1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:01,560 Good morning, everyone. 2 00:00:01,560 --> 00:00:04,600 Good morning. 3 00:00:04,600 --> 00:00:07,040 I had a sinus infection this week. 4 00:00:07,040 --> 00:00:09,200 Is that so fun? 5 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:11,000 I just put in a cough drop, and it's actually 6 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:14,080 making my mouth drier than it was. 7 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:17,160 My throat is better, but my mouth is drier. 8 00:00:17,160 --> 00:00:18,480 So that's fun. 9 00:00:21,680 --> 00:00:23,560 Anyway, I'm going to be, if I remember, 10 00:00:23,560 --> 00:00:26,600 to drink a lot of water. 11 00:00:26,600 --> 00:00:28,680 I will do that. 12 00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:30,920 I hear a lot of people are dealing with sinus-y things 13 00:00:30,920 --> 00:00:32,360 right now. 14 00:00:32,360 --> 00:00:34,880 We're all in it together. 15 00:00:34,880 --> 00:00:37,520 So fun. 16 00:00:37,520 --> 00:00:41,240 We've been doing this series on the Book of Mark. 17 00:00:41,240 --> 00:00:46,320 I have loved this series for a lot of reasons, 18 00:00:46,320 --> 00:00:50,960 but keeping in mind that it was the first gospel that 19 00:00:50,960 --> 00:00:56,760 was written, that was put out as a story 20 00:00:56,760 --> 00:01:02,120 to circulate as a way to tell others about Jesus 21 00:01:02,120 --> 00:01:05,760 now that the church was growing and getting bigger. 22 00:01:08,720 --> 00:01:11,240 I've spent a lot of time in the last year 23 00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:18,480 thinking about what an absolute miracle it is that the Church 24 00:01:18,480 --> 00:01:26,360 of Jesus exists at all, that these faithful people wrote 25 00:01:26,360 --> 00:01:29,320 this stuff down and encouraged other people that 26 00:01:29,320 --> 00:01:32,920 were trying to figure out what kingdom living looked like 27 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:36,560 and trying to figure out what it meant to follow Jesus 28 00:01:36,560 --> 00:01:43,040 and understand some of the weird things he said 29 00:01:43,040 --> 00:01:45,600 and live out some of the really blatant things he said that 30 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:49,040 didn't make sense in their world. 31 00:01:49,040 --> 00:01:53,520 And the distances that they cross themselves 32 00:01:53,520 --> 00:01:59,120 to move around the ancient world to get these stories out, 33 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:03,200 the things that they did to get these things written down 34 00:02:03,200 --> 00:02:06,600 in a time when literacy was not high, 35 00:02:06,600 --> 00:02:13,160 and the ability to get the stuff down on materials 36 00:02:13,160 --> 00:02:17,480 to make sure that this story got spread and circulated. 37 00:02:17,480 --> 00:02:25,320 I am amazed at the fact that we're here 2,000 years later 38 00:02:25,320 --> 00:02:29,920 getting to experience the life that we have in Christ 39 00:02:29,920 --> 00:02:33,600 because of these really faithful people that just understood 40 00:02:33,600 --> 00:02:38,080 how urgent it was to get this message out 41 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:40,400 about this man who came to tell us 42 00:02:40,400 --> 00:02:43,080 the way to the kingdom of God. 43 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:45,200 That's an extraordinary thing to think about. 44 00:02:45,200 --> 00:02:50,680 And so thinking about Mark's gospel or the gospel of Mark 45 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:53,680 and the fact that it was the first of the gospels 46 00:02:53,680 --> 00:03:01,480 and that he laid down this template for how we remember 47 00:03:01,480 --> 00:03:04,240 Jesus is amazing to me. 48 00:03:04,240 --> 00:03:06,080 It's just amazing. 49 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:12,480 So I've appreciated getting into reading each week's verses 50 00:03:12,480 --> 00:03:18,760 and putting myself in the frame of mind that remembers, 51 00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:19,720 this was it. 52 00:03:19,720 --> 00:03:21,960 This was the only narrative circulating. 53 00:03:21,960 --> 00:03:22,960 There wasn't Matthew. 54 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:23,640 There wasn't Luke. 55 00:03:23,640 --> 00:03:25,120 There wasn't John. 56 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:26,280 This was it. 57 00:03:26,280 --> 00:03:32,440 And so what would it have been like to read these words when 58 00:03:32,440 --> 00:03:35,000 I couldn't cross-reference other gospels 59 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:39,320 and other parallel accounts? 60 00:03:39,320 --> 00:03:41,080 It's amazing to think about. 61 00:03:41,080 --> 00:03:43,160 So that's where my brain has been 62 00:03:43,160 --> 00:03:48,040 going a lot in reading and working through this series. 63 00:03:48,040 --> 00:03:49,520 And we're in the 11th week of it. 64 00:03:49,520 --> 00:03:51,160 And we've got a few more weeks to go. 65 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:54,080 It'll take us up till Easter. 66 00:03:54,080 --> 00:03:56,200 But yeah, I've loved digging into it. 67 00:03:56,200 --> 00:03:59,080 I would actually enjoy hearing from you guys 68 00:03:59,080 --> 00:04:02,080 too what your experience has been in this book 69 00:04:02,080 --> 00:04:03,920 as you've encountered it. 70 00:04:03,920 --> 00:04:06,160 Has there been anything new jumping out at you, 71 00:04:06,160 --> 00:04:07,920 things that you've read in a fresh way 72 00:04:07,920 --> 00:04:11,320 or heard in a fresh way that really surprised you? 73 00:04:11,320 --> 00:04:14,400 Feel free to share those things with myself or Pastor Chris 74 00:04:14,400 --> 00:04:16,840 or talk about them with each other. 75 00:04:16,840 --> 00:04:18,960 I would love to hear those conversations. 76 00:04:18,960 --> 00:04:22,360 But I want to remind you, because I preached in January, 77 00:04:22,360 --> 00:04:25,480 I think it was the third week, and I gave you 78 00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:27,280 sort of a setup for the Book of Mark. 79 00:04:27,280 --> 00:04:31,880 I gave you the breakdown of the three sections 80 00:04:31,880 --> 00:04:37,560 that Mark used to guide his narrative. 81 00:04:37,560 --> 00:04:40,360 And when I say Mark, we don't actually 82 00:04:40,360 --> 00:04:43,240 know if there was a person named Mark who wrote this book. 83 00:04:43,240 --> 00:04:45,160 It is the gospel that has been attributed 84 00:04:45,160 --> 00:04:47,880 to somebody named Mark. 85 00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:53,600 But it doesn't actually say, I'm the writer Mark. 86 00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:57,920 And so we have speculation and really authoritative accounts 87 00:04:57,920 --> 00:05:00,480 that have pointed towards Mark. 88 00:05:00,480 --> 00:05:03,760 But when I say Mark, I don't actually 89 00:05:03,760 --> 00:05:07,120 mean a person named Mark who is writing this book. 90 00:05:07,120 --> 00:05:10,680 It's just an easy way of referencing the writer. 91 00:05:10,680 --> 00:05:15,440 So in part one, the writer establishes Jesus 92 00:05:15,440 --> 00:05:17,520 as the way to the kingdom. 93 00:05:17,520 --> 00:05:21,480 That was his focus when writing this book. 94 00:05:21,480 --> 00:05:27,440 I am pointing out that Jesus was the son of God 95 00:05:27,440 --> 00:05:30,800 and that he is the way to the kingdom. 96 00:05:30,800 --> 00:05:34,200 That was primary for Mark to establish 97 00:05:34,200 --> 00:05:36,440 and to establish it quickly. 98 00:05:36,440 --> 00:05:38,960 So you heard Pastor Gray talk about the baptism 99 00:05:38,960 --> 00:05:43,040 a few weeks ago and what happened there. 100 00:05:43,040 --> 00:05:46,280 In part two, we encountered the disciples and others 101 00:05:46,280 --> 00:05:49,440 along the way from Galilee down to Jerusalem. 102 00:05:49,440 --> 00:05:50,920 And what that journey was like, Mark 103 00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:54,120 is setting up stories to show that others were invited 104 00:05:54,120 --> 00:05:58,880 to Jesus in the way as he showed them glimpses of the kingdom 105 00:05:58,880 --> 00:06:01,680 through how he cared for children, which Scott shared 106 00:06:01,680 --> 00:06:04,200 with us last week, how he healed the blind, 107 00:06:04,200 --> 00:06:06,920 how he relieved people of oppressive spirits, 108 00:06:06,920 --> 00:06:08,480 how he lifted up the marginalized, 109 00:06:08,480 --> 00:06:12,160 and how he fed the thousands out of few resources, 110 00:06:12,160 --> 00:06:14,720 how he responded to those that were weighed down 111 00:06:14,720 --> 00:06:17,520 by their religion. 112 00:06:17,520 --> 00:06:21,160 And then in part three, where we find ourselves this week, 113 00:06:21,160 --> 00:06:23,960 specifically, we're going to be moving through chapters 11 114 00:06:23,960 --> 00:06:28,240 through 13, Jesus and company have made it to Jerusalem 115 00:06:28,240 --> 00:06:33,760 and we have entered into Jesus's final week of life. 116 00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:35,360 So before we get fully into it, I 117 00:06:35,360 --> 00:06:38,200 do want to remind you of some context that is really 118 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:42,240 important to this account. 119 00:06:42,240 --> 00:06:44,880 So I'll remind you that this book dates, the writing of it 120 00:06:44,880 --> 00:06:49,400 dates from around 66 to 70, Common Era. 121 00:06:49,400 --> 00:06:52,440 You may remember that I talked about a revolt that 122 00:06:52,440 --> 00:06:56,520 had sprung up around this time led by a Jewish faction. 123 00:06:56,520 --> 00:06:58,240 It took Rome by surprise, but Rome 124 00:06:58,240 --> 00:06:59,600 was not going to let it slip. 125 00:06:59,600 --> 00:07:01,880 And so they shot back devastatingly 126 00:07:01,880 --> 00:07:05,880 in order to remind the Jews to keep things quiet, 127 00:07:05,880 --> 00:07:08,000 or we will destroy you. 128 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:12,920 Church members fled Judea at that time. 129 00:07:12,920 --> 00:07:15,200 The warnings about false messiahs and prophets 130 00:07:15,200 --> 00:07:16,800 that Mark would talk about would certainly 131 00:07:16,800 --> 00:07:20,920 have fit the historian Josephus's account of Judea 132 00:07:20,920 --> 00:07:25,480 before and during that revolt as well. 133 00:07:25,480 --> 00:07:29,520 So we are reading this account 35 to 40 years 134 00:07:29,520 --> 00:07:32,520 after the events of Jesus's life. 135 00:07:32,520 --> 00:07:36,920 And it's amazing to think about how 136 00:07:36,920 --> 00:07:39,000 they had the staying power that they did, 137 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:43,560 that somebody 30 to 40 years out is writing these things down. 138 00:07:43,560 --> 00:07:46,600 Because there's truth to them and there's power in them. 139 00:07:46,600 --> 00:07:48,560 And the stories were important. 140 00:07:48,560 --> 00:07:50,280 They're not fairy tales of the past, 141 00:07:50,280 --> 00:07:53,520 but empowering accounts for the Jews of the present era 142 00:07:53,520 --> 00:07:57,480 and for those who have chosen to follow Jesus in the way that 143 00:07:57,480 --> 00:07:59,520 weren't of the Jewish faith. 144 00:07:59,520 --> 00:08:01,640 The writer of Mark is addressing his readers 145 00:08:01,640 --> 00:08:04,680 in their current context and highlighting stories 146 00:08:04,680 --> 00:08:08,640 that mean something to them in their time. 147 00:08:08,640 --> 00:08:11,080 Mark emphasized stories that identified Jesus 148 00:08:11,080 --> 00:08:12,880 as the way to the kingdom. 149 00:08:12,880 --> 00:08:16,720 And he was the way because he was recognized by God as such 150 00:08:16,720 --> 00:08:18,960 at his baptism in Mark. 151 00:08:18,960 --> 00:08:21,240 He said, when Jesus was baptized, 152 00:08:21,240 --> 00:08:23,760 a voice said, you are my son, whom I love. 153 00:08:23,760 --> 00:08:27,000 With you, I am well pleased. 154 00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:27,880 And I do encourage you. 155 00:08:27,880 --> 00:08:28,960 I mentioned this just a moment ago, 156 00:08:28,960 --> 00:08:31,520 but I do encourage you to go back to Pastor Greg's message 157 00:08:31,520 --> 00:08:32,320 on week two. 158 00:08:32,320 --> 00:08:35,320 This was such a great message on Jesus's baptism 159 00:08:35,320 --> 00:08:40,520 and how it was set up and the literary devices 160 00:08:40,520 --> 00:08:43,720 that Mark uses to connect Jesus's baptism 161 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:47,120 with the creation of the world. 162 00:08:47,120 --> 00:08:50,080 Jesus's sonship was a contentious thing 163 00:08:50,080 --> 00:08:53,840 during this time because the Roman Caesars were 164 00:08:53,840 --> 00:08:59,160 the ones that were identified as sons of God or sons of gods. 165 00:08:59,160 --> 00:09:03,280 So it's a problem that Jesus is identified 166 00:09:03,280 --> 00:09:07,120 as the son of God. 167 00:09:07,120 --> 00:09:12,880 And the writer needs his readers to understand that Jesus 168 00:09:12,880 --> 00:09:16,280 is the true son of God. 169 00:09:16,280 --> 00:09:18,720 Additionally, it's helpful to remember that this gospel was 170 00:09:18,720 --> 00:09:19,920 read as a single source. 171 00:09:19,920 --> 00:09:23,600 As I said, there were not the other gospels available 172 00:09:23,600 --> 00:09:24,560 giving context. 173 00:09:24,560 --> 00:09:28,400 Luke and John and Mark, excuse me, Matthew, 174 00:09:28,400 --> 00:09:31,560 their accounts did not exist for another possible 10 175 00:09:31,560 --> 00:09:35,280 to 20 years after this. 176 00:09:35,280 --> 00:09:38,000 When I preached in January, I highlighted five stories 177 00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:40,320 of conflict in which Jesus had run ins 178 00:09:40,320 --> 00:09:43,360 with the local religious authorities up north 179 00:09:43,360 --> 00:09:44,880 in Galilee. 180 00:09:44,880 --> 00:09:48,160 Mark was using these stories as a foreshadowing 181 00:09:48,160 --> 00:09:51,160 of what was to come and the conflicts that 182 00:09:51,160 --> 00:09:53,800 would lead to Jesus's death. 183 00:09:53,800 --> 00:09:56,200 And this is where we find ourselves today. 184 00:09:56,200 --> 00:10:00,040 We are here at said conflicts. 185 00:10:00,040 --> 00:10:02,120 So I'm going to invite you to pray with me 186 00:10:02,120 --> 00:10:03,560 before we move forward. 187 00:10:03,560 --> 00:10:05,160 And I'm going to take a drink of water. 188 00:10:09,000 --> 00:10:12,840 Jesus, thank you so much for how you've preserved 189 00:10:12,840 --> 00:10:15,560 these words throughout time, that there 190 00:10:15,560 --> 00:10:21,000 have been ancient writings that tell of you 191 00:10:21,000 --> 00:10:23,800 and tell of who you are. 192 00:10:23,800 --> 00:10:29,480 And the people who helped keep the message moving, 193 00:10:29,480 --> 00:10:31,520 God, it's extraordinary. 194 00:10:31,520 --> 00:10:33,080 I'm so grateful. 195 00:10:33,080 --> 00:10:37,240 I'm so grateful for their sense of urgency 196 00:10:37,240 --> 00:10:43,480 and sense of need for your message to be shared 197 00:10:43,480 --> 00:10:47,360 and for your truth to be known as far and as wide as it 198 00:10:47,360 --> 00:10:48,680 could go. 199 00:10:48,680 --> 00:10:53,160 So thank you that it has reached us here in our lives, 200 00:10:53,160 --> 00:10:55,600 in continents that people were not 201 00:10:55,600 --> 00:11:01,120 aware of in the ancient world fully, 202 00:11:01,120 --> 00:11:04,200 and that you've made these things available to us. 203 00:11:04,200 --> 00:11:07,160 You reached us. 204 00:11:07,160 --> 00:11:11,800 And that, in consideration of the original first century 205 00:11:11,800 --> 00:11:15,240 church, seems impossible. 206 00:11:15,240 --> 00:11:17,960 So God, we are grateful for who you are 207 00:11:17,960 --> 00:11:23,960 and how you've made this message move globally. 208 00:11:23,960 --> 00:11:26,360 Teach us today more about this. 209 00:11:26,360 --> 00:11:27,160 Your name? 210 00:11:27,160 --> 00:11:27,640 Amen. 211 00:11:27,640 --> 00:11:29,840 Amen. 212 00:11:29,840 --> 00:11:32,320 This cough drop's got to go. 213 00:11:32,320 --> 00:11:35,640 Super done with it. 214 00:11:35,640 --> 00:11:39,480 So on Sunday of this week that we are now 215 00:11:39,480 --> 00:11:45,600 in in this passage in chapters 11 through 13, 216 00:11:45,600 --> 00:11:49,800 on Sunday of this week, Jesus entered Jerusalem 217 00:11:49,800 --> 00:11:53,880 to cheers of Hosanna while riding on a colt. 218 00:11:53,880 --> 00:11:56,760 We are really familiar with that story. 219 00:11:56,760 --> 00:11:59,760 That day, he enters the temple, presumably the outer courts, 220 00:11:59,760 --> 00:12:02,760 where he will spend some time over the next few days. 221 00:12:02,760 --> 00:12:04,560 Passover is approaching. 222 00:12:04,560 --> 00:12:07,040 And we can imagine that the temple is getting busier 223 00:12:07,040 --> 00:12:08,280 than it usually is. 224 00:12:08,280 --> 00:12:12,080 People would come early for any number of ritual cleansings 225 00:12:12,080 --> 00:12:14,320 that they needed to do ahead of time, 226 00:12:14,320 --> 00:12:18,280 arrange for sacrifices to be purchased, conduct business. 227 00:12:18,280 --> 00:12:23,240 It is estimated that 200,000 to 300,000 people 228 00:12:23,240 --> 00:12:27,920 would come to Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover 229 00:12:27,920 --> 00:12:31,240 in the days leading up to this holiday. 230 00:12:31,240 --> 00:12:32,160 That's a lot of people. 231 00:12:32,160 --> 00:12:35,080 That's the size of the Quad Cities, 232 00:12:35,080 --> 00:12:38,760 descending upon Jerusalem in the ancient world. 233 00:12:38,760 --> 00:12:41,520 That's a lot of people. 234 00:12:41,520 --> 00:12:44,760 So Jesus and company were there. 235 00:12:44,760 --> 00:12:46,240 Maybe they were looking for friends. 236 00:12:46,240 --> 00:12:49,440 Maybe they were also doing the cleansing rituals. 237 00:12:49,440 --> 00:12:53,320 Maybe they were also arranging for sacrifices. 238 00:12:53,320 --> 00:12:55,040 But they were there. 239 00:12:55,040 --> 00:12:56,120 They just spent some time. 240 00:12:56,120 --> 00:12:57,440 They looked around for a while. 241 00:12:57,440 --> 00:12:59,160 And then they left to walk back to where 242 00:12:59,160 --> 00:13:02,160 they were staying in Bethany, which is about a two-mile walk 243 00:13:02,160 --> 00:13:05,360 outside of the city. 244 00:13:05,360 --> 00:13:07,760 And they were staying at a place near what's 245 00:13:07,760 --> 00:13:08,960 known as the Mount of Olives. 246 00:13:08,960 --> 00:13:10,800 Again, you will hear about this. 247 00:13:10,800 --> 00:13:14,560 But that is day one of Holy Week. 248 00:13:14,560 --> 00:13:17,520 It's fabulous procession and then just a real boring day 249 00:13:17,520 --> 00:13:19,800 after that. 250 00:13:19,800 --> 00:13:22,920 But I can't help think that Jesus really 251 00:13:22,920 --> 00:13:26,480 got thinking about what he saw that day while at the temple. 252 00:13:26,480 --> 00:13:28,720 Because the next day, when they head back to Jerusalem 253 00:13:28,720 --> 00:13:30,840 for one of the days of purification, 254 00:13:30,840 --> 00:13:32,640 they entered the part of the temple precincts 255 00:13:32,640 --> 00:13:36,760 where worshipers exchanged coins to pay the annual temple tax. 256 00:13:36,760 --> 00:13:38,560 Who's being taxed here? 257 00:13:38,560 --> 00:13:41,760 Not everyone, just those who use the temple. 258 00:13:41,760 --> 00:13:44,640 And if you're a Jew, you're required to worship and bring 259 00:13:44,640 --> 00:13:46,960 offerings to the temple. 260 00:13:46,960 --> 00:13:49,280 So who is the empire taxing? 261 00:13:49,280 --> 00:13:51,040 Just the Jews. 262 00:13:51,040 --> 00:13:53,040 Happy empire. 263 00:13:53,040 --> 00:13:58,160 So you can see why the Jews had some tension with Rome. 264 00:13:58,160 --> 00:14:04,320 So they were there observing these things. 265 00:14:04,320 --> 00:14:07,120 And Jesus becomes so beside himself 266 00:14:07,120 --> 00:14:12,080 at this point with what he names a den of thieves. 267 00:14:12,080 --> 00:14:17,120 He starts overthrowing tables and disrupts the whole thing. 268 00:14:17,120 --> 00:14:20,600 Expectedly, there are religious leaders there witnessing this. 269 00:14:20,600 --> 00:14:21,720 They do not like it. 270 00:14:21,720 --> 00:14:24,640 And they start thinking of ways to get rid of Jesus. 271 00:14:24,640 --> 00:14:25,920 Jesus is a problem. 272 00:14:25,920 --> 00:14:26,840 He's disruptive. 273 00:14:26,840 --> 00:14:28,680 They don't like his teachings. 274 00:14:28,680 --> 00:14:30,880 I've kind of heard about this guy up in the north. 275 00:14:30,880 --> 00:14:33,080 Word has spread. 276 00:14:33,080 --> 00:14:34,920 And so they start really thinking 277 00:14:34,920 --> 00:14:38,000 through how he's a serious problem. 278 00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:39,960 And there's a reason. 279 00:14:39,960 --> 00:14:43,240 Jesus is not an outlier. 280 00:14:43,240 --> 00:14:46,720 As I've said, there have been revolts and pushback 281 00:14:46,720 --> 00:14:49,120 to the empire before. 282 00:14:49,120 --> 00:14:51,760 They're sort of categorizing him in a similar way. 283 00:14:51,760 --> 00:14:52,880 He's a revolutionary. 284 00:14:52,880 --> 00:14:53,720 He's a problem. 285 00:14:53,720 --> 00:14:56,400 We need to end this. 286 00:14:56,400 --> 00:14:59,560 So after that incident happens, Jesus and his friends 287 00:14:59,560 --> 00:15:02,600 go back to Bethany another night. 288 00:15:02,600 --> 00:15:05,160 And then we are now at Tuesday, where 289 00:15:05,160 --> 00:15:09,280 we're going to find ourselves for the bulk of this passage. 290 00:15:09,280 --> 00:15:14,120 So on Tuesday, the crew heads back to Jerusalem, 291 00:15:14,120 --> 00:15:16,160 back to the temple courts, where they just 292 00:15:16,160 --> 00:15:19,560 disrupted a whole bunch of things the day before. 293 00:15:19,560 --> 00:15:21,680 And they find that the events of the last few days 294 00:15:21,680 --> 00:15:25,200 have riled up enough of the religious leaders in Jerusalem 295 00:15:25,200 --> 00:15:27,920 that they happen to be there bright and early, 296 00:15:27,920 --> 00:15:29,720 ready for Jesus, and with the intent 297 00:15:29,720 --> 00:15:31,880 to put an end to all of this nonsense. 298 00:15:31,880 --> 00:15:37,720 So Mark 11, 27 says, 27, 28. 299 00:15:37,720 --> 00:15:39,440 It says, they arrived again in Jerusalem. 300 00:15:39,440 --> 00:15:41,840 And while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, 301 00:15:41,840 --> 00:15:43,960 the chief priests, the teachers of the law, 302 00:15:43,960 --> 00:15:46,880 also known as scribes, that's useful to know, 303 00:15:46,880 --> 00:15:49,320 and the elders came to him. 304 00:15:49,320 --> 00:15:52,400 By what authority are you doing these things, they asked? 305 00:15:52,400 --> 00:15:54,440 And who gave you the authority to do this? 306 00:15:54,440 --> 00:16:03,520 Jesus responds by asking them a question, which his answer to 307 00:16:03,520 --> 00:16:05,480 them is contingent on. 308 00:16:05,480 --> 00:16:08,680 They refuse to answer, fearing it's a trick, which 309 00:16:08,680 --> 00:16:10,680 is exactly what Jesus was worried about. 310 00:16:10,680 --> 00:16:13,000 And so it means that they also don't get their answer. 311 00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:15,800 So they kind of do this circulating thing. 312 00:16:15,800 --> 00:16:19,120 He's like, I won't answer you if you don't answer me. 313 00:16:19,120 --> 00:16:23,240 But then Jesus begins to speak to them in parables 314 00:16:23,240 --> 00:16:28,040 as a way to reply to their question. 315 00:16:28,040 --> 00:16:33,640 And so at chapter 12, verse 1 through 12, 316 00:16:33,640 --> 00:16:36,960 if you're following along, it reads, 317 00:16:36,960 --> 00:16:39,720 Jesus began to speak to them in parables. 318 00:16:39,720 --> 00:16:41,400 A man planted a vineyard. 319 00:16:41,400 --> 00:16:43,720 He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the wine press, 320 00:16:43,720 --> 00:16:45,000 and built a watchtower. 321 00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:46,880 Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers 322 00:16:46,880 --> 00:16:48,760 and moved to another place. 323 00:16:48,760 --> 00:16:52,120 At harvest time, he sent a servant to the tenants 324 00:16:52,120 --> 00:16:55,720 to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 325 00:16:55,720 --> 00:16:56,720 But they seized him. 326 00:16:56,720 --> 00:17:00,560 They beat him, and they sent him away empty-handed. 327 00:17:00,560 --> 00:17:02,440 Then he sent another servant to them. 328 00:17:02,440 --> 00:17:06,040 They struck this man on the head and treated him shamefully. 329 00:17:06,040 --> 00:17:09,600 He sent still another, and that one they killed. 330 00:17:09,600 --> 00:17:10,440 He sent many others. 331 00:17:10,440 --> 00:17:13,880 Some of them beat, others of them killed. 332 00:17:13,880 --> 00:17:21,120 And he only had one left to send, a son whom he loved. 333 00:17:21,120 --> 00:17:26,680 He sent him last of all saying, surely they'll respect my son. 334 00:17:26,680 --> 00:17:30,800 But the tenant said to the other, this is the heir. 335 00:17:30,800 --> 00:17:35,360 Come, let's kill him, and the inheritance will be ours. 336 00:17:35,360 --> 00:17:37,840 So they took him and killed him and threw him 337 00:17:37,840 --> 00:17:38,720 out of the vineyard. 338 00:17:38,720 --> 00:17:40,720 I don't know if they don't realize that that's not 339 00:17:40,720 --> 00:17:43,360 how inheritance works. 340 00:17:43,360 --> 00:17:45,320 But nonetheless, they went forward. 341 00:17:45,320 --> 00:17:49,280 They took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. 342 00:17:49,280 --> 00:17:51,280 What then will the owner of the vineyard do? 343 00:17:51,280 --> 00:17:53,200 He will come and kill those tenants 344 00:17:53,200 --> 00:17:55,800 and give the vineyard to others. 345 00:17:55,800 --> 00:17:57,840 Haven't you read the passage of scripture? 346 00:17:57,840 --> 00:18:01,760 The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. 347 00:18:01,760 --> 00:18:05,240 The Lord has done this, and it's marvelous in our eyes. 348 00:18:05,240 --> 00:18:07,360 Then the chief priests, the teachers of the law, 349 00:18:07,360 --> 00:18:10,200 and the elders looked for a way to arrest him, 350 00:18:10,200 --> 00:18:15,200 because they knew he had spoken the parable against them. 351 00:18:15,200 --> 00:18:17,200 But they were afraid of the crowd, 352 00:18:17,200 --> 00:18:20,600 so they left him and went away. 353 00:18:20,600 --> 00:18:22,280 This does not go well. 354 00:18:22,280 --> 00:18:28,680 This is not a good way to start off the week in Jerusalem. 355 00:18:28,680 --> 00:18:34,120 The chief priests, the scribes, that whole crew, 356 00:18:34,120 --> 00:18:36,000 what they want to do is have him arrested, 357 00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:38,120 but they need to first discredit him with the crowd, 358 00:18:38,120 --> 00:18:39,840 because the crowd likes him too much. 359 00:18:39,840 --> 00:18:40,340 Why? 360 00:18:40,340 --> 00:18:44,040 Because Jesus is a champion of those 361 00:18:44,040 --> 00:18:47,880 that are unseen and oppressed. 362 00:18:47,880 --> 00:18:52,120 And the crowd happens to like what he's been saying. 363 00:18:52,120 --> 00:18:55,040 But the religious leaders, they fail. 364 00:18:55,040 --> 00:18:56,320 People like this guy too much. 365 00:18:56,320 --> 00:19:00,120 So however not to be outdone, they seemingly 366 00:19:00,120 --> 00:19:03,360 join forces with each other, all of these religious leaders. 367 00:19:03,360 --> 00:19:06,360 So what unites enemies? 368 00:19:06,360 --> 00:19:07,560 A common enemy. 369 00:19:07,560 --> 00:19:09,400 And so they have decided that Jesus 370 00:19:09,400 --> 00:19:12,240 is an enemy to their establishment, 371 00:19:12,240 --> 00:19:16,160 an enemy to their positions, because they have been set up 372 00:19:16,160 --> 00:19:19,000 very conveniently from the Roman Empire. 373 00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:22,320 The high priest was installed by the Roman Empire. 374 00:19:22,320 --> 00:19:25,320 The officials that are in these positions 375 00:19:25,320 --> 00:19:32,040 have done a really good job on keeping things very 376 00:19:32,040 --> 00:19:35,000 chill with the Jews in Jerusalem, 377 00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:37,960 because they know it'll go badly for them. 378 00:19:37,960 --> 00:19:41,600 They'll lose their positions if the Roman Empire has problems 379 00:19:41,600 --> 00:19:42,680 with the community. 380 00:19:42,680 --> 00:19:45,560 So they're just basically trying to maintain 381 00:19:45,560 --> 00:19:49,200 for their own heads. 382 00:19:49,200 --> 00:19:51,640 But what follows here is a parade 383 00:19:51,640 --> 00:19:56,120 of these assembled folks trying to ensnare Jesus 384 00:19:56,120 --> 00:19:58,640 and trip him up. 385 00:19:58,640 --> 00:20:02,240 And so I'm just going to run through sort of these headlines 386 00:20:02,240 --> 00:20:04,760 at chapter 12, verse 13. 387 00:20:04,760 --> 00:20:07,760 Later they sent some Pharisees and Herodians 388 00:20:07,760 --> 00:20:09,840 to catch Jesus in his words. 389 00:20:09,840 --> 00:20:13,120 1218, then the Sadducees, who say there's no resurrection, 390 00:20:13,120 --> 00:20:14,840 came to him with a question. 391 00:20:14,840 --> 00:20:17,040 1228, one of the teachers of the law 392 00:20:17,040 --> 00:20:20,520 came and heard them debating, and he added a question. 393 00:20:20,520 --> 00:20:23,000 So here's Jesus hanging out in the temple. 394 00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:24,600 He actually starts teaching. 395 00:20:24,600 --> 00:20:27,640 And then each of these groups just 396 00:20:27,640 --> 00:20:31,160 starts throwing people at him to ask him questions, all of them 397 00:20:31,160 --> 00:20:32,760 trying to trick him. 398 00:20:32,760 --> 00:20:34,680 They all try to take a hit at him. 399 00:20:34,680 --> 00:20:36,760 They swing, and they miss. 400 00:20:36,760 --> 00:20:42,320 And so I want to look at these encounters that take place. 401 00:20:42,320 --> 00:20:44,960 So at Mark 12, 13 through 17, this 402 00:20:44,960 --> 00:20:49,800 is about paying the imperial tax that I mentioned before. 403 00:20:49,800 --> 00:20:53,200 And it's only the Jews that are having to pay this. 404 00:20:53,200 --> 00:20:56,280 So the verse says, later they sent some of the Pharisees 405 00:20:56,280 --> 00:20:59,480 and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. 406 00:20:59,480 --> 00:21:01,520 They came to him and said, teacher, 407 00:21:01,520 --> 00:21:04,120 we know that you are a man of integrity. 408 00:21:04,120 --> 00:21:05,760 You weren't swayed by others, because you 409 00:21:05,760 --> 00:21:07,200 pay no attention to who they are. 410 00:21:07,200 --> 00:21:08,800 They're so slimy, right? 411 00:21:08,800 --> 00:21:11,200 Because you're so good at this. 412 00:21:11,200 --> 00:21:13,440 Teach the way of God. 413 00:21:13,440 --> 00:21:15,560 Oh, wait, because you pay no attention to who they are. 414 00:21:15,560 --> 00:21:18,520 But you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. 415 00:21:18,520 --> 00:21:22,260 Is it right to pay this imperial tax to Caesar or not? 416 00:21:22,260 --> 00:21:25,760 Should we pay, or shouldn't we? 417 00:21:25,760 --> 00:21:27,280 Here's something to pay attention to. 418 00:21:27,280 --> 00:21:31,840 So please note, Jesus overturned the tables in the temple 419 00:21:31,840 --> 00:21:34,640 where this was happening the day before. 420 00:21:34,640 --> 00:21:40,160 They saw that he probably is anti-imperial tax. 421 00:21:40,160 --> 00:21:41,680 This is not a random question. 422 00:21:41,680 --> 00:21:43,440 This isn't snarement. 423 00:21:43,440 --> 00:21:46,960 What you should know is that a number of years 424 00:21:46,960 --> 00:21:51,860 before, in 6, 7 Common Era, a prophetic leader named Judas 425 00:21:51,860 --> 00:21:55,180 organized a movement to worship God alone 426 00:21:55,180 --> 00:21:58,800 and refuse to pay the tax to Caesar. 427 00:21:58,800 --> 00:22:02,600 Acts 537 tells us that this guy was killed for this. 428 00:22:02,600 --> 00:22:08,320 He opposed the imperial tax, set up a whole faction of people 429 00:22:08,320 --> 00:22:12,360 against it, and as the leader of that faction, 430 00:22:12,360 --> 00:22:15,280 was put to death because he refused 431 00:22:15,280 --> 00:22:18,440 to pay the imperial tax. 432 00:22:18,440 --> 00:22:21,560 So if they were looking for a way to get rid of Jesus, 433 00:22:21,560 --> 00:22:25,080 I'm certain that they believed this was all they had to do. 434 00:22:25,080 --> 00:22:26,940 This was it after they had witnessed what they 435 00:22:26,940 --> 00:22:28,960 had witnessed the day before. 436 00:22:28,960 --> 00:22:32,320 In fact, it is this same Judas and his related acts 437 00:22:32,320 --> 00:22:36,040 of rebellion who's credited with the beginning of what's 438 00:22:36,040 --> 00:22:38,440 been identified as the fourth philosophy 439 00:22:38,440 --> 00:22:42,960 or the offshoot of Judaism known as the Zealots, which 440 00:22:42,960 --> 00:22:46,720 the historian Josephus blames for, 441 00:22:46,720 --> 00:22:52,840 incidentally, a disastrous war with the Romans at around 66 442 00:22:52,840 --> 00:22:57,040 BC, or AD, rather, the time of the writing of this book. 443 00:22:57,040 --> 00:23:00,760 Also, did Jesus have a known zealot by the name of Simon 444 00:23:00,760 --> 00:23:02,920 within his band of merry men? 445 00:23:02,920 --> 00:23:04,560 Yes, he did. 446 00:23:04,560 --> 00:23:08,440 Can you see why they were terrified? 447 00:23:08,440 --> 00:23:11,200 Can you understand, too, that the readers of Mark 448 00:23:11,200 --> 00:23:14,960 would have understood the importance of this moment? 449 00:23:14,960 --> 00:23:19,520 They would have known about this revolt of the Zealots 450 00:23:19,520 --> 00:23:21,640 and what the result of it was. 451 00:23:21,640 --> 00:23:24,840 They were living in the results of it at the time. 452 00:23:24,840 --> 00:23:30,040 They were living in the results of it at the time of the reading. 453 00:23:30,040 --> 00:23:32,560 So Jerusalem at Passover was really dangerous. 454 00:23:32,560 --> 00:23:34,920 It was well known to both Caiaphas, who 455 00:23:34,920 --> 00:23:39,640 is the high priest, installed by Rome, and Pilate, 456 00:23:39,640 --> 00:23:41,800 the prefect or governor to whom the high priest was 457 00:23:41,800 --> 00:23:45,400 responsible, also installed by Rome, 458 00:23:45,400 --> 00:23:50,720 that the time of festivals were likely times of uprisings. 459 00:23:50,720 --> 00:23:53,520 It is not unreasonable that people were nervous, 460 00:23:53,520 --> 00:23:56,560 and it is not surprising that they were targeting 461 00:23:56,560 --> 00:23:58,120 the jugular here. 462 00:23:58,120 --> 00:24:01,320 This was not a sly exchange between low-key rivals 463 00:24:01,320 --> 00:24:02,880 of opposing teams. 464 00:24:02,880 --> 00:24:07,320 This was a grenade with the hand on the pin. 465 00:24:07,320 --> 00:24:13,000 Jesus had to answer just right, or they 466 00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:14,120 could kill him on the spot. 467 00:24:16,840 --> 00:24:19,920 So verse 15 goes on to say, but Jesus knew their hypocrisy. 468 00:24:19,920 --> 00:24:21,480 Why are you trying to trap me? 469 00:24:21,480 --> 00:24:22,240 He knew. 470 00:24:22,240 --> 00:24:25,320 He absolutely knew what he was being set up for. 471 00:24:25,320 --> 00:24:27,840 All of this history was known. 472 00:24:27,840 --> 00:24:30,280 Bring me a denarius and let me look at it. 473 00:24:30,280 --> 00:24:31,960 They brought the coin, and he asked them, 474 00:24:31,960 --> 00:24:35,320 whose image is on this, and whose inscription? 475 00:24:35,320 --> 00:24:39,400 The inscription would have said, Caesar, son of God. 476 00:24:39,400 --> 00:24:41,240 Caesars, they replied. 477 00:24:41,240 --> 00:24:44,480 Then Jesus said to them, give back to Caesar, 478 00:24:44,480 --> 00:24:48,040 what is Caesar, Caesars, and to God, what is God's. 479 00:24:48,040 --> 00:24:51,520 That's an amazing response. 480 00:24:51,520 --> 00:24:55,480 So, so, so good. 481 00:24:55,480 --> 00:24:57,400 And I mean, it's kind of mind-blowing 482 00:24:57,400 --> 00:24:59,200 when you think about all that's wrapped up 483 00:24:59,200 --> 00:25:01,160 in what they were trying to do. 484 00:25:01,160 --> 00:25:03,080 Again, this was not just a low-key, 485 00:25:03,080 --> 00:25:04,960 oh, let's just ask him when he thinks about this, 486 00:25:04,960 --> 00:25:06,960 like, oh, the imperial tax. 487 00:25:06,960 --> 00:25:09,320 No, this was the question that was going to get him, 488 00:25:09,320 --> 00:25:11,720 and he responded so beautifully. 489 00:25:12,760 --> 00:25:14,760 little bit of a 490 00:25:14,760 --> 00:25:18,840 I wish we could actually spend more time 491 00:25:18,840 --> 00:25:21,160 in this particular moment, but we do need to move on. 492 00:25:21,160 --> 00:25:24,280 But I encourage you to dig into more around that. 493 00:25:24,280 --> 00:25:26,280 It is, it's fascinating. 494 00:25:27,560 --> 00:25:29,200 So moving on to the second interaction, 495 00:25:29,200 --> 00:25:33,200 chapter 12, 18 through 27, marriage at the resurrection. 496 00:25:33,200 --> 00:25:35,800 So the writer begins with the following statement, 497 00:25:35,800 --> 00:25:39,600 then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, 498 00:25:39,600 --> 00:25:40,920 that's important. 499 00:25:40,920 --> 00:25:42,400 For a few, for a few reasons, 500 00:25:42,400 --> 00:25:44,800 this is a distinction worth making, 501 00:25:44,800 --> 00:25:47,240 and also tells us that the book's audience 502 00:25:47,240 --> 00:25:50,480 may not know that there's a distinction to be made, 503 00:25:50,480 --> 00:25:54,320 which means that the reader may not be exclusively Jewish. 504 00:25:54,320 --> 00:25:55,600 And that tells us something about 505 00:25:55,600 --> 00:25:57,520 the Christian church at this point. 506 00:25:57,520 --> 00:25:59,960 The recognition that Christianity is now 507 00:25:59,960 --> 00:26:04,960 distinct from Judaism, which it wasn't for a long time, 508 00:26:06,120 --> 00:26:08,280 but this recognizes that Christianity 509 00:26:08,280 --> 00:26:11,320 is now distinct from Judaism at this point in time, 510 00:26:11,320 --> 00:26:13,560 and that it's not just Jews that are following in the way, 511 00:26:13,560 --> 00:26:14,760 but it's also Gentiles. 512 00:26:15,800 --> 00:26:18,800 And so Mark had to say, the Sadducees, 513 00:26:18,800 --> 00:26:22,080 who don't believe in resurrection, that matters. 514 00:26:23,520 --> 00:26:25,440 The Sadducees were an aristocratic party 515 00:26:25,440 --> 00:26:28,400 who observed the written laws of Torah, 516 00:26:28,400 --> 00:26:30,760 the first five books that we have of the Bible, 517 00:26:30,760 --> 00:26:32,240 the books of Moses. 518 00:26:32,240 --> 00:26:34,360 They're the books of the law. 519 00:26:35,600 --> 00:26:39,400 That's what they observed, only, not the prophets, 520 00:26:39,400 --> 00:26:43,920 not the books of wisdom, not the other books. 521 00:26:43,920 --> 00:26:45,880 They were only about the Torah. 522 00:26:45,880 --> 00:26:50,800 And so they believed a person lived on 523 00:26:50,800 --> 00:26:53,600 through their children and broader lineage. 524 00:26:53,600 --> 00:26:57,880 That was what extended life past life, 525 00:26:57,880 --> 00:27:00,760 like life after death, looked like for them, 526 00:27:00,760 --> 00:27:04,480 because they would say there's nothing about resurrection 527 00:27:04,480 --> 00:27:06,280 written in the books of Torah. 528 00:27:06,280 --> 00:27:09,360 However, the Pharisees, different group, 529 00:27:09,360 --> 00:27:11,800 did recognize the scriptures beyond the books of the law, 530 00:27:11,800 --> 00:27:14,520 and therefore also read the scriptures of the prophets, 531 00:27:14,520 --> 00:27:17,920 and what we define as the books of wisdom, for example. 532 00:27:17,920 --> 00:27:21,200 So resurrection of the dead was not a belief 533 00:27:21,200 --> 00:27:23,800 in early Israel, like long hundreds and hundreds 534 00:27:23,800 --> 00:27:24,640 of years ago. 535 00:27:25,520 --> 00:27:29,640 There was a shield, and the Greek idea of Hades was adopted, 536 00:27:29,640 --> 00:27:33,600 but these were not like, these are not places 537 00:27:33,600 --> 00:27:35,440 where you have a body inside of you, 538 00:27:35,440 --> 00:27:37,720 you have a body and soul existing. 539 00:27:37,720 --> 00:27:39,680 They were just sort of like these like, 540 00:27:41,560 --> 00:27:43,080 places of darkness. 541 00:27:45,320 --> 00:27:48,440 But resurrection as an idea showed up 542 00:27:48,440 --> 00:27:51,320 in the prophecy books of Isaiah and Daniel, 543 00:27:51,320 --> 00:27:52,800 writings that the Pharisees acknowledged, 544 00:27:52,800 --> 00:27:54,880 but the Sadducees did not. 545 00:27:54,880 --> 00:27:57,400 So when the Sadducees come at Jesus, 546 00:27:57,400 --> 00:27:59,400 they have a question about resurrection, 547 00:28:00,280 --> 00:28:01,640 which they don't believe in. 548 00:28:01,640 --> 00:28:06,280 So temple Jews of the first century were more in alignment 549 00:28:06,280 --> 00:28:09,600 with the Pharisees than on the Sadducees at this point, 550 00:28:09,600 --> 00:28:12,280 so it's important that Jesus knows 551 00:28:12,280 --> 00:28:15,680 that he's dealing with a Sadducee and not a Pharisee. 552 00:28:15,680 --> 00:28:18,720 So the scripture says, then the Sadducees, 553 00:28:18,720 --> 00:28:20,240 who say there is no resurrection, 554 00:28:20,240 --> 00:28:22,240 came to him with a question. 555 00:28:22,240 --> 00:28:24,960 Teacher, they say, Moses wrote for us 556 00:28:24,960 --> 00:28:27,280 that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife 557 00:28:27,280 --> 00:28:29,280 but no children, the man must marry the widow 558 00:28:29,280 --> 00:28:31,600 and raise up offspring for his brother. 559 00:28:31,600 --> 00:28:33,120 That's the law. 560 00:28:33,120 --> 00:28:34,840 Now, there were seven brothers. 561 00:28:34,840 --> 00:28:35,680 Here's the story. 562 00:28:35,680 --> 00:28:37,240 Here's the conundrum. 563 00:28:37,240 --> 00:28:40,520 The first one married and died without leaving any children. 564 00:28:40,520 --> 00:28:41,920 The second one married the widow, 565 00:28:41,920 --> 00:28:43,600 but he also died leaving no child. 566 00:28:43,600 --> 00:28:45,040 It was the same with the third. 567 00:28:45,040 --> 00:28:48,000 In fact, none of the seven left any children. 568 00:28:48,000 --> 00:28:50,520 Last of all, the woman died too. 569 00:28:50,520 --> 00:28:54,280 At the resurrection, which they don't believe in, 570 00:28:54,280 --> 00:28:58,880 whose wife will she be since the seven were married to her? 571 00:28:58,880 --> 00:29:02,000 Jesus replied, I love this, 572 00:29:02,000 --> 00:29:05,440 are you not an error because you don't know the scriptures 573 00:29:05,440 --> 00:29:06,960 or the power of God? 574 00:29:07,880 --> 00:29:10,480 Jesus is pointing out that they failed to perceive 575 00:29:10,480 --> 00:29:13,960 and comprehend that their Mosaic scriptures 576 00:29:13,960 --> 00:29:17,440 did in fact teach the doctrine of the resurrection 577 00:29:17,440 --> 00:29:21,440 and that God has the ability to accomplish the resurrection. 578 00:29:21,440 --> 00:29:24,480 In verse 26, Jesus goes on to say, 579 00:29:24,480 --> 00:29:27,560 now about the dead rising, 580 00:29:27,560 --> 00:29:30,280 have you not read the book of Moses? 581 00:29:32,440 --> 00:29:33,280 Ding. 582 00:29:34,320 --> 00:29:38,440 A book of the law, of course they've read the book of Moses. 583 00:29:38,440 --> 00:29:41,000 They would have been like, excuse me, 584 00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:44,880 are you trying to school us in the books of Moses? 585 00:29:45,960 --> 00:29:49,360 Are you trying to school us in the books of the law? 586 00:29:49,360 --> 00:29:52,760 So Jesus goes on to say, in the account of the burning bush, 587 00:29:52,760 --> 00:29:57,080 how God said to Moses, I am the God of Abraham, 588 00:29:57,080 --> 00:29:59,760 the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. 589 00:29:59,760 --> 00:30:02,560 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. 590 00:30:02,560 --> 00:30:04,800 You are badly mistaken. 591 00:30:04,800 --> 00:30:09,800 Jesus points out that God stated, I am, not I was, 592 00:30:11,360 --> 00:30:15,400 I am indicating that the Lord has a continuing 593 00:30:15,400 --> 00:30:17,400 covenantal commitment to Abraham, 594 00:30:17,400 --> 00:30:20,640 even though Abraham had died centuries before 595 00:30:20,640 --> 00:30:23,640 this testimony, died centuries before this testimony 596 00:30:23,640 --> 00:30:24,960 made in the time of Moses. 597 00:30:24,960 --> 00:30:29,960 God addresses Moses with a present and ongoing recognition 598 00:30:30,640 --> 00:30:34,120 of a relationship and covenant with Abraham. 599 00:30:34,120 --> 00:30:36,960 Furthermore, the fact that God originally created man 600 00:30:36,960 --> 00:30:40,760 as a unity of body and soul, Genesis 2, seven, 601 00:30:40,760 --> 00:30:44,680 book of the law, indicates that the future resurrection 602 00:30:44,680 --> 00:30:48,800 is necessary for Abraham and his children to be restored 603 00:30:48,800 --> 00:30:51,080 to a full covenantal relationship, a fellowship, 604 00:30:51,080 --> 00:30:53,520 and blessing with God, for God to say, 605 00:30:53,520 --> 00:30:57,720 I am the God of Abraham. 606 00:30:59,800 --> 00:31:04,000 So here's this backwater rabbi who is well below 607 00:31:04,000 --> 00:31:07,800 their class in every way, opening up their sacred 608 00:31:07,800 --> 00:31:11,800 scriptures to them by way of an irrefutable reply, 609 00:31:11,800 --> 00:31:13,520 and it levels them instantly. 610 00:31:15,480 --> 00:31:19,040 Again, these are not just schoolyard games being played. 611 00:31:19,040 --> 00:31:21,440 There are high stakes involved. 612 00:31:21,440 --> 00:31:25,280 Jesus is disrupting massive constructs 613 00:31:25,280 --> 00:31:26,560 with these encounters. 614 00:31:28,120 --> 00:31:31,560 The last encounter is not so fragile, 615 00:31:31,560 --> 00:31:35,080 but on the tails of the other two, it is important. 616 00:31:36,360 --> 00:31:40,040 So here we find ourselves at chapter 12, 28 through 24, 617 00:31:40,040 --> 00:31:41,200 the greatest commandment. 618 00:31:42,960 --> 00:31:45,280 So here we encounter a teacher of the law, 619 00:31:45,280 --> 00:31:47,840 also known as a scribe. 620 00:31:47,840 --> 00:31:51,160 In the book of Deuteronomy, we are told that the Levites, 621 00:31:51,160 --> 00:31:54,280 were the teachers of the law, but under the influence 622 00:31:54,280 --> 00:31:57,720 of Greek Hellenized world, which is anything 623 00:31:57,720 --> 00:32:00,560 from Alexander the Great in the early 300s BC, 624 00:32:00,560 --> 00:32:05,560 to about this time period, these people, Roman Empire, 625 00:32:06,200 --> 00:32:08,760 but Hellenized world, Greek-influenced world. 626 00:32:10,760 --> 00:32:15,760 During the time of Hellenization, non-priests were added 627 00:32:15,800 --> 00:32:18,400 to the scribal class in greater numbers, 628 00:32:18,400 --> 00:32:22,000 so it started mixing with the original intent 629 00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:25,560 that the Levites, the priestly class, 630 00:32:25,560 --> 00:32:28,080 were the ones that were preserving the law, 631 00:32:28,080 --> 00:32:31,040 and now we have people just keeping it, 632 00:32:31,040 --> 00:32:35,320 like looking for the problems, and then pointing out 633 00:32:35,320 --> 00:32:37,600 the problems, and then reporting on those 634 00:32:37,600 --> 00:32:39,440 who are making problems with the law. 635 00:32:40,520 --> 00:32:44,080 So at this time, scribes were also philosophers, 636 00:32:44,080 --> 00:32:46,680 sophists, counselors, and teachers. 637 00:32:46,680 --> 00:32:49,640 Jewish scribes were basically bureaucrats. 638 00:32:49,640 --> 00:32:51,400 They were experts on Jewish life and law, 639 00:32:51,400 --> 00:32:53,440 they would spend their time making contracts, 640 00:32:53,440 --> 00:32:56,320 drafting documents, and serving as government officials. 641 00:32:56,320 --> 00:32:57,640 But they mostly lived in Jerusalem 642 00:32:57,640 --> 00:32:59,400 and associated with the priests. 643 00:32:59,400 --> 00:33:02,360 They were experts in judicial procedures, 644 00:33:02,360 --> 00:33:05,040 helpful in the enforcement of Jewish law and custom, 645 00:33:05,040 --> 00:33:07,000 and even joined the governing class, 646 00:33:07,000 --> 00:33:08,920 and served on the Sanhedrin. 647 00:33:08,920 --> 00:33:13,400 Because they depended on the wealthy for their training, 648 00:33:13,400 --> 00:33:15,600 and their positions, they were loyal 649 00:33:15,600 --> 00:33:20,600 to the chief priests and the leaders, installed by Rome. 650 00:33:22,720 --> 00:33:25,680 You can see how this might be a problem, right? 651 00:33:26,720 --> 00:33:30,280 So one of the teachers of the law, scripture says, 652 00:33:30,280 --> 00:33:33,200 came and overheard them debating, 653 00:33:33,200 --> 00:33:35,960 and noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, 654 00:33:35,960 --> 00:33:40,400 he asked them, asked him, of all the commandments, 655 00:33:40,400 --> 00:33:42,000 which is the most important? 656 00:33:42,000 --> 00:33:45,080 That's a question. 657 00:33:46,160 --> 00:33:47,720 Is there a right answer? 658 00:33:47,720 --> 00:33:50,600 Oh gosh, what are you looking for, 659 00:33:50,600 --> 00:33:52,240 is what you wanna say to this guy. 660 00:33:52,240 --> 00:33:53,880 What are you wanting to hear? 661 00:33:55,480 --> 00:33:57,400 The commandments are the original law, 662 00:33:57,400 --> 00:33:58,760 straight down from God. 663 00:33:58,760 --> 00:34:00,280 How does one answer that? 664 00:34:00,280 --> 00:34:02,680 What Jesus says in response, 665 00:34:02,680 --> 00:34:05,200 will trigger all manner of Sunday school lessons, 666 00:34:05,200 --> 00:34:07,800 and possibly even Christian art, 667 00:34:07,800 --> 00:34:10,400 maybe 100 sermons you've heard in your life. 668 00:34:10,400 --> 00:34:11,640 But please remember this. 669 00:34:11,640 --> 00:34:16,280 This was the first time it was being presented this way, 670 00:34:16,280 --> 00:34:18,640 and it was no small thing that Jesus was about 671 00:34:18,640 --> 00:34:21,960 to call these things out as the first and second 672 00:34:21,960 --> 00:34:23,400 of the greatest commandments. 673 00:34:24,600 --> 00:34:29,240 Jesus says, the most important one is this. 674 00:34:29,240 --> 00:34:33,120 Hear, oh Israel, the Lord your God is one. 675 00:34:33,120 --> 00:34:35,440 Love the Lord your God with your whole heart, 676 00:34:35,440 --> 00:34:38,160 and with your whole soul, and with all your mind, 677 00:34:38,160 --> 00:34:39,720 and with all your strength. 678 00:34:39,720 --> 00:34:44,720 The second is this, love your neighbor as yourself. 679 00:34:45,080 --> 00:34:48,720 There's no commandment greater than these. 680 00:34:48,720 --> 00:34:50,800 You asked for one, I gave you two. 681 00:34:52,320 --> 00:34:55,600 Jesus is reciting Deuteronomy six, four and five, 682 00:34:55,600 --> 00:34:57,960 for his recognition of the greatest, 683 00:34:57,960 --> 00:35:00,920 and Leviticus 19, 18 for the second. 684 00:35:00,920 --> 00:35:03,080 He knows who he's talking to. 685 00:35:03,080 --> 00:35:05,840 He's pulling from the books of the law. 686 00:35:05,840 --> 00:35:07,920 But he's not talking about law, is he? 687 00:35:07,920 --> 00:35:10,840 No, he's talking about the core of the message. 688 00:35:14,840 --> 00:35:18,640 The core of Deuteronomy as a book is to talk about 689 00:35:18,640 --> 00:35:21,400 the covenant that binds Yahweh and Israel 690 00:35:21,400 --> 00:35:24,320 by oaths of fidelity and obedience. 691 00:35:25,440 --> 00:35:27,920 God will give Israel blessings of the land, 692 00:35:27,920 --> 00:35:30,240 fertility and prosperity so long as Israel 693 00:35:30,240 --> 00:35:32,000 is faithful to do God's teaching, 694 00:35:32,880 --> 00:35:34,840 disobedience will lead to curses and punishment. 695 00:35:34,840 --> 00:35:38,000 That's the book of Deuteronomy. 696 00:35:38,000 --> 00:35:40,560 One of the main messages imparted from the book 697 00:35:40,560 --> 00:35:42,840 of Leviticus though is that it is for those 698 00:35:42,840 --> 00:35:44,800 who have already accepted the presence 699 00:35:44,800 --> 00:35:46,120 of God in their lives. 700 00:35:47,320 --> 00:35:48,880 This indicates that the starting point 701 00:35:48,880 --> 00:35:52,280 is not with learning about the laws, 702 00:35:52,280 --> 00:35:55,080 but about living the relationship with God that you have. 703 00:35:56,800 --> 00:36:00,800 And so Jesus spoke in a language to this scribe. 704 00:36:00,800 --> 00:36:02,960 He spoke in a language he would understand. 705 00:36:02,960 --> 00:36:05,480 So in this case, the teacher of the law responds, 706 00:36:05,480 --> 00:36:07,640 in a way you actually would hope one might. 707 00:36:07,640 --> 00:36:10,040 There's a turning point here. 708 00:36:10,040 --> 00:36:12,440 In fact, it's actually a really beautiful exchange 709 00:36:12,440 --> 00:36:15,520 and I wonder, I wonder if at this moment 710 00:36:15,520 --> 00:36:17,640 we see a heart change. 711 00:36:18,480 --> 00:36:20,600 That perhaps as this man was approaching, 712 00:36:20,600 --> 00:36:24,480 he would have known full well that these guys 713 00:36:24,480 --> 00:36:26,440 are trying to entrap Jesus. 714 00:36:26,440 --> 00:36:29,440 He would have known full well that he has also 715 00:36:29,440 --> 00:36:34,440 participated in helping keep things calm and quiet. 716 00:36:37,200 --> 00:36:39,600 But I'm wondering that as he was approaching, 717 00:36:42,960 --> 00:36:46,360 did he come and have his heart change on the way? 718 00:36:50,200 --> 00:36:53,160 It would be easy to assume because oftentimes 719 00:36:53,160 --> 00:36:56,040 the scribes and Pharisees come as a package deal 720 00:36:56,040 --> 00:36:58,640 in scripture, it would be easy to assume 721 00:36:58,640 --> 00:37:01,560 that this would go as badly as the other two encounters. 722 00:37:03,040 --> 00:37:06,040 But I think we instead witness someone who chose 723 00:37:06,040 --> 00:37:08,880 to open themselves up to the moment and the message 724 00:37:08,880 --> 00:37:12,400 and the way of Jesus and truly saw the kingdom 725 00:37:12,400 --> 00:37:13,840 as it was being offered to him. 726 00:37:15,160 --> 00:37:20,160 And Mark may have been saying, even a scribe, 727 00:37:20,280 --> 00:37:23,600 even a teacher of the law can be welcomed in. 728 00:37:23,600 --> 00:37:25,800 When the kingdom is at the heart of the message. 729 00:37:29,600 --> 00:37:32,040 And I think it would have been a big deal to the readers 730 00:37:32,040 --> 00:37:36,640 that Mark highlighted this scribe as somebody 731 00:37:36,640 --> 00:37:39,120 who had this sort of warm encounter with Christ 732 00:37:39,120 --> 00:37:42,760 because the teacher responds by saying, 733 00:37:42,760 --> 00:37:45,880 you are right in saying, he said, well said teacher, 734 00:37:45,880 --> 00:37:47,760 that's actually really important, well said teacher, 735 00:37:47,760 --> 00:37:51,680 well said, Rabbi, I acknowledge you as a teacher 736 00:37:51,680 --> 00:37:54,840 and I acknowledge you as a Rabbi. 737 00:37:54,840 --> 00:37:57,480 The man replied, you are right in saying that God is one 738 00:37:57,480 --> 00:37:59,560 and that there is no other but him, 739 00:37:59,560 --> 00:38:01,120 to love him with all your heart 740 00:38:01,120 --> 00:38:03,600 and with all your understanding, with all your strength 741 00:38:03,600 --> 00:38:06,160 and to love your neighbor as yourself. 742 00:38:06,160 --> 00:38:09,800 And he adds, the scribe goes on to add 743 00:38:09,800 --> 00:38:11,400 that these are more important 744 00:38:11,400 --> 00:38:14,440 than all burnt offerings and sacrifices. 745 00:38:14,440 --> 00:38:19,000 He's saying that in the temple on the week of Passover, 746 00:38:19,000 --> 00:38:22,180 that to love the Lord your God with your whole heart, 747 00:38:22,180 --> 00:38:24,780 soul and strength and to love your neighbor as yourself 748 00:38:24,780 --> 00:38:29,780 is more important than burnt offerings and sacrifices. 749 00:38:31,420 --> 00:38:34,340 That dude could have gotten his head cut off. 750 00:38:34,340 --> 00:38:38,740 That's a bold statement, but it shows what can happen 751 00:38:38,740 --> 00:38:43,540 when somebody understands the kingdom and the way of Jesus. 752 00:38:43,540 --> 00:38:46,940 He was listening to these encounters. 753 00:38:46,940 --> 00:38:51,140 So when Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, 754 00:38:51,140 --> 00:38:55,100 he said back to him, you are not far from the kingdom of God. 755 00:38:55,100 --> 00:38:59,100 And from then on, no one dared to ask him any more questions. 756 00:38:59,100 --> 00:39:01,300 I have no further questions, your honor. 757 00:39:04,460 --> 00:39:07,100 I love that this series of encounters, 758 00:39:07,100 --> 00:39:12,100 because if you were a reader at this time, 759 00:39:12,540 --> 00:39:15,920 you would have read this like, is this it? 760 00:39:15,920 --> 00:39:17,520 Is this how it went down? 761 00:39:19,260 --> 00:39:22,180 And of course, these are the encounters 762 00:39:22,180 --> 00:39:25,820 that lead to Jesus' arrest and crucifixion. 763 00:39:27,140 --> 00:39:30,240 We are not far, but Jesus still had some work to do. 764 00:39:32,140 --> 00:39:34,420 And I think that these encounters are so critical. 765 00:39:34,420 --> 00:39:38,820 How Mark sets these up is really stunning. 766 00:39:39,660 --> 00:39:42,420 The way he orders them and the way he ends them 767 00:39:42,420 --> 00:39:45,060 with that encounter with the scribe. 768 00:39:45,060 --> 00:39:47,500 That not all is lost. 769 00:39:48,380 --> 00:39:51,780 That even among you, you might be suspicious 770 00:39:51,780 --> 00:39:54,780 of the people that are coming alongside of you in the way. 771 00:39:54,780 --> 00:39:56,020 You don't know. 772 00:39:56,020 --> 00:39:57,940 You don't know if they're spies. 773 00:39:57,940 --> 00:39:59,220 You don't know if they're people 774 00:39:59,220 --> 00:40:00,780 that are trying to entrap you. 775 00:40:02,480 --> 00:40:04,980 But how Jesus responds to this gentleman 776 00:40:07,380 --> 00:40:09,200 is just like he treats them, 777 00:40:10,260 --> 00:40:13,980 in the fact that he treats all of them the same. 778 00:40:13,980 --> 00:40:16,500 Love your neighbor as yourself. 779 00:40:16,500 --> 00:40:18,100 I will respond in a way 780 00:40:20,300 --> 00:40:22,860 that does, it will bring you honor 781 00:40:22,860 --> 00:40:25,540 or it will bring you recognition of who you are. 782 00:40:25,540 --> 00:40:27,120 I'm not trying to dismantle you, 783 00:40:27,120 --> 00:40:29,620 I'm trying to dismantle your system. 784 00:40:29,620 --> 00:40:32,820 Trying to tear down the things that you hold to. 785 00:40:32,820 --> 00:40:35,180 I'm trying to tear down your kingdoms 786 00:40:35,180 --> 00:40:37,220 while we are building another one. 787 00:40:37,220 --> 00:40:39,540 Let me show you the way. 788 00:40:39,540 --> 00:40:43,620 And if you wanna join in the way, you can. 789 00:40:43,620 --> 00:40:45,740 There's nothing holding you back but you. 790 00:40:46,660 --> 00:40:49,180 I find that so powerful in these exchanges. 791 00:40:49,180 --> 00:40:51,980 Jesus wasn't dismantling the Sadducees. 792 00:40:51,980 --> 00:40:54,420 He wasn't dismantling the people. 793 00:40:54,420 --> 00:40:55,260 He wasn't targeting them. 794 00:40:55,260 --> 00:40:57,740 He was targeting their constructs. 795 00:40:59,180 --> 00:41:01,540 I think that's an important distinction to make. 796 00:41:02,820 --> 00:41:04,780 And so as we leave it, 797 00:41:04,780 --> 00:41:08,000 with this gentleman saying, love the Lord your God, 798 00:41:08,960 --> 00:41:11,260 we're recognizing this is it. 799 00:41:11,260 --> 00:41:14,060 You're right, this is exactly it. 800 00:41:15,060 --> 00:41:18,540 I said before that the readers of this book 801 00:41:18,540 --> 00:41:22,220 would have needed encouragement. 802 00:41:23,420 --> 00:41:27,060 It was a scary time for them. 803 00:41:27,060 --> 00:41:29,860 There was a lot of tension with the empire. 804 00:41:29,860 --> 00:41:32,180 There was a lot of tension even with the people 805 00:41:32,180 --> 00:41:35,020 that were supposed to be their religious leaders. 806 00:41:35,020 --> 00:41:36,620 They were meant to be the ones 807 00:41:36,620 --> 00:41:41,620 that were holding the core of their religion together. 808 00:41:42,580 --> 00:41:44,720 And it wasn't going well. 809 00:41:46,460 --> 00:41:50,660 And so people really had to address the fact, 810 00:41:50,660 --> 00:41:54,300 what kingdoms am I participating in? 811 00:41:54,300 --> 00:41:55,940 What kingdoms am I putting my faith in? 812 00:41:55,940 --> 00:41:59,860 What kingdoms and institutions am I holding to 813 00:41:59,860 --> 00:42:04,860 or selling myself out for or buying into? 814 00:42:04,860 --> 00:42:07,780 And Mark, I think, was trying to tell his readers, 815 00:42:07,780 --> 00:42:11,700 be brave, follow in the way. 816 00:42:11,700 --> 00:42:13,700 This, this is the way. 817 00:42:13,700 --> 00:42:15,260 I just, my brain went there 818 00:42:15,260 --> 00:42:17,420 if you're a Mandalorian person. 819 00:42:17,420 --> 00:42:18,420 This is the way. 820 00:42:18,420 --> 00:42:22,020 But follow in the way to God's kingdom. 821 00:42:22,020 --> 00:42:23,140 This is how you do it. 822 00:42:23,140 --> 00:42:27,540 Hold fast, hold steady, stay focused. 823 00:42:27,540 --> 00:42:29,740 Because all the other kingdoms are gonna fall. 824 00:42:29,740 --> 00:42:33,620 We've already watched some things falling apart. 825 00:42:33,620 --> 00:42:38,460 They already knew the Roman Empire was getting shaky. 826 00:42:38,460 --> 00:42:39,900 Things were not going well. 827 00:42:40,940 --> 00:42:43,860 And so they had already seen what it could be like 828 00:42:43,860 --> 00:42:46,820 when empires are in a fragile state. 829 00:42:46,820 --> 00:42:49,500 And I think Mark was like, just hang on. 830 00:42:49,500 --> 00:42:50,940 I wanna add just briefly, 831 00:42:52,820 --> 00:42:57,580 when I do these trips that I take for work, 832 00:42:57,580 --> 00:43:01,180 I am often in places that have a lot of ancient sites. 833 00:43:01,180 --> 00:43:04,140 And so I was in Greece this summer for a conference, 834 00:43:04,140 --> 00:43:07,260 and then I was in Turkey, and in both of these places, 835 00:43:07,260 --> 00:43:09,420 I had an opportunity to travel 836 00:43:09,420 --> 00:43:13,700 to some of the ancient cities like Corinth and Ephesus, 837 00:43:13,700 --> 00:43:17,140 Laodicea, Pergamum, Hierapolis, 838 00:43:18,300 --> 00:43:23,300 and walk these streets that were the Roman Empire 839 00:43:23,340 --> 00:43:24,260 at one point. 840 00:43:25,300 --> 00:43:26,580 And they are in ruins. 841 00:43:27,980 --> 00:43:29,300 You know, that's not a surprise to us. 842 00:43:29,300 --> 00:43:30,580 It's been 2,000 years. 843 00:43:30,580 --> 00:43:32,180 We expect empires to fall. 844 00:43:32,180 --> 00:43:34,300 We can name off. 845 00:43:34,300 --> 00:43:35,420 We've studied them. 846 00:43:36,580 --> 00:43:38,620 But when you're living in one, 847 00:43:38,620 --> 00:43:40,620 it feels like it's never gonna end, 848 00:43:40,620 --> 00:43:42,580 and you can't find a way. 849 00:43:42,580 --> 00:43:43,900 You can't find a way. 850 00:43:46,100 --> 00:43:48,340 In the city of Laodicea, 851 00:43:49,900 --> 00:43:53,460 there is a church that's been excavated there. 852 00:43:53,460 --> 00:43:54,860 It's a Byzantine-era church, 853 00:43:54,860 --> 00:43:56,940 which is the era that sort of came 854 00:43:56,940 --> 00:43:58,700 as the Roman Empire was falling, 855 00:43:58,700 --> 00:44:01,900 centralized in what was Constantinople, 856 00:44:01,900 --> 00:44:03,340 became Istanbul. 857 00:44:03,340 --> 00:44:05,380 Some of you are also thinking about that song. 858 00:44:06,380 --> 00:44:07,220 Istanbul. 859 00:44:08,700 --> 00:44:11,420 But the church there, 860 00:44:12,620 --> 00:44:13,580 it's large. 861 00:44:13,580 --> 00:44:17,140 It's a large church, and it's really amazing. 862 00:44:17,140 --> 00:44:20,300 It's set on top of this hill in the city of Laodicea, 863 00:44:20,300 --> 00:44:22,700 which in the Book of Revelation, God said, 864 00:44:22,700 --> 00:44:26,420 you are lukewarm, and I will spit you out of my mouth. 865 00:44:26,420 --> 00:44:29,980 And here is this church that made it 866 00:44:29,980 --> 00:44:33,460 to the first and second century AD. 867 00:44:35,500 --> 00:44:37,860 And I have to say, when I walked up to, 868 00:44:37,860 --> 00:44:42,860 the baptismal is incredibly well-preserved and excavated, 869 00:44:43,100 --> 00:44:46,180 and I got emotional walking up to that, 870 00:44:46,180 --> 00:44:51,180 because again, what I said at the beginning of this message, 871 00:44:51,220 --> 00:44:54,780 it's astounding that the message has received us 872 00:44:54,780 --> 00:44:59,780 when you think of all the things that it encountered. 873 00:45:00,100 --> 00:45:02,060 And it is a true miracle. 874 00:45:03,060 --> 00:45:06,380 And so thinking about the people that were baptized 875 00:45:06,380 --> 00:45:11,380 in that baptismal, and it's in true Eastern fashion. 876 00:45:12,340 --> 00:45:16,180 You go in one side, and you come out on the Eastern side. 877 00:45:16,180 --> 00:45:20,460 It's facing, it's oriented with the passage of the sun. 878 00:45:20,460 --> 00:45:25,460 And you die and you rise with the rise of the sun. 879 00:45:26,060 --> 00:45:27,940 And it's just, it's incredibly powerful 880 00:45:27,940 --> 00:45:29,420 to think about the intentionality of that, 881 00:45:29,420 --> 00:45:33,140 and also the people that walked through that, 882 00:45:33,140 --> 00:45:38,140 that built the church, that built what we now understand 883 00:45:39,420 --> 00:45:43,420 as building into the kingdom of God. 884 00:45:43,420 --> 00:45:47,260 And it got to us, and that is extraordinary. 885 00:45:47,260 --> 00:45:48,820 And so as you guys go forward, 886 00:45:48,820 --> 00:45:52,620 I want us to take these encounters 887 00:45:54,860 --> 00:45:56,540 that Jesus had with these people 888 00:45:56,540 --> 00:45:59,540 to recognize that the systems themselves, 889 00:46:00,420 --> 00:46:02,660 it's not the people that have built the systems 890 00:46:02,660 --> 00:46:04,540 or are participating or upholding the systems 891 00:46:04,540 --> 00:46:07,700 that are our challenge, it's the systems themselves. 892 00:46:07,700 --> 00:46:12,100 But if we treat the people as people 893 00:46:12,100 --> 00:46:13,940 who could join us in the way, 894 00:46:13,940 --> 00:46:15,940 that could be a part of the kingdom, 895 00:46:15,940 --> 00:46:18,700 we will, I think we will find these encounters, 896 00:46:18,700 --> 00:46:20,180 like with the scribes at the end, 897 00:46:20,180 --> 00:46:22,260 where they actually caught a glimpse of it, 898 00:46:22,260 --> 00:46:25,860 and they understood, oh yeah, 899 00:46:25,860 --> 00:46:26,860 to love the Lord your God 900 00:46:26,860 --> 00:46:28,660 with your whole heart, strength, and mind, 901 00:46:28,660 --> 00:46:31,700 to love your neighbor as yourself is better 902 00:46:31,700 --> 00:46:33,780 than any other sacrifice or burnt offering 903 00:46:33,780 --> 00:46:34,820 that you could offer. 904 00:46:36,740 --> 00:46:37,580 Let's pray. 905 00:46:39,340 --> 00:46:42,420 Jesus, help us hold these truths in our heart today. 906 00:46:42,420 --> 00:46:45,060 Help us be people that also have this sense of urgency 907 00:46:45,060 --> 00:46:48,620 of sharing your kingdom with others, 908 00:46:48,620 --> 00:46:52,900 what it means to tell others about you, 909 00:46:52,900 --> 00:46:56,980 to share your hope, your life, and your love with them. 910 00:46:59,100 --> 00:47:03,340 What a life looks like when it is loving others 911 00:47:03,340 --> 00:47:05,820 and loving you fully with our whole selves. 912 00:47:09,780 --> 00:47:14,500 Will we see, will we see believers on this earth 913 00:47:14,500 --> 00:47:19,500 in a thousand years because of how we built the kingdom? 914 00:47:20,060 --> 00:47:21,940 And did we follow you faithfully, 915 00:47:24,020 --> 00:47:27,420 and did we follow you faithfully in your way of kingdom life 916 00:47:28,420 --> 00:47:30,100 and how we interacted with others? 917 00:47:31,940 --> 00:47:36,460 I pray that you help us, strengthen us as a community, 918 00:47:36,460 --> 00:47:38,820 strengthen us as individuals, God, 919 00:47:38,820 --> 00:47:40,740 we need your help for this. 920 00:47:40,740 --> 00:47:45,740 We pray this in your name, amen.