Lesson 5277

 (Lesson 5277)(07-18-26) Mark 12:28-34 

   “And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.” 

 

   In today’s quote, one of the Jewish scholars asked Jesus to name the most important commandment. Jesus answered that the highest priority is to love God completely with all your heart, mind, and strength, and the second is to love your neighbor as yourself. Much unlike most today, the scholar recognized that these two commands carry far more spiritual value than any religious rituals or animal sacrifices, which prompted Jesus to tell the man that he had drawn near to the kingdom of God. ~ 

  

Lesson 5276

 (Lesson 5276)(07-17-26) Mark 12:18-27 

   “Then come unto him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying, Master, Moses wrote unto us, If a man's brother die, and leave his wife behind him, and leave no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. Now there were seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed. And the second took her, and died, neither left he any seed: and the third likewise. And the seven had her, and left no seed: last of all the woman died also. In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife. And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God? For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven. And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.” 

 

    Today’s quote relates that the Sadducees who deny the resurrection challenged Jesus with a riddle about a woman who married seven brothers, asking whose wife she will be in the afterlife. Jesus refuted them by explaining that after the resurrection, there will be no marriages in heaven, but rather, we will all be like the angels. He then used scripture to prove the reality of life after death, noting that God defined himself as the God of the living, meaning the dead in Christ are still very much alive to Him.  ~ 

 

Lesson 5275

 (Lesson 5275)(07-16-26) Mark 12:13-17 

   “And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words. And when they were come, they say unto him, Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not? Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it. And they brought it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar's. And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marvelled at him.” 

 

    Today’s quote relates that the leaders of the Jews tried to trap Jesus with a trick question about paying Roman taxes. He did so by pointing out the emperor's image on a coin, Jesus explained that people should fulfill their civic duties to the government while reserving their absolute loyalty and devotion for God. ~ 

 

Lesson 5274

 (Lesson 5274)(07-15-26) Mark 12:1-12 

   “And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country. And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard. And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty. And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled. And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some. Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son. But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours.' And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others. And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner: This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? And they sought to lay hold on him, but feared the people: for they knew that he had spoken the parable against them: and they left him, and went their way.” 

 

     In today’s quote, Jesus used a story about a rented vineyard to expose how Israel's religious leaders had historically rejected God's messengers and were then plotting to kill God's own Son. It warned that their authority as “the chosen” will be stripped away and given to the Gentiles. ~