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Mark 12 Bible study: Not far from God’s Kingdom
When Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, quoted Moses to him, Jesus answered from Moses too: "I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob", and "He is not the God of the dead, but of the living" (12:26-27). And asked for the greatest commandment, he gave two: love God with everything, and your neighbor as yourself (12:29-31).
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“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.”
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“In Mark 12:25, Jesus says that when they rise from the dead they are like angels in heaven.”
Is that in Mark 12, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
Questions in the temple
Chapter 11 ended in the temple with the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders asking Jesus, "By what authority do you do these things?" (11:28), and with his answer, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things" (11:33). Then "He began to speak to them in parables" (12:1). After the parable come three questions, from three sets of people. "They sent some of the Pharisees and the Herodians to him, that they might trap him with words" (12:13), and they asked, "Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?" (12:14) (tap taxes). "Some Sadducees, who say that there is no resurrection, came to him" (12:18) with a question about seven brothers and one wife (12:19-23). And "One of the scribes came and heard them questioning together, and knowing that he had answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the greatest of all?”" (12:28). Here is what almost everyone misses: Mark says the first were sent "that they might trap him" (12:13), but he says no such thing of the scribe, who asked "knowing that he had answered them well" (12:28). Then "No one dared ask him any question after that" (12:34), and Jesus asks a question of his own (12:35).
Where the Old Testament leads here
Not the God of the dead
Exodus 3:6leads toMark 12:26-27
"I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob" (3:6). Jesus answers the question of whether the dead are raised from this verse: "haven’t you read in the book of Moses about the Bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living" (Mark 12:26-27). In Luke he adds, "for all are alive to him" (Luke 20:38).
Honest questions
Questions people ask about Mark 12
That was a taste
The rest of Mark 12 is waiting in Favor
- A parable they understood
- Asked for one commandment, he gave two
- Now Jesus asks
- The Scriptures in this chapter, side by side
- Both sides from Moses
- Psalm 110 in Favor
- 17 questions as you read
- 12 more Greek words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
Favor reads the Bible in order, so you'll reach Mark 12 with everything before it in view. First week free, then $10 a month per person.
The Greek word behind it
ἀγαπάωagapaosay ag-ap-AH-o
Strong's: "to love (in a social or moral sense)". Thayer: "to love, to be full of good-will and exhibit the same". "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart" (12:30), and "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (12:31): both commandments open with this verb, and the scribe uses it twice when he says them back (12:33). Mark has it five times, in four verses (counted in RP2018, the Byzantine text the WEB translates). Before this chapter it comes once, of Jesus himself and the man who asked about eternal life: "Jesus looking at him loved him" (10:21).
For your group
Mark 12 Bible study questions
- 1Mark says some of the questions in this chapter were asked "that they might trap him" (12:13), and one came from a scribe who saw "that he had answered them well" (12:28). What is the difference between asking a question to learn and asking one to win?
- 2Jesus said to love God "with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength" (12:30). Which of the four do you find easiest to hold back from God, and why?
- 3Jesus sat and watched how people gave, and called his disciples over to see what one poor widow had done (12:41-43). Who is someone easy to overlook who has taught you something about God?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Mark 12 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
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Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
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Can I read Mark 12 straight away?
Mark is open from your first day, and its chapters open one after another, so you'll reach Mark 12 with everything before it in view. You can read the text of any chapter in Favor's Look up whenever you like.
Do I need a group?
No. Many people read on their own. If you'd like to read with others, start a Bible study and share one link. Everyone's answers stay private until you meet.
I've never really read the Bible. Is this for me?
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The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.
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No. Favor is non-denominational. Where Christians read a passage differently, it shows the main views side by side and doesn't pick one.
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Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home