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“And one of the Scribes came,
and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that
he had answered them well, asked him, ‘Which is the first
commandment of all?’ Jesus answered him, ‘The first
of all the commandments is Hear O Israel, the Lord our God
is One Lord: and you shall love the Lord your God with all
your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind,
and with all your strength: this is the first commandment.’”
This is what it’s all about-“And
the second is namely this, you shall love your neighbor as
yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.’
And the Scribe said to him, ‘Well said, teacher, you
have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is
no other but he, and to love him with all the heart and with
all the understanding and with all the soul and with all the
strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself is more
than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.’ And when
Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, ‘You
are not far from the kingdom of God.’ But after that
no one dared to question him” (Mark 12:28-34). He
says, ‘Now here’s a guy who’s getting kind
of close. Here’s a guy who’s starting to clue into
a little bit of what the kingdom of God is about and what
I’m looking for. He says ‘You’re not far from
it.’ Hopefully this guy made it. But the guy agreed,
he says, ‘You know what’s the greatest commandments?’
Jesus said, ‘This is what it’s all about, this is
the greatest commandment, to love the Lord your God with all
your heart and with all your soul, and with all your mind,
all your thoughts, all your passions and with all your strength,
all your energies, you are to love God-that’s the greatest
commandment. And from that comes the next one, that you love
your neighbor as yourself. That’s just gonna naturally
result. Of course, as we’ve seen, being a servant like
Jesus, that’s the kingdom of God [that’s the heart
and core of the kingdom of God. The physical aspect of the
kingdom of God comes to earth in several stages, shown in
Revelation chapters 19, 20 and 21.]. And again that’s
what God desires from you and I today. It’s about love,
man. That’s the greatest commandment.
Verses 35-37, “Then Jesus answered and said while
he taught in the temple, ‘How is it that the scribes
say that the Christ is the son of David, for David himself
said by the Holy Spirit, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit
at my right hand till I make your enemies my footstool.’
Therefore David himself calls him Lord. How is he then his
son? And the common people heard him gladly.” They
of course, as we’ve seen, they looked for the Messiah,
the son of David. They understood the promise that God made
to David that the Messiah was coming, one of his descendants,
and Jesus is just playing with them here, also trying to show
a truth to them if they’re willing to receive it. It’s
just ‘Now you say that the Messiah is the son of David.’
He doesn’t’ deny it. It’s true. But he says,
‘How does this work out? David said to the Messiah, he
said, the Lord said to my Lord, to the Messiah, he said in
the spirit, sit at my right hand till I make your enemies
your footstool.’ He called his descendant his Lord. Now
how’s that gonna work out? And the people that are listening
are like, “Cool.” They just really enjoyed some
of Jesus’ teaching. The Pharisees and Scribes and Sadducees
were just baffled at this. But of course, the way it worked
out is that Jesus is the Messiah, is the son of David, but
we realize from the gospels that Mary, she was, became pregnant
by the Holy Spirit and had Jesus, who was man, descended from
David [through Mary], but he was also God, he was Divine [log
onto: CLICK
HERE] So that’s how David could say this to his descendant
and call him Lord.
Verse 38, “Then he said to them in his teaching,
‘Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long
robes, love greetings in the market places, the best seats
in the synagogues, the best places at feasts, who devour widows
houses and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive
greater condemnation.” You know, when I read
this, I can’t help but think of this book that I have
at home called “The Fifty Years in the Church of Rome.”
And the book starts right off, it’s a big book, and to
be honest with you, I’ve never read to the end of the
book. But I read enough to remember this story. The book starts
out with this young boy, who’s the author of this book.
He’s referring back to when he was young. Just the vivid
memory of being at home the day after his father died. And
his mom and brothers and sisters were in great distress living
on a little farm in Canada and dad has died, and you can only
imagine. But who shows up at the door but a priest, and the
priest came to the mother and said, “Hey, you know, you
need to pay me some money, if you’re gonna get your husband
out of purgatory.” And she’s like, “I don’t
have any money. My husband’s died, I’ve got kids
to feed.” He says, “Well, your husband, he’s
not in a good place, and you’re gonna pay me some money.”
[My thought at this point would have been somewhat along the
lines, “Where’s that shotgun of dad’s?”…But
it gets better. Read on.] And this man refers back to this
vivid memory. [In the church history section under the title
“History of the Sabbatarian Church from Jerusalem to
Oregon” you read of this same Greco-Roman church that
supplanted the early Judeo-Christians and Quartodecimen Christians
of Asia Minor.] And the priest looked around and said “Who’s
cow is that?” And they had one cow. And she said, “That’s
our cow, it’s all we’ve got. It’s the only
way I’m gonna provide for these kids.” He said,
“Well, you don’t have any money, tell you what,
I’m gonna take your cow.” So this man referred back
to being a young boy in Canada and watching mom and the kids
looking out the window as the priest walked away with the
only cow they had. And that’s what Jesus says is these
guy’s hearts here, man-they like the robe, they like
the greetings in the marketplaces, they like the best places-but
they’ll devour a widow, take her home. Their hearts are
so rotten, so evil. We’re told in 1 Corinthians 13, that
love does not parade itself, and love is not puffed up. And
love doesn’t envy, it’s just humble. It’s just
not self-seeking, desires to bless. I hope that’s our
hearts this morning. I hope God comes and says, ‘Man,
this group, this congregation here, they’re just full
of love. Look at the love, man. Look at their thoughts, even.
They’re just filled with good thoughts.’
Verse 41-44, “Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury,
and saw how people put money into the treasury, and many who
were rich put in much. Then one poor widow came and threw
in two mites (which makes a quadrance). So he called his disciples
to himself and said to them, ‘Assuredly I say to you
that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have
given to the treasury. For they all put in out of their abundance,
but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole
livelihood.’” So as they’re standing
there, let’s turn to 1 Corinthians 13, and we’ll
just kind of conclude with that. But as they were standing
there Jesus points out this elderly lady. The religious people,
as we understand, are coming by and they’re just emptying
their golden coin there, and the wealthy are making sure that
it’s noticed, that people understand that they’re
giving, you know, thousands of gold coins, yet it really doesn’t
do anything to their bank account, they have a lot more. But
here this elderly lady comes up, and no one really noticed.
She puts in two copper coins. These copper coins are very
thin, they’re worth very little. The total value is about
a fifth or two-fifths of a penny. That’s how much she
put in there. But she put in everything. And she did it “As
unto the Lord.” She said, “Well, this will buy me
some grain today, and I need to eat, but man I just love God.
I’m gonna put these two in there, and I’m gonna
trust the Lord for my provision.” And she dumped them
in there, and Jesus said, ‘Now that, that’s what
it’s all about, man. That’s beautiful, all that
she’s put in there. These other folks, they haven’t
given at all, there’s no love there, there’s no
sacrifice and service from the heart. But she’s clued
in.’
“Love does not seek it’s own, but it seeks the good
of others.” Let’s conclude as we read 1 Corinthians
13. “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels,
but have not love [agape], I become sounding brass or a clanging
cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy and understand
all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith
that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor and though
I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits
me nothing. Love suffers long, and is kind. Love does not
envy. Love does not parade itself, is not puffed up, does
not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked,
thinks no evil, does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices
in the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails…”
I’m so thankful that God’s love never fails. “…but
whether there are prophecies, they will fail, whether there
are tongues, they will cease, whether there is knowledge,
it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in
part, but when that which is perfect is come, then that which
is in part will be done away. When I was a child I spoke as
a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child. But
when I became a man I put away childish things. For now we
see in a mirror dimly [some translate, “through a darkened
glass”], but then face to face. Now I know in part, but
then I shall know just as I also know. And now abides faith,
hope and love [agape], these three, but the greatest of these
is love [agape]” (1 Corinthians 13:1-13). I just felt
the desire today just to exhort us again, God comes to our
lives and he looks for fruit, and it can be summarized in
one general term-love [agape love].”
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