Mark 12:38
   I have often thought that this is one of the most interesting ways to word something in all of the Bible. His doctrine, embodies all that Christianity really is. Jesus’s doctrine was not inconsistent with the Old Testament, but it was not with the Jewish leaders were teaching. Indeed, sadly enough, it is very often not what we are teaching today. Jesus’s doctrine has a great emphasis on how we treat others, and how we respond to God’s revelation. We tend to emphasise one or the other. We need a better balance.

Heavenly Father, may we always strive to be like Christ! He is the True and Just One. He can lead us to all that we must be for you. You have blessed us,and let us know your truth. Thank you so much! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 12:37
   I have found that interrogatives in the Greek are somewhat difficult to translate. We generally would not ask ‘whence’ in connection with a question of this nature. Even in older English the ‘whence’ cannot convey all that seems to be meant here. What Jesus is asking is how it is possible for the Messiah to be the son and Lord of David at the same time. He is in no way denying the humanity of Christ, but is instead highlighting the human/divine nature of the Christ.

Heavenly Father, you understand so many things. Nothing is inscrutable to you. Everything makes perfect sense to you. Thank you for imparting your wisdom to us. We need understanding as we cope with our limited existence under the burden of sin. We look forward to that day when we will escape not only spiritually, but physically, from sin. To have it gone will be such a relief! You are so good to us. We praise you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 12:36
   Jesus here points out the distinction between God the Father and God the Son. He is highlighting how David referred to the second person of the Trinity. He did not call him son, but Lord. Jesus was not trying to deny the fact of his Davidic lineage. He was instead helping his hearers understand that the Christ had to be much more than just the son of David.

Heavenly Father, thank you for Christ! We can never praise you enough for him. His role in our lives is of the utmost importance. Please, let us praise him all of our lives. We give him control of our hearts and minds. Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 12:35
   It seems it was more rare to find Jesus asking a question without being asked something first. But, when he did, the questions always baffled the experts of the law. In this case, he is trying to get them to think about their claims. He gives them a difficult question that drives them towards a literal interpretation of the Scriptures. He is looking for more that might be like the scribe that he was just talking to. He was planting seeds in their minds.

Heavenly Father, it is amazing to see how many people will try to twist your Word. But, really, it is best for us to be faithful in our understanding of your book. Thank you for your merciful kindness! You are truly great and mighty. I sit in awe as I think of the works of your hands, yet you are even greater than the whole sum of your creations. I praise you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 12:34
  This scribe did not attempt to hide his answer, that is not the meaning of the word ‘discreet’. It means that this man was very careful and thoughtful about his answer. Yes, he reiterated what Jesus had said, but he put it in his own words. Thus, he applied himself and actually put some effort into his answer. This solicited a response from Jesus because it was rare.

Heavenly Father, thank you for listening to us. We don’t normally think about it, but you are the best listener there is. You love us so much! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 12:33
The key here is that this man realized the truth that to obey is better than sacrifice. He saw that the spirit of the law was found in these two primary commands. He realized that all of the rest was just the system connected with these two vital truths.
  In our day we have many who would try to cling tenaciously to the Golden Rule as we call it. But, yet, they will not submit to the idea of loving and serving the Lord. You cannot have one without the other.

Heavenly Father, you have done so much for us. You have given us the truth. May we not only just take the truth and try to make it meet our ends. We must accept it all. Thank you for it! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 12:32
The scribe was a wise man and didn’t try to argue against the truth. God alone is to be worshipped as supreme, for there is no other God. Why would this man do this? I think he was intrigued by Christ. Talking to him was different from talking to the other Jews.

Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us your good wisdom for our lives. You are so kind to us! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 12:31
Though we call this the Golden Rule, the Bible’s name for it is the Royal Law. Take a look at James 2:8. This is where we find James talking about how we should treat others. This law is the very heart of what it means to act like a Christian. To live out of keeping with it is to miss the very core of Jesus’s message. As he says here, these two laws are the foundation for all else.

Heavenly Father, you have given us a very clear call. We can see from these two laws the manner of persons we are supposed to be. Thank you for giving us such a summary that really gives us the whole thing in a nutshell. Though the rest is absolutely necessary and helpful to our lives, it helps us focus to have this straightforward statement. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 12:30
How can we delineate between loving the Lord with ‘all’ of each of these things? Is loving the Lord with all of our heart different from loving him with all of our soul? To answer this we really have to start with the meaning of love. These words make it obvious that this is not simply an emotional love. The love here is agape love. It is an unconditional choice. It is not a fair-weather love, it is ‘all-in’ devotion. It does not naturally come from fallen humanity. It requires help from God to even practice this kind of love.
Thus, when we consider the meaning of love, the other words begin to make much more sense. Loving the Lord with the heart and soul will lead to an emotional response, but that is only part of what it will do. Loving the Lord with our mind and strength will cause an active, reasoned, response, but that is not all that it will do. Love from these sources involves the entire individual. Nothing gets left out, and the relationship with God becomes foremost and all-encompassing.

Heavenly Father, may we love you as we should! Our love is so often only limited. We find part of our being to give to you. Usually it is the part most visible to others. But, that is not what you want. You want our entire devotion. You are worthy of it, and you have every right to demand it. I know that we will find loving you is the best choice we could ever make. Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 12:29
This is the Shema from Deuteronomy 6:4. The Jews knew it well, and it is a foundation of the Jewish way of life and thinking. Jesus, being Jewish himself, did not leave this off of the commandment for several reasons.
  For one, the Jews would have found it quite offensive I am sure. It seemed more complete and respectful to say the whole thing. Also, Jesus is not in the habit of shortening the Scripture to save time like we are today. We tend to shorten the Lord’s words and embellish our own.
The Shema establishes the oneness of Almighty God. Of course many say this is inconsistent with the doctrine of the Trinity. However, to deny the reality of the Trinity, you have to do some mighty heavy cutting out of things, both in the Old and New Testament. In the New, you have to change much of the story and teachings of Christ. In the Old, you have to disregard plurals used to refer to God and interpret away any hints at the compound oneness of the Godhead. The Spirit of God, the Lord, and the LORD, all have to be exactly the same. Or you have to come up with some sort of artificial delineation.

Heavenly Father, the truth is what makes you so wonderful! We see over and over how that you have made everything well. You are One indeed. There is no disagreement in you. You are perfectly balanced at all times. There is no separation or disunity in you. And through Christ, we have fellowship with you in your glory. Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.