34) was asked by a scribe. Mark 12:28 says, “And one of the scribes who had approached and heard them disputing, knowing that He answered them well, questioned Him, Which is the first commandment of all?” This question is related to the interpretation of the Bible. The scribe was asking the Slave-Savior how He interpreted the Bible with respect to which commandment was first.
The matters covered by these four kinds of questions include the components of the highest human culture. However, each kind of question neglects Christ, the One who is the entire, universal replacement. Because His questioners did not pay attention to Christ, the Lord Himself made up the lack when He counter-questioned them, saying, “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? 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?” (12:35-37). Here the Lord was asking how the scribes can say that Christ is the son of David when David himself calls Him Lord. Here the Lord was indicating that the scribes knew Christ only as a man. They did not realize that Christ, the Messiah, is also God Himself and hence, a God-man.
The Lord seemed to be saying to all those who were testing and examining Him, “You know Me only as a Nazarene. You do not know Me as God. Although I am frank and honest with you, I am also merciful. Even though I am the almighty God, your Creator, I have the patience to be examined and tested by you. If I were not merciful to you and if I manifested Myself in My divine essence, you would all be slain. But I am compassionate. Nevertheless, I am the very God whom David addressed as Lord.”
We need to realize that Peter, John, James, and all the other close followers of the Lord Jesus were standing nearby observing what the Lord did and hearing what He said. No doubt, they were deeply impressed with the Slave-Savior. They must have talked with one another. Perhaps Peter said to John and James, “On the one hand, our Teacher is the son of David. But on the other hand, He is the Lord. Have you ever realized this? Did you know that our Teacher is not only a man but also God the Lord?” I believe that the disciples spoke with one another in this way.
If you had been one of the Lord’s disciples observing how He handled the opposers, would you not have spoken to the others about it? Would you not have been impressed with the fact that your Teacher revealed to the opposers that He was not only the son of David but also the Lord of David? No doubt, the Lord’s close followers received a deep impression concerning Him.
We have seen that the Lord Jesus brought His followers into Jerusalem with Him for a purpose. He did not intend to go into death alone. Rather, He brought a group of His followers into death with Him. Those followers are our representatives. When they were with the Lord in Jerusalem, we all were there. Hallelujah, we today are the Lord’s close followers! As His followers, we are seeing from the Gospel of Mark a series of heavenly visions, visions that are being “telecast” into our being.
At the time of 12:37 the Slave-Savior had gained a full victory. He had not only received the approval of the people; He had also subdued His opposers. The chief priests, scribes, elders, Pharisees, Herodians, and Sadducees all were subdued. Jesus the Nazarene was manifested as being a marvelous Person. To be sure, His disciples were very pleased with the situation.
Immediately after the Lord had subdued all the opposers and had spoken to them concerning Christ, He went on to give them a warning concerning the scribes. Mark 12:38-40 says, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and like greetings in the marketplaces, and chief seats in the synagogues, and places of honor at the dinners; who devour the widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater judgment.” Elsewhere the Lord had told His disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod (8:15). The leaven of the Pharisees was their hypocrisy (Luke 12:1), and the leaven of Herod was his corruption and injustice in politics. With the scribes there was the matter of vain knowledge, even a vain knowledge of the Bible. The scribes taught theology or doctrine in a way that was vain.
In chapters eleven and twelve of the Gospel of Mark the scribes are mentioned a number of times. The scribes were among those who questioned the Lord concerning His authority (11:27-28). It was a scribe who asked the Lord a question concerning the interpretation of the Bible (12:28). Furthermore, in 12:35 the Lord inquired, “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?” Now in 12:38 the Lord specifically issues a warning against the scribes.
The scribes thought they knew the Bible and also doctrine and theology. Although they may have known the Scriptures in letters, they certainly did not know Christ. Therefore, in His teaching the Lord asked how it is that the scribes say that Christ is the son of David. The scribes taught vain theology, a theology without Christ as reality.
It is possible that we may be today’s scribes. Our teaching may be right, but it may be empty, that is, without Christ. The ancient scribes taught people according to the Old Testament, but they did not have the light concerning Christ. They did not have any understanding of Him as the God-man.
We need to discern whether a particular message or teaching has Christ as its center, reality, and living essence. Certain preachers and teachers are naturally eloquent and can present doctrine to others in a way that pleases the itching ears. Such teaching, preaching, or expounding of the Bible is according to man’s knowledge with human eloquence. We need to be able to discern whether Christ is the center, reality, and essence of each message. If Christ is not the center, then that message is empty. In principle, it belongs to the teaching of the scribes, and we should beware of it.
We should not think that as long as a teaching is scriptural, there is no problem with it. There is a means for us to discern all kinds of teaching, and that is to discern whether or not Christ is the center, reality, and essence of every teaching. In the Lord’s recovery Christ must be the center, reality, and essence of every message. A message or teaching may be scholarly, academic, scriptural, and eloquent, providing a great deal of Bible knowledge. Nevertheless, it is possible for such a teaching to be a teaching of today’s scribes. We need to follow this as a basic principle in discerning the teaching in the Lord’s recovery.
Today’s religion is full of scribes. Many teachings among Christians are scriptural and scholarly. Many who teach know Greek or Hebrew, and they are versed in different expositions of the Scriptures. But Christ may not be the center, reality, and essence of their speaking.
After the Lord Jesus gives the warning concerning the scribes, He appraises a poor widow in her loyalty (12:41-44). “And having sat down opposite the treasury, He beheld how the crowd was casting money into the treasury; and many rich people were casting in much” (12:41). The Slave-Savior was God living in His humanity. As such, He was concerned to see how God’s people expressed their loyalty in their offering to Him. In this way He appraised the widow’s loyalty to God. The Slave-Savior’s observation is more penetrating than man’s.
When the Lord Jesus saw “one poor widow having come cast in two small copper coins, which is a quadrans,” He called His disciples to Him and said to them, “Truly I say to you, that this poor widow cast in more than all those who were casting into the treasury; for they all cast in out of their abundance, but she, out of her poverty, has cast in all, as much as she had, her whole livelihood” (vv. 42-44). Those who gave out of their abundance did not touch the Lord’s heart. However, the Lord was touched by the poor widow who cast in two small copper coins. He admired her for giving in such a way.
It is very significant that after the Lord subdued all the opposers, He gave a warning concerning the scribes and appraised a poor widow in her loyalty. First, He warned His disciples to beware of the vain, empty teachings of the scribes. Then He encouraged them to appreciate a widow’s inward reality. He wanted them to look into the situation among God’s people, not outwardly according to man’s way, but inwardly according to a person’s inward reality. Because He had such a view, He could appreciate the poor widow.
In 11:27—12:37 we have four kinds of questions related to man’s culture, followed by the question of questions, the question concerning Christ. The first four categories of questions concern religion, politics, belief, and the way to interpret the Bible. The unique question is that concerning Christ. The account concerning these five types of questions is followed by two incidents: the first regarding the vanity of the empty teaching of the scribes; the second regarding the reality of a believer’s inward being. A scribe is someone among the Lord’s people who speaks vanity, but this widow signifies a believer with inward reality. As we consider these two incidents, we see that instead of being a scribe, we should be a poor widow. We all should say, “I don’t want to be an empty scribe speaking vanity. I want to be a poor widow. I want everything I do to proceed from the reality that is within me.”
We need to consider whether we shall be a scribe or a widow. Will you be an empty scribe or a widow full of reality? We thank the Lord that in His recovery there are many full of inward reality like that widow. Apart from such widows, there would be no way for the recovery to go on. Thank the Lord that among us there are a good number of real widows, a good number of those with inward reality.
We need to ask ourselves why after the Lord answered the questions raised by the opposers and after He asked the question concerning Himself, He went on to speak concerning the scribes and a poor widow. The Lord had a little meeting with His disciples, a meeting in which He spoke to them concerning the scribes and a widow. With the scribes there is emptiness, vanity; with the widow there is inward reality. We need to learn to appreciate reality and to beware of vanity. Someone may be an excellent speaker, eloquent and knowledgeable. However, his speaking may be empty. By contrast, someone else may be poor in his speaking, without eloquence or knowledge. Nevertheless, with this one there is inward reality toward God. This is the significance of the two incidents — the warning concerning the scribes and the appraising of the poor widow — being placed together at the end of chapter twelve.
When we read chapter twelve of Mark under the heavenly light, we can see the significance of what is recorded in this chapter. In particular, we see the significance of the Lord’s warning against the scribes and His appraising the poor widow. On the one hand, we see that someone’s teaching may be knowledgeable and eloquent, but vain and empty. On the other hand, someone may be poor, yet full of reality. We may be poor in every way, but we can have within us the reality of the Lord on whom we call, a reality toward the very God whom we serve. We may not have much eloquence or knowledge, and we are not pursuing such things. But we may have one thing — inward reality.
Nothing proves a believer’s inward reality more than the matter of money. The reason money proves a believer’s inward reality is that in human life nothing is more tangible than money or material possessions. Your money and possessions test whether or not you have reality toward God.
May we all beware of vanity, especially vanity in speaking, eloquence, knowledge, doctrine, and teaching. At the same time, we all should learn to appreciate, to treasure, what is real in the sight of the Lord.
We should not forget that Peter, John, James, and other close followers of the Lord were present when the Lord gave His warning regarding the scribes and offered His appraisal of the poor widow. They saw all the things that took place in chapters eleven and twelve. I believe that after the day of Pentecost, all these things came back to them in their living as heavenly visions. Today we need vision after vision from the Gospel of Mark to be impressed into our being. Then when we open ourselves to the life-giving Spirit to have sway over us, all these visions will come back to us in a real and living way.
