Through My Bible Yr 1 – May 20

The Greatest Commandment

²⁸One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

²⁹“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.^[a]30Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’^[b]31The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[c]There is no commandment greater than these.”

³²“Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. ³³To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

³⁴When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.

Whose Son Is the Christ

³⁵While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he asked, “How is it that the teachers of the law say that the Christ^[d] is the son of David? ³⁶David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared:
” ‘The Lord said to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies
under your feet.” ‘^[e]37David himself calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can he be his son?”
The large crowd listened to him with delight.

³⁸As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted in the marketplaces, ³⁹and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. ⁴⁰They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely.”

The Widow’s Offering

⁴¹Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. ⁴²But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins,^[f]worth only a fraction of a penny.^[g]

⁴³Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. ⁴⁴They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

Footnotes:

1. Mark 12:29 Or the Lord our God is one Lord
2. Mark 12:30 Deut. 6:4,5
3. Mark 12:31 Lev. 19:18
4. Mark 12:35 Or Messiah
5. Mark 12:36 Psalm 110:1
6. Mark 12:42 Greek two lepta
7. Mark 12:42 Greek kodrantes