Three Lessons Taught
Mark 12:35-44
Introduction:
In these verses Jesus taught three important facts and principles. First was that He was Christ, the Son of
David, the Messiah. Next was a lesson
in self-exhalation and misusing others. Last was the principle of sacrificial
giving.
A.
Why Jesus questioned men and the reason.
1.
Jesus had answered all the other questions honestly,
opening up new truths they needed to know.
a.
He desired man to see and know and surrender to His Messiah
ship.
2.
His questions were to reach out to man.
a.
They had rejected Him over and over.
b.
Jesus still had hope man would accept Him as Messiah, the
Lord, the Son of David.
c.
At the end of the questioning He pronounced a judgment.
[v36b]
A.
He was David’s Son, a mere man.
1.
Read Matthew 22:42.
Whose Son is He?
2.
Jesus asked what they thought about the Messiah.
3.
The question was, “Whose Son is He?” Think about Messiah.
a.
What is His origin?
b.
Who gave birth to Him?
4.
Here Jesus was asking three things.
a.
Where does your deliverance come from or from such a
person?
b.
Where does your Lord come from, the person you follow?
c.
Where does the person come from who is to bring the Kingdom
of God to earth?
5.
The common title for the Messiah was “Son of David”.
a.
Old Testament definitely said the Messiah was to come from
the line of David.
b.
Psalm 89:35-36, Isaiah 9:6-7, Isaiah 11:1-5
6.
The Messiah was to do four specific things.
a.
Free Israel from all enslavement and set men free under
God’s domain.
b.
He was to have victory over all nations. Israel to be the
leading nation.
c.
He was to bring peace to all the earth.
d.
He was to provide plenty for all.
A.
He is the Lord of David, God Himself.
1.
Scriptures say Jesus is not only the Son of David,
but also that He is the Lord of David.
2.
David called the Messiah Lord, in the Spirit.
a.
David spoke under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
b.
David said, “The Lord [God] said to my Lord [Messiah]
“. David called the Messiah “My Lord”.
c.
David said, “My Lord sits on God’s right hand”.
1.
Messiah is Lord, exalted by God.
d.
Ephesians 1:19-20, Philippians 2:9, Hebrews 8:1
3.
David said, “Make thine enemies thy footstool”.
a.
Philippians 2:10-11
4.
Jesus was proclaiming to all men, “I am the Son of David,
the Messiah, hear Me!"
a.
Back to simple facts, as Peter said.
b.
Matthew 16:16, Acts
17:2-3
A.
Several things that greatly disturbed Jesus.
1.
These will bring severe judgment.
B.
This passage discusses six of these sins.
1.
All six have to do with pride and flaunting oneself.
C.
Looking briefly at each of these sins.
1. Dress,
clothing, appearance Vs 38
a.
Don’t dress to draw attention
b.
Note: the rich wore the long robes of the day, the nobility
for show.
c.
They increased the border of the garments to attract
attention. The tassels were larger.
d.
They wore phylacteries, a little box that contained Old
Testament scriptures.
2. These were increased in size to attract attention as to how religious one was.
e.
Today, to show off, expose, or draw attention is still
rebuked by Jesus.
3.
Honor, worldly titles
f.
The religionist loved the titles that greeted them.
g.
“Rabbi”, meant teacher, master
h.
It said, “here I am, look at me”
i.
Matthew 23:12, Obadiah 4, Psalm 49:17*
4.
The market place.
j.
Be at the right place at the right time to be seen.
5. Self seeking, honor, pride, Vs 39
k.
Being seated in the high places to be seen.
l.
Being in the place of honor for special recognition.
m.
Being seen and having a love for the honor.
6.
Stealing from widows. Vs 40
n.
These were the lawyers as well as others.
o.
They used their positions to steal and devour.
p.
Today there are many schemes to get money for various
causes.
2.
Prayers. Vs 40
a.
Beware of long prayers to show piety.
b.
Praying for attention
c.
Pray only for yourself and to God.
d.
Don’t brag about how you pray or how long or how much you
pray.
e.
That is strictly between you and God.
A. Five
lessons on giving and stewardship.
1.
Jesus was observing people’s giving.
a. “Jesus
beheld”, means He was deliberately observing, discerning the people’s motives
as they made their offerings.
b. He saw much money thrown into the
thirteen trumpet shaped collection receptacles.
c. The widow
came and threw in the two mites.
d. Seeing this,
Jesus taught what true giving was.
2.
Real giving is sacrificial giving.
a. The word
‘poor’ means pauper.
b. She was not
only poor, a pauper, but destitute.
c. What she
gave was a sacrifice.
d. What the
others gave was not a sacrifice.
e. We give and
still have plenty left.
f. She gave
what Christ called a sacrificial gift.
g.
2Corinthians 9:7-15, Deuteronomy 16:17
3.
Real giving is measured by how much a person has left.
a. Not by how
much a person gives.
b. All the people gave, those who had and the widow who had not.
c. God measures
what is kept, not what is given.
Matthew 6:12
[Note:
2% give to the church, 6% in tips]
4.
Real giving seeks to have a need met. Vs 44
a. She took
her need and gave it to God.
b. She gave
all she had to God.
c. She exposed her need, money, food, if
I eat you must provide.
[The
prophets and the widows}
d. God’s temple, the church, had a need;
she helped help meet that need.
e. Luke 6:38,
Proverbs 11:25, Isaiah 58:10
5.
Real giving is giving all.
a. She gave
all her living, all she had.
b. Excuses: My
gift doesn’t matter, it is so small.
c. God doesn’t
expect me to give, I have so little.
Conclusion: Restoration. These lessons taught by Jesus are still very
important to us today. Who God and
Jesus really are and what place do they have in our lives. Do we try to flaunt our religion on others?
What we are to do is give all we have to Him and walk in His presence each
day.