What errors of the Sadducees did Jesus point out?
(Mark 11:1 – 12:40; Isaiah 6:1-7; John 15:1-8) Blog Aug. 25-31, 2024
Prepared by Richard A. Marin: <PresentTruthLRI@gmail.com>
REVIEW: In the gospel of Mark Jesus answers many questions while guiding his disciples towards the cross. They are slow to discern the true mission of the Messiah but Jesus works to increase their faith in him as the Saviour from sin and sickness. The religious leaders continually came to oppose his mission.
While Entering Jerusalem
1. When Jesus rode an unbroken donkey into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday why did the people shout, “Blessed be the kingdom of our father David”? The people were anxious for a king like David to conquer the Romans & that is the way David’s son Solomon entered Jerusalem for his coronation (Mark 11:1-10; 1 Kings 1:32-40).
2. Why did Jesus allow the people to highly honor him on Palm Sunday? Jesus truly was the promised Son of David that was to rule forever over God’s people & Zechariah had promised that the One bringing salvation would enter Jerusalem riding on a young donkey & receiving the joyous praises of the people (Zech. 9:9-10).
3. While entering Jerusalem the next day what event occurred? Jesus was hungry & sought fruit from a fig tree. When discovering that it had no fruit he cursed the tree (Mark 11:12-14).
4. What lessons can we gain from the fact that the next day the fig tree was dried up from the roots? Jesus expects fruit from every believer connected to him. The Jewish nation was soon to be rejected for not bearing fruit & Jesus told the disciples that if they prayed in faith their prayers would be answered just as his curse on the tree was, provided they were forgiving to others (Mark 11:20-26; Matt. 3:8-9; John 15:1-8).
In the Temple
5. Was Jesus’ cleaning of the temple recorded in Mark 11 the first cleansing of the temple that Jesus did? No, Jesus had cleansed the temple at the beginning of his ministry also (Mark 11:15-18; John 2:13-15).
6. Of what are Jesus’ two cleansings of the temple a symbol? Our hearts are to be a temple for the Holy Spirit & Jesus’ cleansing of the temple the beginning & end of his ministry are symbolic of the early & latter rain of God’s Spirit that brings cleansing to our hearts (Mark 11:15-18; 1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19; James 5:7).
7. When questioned by what authority Jesus did the things he did in God’s temple, with what parable did Jesus answer? Jesus told a story of a vineyard & its owner (Mark 11:27 – 12:9).
8. How did the religious leaders understand Jesus’ parable of the vineyard? They understood that Jesus claimed to be the Son of God with every right to expect returns from the nation of Israel that was planted by his Father & that upon killing him they would be rejected by God as a chosen nation (Mark 12:9-12; Isa. 5:1-7).
Hard Questions
9. What was the Pharisees’ last question for Jesus? The Pharisees together with the supporters of Herod, asked Jesus whether it was right to pay taxes to Caesar (Mark 12:13-15).
10. What should we learn from Jesus’ answer about paying taxes to Caesar? We should learn that is it right to support with our taxes the government that protects us while not forgetting our obligations to God’s government (Mark 12:15-17).
11. What was the Sadducees last question to Jesus? The Sadducees last question was regarding resurrection (Mark 12:18-23).
12. When answering the Sadducees what errors of the Sadducees did Jesus point out? Jesus told the Sadducees that they neither believed the Scriptures nor the power of God, for God had the power to raise the dead & Scripture clearly taught that (Mark 12:24-25; 1 Kings 4:32-37; Job 20:25-27).
13. How did Jesus prove that there would be a resurrection of the dead? Jesus quoted Exodus 3:6, showing that if God said he was the God of men already dead then there must be a resurrection for them (Mark 12:26-27).
14. How did Jesus answer the scribe that asked what the greatest commandment was? Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:4-5 that says: “Hear oh Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord: and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thine soul, and with all thine might.” But, Jesus added, “and with all thy mind” thus making a parallel with the first four commandments (heart, soul, mind, strength). And Jesus quoted Leviticus 19:18 showing that the second half of the Ten Commandments enjoins love to our fellow men (Mark 12:28-31; Deut. 6:4-5, Lev. 19:18).
15. How did the scribe respond to Jesus’ answer regarding the greatest commandment? The scribe agreed & said that obedience was more important than sacrificial offerings (Mark 12:32-33; 1 Sam. 15:22).16. After telling the scribe that he had answered correctly and was not far from God’s kingdom what two comments about scribes (theologians) did Jesus make? Jesus by questioning pointed out that if the scribes say that the Messiah is David’s son & David called him Lord then Messiah must be God. Then Jesus said that people should beware of the scribes for they love rich robes, honorable salutations, & chief seats while at the same time robbing widows & making long prayers. By these two comments Jesus was pointing out that not all theologians are sincere & honest like the scribe with whom he had just dealt (Mark 12:34-40).