Jesus Warns of the Scribes
12:38-40
Jesus was teaching in the temple courts. He had just engaged the scribes. Next, he warned the crowds about the scribes.
First, he warned that the scribes had an unseemly need to be recognized as important. They wore long robes. These robes would not be worn by working class guys, as they would get in the way. They also wore long prayer shawls that had tassels on the end.
They showed all who saw them that they were above the common man. Maybe an equivalent today would be wearing an expensive suit and tie and a shirt with cufflinks while going to the market.
Second, they liked to be acknowledged and greeted in the market place as an important person. They would be addressed as rabbi or teacher.
Third, they got the best seats in the synagogue, sitting up front.They got seated near the host at feasts. They were seen as important spiritual leaders and received privileges for their positions. Yet, they took advantages of widows, even taking their houses from them. (40)
This is the opposite of “love your neighbor as yourself”, part of the greatest commandment. James 1:27 also says “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world”. Deuteronomy 10:18 says God executes justice for the fatherless and the widow. Clearly, the scribes were hypocrites in this area.
They also prayed long prayers designed to make them look spiritual when they were not. That reminds us of the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18:9-14. The Pharisee used his prayer to say how good he was, bragging about all the good things he did. The tax collector repented and asked for mercy.
Jesus said the tax collector, and not the Pharisee, went home justified. And the reason is, those who exalt themselves will be humbled, but those who humble themselves will be exalted.
James, the brother of Jesus, specifically condemned giving rich people the best seats at church and making poor people sit on the floor. He called partiality a sin. (James 2:1-9)
The Bible is clear that God does not approve of human pride. Jesus stands on that truth.
And so Jesus said “They will receive the greater condemnation”. (40)
The Widow’s Offering
12:41-44
In stark contrast to these pretentious scribes, Jesus presented a poor and humble widow. He sat in the treasury where there were boxes for the offerings. They were called shofar boxes because of the horn shaped device on top of the box where people dropped in their coins.
As he watched people put their offerings in the treasure boxes, he pointed out the widow. She put in two small copper coins (lepta) which, together, made a penny. They were the smallest denomination of money, worth 1\64 denarii. So, the amount of money she gave was insignificant compared to the offerings of the rich people.
But that is not how Jesus saw it. He measured the sacrifice, the cost to the giver. A rich person could give a lot and not be affected by it. But this woman put in all the had to live on. It was a great sacrifice.
So, the poor woman is a model of discipleship. She gave everything. Jesus told the disciples to follow him, which meant leave your world behind, including your job or business, and follow me. He told the rich young man to give away all his possessions and follow Jesus. Being a disciple means devoting all of yourself to Jesus.
This story is the end of Jesus’ public ministry.
Prophecy Concerning the Temple
13:1-2
Mark 13 is a sort of farewell discourse, and the longest teaching of Jesus in Mark. It is a collection of teachings that Mark gathered into one place, as evidence by the fact that these teachings appear in different contexts in the other gospels. Because of this, it is difficult to interpret the chapter.
The central idea is the destruction of the temple. It seems to be both an actual event and a sign of the end of the age.
So, the chapter begins with Jesus leaving the temple and the disciples pointing out to Jesus the beauty of the temple. Mark does not tell us why the disciples felt the need to do so. Maybe, not being from Jerusalem, they were in awe of the structures. Or maybe, since Jesus had been pointing out the flaws in Jewish religious practice, they felt he did not give the temple the appreciation he should have.
Beginning in chapter 11, Mark has shown Jesus at odds with the temple and those who are in control of it. His first acts after arriving in Jerusalem are to disrupt the temple proceedings, driving out the animals for sale and turning over tables where money was exchanged.
There is no question the temple and its grounds were beautify and impressive. Herod spent a fortune expanding and beautifying the temple in order to curry favor with the Jews. The work had gone on for decades.
And the stones were impressive. Some were 40 feet long, 12 feet high, and 18 feet wide. There was lots of gold covering the walls. It was an amazing structure.
The “Western Wall” or “Wailing Wall” in Jerusalem today is a retaining wall built to stabilize the temple grounds. It is the closest a Jew can come to the site of the second temple today
Jesus’ response to the disciples was terse and shocking. He basically said all these great buildings will be torn down and completely destroyed.
The Disciples’ Questions
13:3-4
Naturally, the disciples had questions. To their credit, they did not act in disbelief.
The setting is back on the Mount of Olives. From there you can look down on Jerusalem. Jesus and the disciples would be able to see the temple complex in all of its splendor.
The two sets of brothers, the first apostles called, approached Jesus privately (away from the other disciples). Peter and Andrew were brothers. James and John were brothers.
They asked two questions: (1) when will these things (destruction of the temple) be and (2) what will be the sign that this is about to happen.
These are logical questions to follow up on Jesus’s statements. They want to know when it will happen and how can they know it is about to happen, so they can not be there when it happens.
The rest of the chapter is Jesus’ answer. But, he answers by telling them of the destruction of the temple and the city, but also to the time of his return. That may be because the disciples would likely have associated the destruction of the temple with the end of the age. Matthew’s account bears this out. (Matthew 24:3)
Here is an outline of Jesus’ response:
1-13 - destruction of the temple and the city
14-27 - tribulation and return of Jesus
28-31 - destruction of the temple and the city
32-37 - Jesus’ return and the call to watchfulness.
We will study Jesus' prophecies in detail next week!
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