Lesson 16 - “Jesus Takes on the Jewish Leaders” - Mark 12:1-44
ID:
Inductive Questions (Asking the text questions like who, what, where, when,
why, & how?”)
CR: Cross
References (Comparing Scripture to Scripture, understanding the vague by the
clear.)
WS: Word
Study (Understanding definition, theological meaning, and usages in other
passages.)
The WORD: What does the Bible say?
Context: Read Mark 11:27-44
to help understand the context of this passage. Read Mark 12:1-40 in a more literal
or more dynamic translation than you usually use. This section has six allusions to the Old
Testament. Review Psalm
118:22-23 (vv. 10-11), Deuteronomy
25:5 (v. 19), Exodus
3:6 (v. 26), Deuteronomy
6:4-5 (vv. 29-30) Leviticus
19:18 (v. 31), Psalm
110:1 (v. 36) to give background for your study.
1. ID/CR: (12:1-12) Who
was this parable
directed toward? In what way is it directed
toward them? How does it relate to Psalm
118:22-23? (cf. Matt.
21:33–46; Luke 20:9–19)
2. ID: (12:13-17) Why was this question one that the Herodians have
a special interest in? What do you think
they expected Jesus to say? What was
their response to His answer?
3. ID: (12:18-27) What
were the Sadducees trying to demonstrate with their story? On what points were they mistaken? (Exodus
3:6)
4. ID: (12:28-34) Is
verse 29 (and 32) part of the first command?
What would some problems be with ignoring one (or part of one) of these
commands? Why did Jesus say the teacher
was “not far from the kingdom?” (1
Samuel 15:23-24; Hosea 6:6)
5. ID: (12:35-37) What
do we learn about Christ in verses 35-37 (cf. Psalm
110:1)? How do these truths
relate to the surrounding events?
6. ID/CR: (12:38-44) .What were the sins of the teachers of the
law? Can you think of any Old Testament
passages that condemn similar sins? Why
is it hard for rich people (like us) to give a spiritually impressive amount?
The WALK: What should I do?
1. Do you think about the coming resurrection often? Does a belief in and awareness of the
resurrection change your perspective on life?
How? Why?
2. (WS) In
what practical ways do you love God with your heart (G-kardia; H-lebab),
with your soul/understanding (G-synesis; H-nephesh),
and with your strength (G-ēskhü's; H-mehōde'),?
3. What similar sins would Jesus condemn in your
profession?
4. Are you rich in any sense of the word? Is it fair to compare portion of your income you
give to someone lives on a $2-5 a day?
Do verses 41-44 make you want to reevaluate how much you give?
Going Beyond: 1.
Memorize Mark 12:29-31 or
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and Leviticus 19:18.
2. What areas of theology are
touched on in this passage? q The
Bible q God q God the Father q Jesus
Christ q The Holy Spirit q Man
q Salvation
q The Church
q Angels & Satan q Future Things
Posted on Fri,
September 10, 2010 by David Hinkl
These leadership groups were the
political/religious leaders of the Jews in the days of Jesus. They are often
referred to and the articles below will help you get a sense for each of the
three groups as well as the Sanhedrin, the ruling council that was made up of
each of these groups. All of them were threatened by Jesus and conspired
together to have Him crucified.
Herodians [N] [S]
a Jewish political party who sympathized with (
Mark 3:6 ; 12:13 ; Matt, 22:16 ; Luke 20:20 ) the Herodian rulers in their
general policy of government, and in the social customs which they introduced
from Rome. They were at one with the Sadducees in holding the duty of
submission to Rome, and of supporting the Herods on the throne. (Compare Mark
8:15 ; Matthew 16:6 .)
Sadducees [N] [B] [H] [S]
The origin of this Jewish sect cannot definitely
be traced. It was probably the outcome of the influence of Grecian customs and
philosophy during the period of Greek domination. The first time they are met
with is in connection with John the Baptist's ministry. They came out to him
when on the banks of the Jordan, and he said to them, "O generation of vipers,
who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" ( Matthew 3:7 .) The
next time they are spoken of they are represented as coming to our Lord
tempting him. He calls them "hypocrites" and "a wicked and
adulterous generation" ( Matthew 16:1-4 ; 22:23 ). The only reference to
them in the Gospels of ( Mark 12:18-27 ) and ( Luke 20:27-38 ) is their
attempting to ridicule the doctrine of the resurrection, which they denied, as
they also denied the existence of angels. They are never mentioned in John's
Gospel.
There were many Sadducees among the
"elders" of the Sanhedrin. They seem, indeed, to have been as
numerous as the Pharisees ( Acts 23:6 ). They showed their hatred of Jesus in
taking part in his condemnation ( Matthew 16:21 ; Matthew 26:1-3 Matthew 26:59
; Mark 8:31 ; 15:1 ; Luke 9:22 ; 22:66 ). They endeavoured to prohibit the
apostles from preaching the resurrection of Christ ( Acts 2:24 Acts 2:31 Acts
2:32 ; Acts 4:1 Acts 4:2 ; Acts 5:17 Acts 5:24-28 ). They were the deists or
sceptics of that age. They do not appear as a separate sect after the
destruction of Jerusalem.
Pharisees [N] [B] [H] [S]
separatists (Heb. persahin, from parash,
"to separate"). They were probably the successors of the Assideans
(i.e., the "pious"), a party that originated in the time of Antiochus
Epiphanes in revolt against his heathenizing policy. The first mention of them
is in a description by Josephus of the three sects or schools into which the
Jews were divided (B.C. 145). The other two sects were the Essenes and the
Sadducees. In the time of our Lord they were the popular party ( John 7:48 ).
They were extremely accurate and minute in all matters appertaining to the law
of Moses ( Matthew 9:14 ; 23:15 ; Luke 11:39 ; 18:12 ). Paul, when brought
before the council of Jerusalem, professed himself a Pharisee ( Acts 23:6-8 ;
Acts 26:4 Acts 26:5 ).
There was much that was sound in their creed,
yet their system of religion was a form and nothing more. Theirs was a very lax
morality ( Matthew 5:20 ; Matthew 15:4 Matthew 15:8 ; Matthew 23:3 Matthew
23:14 Matthew 23:23 Matthew 23:25 ; John 8:7 ). On the first notice of them in
the New Testament ( Matthew 3:7 ), they are ranked by our Lord with the
Sadducees as a "generation of vipers." They were noted for their self-righteousness
and their pride ( Matthew 9:11 ; Luke 7:39 ; Luke 18:11 Luke 18:12 ). They were
frequently rebuked by our Lord ( Matthew 12:39 ; 16:1-4 ).
From the very beginning of his ministry the
Pharisees showed themselves bitter and persistent enemies of our Lord. They
could not bear his doctrines, and they sought by every means to destroy his
influence among the people.
Sanhedrim
More correctly Sanhedrin (Gr. synedrion), meaning "a sitting
together," or a "council." This word (rendered
"council," A.V.) is frequently used in the New Testament ( Matthew
5:22 ; 26:59 ; Mark 15:1 , etc.) to denote the supreme judicial and
administrative council of the Jews, which, it is said, was first instituted by
Moses, and was composed of seventy men ( Numbers 11:16 Numbers 11:17 ). But
that seems to have been only a temporary arrangement which Moses made. This
council is with greater probability supposed to have originated among the Jews
when they were under the domination of the Syrian kings in the time of the
Maccabees. The name is first employed by the Jewish historian Josephus. This
"council" is referred to simply as the "chief priests and elders
of the people" ( Matthew 26:3 Matthew 26:47 Matthew 26:57 Matthew 26:59 ;
Matthew 27:1 Matthew 27:3 Matthew 27:12 Matthew 27:20 , etc.), before whom
Christ was tried on the charge of claiming to be the Messiah. Peter and John
were also brought before it for promulgating heresy ( Acts 4:1-23 ; 5:17-41 );
as was also Stephen on a charge of blasphemy ( 6:12-15 ), and Paul for
violating a temple by-law ( 22:30 ; 23:1-10 ).
The Sanhedrin is said to have consisted of
seventy-one members, the high priest being president. They were of three
classes (1) the chief priests, or heads of the twenty-four priestly courses ( 1
Chronicles 24 ), (2) the scribes, and (3) the elders. As the highest court of
judicature, "in all causes and over all persons, ecclesiastical and civil,
supreme," its decrees were binding, not only on the Jews in Palestine, but
on all Jews wherever scattered abroad. Its jurisdiction was greatly curtailed
by Herod, and afterwards by the Romans. Its usual place of meeting was within
the precincts of the temple, in the hall "Gazith," but it sometimes
met also in the house of the high priest ( Matthew 26:3 ), who was assisted by
two vice-presidents.
These dictionary topics are from
M.G. Easton M.A., D.D., Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, published by Thomas Nelson, 1897. Public Domain, copy freely.
M.G. Easton M.A., D.D., Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, published by Thomas Nelson, 1897. Public Domain, copy freely.
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[N] indicates this entry was also found in Nave's Topical Bible
[S] indicates this entry was also found in Smith's Bible Dictionary
[H] indicates this entry was also found in Hitchcock's Bible Names
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Bibliography Information
[N] indicates this entry was also found in Nave's Topical Bible
[S] indicates this entry was also found in Smith's Bible Dictionary
[H] indicates this entry was also found in Hitchcock's Bible Names
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bibliography Information
Easton, Matthew George. "Entry for
Herodians". "Easton's Bible Dictionary". .
http://www.fbctopeka.com/pharisees-herodians-sadduceesoh-my
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WORD
1. When Jesus quotes
an OT verse applying a parable that should be the driving force in our
interpretation. Also, remember parables
generally work toward a practical “big idea.”
Resist the urge to overcomplicate it.
3. Help your men work
through the teaching about life after death and how it pertains to our current
lives. This teaching reminds me of the
part in 1 Peter 3.7 about wives being heirs together. It also opens interesting food for thought
about what it means to be a man or woman.
5. Our doctrinal focus
for 2016 is Christology, so it would be good to take some time to work through
the truths in this passage. These
comments from Dr. Thomas
Constable might be helpful for you.
Jesus’ question about Messiah’s sonship
12:35-37 (cf. Matt. 22:41-46; Luke 20:41-44)
Until now the religious leaders had
questioned Jesus about His teaching. Now He asked them about theirs (Matt.
22:41). Matthew’s account of this incident is the longest.
12:35Jesus responded to the situation
before Him. He wanted to know the sense in which the teachers of the law
believed that Messiah was David’s son. The Old Testament clearly taught that
Messiah would be a descendant of David (2 Sam. 7:8-16; et al.). The leaders
believed this, but their understanding of Messiah’s relationship to David was
only that of another victorious Jewish king from David’s dynasty.
12:36-37Mark focused the readers’
attention on Jesus’ authoritative teaching by omitting the Pharisees’ answer,
which Matthew included to discredit them (Matt. 22:42). Here only in the
sayings of Jesus did He trace the authority of an Old Testament passage to its
divine inspiration. How could Messiah be both lesser than David (his son) and
greater than David (his lord) at the same time?
“. . . Jesus uses his superior knowledge
of the legal and prophetic writings to justify his actions and to defend
against criminal accusations.”[364]
Psalm 110:1 showed that the Messiah was
not only David’s junior in age but also his senior in rank.[365] He is the Son
of God, God as well as man.
“Only through the Virgin Birth does
Jesus possess the dual nature that allows Him to be both David’s Son and
David’s Lord.”[366]
Mark’s record of the crowd’s positive
response to Jesus’ teaching further stressed its authority. Israel’s religious
leaders challenged it, but the multitudes acknowledged it.
WALK
1. Too often the “blessed
hope” is a distant reality in our minds.
Use this time to help the men refocus on Christ’s return and the
importance of having the resurrection in thought process.
2. My thought was to separate
these three ideas and think about we are using each area to love God.
3. “The absence of
reality is sad enough, but the aggravation of pretense is a deadly
sin.” –Samuel Chadwick
4. We don’t want to
harp or berate on this one, but maybe we could all leave this passage rethinking
how much we “give to God” and keep for ourselves.
5. It is essential
that we take the time and effort to identify Gospel truths highlighted in Mark.
EXTRAS
We have an article that briefly describes the Pharisees,
Sadducees, and Herodians. Since the
three groups are mentioned in this passage, I thought it would be helpful.
