Jesus & Love

And Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection. And they asked him a question, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no offspring. And the second took her, and died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. And the seven left no offspring. Last of all the woman also died. In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife." Jesus said to them, "Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong." And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, "Which commandment is the most important of all?" Jesus answered, "The most important is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." And the scribe said to him, "You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices." And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions. - Mark 12:18‭-‬34 ESV 

Rev. Dwight Yoo

The book of Mark is difficult for a preacher because the passages are broken up into snapshots. It is hard to link them together and provide coherence. The teachers were trying to trap Jesus but he answered them without being entrapped. Another teacher of the law hears this discussion and asks Jesus for the most important commandment. The scribes recognized over 600 separate commands from God.

The Supremacy of Love

All that we have and all that we are comes from God, so we owe everything to God. He is to have supremacy in every way. He should be our greatest joy. We should love him not because of what he gives, but for who he is. God is worthy of our devotion. 

The Sadducees were seeking to discredit Jesus. They did not believe in any sort of resurrection. They quote the Levirite law of marrying the widow of a brother who died without children. Jesus quotes scripture to refute them. He points out that God speaks of Isaac, Abraham, and Jacob in the present tense. They were not dead and gone, but they were with God. Jesus also points out that marriage does not exist in heaven. There will be fellowship and friendship and love to a far greater extent. We should keep our marriage to Jesus to a higher priority than our spouse.

The Unity of Love

Jesus answers the scribe's question with not one but two commands. Jesus says we should love God supremely, but it doesn't stay there. Anyone who loves God's supremely will love their neighbor. The first command, obeyed properly, will result in obeying the second. If we want to see how our heart is doing, then we need to look at how we are treating others. A strong sense of duty, willingness to sacrifice, consistency in serving/ministry ... these are all good things, but they are not the metric we should measure ourselves by. If we want to know how we are doing in loving God, we should examine how we are loving those close to us, those who work with us, even those who make is uncomfortable, those who are our enemies.

The Possibility of Love

The scribe responded that Jesus was right. Love was more important than burnt offerings. We need more than conformity to religious rules and practices. The kind of righteousness that God desired was so much more than this. The scribe understood that the religious leaders and their practice was corrupted. Jesus commends the scribe. The scribe was close to the kingdom. But close isn't good enough... He was not in the kingdom. So what was missing? The scribe was missing the one who was in front of his face. He needed the son of God standing before him to provide the righteousness that we cannot do. We all fail to love God supremely and as He rightly deserves. So we need a Savior to save us. We need Jesus.

Jesus confronts

And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, and they said to him, "By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?" Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me." And they discussed it with one another, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?' But shall we say, 'From man'?"—they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet. So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

And he began to speak to them in parables. "A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country.  When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard.  And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed.  Again he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully.  And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed.  He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'  But those tenants said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.'  And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard.  What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others.  Have you not read this Scripture:  "'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;  this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?" And they were seeking to arrest him but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they left him and went away. And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, to trap him in his talk. And they came and said to him, "Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone's opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?" But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, "Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it."  And they brought one. And he said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?" They said to him, "Caesar's." Jesus said to them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." And they marveled at him. - Mark 11:27-12:17 ESV 

Rev. Travis Drake

Confrontation in the temple

Jesus is just walking in the temple and he gets confronted by the chief priests, scribes, and the elders. These groups represented the spiritual authority of Israel. They were in charge of the temple and they wanted to challenge this Jesus. He had just cleared the temple courtyard and they were embarrassed and likely angry. They were not asking a question as much as trying to confront and make Jesus submit to their authority.

But Jesus answers their question with another question. He asks them about John's ministry. He is asking if they are helping confront heresy and properly lead the people. It was important to know if John was doing God's work or not. Jesus wasn't questioning their authority. He was trying to guide them towards life. He was asking if they as spiritual leaders knew the way towards life. They refuse to answer honestly.

Confrontation in a parable

Jesus won't take their non-committal answer. He presses in on them. He tells a parable of the owner of a vineyard. The servants who are beaten and killed. Even to the owner sending his son to speak with the tenants. And the tenants decide to kill the son so they will keep the vineyard for themselves. The nation of Israel is the vineyard. The prophets were the servants. And Jesus, the one speaking to them, is the son. We may be drawn to focus on the foolishness of the owner. But this is not foolishness. It is love. The incredible patience and long suffering love for the tenants. The most incredible part is the foolishness of the tenants. The owner will come back and the son is the last chance. 

Confrontation in a coin

Finding no way to effectively question his authority or actions. They find people to try to trap him. They ask about taxes to Rome. If Jesus says to pay taxes, he would alienate those who felt oppressed by the Roman rulers. If Jesus says to not pay taxes, the Romans would have come and arrest Jesus for insurrection. But Jesus tells them to give each their due... Give to God what he deserves and give to Caesar the coin that bears his image. We are to give God that which bears his image... Ourselves. The religious authorities were trying to trap Jesus, but they themselves were the trapped ones. They were trapped in their worship of a lesser king, a smaller kingdom. So how about us? Are we enraptured by a lesser leader? Biden? Trump? Or is Jesus the one in the throne of our hearts?

Are we caught up in passing temporary things? Will the things we are concerned about matter in 1000 years? Are we figuratively trying to dodge taxes? 

Some questions to ask ourselves or someone who is more honest than we can be about ourselves...

Do we know what leads to life?

Do we lead others there?

Are we always complaining or enthralled about temporary things? things that will not matter in 

Jesus and the Fig tree

On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. And he said to it, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." And his disciples heard it. And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. And he was teaching them and saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations'? But you have made it a den of robbers." And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching. And when evening came they went out of the city. As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. And Peter remembered and said to him, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered." And Jesus answered them, "Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses." - Mark 11:12‭-‬25 ESV 

Rev. Dwight Yoo

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

After Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem, they left and stayed at Bethany. This was a small place two miles outside of Jerusalem. Jesus was hungry and sees a fig tree full of leaves. But there is no fruit. The author notes that this was not the season of figs. Jesus curses the tree. This is the only miracle where it does not look like an act of restoration. This is the last miracle of Jesus before His death. This was a parable played out. A true faith produces real fruit. This tree has all the leaves but no fruit. Jesus curses the tree loud enough for the disciples to hear. That was the point. Israel was often referred to as a fig tree. Israel had an elaborate ceremonial temple with priests as decked out. But no fruit. The Romans would come and level the temple... much like a withered fig tree.

The Lesson Fleshed Out

Jesus goes into the temple during the time of passover. Many people would be traveling to the temple at this time. Not only that, but temple sacrifices are required. So there were animals for sale there. The offerings at the temple needed to happen in a certain currency. Jesus threw them out. Jesus was not condemning the sale of animals for sacrifice or money changing. This was a needed thing. But the temple complex was not the proper place for it. Imagine shoppers or pedestrians cutting through a church's Sunday service... It is not the place for it. The den of robbers referred to money changers who likely ripped off the travelers. 

"Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, 'We are delivered!'—only to go on doing all these abominations? Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it, declares the Lord. " - Jeremiah 7:9‭-‬11 ESV 

What does it mean to be a den of robbers? It is where robbers go to hide... so they can keep on doing what they are doing. So it is with Israel, all the trappings of religious life, but no fruit. So it is with the church, all this religious ritual, but what of the fruit? Do we say the right things, appear generous, and without actively breaking laws... But without leaving our idols behind. Do we find God boring? Or is He wonderous in our eyes?

The Fruit of Faith

What then is authentic faith? It is found in how we pray. We will pray and believe that God will be true to his promise. Our prayers will believe that God can work miracles, the impossible. But this is not a blank check. We cannot use prayer to wield God for our own desires. We aren't to ask for a private jet, tropical island, etc. Our prayer must be in line with God's will be done and kingdom come. 

A heart filled with authentic faith will know forgiveness. It will know how to let go of the wrongs and sins of others. Otherwise, it is the heart of a debt collector. 

Jesus enters Jerusalem

Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples and said to them, "Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.'" And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. And some of those standing there said to them, "What are you doing, untying the colt?" And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!" And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve. - Mark 11:1‭-‬11 ESV 

Pastor Dwight Yoo

Peace found in the plans of the God

Why so much detail about this event? Why was Jesus so precise about this? Jesus comes in this way to fulfill the prophecies. Jesus comes in the way described by the prophet Zechariah and the blessing given by Abraham to his son Judah. Young unridden animals were used in this time for spiritual occasions. Even the disciples were unaware of what Jesus was up to. The gospel of John shares of how the disciples learned about Jesus fulfilling prophecies after the fact. So we should take heart, God is at work, even while we are unaware.

Satisfaction found in submission

Many people heard of Jesus and knew him as a new teacher. But some recognized Jesus as the coming Messiah. So people spread their cloaks and palm branches on the ground. This was not a normal thing. But more than this, many misunderstood how Jesus was to save. Many had expectations of a political king who would overthrow the Roman empire. But this was not the plan of Jesus. We are not to force Jesus to conform to our expectations. That is idolatry. So it is today, here in the States. Many have a distorted Christianity where America is given a special providence as Israel had back in the Old Testament. But Jesus clearly spoke that His kingdom was not of this world. God's kingdom is not constrained to any national or ethnic borders. Jesus is not a mascot for our agenda. This is not limited to either political party. We are all susceptible to this. We all have the desire to make Jesus a justification for what we want. 

Comfort found in a king who rides a colt

Kings in Jesus' time entered on horses. They are regal with their bearing and powerful imagery. But a young donkey... God, the most powerful being, came to earth as a baby. He comes not in kingly robes as a triumphant king. But comes on a young donkey. He didn't come to bring violence, but to experience violence. He knows the troubles of this world intimately. That is the kind of king Jesus is. Jesus draws us with compassion, understanding, & grace. He is the king that we need.

Falling asleep

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.

1 Thessalonians 4:13‭-5:15 ESV

Rev. Dwight Yoo

The apostle Paul was writing this letter to answer questions about death and resurrection. The church in thessaloniki needed some clarification. So what does happen? First, that when Christians die, their souls go straight to God. When the robber who hung next to Jesus on the cross placed his trust in Him, Jesus promised that the robber would see God that very day. But those who die will receive new resurrection bodies when Jesus comes again. So when a fellow believer dies, we don't say goodbye, we say good night. They will awaken again.

The church was wondering when Jesus was coming back. So Paul addresses this. He says that the day of return will come like a thief, unexpectedly. Don't spend your time wondering about the timing, but rather live in light of the truth that Jesus will return. Our daily lives should reflect the truth of the second coming.

Here's some New Year's Resolutions, seemingly ready made for us...

1) Let us be sober and put on the armor of God. More faith, more love, more hope in salvation. Spend more time in God's word.

2) Cultivate love. Given how we spend so much time at home because of the pandemic, we have a great opportunity to live our family members of our household. And not just our household, but also to love our church family, the community of Christ.

3) Maybe you don't have the willpower, the bandwidth. So consider this, if Lord wills it, he will enable and empower us to it.

He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. - 1 Thessalonians 5:24 ESV