Study inMark’s Gospel

Presentation 41

The Tables Turned

Chap 12v35-44Presentation 41

Presentation 41

IntroductionThere is a World War II film entitled 'The Longest Day‘. It describes a day of intense conflict. As the artillery barrages cease, wave upon wave of infantry vainly attack the enemy positions. The futility of trench warfare is exposed.

Our passage brings us to the end of Jesus 'longest day'. His enemies had emptied their arsenals. They had thrown everything they had at Jesus but to no avail. Jesus had been attacked by those who professed to be on God's side. Their hollow spirituality exposed and judged. The spiritual trench warfare left him exhausted but he was revived by one incident, the genuine, extravagant worship of a poor simple widow. Surely no contrast in the Bible is more revealing than this.

Presentation 41

Jesus' QuestionThe religious leaders had failed to trap Jesus. The amazed crowd were obviously delighted to see anyone take on the establishment. Jesus then asked a question which proved to be a knockout blow…. It concerned the identity of the Messiah. How could David call one of his descendants his Lord[Ps.110]? The Messiah, was not simply David's successor, but his sovereign. David's successor could only be his Lord if he was more than a mere man, existing before him and well as after him. The answer to Jesus’ question would remain a mystery as long as the leaders stubbornly rejected Jesus. Of course, Jesus knew the answer: David's Lord was the eternal Son of God and David's Lord became his 'son' when he was conceived in the womb of Mary, a direct descendant of David.

Presentation 41

Jesus' QuestionThe real problem for the religious leaders, was that by refusing to allow the Word of God to shape their thinking, they had a distorted view of Jesus’ identity. An inadequate view of Jesus will always produce, unrest, tension and rejection in our hearts. He will appear to be too demanding and too interfering!

Many people are deluded into thinking that the universe is a vast democracy where they can choose to offer their support to Jesus on condition that he gives them what they want? If he fails to do so, or begins to make what seem to be unreasonable demands, then they simply vote him out of office.

Presentation 41

Jesus' QuestionHow foolish it to think that Jesus rules only by our forbearance? To reject Jesus’ rule doesn't displace him as ruler, but it does deprives those who do so of the rich, eternal and gracious blessing of God.

Now do you know what the amazing paradox is? Those who do submit to Jesus’ rule discover that it is not the impoverishing, demanding rule that they feared, for his yoke is easy and his burden is light [Matt. 11v30]. But these religious leaders had closed the door on that discovery. They had turned the key in the lock and bolted it fast!

Presentation 41

False Teachers ExposedThe abiding memory, of this day, for many in the crowd was Jesus’ exposure of the shallowness of the religious establishment.

First, these leaders were identified as men with unhealthy ambitions. They craved honour. They loved to project an image of themselves as being pious and important. They were attracted to the trappings of power. Their flowing robes gave them a distinctive identity v38. They bathed in the praise of men and loved being greeted in the market place v38. Instead of encouraging those whom they taught to pursue love, and serve God, they placed themselves in the limelight.

Presentation 41

False Teachers ExposedContemporary rabbis wrote the following at around this time:“Your reverence for your teacher should border on your reverence for God....If a man's father and teacher are carrying burdens, he must first help his teacher and afterwards his father....If his father and teacher are in captivity he must first ransom his teacher”. Do you see, not only how self-preoccupied they were, but their overweening clamour for honour, praise and recognition? They longed for glory. But then God does not share his glory with another, Isa.42v8.

Presentation 41

False Teachers ExposedA second characteristic of these leaders was their consuming pride. They wanted recognition in both the religious and the secular world v39... They saw themselves in a kind of Religious Olympics, so that whatever they did, they then looked around to see what sort of scores the judges would hold up, surely a perfect 10.

Significantly Jesus warned his disciples of the danger of pride in Lk. 10v18 “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven”. Satan’s great sin was pride [Isa.14v14] and the disciples were in danger of boasting of their spiritual successes, as if they were the authors of the achievements.

Presentation 41

False Teachers ExposedThirdly, their greed is exposed, they preyed on wealthy widows whose husbands once made all the decisions and who now felt in need of guidance. As these men, masquerading as the servants of God, visited their homes it was not to comfort. They were there thinking, 'How much is she worth and how can I get it out of her?' Jesus promised them severe punishment.

In v40 we see that Jesus last words of public ministry were directed to those who had hardened their hearts irreversibly against him… Whenever a person refuses to live their lives in submission to Christ's Lordship then their lives are always going to be selfishly self-centred rather than God-centred.

Presentation 41

A Genuine Worshipper UncoveredAt the close of day, Jesus is exhausted and seated on the temple steps next to the treasury. Before him were 13 collection boxes shaped like upturned trumpets. Into which many of the 200,000 + pilgrims were placing their gifts. It was the practice of some to call out the size of their gift. '500 gold coins, 100 gold coins, 250 pieces of silver, 10 pieces of silver'.

Jesus watched several people put in large sums. Then a poor widow shuffled forwards. Did she waited until there were few people around? The noise of her two small copper coins was hardly audible as they slipped in. Her gift was so small, that if the wealthy dropped this amount on the pavement, they ‘d probably leave it there.

Presentation 41

A Genuine Worshipper UncoveredSome around Jesus may have wondered what he thought of the enormous gifts given by the fabulously rich. But it is to this poor widow that he points and says, 'I tell you the truth this widow has put more into the treasury than all the others' v43. The disciples must have thought, 'Come on Jesus we might not have university degrees but our maths isn't that bad! Gold coins are worth much more that throwaway copper by anybody's reckoning'.

Oh really, but not by God's reckoning for the arithmetic of heaven is quite different and Jesus explains why this is so. God doesn't count the amount, he counts the proportion and he measures the attitude of our hearts.

Presentation 41

A Genuine Worshipper UncoveredThe others had given out of their plenty, she had given all she had. The gifts of the rich had not cost them much. The women's gift cost her everything she had.

The rich had no doubt given, having first calculated how much they could afford; after they'd bought the Persian carpet they'd promised themselves, and that large box of Turkish Delight, and that bale of Damascus silk, which would make them the envy of the neighbourhood. Their giving did not hurt them . They had given a token of their plenty, she had given the total of her poverty.

Presentation 41

A Genuine Worshipper UncoveredA gift should reflect our love. When we show we are prepared work doubly hard, or to do without something, in order to make it we reveal our love. How few of us aspire to this woman’s extravagance! This woman made a greater impression on Jesus than anyone else he had met that day. How refreshingly different this simple worshipper was from the religious leaders who hogged the limelight.

She came to God captivated by his love for her and with little thought of herself. By her act was saying, 'Dear God I owe you everything'. Very often it is the poorest people who have the largest bank accounts in heaven.

Presentation 41

A Genuine Worshipper UncoveredYou might ask, ‘Was she not being reckless? Where was her next meal coming from?’ Her gift was probably that days wages for some menial work. It was 'all she had to live on!' v44. There is a recklessness in love, it gladly gives to the one we love believing that they will help us in our need. Well God is no man's debtor. Jesus saw not only the sacrifice and consecration of this woman's life but the amazing trust she placed in her heavenly Father - for having given all that she had to him she had become totally dependant upon him to provide for her. If the religious leaders had grieved Jesus by their greedy grasping hand this woman had delighted his heart because of her open-handedness and generosity of spirit.

Presentation 41

A Genuine Worshipper UncoveredUnlike the religious leaders this woman did not want to draw attention to herself. She did not cry out in a martyr’s voice, 'Lord its all I have but I am giving it to you.' She did not milk the crowd for applause at what for her was a very real sacrifice.

The religious leaders would have seized upon the photo-call opportunity to draw to themselves praise and adulation. She slipped quietly in and out of the temple. She had given, in the sight of Jesus and it is his estimate of us and not that of men that is ultimately all important.

Presentation 41

ConclusionWithout knowing it , this simple woman’s actions encouraged Jesus on the last day of his public ministry. All day long he had experienced a barrage of questions from a spiritually bankrupt religious establishment but a woman stirred the admiration of his heart and the applause of heaven. Did Jesus carry this picture of sacrificial love in his mind as he moved towards the cross. There Jesus would empty more than his wallet. He would pour out his life in sacrifice, saying to a sinful world, 'I love you'. Our giving, no matter how apparently insignificant in the eyes of men, can capture God's attention and thrill his heart. Only he can see the sacrificial nature of our gift which says, 'I love you Lord'.