Mark 12:13-44

Jesus Deals With The Final Challenges With Which The Jews Seek To Entrap Him (12:13-44).

In this last part of Section 4 Jesus is faced with attempts to entrap and discredit Him. They come from various sources, the Pharisees and Herodians, the Sadducees, and a Scribe. In each case He emerges having confounded His adversaries. The picture is of Jesus against the establishment, because the establishment have all gone astray.

Analysis.

a The question of payment of tribute, and the need to give to God what is His due (Mark 12:13-17).

b Jesus is challenged on a matter concerning the resurrection. He points out that in the resurrection world there is no marriage, and cites Exodus in order to demonstrate that GOD is Abraham’s God (Mark 12:18-27).

c Jesus describes those who are totally pleasing to God because they love God and their neighbour. People who see and respond to this enter the Kingly Rule of God (Mark 12:28-34).

b Jesus challenges the Scribes on the question of the Messiah and cites a Psalm of David in order to demonstrate that the Messiah is David’s Lord (Mark 12:35-37).

a People are to beware of those who make much of themselves and put on a pretence of piety, while the widow who gives her all, even though it be a pittance, gives more than all who give bountifully from their riches. She gives more than her due (Mark 12:38-44).

Note that in ‘a’ Jesus calls for the people to give God what is due to Him, and in the parallel points out the woman who gives more than her due. In ‘b’ Jesus declares that God is Abraham’s God, and in the parallel that the Messiah is David’s Lord, and brings out the distinctiveness of both. Central in ‘c’ are the two great commandments which sum up all the commandments and are at the heart of Jesus’ teaching concerning the Kingly Rule of God.