Mark 12:28-44
Teaching in the Temple

V.28

Matt 22:34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"

Jesus answers

V.29-31 613 individual statutes in the law

Rabbi Hillel, “What you hate for yourself, do not do to your neighbor; this is the whole law, the rest is commentary; go and learn.”

Shema- Jewish confession of faith (Deut. 6:4)
V.35 "How is it that the teachers of the law say that the Christ is the son of David?”

•The teachers of the law were correct in thinking that the Messiah was a “son of David”

2 Sam 7:11 "'The LORD declares to you that the LORD himself will establish a house for you: 12 When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be his father, and he will be my son.

V.36 More than the Son of David but the Son of God

V.37b “The large crowd listened to Him with delight.”

Mark 1:22 The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.

V.38-40 “Watch out for the teachers of the law.”
1. “Flowing robes”
2. “Greeted in the marketplaces”
3. “The most important seats at the synagogue”
4. “Places of honor at the banquets”
5. “Devour widow’s houses”
6. “and they make lengthy prayers.”

Why? V.40

Matt 6:5 "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men.

V. 40 “They will be punished most severely”

Who is Jesus speaking to?

V.41 In the Court of Women in the temple there were 13 trumpet-shaped receptacles for contributions

V. 42 A contrast of two sounds and a contrast of two hearts

V.43 Jesus says, “This widow put in more than all the others.”

God is not as concerned with how much we give as why we give

1. Sacrificial Giving
2. Volitional Giving
3. Joyful Giving
4. Humble Giving

Sacrificial V.44

2 Sam 24:21 Araunah said, "Why has my lord the king come to his servant?" "To buy your threshing floor," David answered, "so I can build an altar to the LORD, that the plague on the people may be stopped." 22 Araunah said to David, "Let my lord the king take whatever pleases him and offer it up. Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and here are threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood. 23 O king, Araunah gives all this to the king." Araunah also said to him, "May the LORD your God accept you." 24 But the king replied to Araunah, "No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing."
Rom 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship.

Volitional
2 Cor 9:7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion,...

Joyful
2 Cor. 9:7 ...for God loves a cheerful giver.

Humble
Matt 6:2 "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Who or what are you clinging to this morning?