Mark 12:17 I. The questioners here, we are told, were the Pharisees and the Herodians. With the Pharisees we are well acquainted. Of the Herodians we know nothing, except what this incident reveals. Whether they were a religious sect or a political party, we are not informed. Their name only shows t... [ Continue Reading ]
Mark 12:27 I. Man the worker, who knows all the labour, all the skill of work, thinks much of work. Man the seer, who gathers in all his knowledge by sight, thinks much of sight. Man the speaker, who carries on all his projects by speech, thinks much of speech. And deeds done, and things seen, and p... [ Continue Reading ]
Mark 12:29 The Ideal of Christian Consecration. Notice: I. The character of the love of God. It is not necessary that we should accurately determine the philosophical signification of the words heart, soul, mind, and strength or might, in the Hebrew of Deuteronomy, or the Greek of Mark. Briefly, C... [ Continue Reading ]
Mark 12:30 The True Application of Christian Doctrines. I. Jesus came, first, to teach men of God. Without this knowledge man can never understand himself, either as to his nature, his duties, or his possibilities. Jesus taught men, (1) that God is Spirit, (2) that man is spirit also, (3) that bet... [ Continue Reading ]
Mark 12:32 The Divine Echo in the Human Heart. God's word may be received controversially, speculatively, or lovingly; men may argue about it, or let it argue with them to their conviction and redemption. Take for example the doctrine, Man is a sinner. You may make it a matter of controversy, and b... [ Continue Reading ]
Mark 12:34 It was one of the many instances in which Jesus took a very kind view and saw, and was not afraid to say that He saw the good that was in everyone. Many perhaps see it, who do not think it well to say that they see it. You need not be afraid. True praise never does any harm. On the contr... [ Continue Reading ]
Mark 12:41 The Widow's Gift. I. Look first at the giver; a widow and a poor widow. Sorrow often makes people selfish, but the benevolent donor in the case before us was a widow. II. Look next at the gift. Two mites. Wealth called the offering small, commerce accounted it small, religious custom r... [ Continue Reading ]
Mark 12:43 The Widow's Offering and the Stones of the Temple. The spirit that led the disciples to admire the stones of the temple, while Christ pointed them to the widow's offering, is a spirit natural to us all; and by considering it in the passage before us we shall reach certain facts which wi... [ Continue Reading ]