Shabbat Shalom, everyone. Open your Bibles, please. We are studying in the Gospel of Mark, the 12th chapter, and today, with the Lord's help, we will continue on for Mark, chapter 12, and verse 13, and see if the Lord will help us to conclude the 12th chapter. So, I'm going to read Mark, chapter 12, verse 13 to 44. So, please follow me, and I am reading. And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians to catch him in his words. And when they will 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 Yeshua answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marveled at him. And 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. Lest of all the woman died also. In their 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 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 Yitzchak, and the God of Yaakov. He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. Ye therefore do greatly err. 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 Yeshua answered him, The first of all the commandment is, Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one.

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength. This is the first commandment. And the second is likewise, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than this. 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 neighbor as himself, is more than all whole burnt offering and sacrifice.

And when Yeshua saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that darest to ask him any question. And Yeshua answered and said while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that the Messiah is the son of David? For David himself said by the Holy Spirit, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand till I make thine enemies thy footstool. David therefore himself calleth him Lord. And how is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly. And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribe, which love to go in long clothes, and love the salutations in the marketplaces, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at the feast, which devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers, these shall receive greater damnation.

And Yeshua sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury. And many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he calls unto him his disciples, and he says unto them, Verily I say unto you, that this poor widow has cast more in than all they which have cast into the treasury. For all they did cast in of their abundance, but she, of her want, did cast in all that she had, even all her living." And I'm stopping here at the end of chapter 12, in verse 44 for the ministry today.

Beloved brothers and sisters, we are studying the Gospel of Mark, and we have been impressed again, as we study this book, this Gospel, how wonderful Mark presenting Yeshua, Jesus, our Messiah, as the servant of the Lord. Yeshua is the true servant of the Lord. He is the one that came from heaven to become Israel's promised Mashiach, and the Savior of this world. He is truly the servant of Isaiah 42, of Isaiah 49, of Isaiah 50, of Isaiah 52, of Isaiah 53, and of Isaiah 61. He is the servant of servants, the one who came from heaven, who was born to the virgin Miriam, and he came and he died for the sin of this world.

He is indeed the one that Mark wants to present before us as Eved Adonai in Hebrew, the servant of the Lord. And so in chapter 12, he is just about his last days here on earth. Yeshua is ready to go to the cross. In no time, in just a few days or two, he is going to be taken by Caiaphas, ultimately to Pilate, and from Pilate, he is going to be taken by the soldiers, and he is going to go to the cross, where he is going to die on a Roman cross for the sin and sin of this world. What we are studying now, in chapter 11 and in chapter 12, we see that he finally has arrived to the city of Yerushalayim, and now in the city of Jerusalem, he has this conflict with the spiritual leaders of our own nation, the people of Israel.

who misunderstood him, who didn't realize that he was the Messiah, and in fact, they hardened their hearts to reject him as the Messiah of Israel. In the first 12 verses of our chapter, Yeshua spoke in parable, and as he shared in parable in the temple, this parable of the vineyard, and how one gave that vineyard to people who were responsible, and then he expected from that vineyard to bring fruit for himself. And then as he handed it over to these vine dressers, these farmers, and he expected that they would bring some fruit for God, and he sent messengers after messenger after messenger, and what did they do?

They rejected the messengers. They rejected the second messenger. They killed the third messenger. And finally, as we read in chapter 12, verse 6, "Having yet one son, his well-beloved son, he sent him unto them that they will see whether they will accept that son." He is speaking in a parable, in a mashal in Hebrew. And then what happened? But those farmers, as we read here, they took him. They said, "This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours." And you see, that's really sad that Israel and the spiritual leaders of our own nation did not acknowledge that Yeshua was the Messiah.

And actually, beloved brothers and sisters, they were fulfilling what the prophets of old and what the Psalms of Israel declared. As it says, verse 10, "Don't you remember to read the scripture, the stones which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner." This is the Lord's doing. It is marvelous in our eyes. On the one hand, the builders rejected him. This is human. Mankind rejected the Messiah. On the other hand, it is the Lord's doing. God, by divine design, knew ahead of time that when the Mashiach will come, he will be rejected by men. Not only Israel rejected him, the whole world rejected Yeshua the Messiah.

And man by nature says, "Away with this man! We will have not this man to rule over us, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." And so after he said that parable, their leaders, they sought to hold him because they recognized that he was speaking about them. But they could not because somehow it was not yet his time. He says here, they left him. They went their way because the ordinary Israeli love to hear the Lord Yeshua the Messiah speak. So now we arrive to the second half of Mark chapter 12. And for verse 13 to the end, you find out that questions are being asked.

You know, it is so tremendous how questions are asked. They are asking the Messiah. They have asked before the Messiah came. Men still ask today questions. And the Lord Jesus, the Lord Yeshua, give answer to every question that he is asked. The first question is asked from verses 13 to 17 by the Herodians who came along with the Pharisees and they questioned him about paying tax to Caesar, to the Kesar. That's what the question was. By the way, the Herodians, notice it says here in verse 13, they sent unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians to catch him in his words. Now the Pharisees, the Prushim in Hebrew and the Herodians, we call it Anshei Hodus, the people who followed Herod and accepted Herod's rule are two different groups and two different, you might say, sides of the scale.

The one are very religious. The other ones are very liberal. The one disagree with Herod who usurped the authority, the David throne, and he was not a descendant of David, but the others, the Herodians who accepted Herod and Herod's family and they submitted to them and actually worked for the Romans. They have the two groups. They are really opposite to each other. They were never in agreement with each other. They have a conflict with each other. But one thing they had an agreement, that they did not accept that Yeshua was the Messiah. So here they come together and notice what it says here in verse 14 and 15a, they come with a question and they said to him in verse 14, "When they were come, they said unto him, Rabbi, we know that you are true and you carest for no man, for thou regardest not a person of man and teachest the way of God in truth." In other words, what they are really saying is really not what is in their hearts.

"Oh yes, we know that you are a man that doesn't care for anything, that he is speaking the truth." Well, that is not what they believe at all. But they were coming to catch him to find a fault in the person of Yeshua the Messiah. So look at the question, beloved brothers and sisters. They ask him this question, "Is it lawful to give tax or tribute to Caesar? Yes or no? Should we pay tax to the government that be or should we not? After all, we don't agree with Caesar. After all, we don't like his rulership." So they are trying to catch Yeshua the Messiah in some kind of he will not say the right thing.

And if he will say something against the Romans, he will be in trouble with the Romans. If you are going to say something for him that shows that he is not following the true and living God, we will try to find some mistake in the person of Yeshua the Messiah. So they ask him, "Is it right to give tax?" to the government that be, even though the government was a wicked man. He was wrong. Should we pay taxes to him or not? You know, the Lord is really challenging us all because we live under governments that not necessarily believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

They don't believe in Jesus the Messiah. There are various governments in the world in which we live in that reject God totally. So should we submit to the authority that be or should we not? And so Yeshua, knowing the hearts of all men, and you notice how wonderful he gives them an answer in verses 15b and 16. You know, Yeshua said to them, and notice he knew that he was tempting him because it says here in verse 15, shall we give or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, "Why do you tempt me? Bring me a penny or dinar that I may see it.

Give me a coin. Give me a government coin that Herod had. I want to see what the coin has to say." So they brought him that coin. Notice it says, verse 16, and he says unto them, "Whose image and superscription?" And they said unto him, "The Caesar, the Roman emperor. Here's an image of the emperor right on that coin." So you know what he said? How wonderful. The Lord knew very well the answer. He says, verse 17, "Give to Caesar the things that belong to Caesar." But he doesn't stop there. He says, "But give to God the things that belong unto God." And you notice they marvel at him.

They were assuming that they're going to catch him in speaking something against the government. Maybe the government will go against him. Or maybe God will not be pleased with him because he is supporting the government that be the denying God. And you know, this is an amazing lesson, beloved brothers and sisters. Believers in the present day age, Christian or Messiah followers, live under governments in this world which are not necessarily following the word of God. But authority and governments are ordained by God. It was God who allowed government and rulers to rule here in this world, even though sometimes they do not follow at all his own way.

Governments are ordained by God himself. The apostle Paul said in Romans chapter 13, he's speaking to believers in the city of Rome. And he said, "Let every soul be subject to the higher powers." Why? "For there is no power or no authority but of God, and the power that be are ordained by God." Shaul, Paul said to the local assembly at Rome, they might say, "Well, you know what? We are believers. We are outside of this world. Therefore, we should not submit to the authority that be, to the rulership that be." For that, can you imagine if we will not have police? Or can you imagine if we will not have rules on the highway?

Can you imagine if we will have no order in the country where we live, whether it is here locally or any other country in the world? So therefore, the government are ordained by God to maintain order in life. And for this, the believers who are part here of this world, they are to be submissive to the authority that be, whether we like it or not. Sometimes somebody might say, "Well, what about authorities such as in the days of Hitler, in the days of Haman, who were wicked authorities, who were totally against God, who have done what they have done to our own Jewish people?" Well, thank God for those who violated the hatred and did the right thing by preserving Jewish people and hiding them in many places in order that the government, that wicked government who wanted to destroy our people were not allowed to do so.

But in a normal way, we are to submit to the authority of the God-given government. Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar. But, he doesn't stop here. But also, render to God submission, obedience, the things that belong to God. God wants us to give Him our life, our devotion, our heart's affection. And so, you can see here the two sides, they try to catch Him, to find something wrong in Him. And here, the Lord Yeshua gave them an answer to their question. In 1 Timothy, chapter 2, the Apostle Paul said, "I exhort therefore that, first of all, supplication and prayers and intercession and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings, and for all that are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior." "God wants us to live peaceably, to live in an honorable way, thank God for the government that be, and whatever belonged to Caesar, to give to Caesar, whatever belonged to the Lord, to give to the Lord." So here, He gave them this answer. So Yeshua, and by the way, Yeshua is the stone that the builders have rejected, and one day Yeshua is going to come, and He's going to be the King of kings, and Lord of lords. Israel will be restored, and He will establish the Messianic Kingdom with righteousness, with peace, with shalom in a future day.

Once He's going to come at His second coming, and restore Israel and the whole world to Himself, until that day, we are living in a time that we are under governments that have been allowed by God, and whatever belonged to Caesar, to give to Caesar, whatever belonged to God, to give to God." So, it's not only now that the Herodians, along with the Pharisees, came to question Him, then immediately after He answered this question, coming the Sadducees. In Hebrew, we call them the Tzdukim, or the Tzadikim, Tzdukim. Notice that in verse 18 to 27, the Sadducees now come, and in verse 18, notice this comment that the Spirit of God gave us here in verse 18.

"Then come unto Him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection, and they ask Him, say." You already find out that these Tzdukim, this is another segment of our own nation Israel, you have the Prushim, you have the Tzdukim, you have the Herodian, the Anshay Herod, there are more than a few groups within the religious or conservative people among our nation Israel. The contrast to the Pharisees, the Sadducees do not believe that there is a resurrection. They don't believe in a resurrection. In fact, according to Acts chapter 23, we learn from this verse 8, we find out, "For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit." But the Pharisees confess both.

In other words, the Prushim believe that there are angels, there are resurrection, there is a spirit realm, but the Tzdukim, that is the Sadducees, they do not believe in a resurrection, they do not believe in angels, they do not believe in the spirit realm. And so now we find out that they approach Him, and they come with a question that is rather interesting. In fact, they came with a speculation, a hypothetical question that they approach the Lord in verses 19 to 23. They came to Yeshua, and notice what they said to Him in verse 19, they say, "Master," they also call Him Rabbi, and they also believed in the law of Moses in Torah Moshe, so they say Moshe wrote, Moses wrote, they spoke about Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

And he says, "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 a seed unto his brother." They took him all the way to Deuteronomy chapter 25, where there from verse 5 to 10, there is what he called the law of the brother, that he will be responsible to raise a seed to his brother who died, because he doesn't have any children. And so notice what they do here in that verse 19 and 20. He said, "He left his wife behind, leaving no children, that his brother should take his wife and raise up a seed unto his brother." Deuteronomy chapter 25.

And then verse 20, "Now there were seven brethren. The first one took the wife, dying, left no seed. The second one took her, now he died, and he left no seed. The third one likewise, he died, and left no seed. The fourth, the fifth, the sixth, the seventh, he died, and left no seed." Makes you wonder what's wrong with the wife, that all their brothers have died. But the point here that they give us a question that it was really a speculation, just to try to find something wrong with Yeshua the Messiah. And notice at the end the wife died also. The first brother died, the second brother died, the third brother died, the fourth, the fifth, the sixth, the seventh, no seed, no children.

Finally the wife died. So now they don't believe in the resurrection. We just read it in verse 18. Then in verse 23, they said to Yeshua the Messiah, "In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise," they don't believe in it, but they asked it, "Whose wife shall she be? For the seven had her to wife." Now they're trying to catch him in some kind of a wrong view. They're trying to trick him, as we read here, to catch him in his words. Now again, beloved brothers and sisters, Yeshua, Jesus, the Messiah, is the eternal Son of God, who became a man, and as a man he is living in the midst of his own people Israel, seeking that they will embrace him and accept him as the Mashiach.

But he knew very well, as we have read earlier in verses 10, the scripture says, "The stone which the builder rejected, he became the head of the corner. This was the Lord's doing. It is marvelous in our eyes." In other words, he knew very well that they will not accept him at his first coming. But you see, beloved brothers and sisters, they were in a wrong. They erred, because they didn't accept what the written word of God says. And so, the Lord said to them, Yeshua said to them in verse 24, all the way to verse 27, Yeshua gives an answer. He said to them, you know what?

Verse 24, "You therefore err." Why? Because you do not know, number one, the scripture, and number two, you do not know the power of God. It's one thing to read the verses in the scripture, in the Bible. It's another thing to let the Spirit of God enlighten us and give us understanding and to allow the power of the Spirit of God to impact one's life. And so, he said to them in verse 25, "When they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry nor given in marriage, but they are as the angels which are in heaven." In other words, he's telling Luke, in the resurrection, when people are dying and they leave this scene, in a future day in the resurrection, they will receive a glorified body suitable for the presence of God, but they are not going to be reproducing like they have done so when they were here on earth, before death.

You see, life and a family was given to humanity from the Garden of Eden to Adam and Eve, be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth. It is for here during the time that we are here on earth, before death. But after one dies, if he or she are believers and belong to God in the resurrection, there is no reproduction. In other words, when we are going to be in glory in the presence of God, we are going to be, notice, as the angels, we are not going to be angels, but as the angels, in a sense, a spirit body, but without any need or necessity to reproduce.

In other words, he is saying to them that when a person has been resurrected, he will have a sexless body, not need to reproduce and to have a family there in glory, like the angels in that sense. We are not becoming angels, but as the angels. By the way, angels don't reproduce. They don't have a family, a husband, a wife and children. In fact, if you remember in Genesis chapter 6, the angels that kept not their first estate, these are fallen angels, who have come down to this earth, appeared as men, had reproduction with the human wings, human women here on earth, and what the giants, the nephilim, the fallen ones have been reproduced.

Sin has been advanced, you might say. And that's why they have been judged by God. But believers in Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah, believers in God, after we die, we are going to be like the angels, in a suitable body for the presence of God. We are not becoming angels, angels, but we are no more in a need of reproduction, as it was here and now, when we lived here upon the face of this earth. At the resurrection, we are, as the Lord said in verse 25, neither marriage, nor given in marriage, but are as the angels which are in heaven. beloved brothers and sisters. And you see, the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection.

But the Bible, the scripture, the Hebrew scripture, teach about the resurrection. For example, Psalm 16:10, you shall not leave my soul in Sheol, neither shall thou allow thy Holy One to see corruption. Isaiah 53:11, he shall see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied. After the Messiah will die, he will rise again. Daniel chapter 12, in the beginning says, those that were lying in the death shall rise again. Isaiah speaking about their resurrection in the future. There is a resurrection, which the Sadducees did not believe in. But once the person who belonged to the Lord rise again from among the dead, receive a glorified body, this body will be suitable for the presence of God, no longer reproduction in the eternal order.

The people of God will not need any more to have family and reproduction as they have it here on earth. There is a verse in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 35. Paul said, "But some may say, how are the dead rise up? And with what body they do come? O thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quicken, not rise, except it die first. And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance be like wheat or like grain, but God giveth it a body as it had pleased him." Verse 38. "And to every seed his own body." A little bit later on in verse 42.

saw also the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption, but it is raised in corruption. It is sown in dishonor, but it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, but it is raised in power. It is sown a natural blood body, but it is raised in a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. Beloved brothers and sisters, when we're going to be resurrected, we're going to receive a glorified body suitable for the presence of God, but there is no longer need for reproduction because reproduction is for here and now. Reproduction is for this earth, for this world.

Once the eternal order come beyond the grave, there is no longer reproduction. That's why he said to them, "You err, you do not know the scripture, neither the power of God." But he doesn't stop here. Because if you go back to Mark chapter 12, in verses 26 and 27, and he said to them, "You don't even know the power of God." And he takes them back to the law, to Torah Moshe, to the law of Moses. He said there, "And as touching the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moshe?" He's going back to Moshe, to Moses. And he said to them, "How is it that in the bush God spake unto Moses, unto him?" And he said to him, "I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Yaakov." "Ani Elohei Avraham, Elohei Yitzhak, Elohei Yaakov." "I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." And then he continued in verse 27, and he said, "He is not the God of the dead, but he is the God of the living." "Ye therefore do greatly err." Notice, when God said to Moses, "I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." He didn't say, "I was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." Now they are dead, and therefore I'm no more their God because they are dead.

No, he said, "I am." "Not I was, but I am." Because Abraham, Yitzhak, and Yaakov, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, though they haven't been resurrected as yet, but they are alive. They are enjoying the presence of God. There were men who believed the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of Israel, and there were men that are believers, they are saved, they are forgiven, they are redeemed, and they are in the presence of God. You remember, for example, where the Lord took Peter, James, and John to the Mount of the Transfiguration. And guess who? They saw, speaking with Yeshua the Messiah in that Transfiguration, they saw Moses, Moshe, and they saw Eliyahu Hanavi, Elijah, the prophet of Israel.

They were alive, speaking to the Lord. But they have passed out of this scene, which is temporary, and they have been taken to the presence of the Lord. You know, brothers and sisters, this is so wonderful to know. We live our life here. We go through all the struggles here, all the trials here. We fail. We stumble. We sin. We do wrong. We struggle in our lives as believers. But when we know the Lord as our Savior, we have a hope. Our time here is just like a short distance till the time when we're going to go to be in the presence of Yeshua, our Messiah.

We are just passing through. We're one day going to be in the presence of our blessed Lord, Yeshua, who loved us and gave Himself for us. We'll never sin anymore. We'll never harm anymore. We'll never dishonor God anymore. For this Jesus, the Messiah paid, and the cross. But we will be with Him. And we will be like Him. It's wonderful when you really think there's a verse that I want to read to you in 1 John chapter 3. "Behold," verse 1, "What matter of love the Father has bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God." He continues, says, "Therefore the world knoweth us not because it knew Him not.

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and He does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when He appeared, we shall be like Him." Not like the angels. We're going to be like Yeshua. Why? Because as it says here, "We shall see Him face to face." We're going to be like Him. We're going to be with Him. We're not going to be like the angels in that sense. The only thing we're going to be like the angels in the sense that there will no longer be in need of reproduction. This is an amazing truth to get a hold of, beloved brothers and sisters.

So He answered them, "God is not the God of the dead. God is the God of the living." "Ha-Elohim einenu Elohei ha-metim." "Ki-im Elohei ha-chayim." "God is the God of the living." Now notice that next as we move along in our chapter together, in Mark chapter 12, you have another scribe now individually come and asking Yeshua Himself a question. The Pharisees and Herodians came. The Sadducees, the Tzdukim came next. Now in verses 28 to 34, you have a scribe that is coming to ask Yeshua the Messiah and question. And now notice how interesting. This is an individual. And you notice that in verse 28, "And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together and perceived that He had answered them well, He asked him a question." Now notice that scribe, in Hebrew we call him Sofer.

The scribes are those that transcribe the scriptures. They write it down for the rest of the people of Israel so they will have the scripture in their hand. And so the scribe is listening. He is watching. And he saw that the Lord answered the Pharisees. He saw that the Lord Yeshua answered the Herodians. He heard that Yeshua answered the Sadducees. That's Tzdukim. And so he is now coming. And he is coming with, you might say, a sincere question. He is asking Yeshua in verse 28, he said to him, "Which is the first commandment of all?" You know, if you read the Tanakh or the Torah, there are 613 commandments that the people of Israel have looked over the generation and some positive, some negative.

Some what to do, some what not to do. And as God gave the people of Israel these commandments, here is this scribe who is asking, "Which is the greatest commandment of all?" What is the number one commandment that God had given our forefathers, the people of Israel? So notice Yeshua in verses 29 to 31. He gives this answer and he is actually quoting the Torah. He is quoting the scripture and he is quoting from the book of Deuteronomy, which we quote here every Shabbat, "Shma Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad." You know, when a Jewish boy rises up in the morning, he says, "Shma Yisrael." When a Jewish boy goes to sleep at night, he says, "Shma Yisrael." "He or Israel?" This is a marvelous command that God is appealing to Israel.

"Israel! Hear this Israel!" "Shma Yisrael, the nation of Israel." "The Lord your God is the only one God." All other gods are human, man-made. All other gods are that which are idols and that which is contrary to the living God. So, Yeshua is quoting to this scribe, the sofer. He says, verse 29, "The first of all the commandments is "Shma Yisrael." "He or Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one." "Shma Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad." "There is only one living God." "And that Adonai or Jehovah, Jehovah, this is the only one God that's existing here in this world. And then he said to him, he immediately continued, in Deuteronomy chapter 6, verses 4 and 5, he said, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength." This is the first commandment.

And the second commandment is likewise, namely, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." There is none other commandment greater than these. In other words, the scribe asked Yeshua, the Messiah, which is the greatest commandment. Yeshua gave him an answer from Deuteronomy chapter 6, verses 4 and 5, but he added the second commandment, which is found in Leviticus chapter 19, and verse 18, "You should love your neighbor as yourself." Ahavta l're'achah ekamocha. Now I want you to notice one or two things here that is very interesting. The first thing I want you to notice that Yeshua added to Deuteronomy chapter 6, verse 4, "Shma Yisrael Adonai el'enu Adonai echad." In verse 5, he said, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy strength." But Yeshua added the word, "Thy mind." That's the first thing.

Secondly, I want you to notice that immediately after he said it, he included in his response to this scribe, and he says, "Not only that you are to love God, but you are to also love men." And one may ask, "Why did Yeshua add the word, mind?" Not only love the Lord your God with all your heart, not only to love Him with all your soul, not only to love Him with all your strength, but to love Him with all your mind. It's not that he didn't know what is written in Deuteronomy chapter 6 verses 4 and 5. But you see, the problem that was existing where he was approaching the spiritual leaders of Israel is that they needed to know, not only to know with their heart and the soul, but in their mind they needed to recognize who He was, that He was the Messiah in the midst of the nation of Israel, appealing to the nation to accept Him as the Messiah.

And He wanted them to understand it is also an understanding who He was. And if you understand, if you love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength, you will have the mind of the Lord that will help you see who I am. You remember what Philippians tells us? Let this mind be in you, which was also in the Messiah Yeshua in Philippians chapter 2. He's speaking to the believers in the local assembly at Philippi. He says, listen, you need to have the mind of the Mashiach, the mind of God. And He wanted them to have the mind of God.

You know, God planned it all along that the Messiah will come in order to redeem a people for Himself. And we need to understand it in our mind, to recognize what the Lord had said, to believe it in our heart, to confess it with our mouth, but to understand it in our mind. You know, the mind is where everything comes into. Our mind is like a, you might say, an avenue, a channel where all the thoughts, the pattern of our thinking and lead us to our action. That's why the Apostle Paul said, let this mind be in you, which was in the Messiah Yeshua. Think of good things, that which is positive, that which is honoring to the Lord.

In the mind, the mind is a place where we channel everything into our lives. That's why, by the way, the world fill our mind with garbage. That's why young people have been, their mind is being filled with ungodly things, ungodly thoughts. Young and old, we all are being filled, our mind is being filled. Whatever we think, it goes down to our hearts and ultimately goes down to our feet and our action. Think of that which is honoring God. Think of that which is positive. The mind is a very important avenue whereby God reach us, reach mankind. That's why we are exhorted to have the mind of the Lord.

And so the Lord is adding that. But secondly, you notice that, that the important thing, you might say the climax in life is really love for God and love for man. In fact, beloved brothers and sisters, there's a very interesting verse that the Apostle Paul mentioned in the book of Romans that really need to be read. Roman chapter 13. Turn with me, please, to Roman chapter 13. After he says in Roman chapter 13, that let every soul be subject to the higher power for there is no power, no authority but of God and the power that be are ordained of God in Roman 13 and verse 1. Then you notice what he said a little bit later on in verse 8 about love.

Love for God, love for man is really the fulfillment of the whole law that God had given that God had given in the Scripture. Notice it says in verse 8, always know man anything but to love one another. Why? For he that loveth another has fulfilled the law. And then he continued to live. You shall not commit adultery, shall not murder, shall not steal, shall not bear full witness, shall not covet, and on and on and on. And then in verse 10, he says, love worketh no ill to his neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law. In other words, this is Romans 13 verses 8 to 10. The fulfilling of the law or the object of the law was to reproduce love for God and love for man.

But unfortunately, beloved brothers and sisters, because we all have a sin nature, our love for God is very shallow and our love for our neighbors or others is even in a greater shallow. That's why we needed the sacrifice because the blood makes atonement for the soul that fails to fulfill the whole law and only the Mashiach, the Messiah is the one that fulfills it to the full. That's why we need him. And every sacrifice in olden days only pointed to the blessed Messiah who came in the fullness of time. So notice that now in verses 32 and 33 of Mark chapter 12 the scribe had agreed with what Yeshua said.

Notice that. verse 32 and the scribe said unto him, "Well, Master Rabbi, well, you have said the truth. For there is only one God and there is none other but He." This is the God of Israel, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And then he said, "And to love Him with all the heart and with all the understanding with all the soul and with all the strength and to love his neighbor as himself is more than all the whole burnt offering and sacrifices." In other words, what he is really saying, you see, we are going through a motion, we are bringing sacrifices, but we really didn't understand what the purpose of the sacrifices.

it's not that the sacrifices were not commended by the Lord, they were definitely commended by the Lord. But the sacrifices, when one bring it to the Lord, you have to understand, I'm bringing it because I failed to love God and I failed to love my fellow man. And if anybody here will say that he or she love God in a perfect way, he is not saying the truth. We fail in that. That's why we are called sinners. We need forgiveness from the Lord. And now notice what Yeshua is saying to this man, to this scribe. He said to him in verse 34, "And when Yeshua saw that he answered discreetly." In other words, he answered right, this scribe.

Look what he said to him. Beautiful. Verse 34, "Thou art not far from the kingdom of God." "Thou art not far from the kingdom of God." You are not in. You are still out. You are not far because you know a lot. Get in. Don't stay out. Don't stay out. You see, beloved brothers and sisters, this is exactly why we have the four Gospels. Matthew say, "You are either wise or you are foolish." The wise man built a house upon the rock. The foolish man built his house upon the sand. You are either wise or you are foolish, Matthew says. But Mark says, you are either in or you are out.

Being not far from the kingdom doesn't put you in. Get in. Accept the Mashiach and don't stay out. Luke says, you are either saved or you are lost. You cannot be in between. And John says, you are either a believer or you are an unbeliever. Whosoever believeth on him shall not perish but have everlasting life. But Mark says, you are either in or you are out. You cannot sit on the fence. If you sit on the fence and you reject Jesus the Messiah, you are going to end up falling out. And stay out. Even though you are not far from the kingdom of God. Sad, isn't it?

But hopefully the describe later on says, I want to get in. I want to accept the Lord Yeshua, the Messiah of Israel, the Savior of this world. I want to get in. And ultimately we trust that he got in. Now finally, beloved brothers and sisters. Yeshua was asked questions by the Pharisees, by the Herodians, by the Sadducees and by the scribe. And now in turn he is asking questions. And in the last verses here, verses 35 to 44 of Mark chapter 12, Yeshua is now asking a question but he also gives warning to those who hear him. And so we read in verse 35 to 37 that really he is questioning the leaders and the people that heard him about who is the Messiah.

Who is the Messiah? Who after all is the Messiah? Are you waiting for the Messiah? You having this routine in the temple in the city of Jerusalem, you go through the motion, you bring the sacrifices, you go through all the routine doing the time, doing the daily, the weekly, the monthly, the yearly system that God had given to Israel. He said to them now, notice what he continues, he says he is teaching in the temple in verse 35. And he says, how say the scribe that the Messiah is Ben David, the son of David? For David himself said by the Holy Spirit, the Lord said unto my Lord, sit on my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool.

Verse 37, David therefore himself called him Lord and how is he then his son? In other words, he make a reference to Psalm 110. In the Mizmoro, Psalm 110, verse 1, David is crying and he's proclaiming, The Lord, Jehovah, said unto my Lord, Adoni, sit on my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool. In other words, David gave us by revelation information that he somehow received of the two persons of the Godhead. The Father speaking to the Son, to the Messiah. And he said to him, Shev, Shev le-Yemini, sit on my right hand. For how long? Until I make all your enemies your footstool. And that's a reference to the Messiah who died, Yeshua, who was buried and rose and went to glory and God placed him at the pinnacle of the universe and set him there at his right hand.

And he said, One day your enemies are going to become your footstool. So, Yeshua asked the people who were there, He says, How come you believe that the Messiah will be Ben David, the son of David, the descendants of David, but at the same time, David, that is David, calling him Lord. The Lord said to my Lord, sit down at my right hand. Psalm 110 and verse 1. So, Yeshua said, How come he is calling him Lord if he is his son? In other words, you see what he is really saying here? That the Messiah must be more than just another man. He is David's son, Ben David, but he is also David's Lord, Adon David.

How can you be David's son and David's Lord at the same time? Well, you can only be David's son and David's Lord if you were more than just another man. If you were God, the son who became a man who was born to the virgin Miriam as Isaiah 7:14 tells us and lived a perfect life and then ultimately becoming a sacrifice, died for the sin of this world. John 1 began the gospel by saying in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. Verse 14 of John 1 said, And the Word became flesh and he dwelt among us and we beheld his glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

This God became a man. Now, brothers and sisters, we cannot fathom that. But we believe it because the Bible teaches us that. Because the Hebrew Scripture teaches us that. Because Isaiah pointed a virgin shall conceive and bear a son. How can a virgin conceive and bear a son? And yet she will call his name Immanuel, God with us. You see, beloved brothers and sisters, this is the dilemma that was in the midst of the nation. And here the Lord is just telling them, Yeshua is just telling them, you know, David calling him Lord. How can you believe that he is David's son? How could he be David's Lord and David's son?

You see, that is the question. Who then is the Messiah? Is he David's son? If then, is he David's Lord? Because David calling him Lord, my Adon, Adoni, my master, my Lord. Hearing the Father, God, speaking to the Son, to the Messiah, saying to him, sit down at my right hand. So he continued. In verse 37 at the end, notice the common people heard him gladly. You know, the ordinary Israeli was so thankful according to this passage. He was gladly to hear the Messiah speaking. Yeshua speaking. He spoke different than the Pharisees, than the Sadducees, than the Herodians. He had authority. He spoke because he was God and men in one.

And so we read here now in this, he gives warning. Yeshua now gives warning in verse 38 until 40. Now, Yeshua warned because man has pride on the one hand, and man trusts in his own wealth and power on the other hand. And he gives warning now to all who hear him. He said in verse 38b, he said unto them in his doctrine, in verse 38, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, love the salutation in the marketplaces. They love the chief seats in the synagogue, and the uppermost rooms at the feasts, which devour widows' houses, which devour widows' houses, and for a reference make long prayers.

These shall receive greater condemnation. He says you better be careful. You better be careful for those scribes who love to go in long clothing, these gowns that go all the way to the bottom, like the priests. They love salutation. Everybody says hi in the marketplaces. They love the chief seats in the synagogue, and they also love to be the uttermost rooms in the feasts, in the celebration. Now while it has happened historically in Israel past day, we know very well it happened today in the professing church as well. Those long robes, those are salutation in the marketplaces, those are the places where today we see it everywhere in the professing church as well as it was in Israel.

It is continuous in the same thing. And so he says to them, you know, you better be careful from those beware because they really not the ones that are humbly pleasing the Lord, pleasing God. They are not the ones that you are to follow after. They devour widows' houses, then for their pretense they make long prayers and so on. And he says they shall have a greater condemnation. You know, there is a greater condemnation for those who give an appearance, a facade. And that's why it is so important to be a real child of God. Not to pretend, because we cannot fool God. Because one day we're going to have to stand before God, and he will be the one who will say, have you accepted the Messiah?

Have you invited him into your heart? And even as believers, he will evaluate our lives as we live as believers. And oh, God have mercy on us, how much we failed him in our day-by-day living. So he gave a warning. And finally, beloved brothers and sisters, he concludes the whole message, you might say, this conversation with the Pharisees, the Herodians, the Sadducees, the scribes, the people, and ultimately his disciples there, inside Beit HaMikdash, the temple in Jerusalem. He finally gives us an example that we have here in verses 41 to 44 of the poor widow, woman, who really teaches the greatest lesson. Living lesson, you might say.

Notice that. Verse 41 to verse 44. And Yeshua sat over against the treasury and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury. And many that were rich cast much. And there came a certain poor widow. And she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto his disciples. Notice now he's calling to his disciples, teaching the believers, those Hebrew disciples of first century who believed that he was the Messiah. He's soon gonna die. And he's teaching them before he went to the cross, before he died. He's taking them and he says, "Verily I say unto you." Look at this poor woman. "This poor widow has cast more in than all they which have cast into the treasury.

For all they did cast in was out of their abundance. But she, of her need, of her want, she cast all that she has had, even all her living." What an amazing lesson he taught the disciples there after all the conversation with the spiritual leaders, the Pharisees, the Herodians, the Sadducees, the scribe. Now he is speaking to his disciples and he's challenging them not to be proud, not to be arrogant, not to trust in their ability, but to be humbly before the Lord, before him. The ones that were used by God to ultimately preach that message of the grace of God of which you and I have received today that Yeshua is the Messiah and he came to this world and he paid for the sin of this world and that he is not only David's son, Ben David, but he is David's Lord.

He is Adon David. He is Lord. One day, beloved brothers and sisters, every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Yeshua HaMashiach, Jesus the Messiah is Lord to the glory of God the Father. It is better to accept him now and bow our knees before him now while we are still alive rather than to pass out of this world and then have to bow our knees before him anyway and yet separated from him for time and eternity. It is better to accept him today. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.