The Lord's Economy

The Lord’s Economy

Mark 12:38-44

Good morning,

The Prophet Isaiah said in Isaiah 14:24 The LORD of hosts has sworn, saying, "Surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass, and as I have purposed, so it shall stand: NKJV

Witness Lee said, “Because God has a purpose, He needs an economy.

This Greek word for economy comes from two words: oikos meaning house or household and nomos meaning law.

Economy is a “house law,” a household administration. This household administration is for the carrying out of God’s purpose, God’s plan.

God’s economy is God’s planned administration to carry out His eternal purpose....

God’s household administration to dispense the divine riches of the Triune God as life and life supply into His chosen and redeemed people....

Please open your Bibles to Mark 12 as we continue in a verse-by-verse study of the Gospel of Mark.

Recently in the Gospel of Mark, we have learned lessons about how the Lord loves us apart from religious duties or sacrifices.

Last time in Mark, after the Pharisees, the Herodians, and the Sadducees had all tried to trap Jesus; a Scribe, who was a lawyer from the Pharisees, then questioned Jesus.

The Scribe came to Jesus with this question, again trying to test Him, asking Jesus which is the first commandment of all.

The first and foremost commandment comes from the Law in…Deuteronomy 6:4 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!

Deuteronomy 6:5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. NKJV

Through all His teachings, Jesus claimed to be equal with God.

This question from the Scribes desired to trip Jesus up; either He was not God and He had made false claims while teaching, or Deuteronomy 6, stating that there is only one God, is wrong.

William Lane, “Because the whole man is the object of God’s covenant love, the whole man is claimed by God for Himself.”

The most important thing you can do as part of God’s creation is to love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

Jesus also said from Leviticus 19:18b, you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD. NKJV

We are to love our neighbor, because they should receive from us, the same kind of love we want to receive from them and God

The Lord is not asking us for religious rituals and ceremonies, or religious service, as a way of earning His favor. He wants those things offered to Him by us naturally because we love Him.

Then Jesus asked a question, “Why did David call the Messiah Lord?

Jesus’ rhetorical question to the Scribes in Mark 12, pointed His listeners to the only valid answer: the Messiah came from David’s line, but He was David’s Lord, at the same time.

In today’s passage, Jesus gives some warnings about the false pretense of the religious leaders as well as revealing His heart about gifts that are given with the right motivation.

I. Beware of certain priorities.

Read Mark 12:38-40

Remember from last week, it was a scribe who came to Jesus and asked, "Which is the first commandment of all?"

Scribes had a rich history in Israel, however like a lot of religious leaders, their hearts became hard towards the Lord, and they became a hindrance for people wanting to serve the Lord.

Scribes were well educated men who studied the Law, in order to transcribe it correctly, copy the Bible meticulously, and then write commentaries on it.

The scribe had to say each word aloud while they were writing.

As a scribe would copy scripture and would come upon the name of God; they used a special black ink, to write the word.

Then the scribe had to wipe the pen and wash their entire body, before writing the most Holy Name of God, YHWH, every time they wrote it.

During Jesus’ time, the scribes started adding man’s traditions to the Law and they became known for teaching the letter of the Law while ignoring God’s heart behind the giving of the Law.

The scribes rose to a celebrity status as the group of religious leaders who not only interpreted the Law, but also added their own pet peeves to the rules the people had to keep.

The scribes made plenty of rules, but failed to keep the spirit of the Law themselves.

These men were like dad saying, “Do as I say, not as I do”.

David Guzik said, “The scribes represented a complete contrast to the picture of how a disciple should be — as a servant, as a child, as one carrying a cross.”

Even though the scribes had celebrity status, Jesus said about them in His teaching, “Beware of the scribes”, as He described their attitudes and priorities while holding the office of a scribe.