Mark 12:28-44: An End to Questions
PEOPLE ARE MOTIVATED by many things—ambition, money, power, recognition, the desire to please God. In this passage Jesus encounters or comments on a variety of people whose lives are governed by different goals. In so doing he exposes our own motivations to his searching glance.
Warming Up to God
What motivates your daily life and future plans? List each motivating factor. Reflect on your list before God.
Read Mark 12:28-44. »
Discovering the Word
- Like the chief priests, elders, Pharisees and Sadducees of 11:27—12:27, another teacher of the law comes to Jesus with a pointed question (v. 28). What evidence is there that he is not out to trap Jesus?
- Though Jesus is only asked for one commandment, in good rabbinic fashion he responds by adding a second to his reply. What relationship does this second commandment bear to the first?
- To a Jew in Jesus' day a descendant was always inferior to an ancestor. A son might call his father or grandfather "lord," but never vice versa. How can Christ be both David's Lord and his descendant (vv. 35-37)?
- In contrast to the teachers of the law and the rich, what motivates the widow's religious behavior?
Applying the Word
- If you were to evaluate your daily activities on the basis of love for God and neighbor, how would you fare? Explain.
- What steps can you take to make the love of God and love of neighbor a higher priority in your life?
- What implications does the example of the widow have for our giving to the Lord's work?
Responding in Prayer
Ask God to give you the attitude of the widow both in your love for him and toward others.
For Further Study
Making Life Work by Bill Hybels