Today we will look at Mark 12:1-12. During the last week of Jesus’ life He remains quite busy. He doesn’t stop ministering, teaching, serving, and loving.
A new day has dawned. It is one day closer to the cross. Jesus and His disciples have come once again into the temple in Jerusalem. Mark 12:1 says, “And He began to speak to them in parables...” Who is He speaking to? You will find the answer to that in Mark 11:27-33. Read these verses and write in your journals who would be listening to the parable that Jesus is telling.
Now read through Mark 12:1-12. Jesus quotes Psalm 118:22-23. When the Old Testament is quoted in the New Testament, I love looking up the passage to help me gather context. Sometimes it opens my eyes to truths that I might have missed before. Jesus is the Living Word and so filled with the Written Word that it continually comes out of Him continually. Go ahead and flip in your Bibles to Psalm 118 and read these two verses. You might also read the whole chapter so that you can understand the context. He is intentional in choosing this particular passage to quote at this particular time. Why do you think He does this?
It is interesting to me that this particular psalm also holds the same words that the people shouted aloud as Jesus entered into the city a couple of days ago! “Save us, We pray, O Lord! (Hosanna)” And then - “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” But in light of Mark 12:12, verse 27 jumps out vividly: “The Lord is God, and He has made His light to shine upon us. Bind the festal sacrifice with cords, up to the horns of the altar!” What is the psalm pointing to? How does this passage connect with the parable that He is telling?
Spend some time meditating on what you believe Jesus is teaching in this parable. Re-write the parable in your own words so that the meaning behind it is clear. The Scripture tells us the reaction of the chief priests, the scribes and the elders to His parable. But the disciples were there as well. What do you think their thoughts were as they listened to Jesus?
And finally, as you’ve observed Jesus in this passage, listened to His Words, and sought to understand their meaning, do you know Him just a little bit more? Spend some time in your journals writing about what you’ve learned about Jesus today.
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