Mark 12 reminds me of moving out. I left my childhood home with what I could carry on a motorcycle. Packing is challenging when you can’t take much with you. Today’s chapter looks at choosing carefully. It begins with a parable, “A man planted a vineyard… Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard”. Instead of paying what was due, “they seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed”. The owner sent many servants to collect what was due, “some of them they beat, others they killed”. Finally the owner sent his son, “He sent him… saying, ‘They will respect my son’”. The tenants reasoned, “Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours”. We read that they killed the son too. The parable ends with a question, “What then will the owner of the vineyard do?” Those hearing the story understood the lesson was directed at the Hebrew nation that had rejected the prophets of God. Some today want to ban the mention of God, or “old fashioned morals”. What happens when a society no longer fears God? Jesus then quoted from Psalms 118, a psalm of praise about God’s enduring love; “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone”. This is a prophesy of hope for the nation and the individual. Have you felt rejected? We have a Savior that understands.
The religious leaders continued their attempt to trap Jesus with questions meant to choose between violating Roman law or Hebrew Scripture. They asked, “Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar?” He asked them to look at the Roman coin, “Whose image is this?” Seeing Caesar’s image, Jesus explained, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s”. The apostle Paul taught “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established” (Romans 13:1). Please understand that both church and state are subject to God’s authority.
The rest of the chapter discusses making decisions after considering all options. First Jesus was quizzed by “the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection”. They posed a question about remarriage after a spouse dies, “At the resurrectionwhose wife will she be?” He responded forcefully; you are in error “because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God”. Jesus spoke often about the resurrection, and here He notes, “they will neither marry nor be given in marriage”. Just as a flashlight is imperceptible in the brilliance of the mid-day sun, in God’s presence our current understanding of love will almost disappear. “He is not the God of the dead, but of the living”. So which is the greatest commandment? Jesus again prioritized God’s Word, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength… The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’”. Is it possible to love your neighbor without the love of God? That depends on how you define “neighbor”. The chapter ends with a new perspective on giving. Note that giving is very different from the obligation of the tax. “Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd… Many rich people threw in large amounts”. This was apparently done with a great deal of fanfare and attention. But then very quietly “a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents”. Jesus saw the difference in her attitude “They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on”. Friend, do you give to be seen, or with thankfulness? One day each of us will leave our earthly home. What will you take and what you will leave behind? I hope you will consider all the options carefully.