Category: Sermons

The first sermon was preached at the second night of the Carroll County Ministerial Association’s Holy Week Services held at the Hillsville VFW. The second service was held at the Maundy Thursday Service at Mayberry Church.

Jeff Garrison
Carroll County Ministerial Association’s Holy Week Service
April 14, 2025
Mark 14:53-72

For the past fifteen months, I have been preaching through the Gospel of Mark. I’m about done with the book. I’m in the middle of Jesus’ passion right now, so my sermon today will focus on Jesus before the Sanhedrin.

For preachers here, preaching through a book is a great way to both allow yourself to go deeper into the Word while also taking your congregation along with you. When you work through an entire book, you see connections often missed by skipping around. 

Our passage involves the events right after Jesus’ arrest, when he is taken from the Garden to the Sanhedrin. The leaders of the Jews have hatched a plan to do away with Jesus. What might we learn from this slice of the events that happened to Jesus during his passage?

In the garden, Mark tells us Jesus was abandoned by all his followers. He’s alone to face what is ahead, as we see in this passage. 

One of the literary techniques Mark uses throughout his gospel can be referred to as a sandwich. Mark will take two different ideas or stories and place them together. The two slices of bread deal with the same subject. In the text I’ll read, this involves Peter who follows Jesus from a distance and then betrays him. In our passage, the meat of the sandwich, between the two slices, is the story of Jesus before the Sanhedrin.

Let us pray: Open our ears to hear you speaking, O God. Open our minds to understand, our hearts to know your truth, our eyes to see the needs of others, and our hands and mouths to work for and speak out on their behalf. Amen. 

Read Mark 14:53-72

I wonder if there is a magnet inside of me which draws me into jury pools. I have lost count on how many times I have been called to serve, but it’s at least a dozen. I’ve even been called up twice to the big leagues-federal court. But for some reason, partly my profession and the people I know (like defense attorneys), I’ve only served on a jury once. 

I was a senior in college when I received my first summons for jury duty. I didn’t think it was fair and tried to get out of it. They gave me an option. I could either serve my jury time during Spring Break, or I could serve the dates scheduled. I chose the latter because I wasn’t willing to give up my last spring break.; I do have my priorities.

On that Monday morning, I was in the New Hanover County Courthouse. They had several courtrooms, and we assigned to different rooms where lawyers asked us questions to decide if we’d be a fair candidate for the jury. In my first room, they pointed out the defendant charged with selling weed and asked if any of us knew him. I raised my hand and acknowledged we had some classes together in high school. I didn’t let on that I barely knew the guy. 

Being dismissed, I thought my lucky day had arrived. I wanted to be done and to go back to school and get on with my life. But instead, the judge sent me to another courtroom. In this new courtroom, they were trying to seat a jury for a murder trial. This time, I didn’t know any of the people involved. The next thing I knew I was sitting in the jury box—where I remained the rest of the week. 

And while I missed some classes, I learned a lot in those five days. There were lots of time we sat in the deliberation room while attorneys, I assume, argued things out before the judge. But it was an orderly trial. The prosecutor laid out their case, the defense challenged much of it, and the judge charged us with bringing back a verdict on just the facts we’d heard. The trial took three days, and we spent a day in deliberation. In the end, we found the man innocent. The state had not proved its case. 

There are some great things about American jurisprudence which we should never take for granted. First, we are innocent until proved guilty. The second is due process. The government is not supposed to deprive us of property or liberty without proving their case in a court of law. And finally, we’re not to be like Jesus, alone before the court of law. We can hire an attorney for counsel and if we can’t afford one, the state must provide us with proper counsel. We should be thankful for these ideals and fight for them. 

But it’s not always been this way. It certainly wasn’t this way when Jesus was tried. Mark gospel informs us early in the 3^rd chapter, after Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath, that there were those out to have him killed. At first, it’s the Pharisees and the Herodians, those Jews who supported Roman control. This created an unholy alliance to do in Jesus. The Pharisees were strict on the law and didn’t want anything to do with gentiles, while the Herodians were, so to speak, in bed with the occupiers. These two dissimilar groups found agreement on the notion that Jesus had to go.

Following his entry into the city, which we celebrated yesterday with Palm Sunday, Jesus cleansed the temple. He chased out the money exchangers and those selling sacrificial animals, Mark tells us the Sanhedrin—the top Jewish leadership which consisted of the chief priests, scribes, and elders—decided then they needed to do something. But they weren’t sure what to do until or even how to identify Jesus. After all, for the Passover, pilgrims poured in.  Jerusalem swelling the numbers of people upwards of a quarter million. In a day before photos, how do you pick Jesus out of the crowd?

But then, they couldn’t believe their luck.  Judas came knocking on their door, offering to betray Jesus. We know the story. After enjoying the Passover feast with the disciples, Jesus heads to Gethsemane to pray. There, Judas leads arm guards from the Sanhedrin to arrest Jesus.   

It’s often pointed out by Biblical scholars the inconsistencies with Jesus’ trial when compared to Biblical and rabbinical law. Before someone could be deprived of their life, the Bible requires two witnesses. And perjury, or lying in court, was so serious that one guilty of it would be subject to the same punishment fitting a guilty verdict for the one on trial. Furthermore, the trials were to be held during the day, not during the night. And had to be over two days, not on just one day. This was to discourage the ramrodding of a guilty verdict. Requiring a second day in court hopefully allowed time for better judgment to prevail.  

Jesus trial before the Sanhedrin was a travesty of justice. The leaders had already made up their mind. Those called as witnesses didn’t agree with each other, which should have been grounds for the judge to throw the case out of court. But not in this kangaroo court. Some recall Jesus saying he’d destroy the temple, which at this point had been under construction for decades. It wouldn’t be completed for another three decades. And that, once destroyed, he’d built another temple, not made with hands, in three days. But even here, their testimony didn’t agree. 

Jesus stands silent through it all. Finally, the high priest stands and ask Jesus if he wanted to say something in response to all this conflicting testimony. Jesus doesn’t need a lawyer, for he knows to remain quiet. This is good advice, don’t give your opponent something to use against you. 

So, the high priest then asks Jesus directly, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” Notice, he doesn’t use God’s name (Yahweh or Jehovah). Nor does he use the word, “God.” The Jews took blasphemy seriously and avoided using any word that might trip them up and lead into such a direction. 

Jesus now answers, admitting that he is the Messiah, and that they will see him sitting at the right hand of Power (notice, Jesus also avoids using the term God). He continues speaking on how they’ll see him coming in the clouds. Jesus avoids any reference to that which could be considered blasphemy according to Old Testament laws. 

However, he does indicate he will be the one sitting in judgment of the Sanhedrin, which I’m sure made them a bit hot under the collar. After all, the Chief Priest identified Jesus as the Messiah, yet he refuses to recognize him. 

Even though Jesus’ response doesn’t meet the criteria of blasphemy outlined in the Old Testament, the High Priest has made up his mind. He pronounces Jesus as guilty and deserving death. At this point, the beating and the mocking begins. Blindfolded, they ask Jesus to prophesy. 

Ironically, the Sanhedrin can’t carry out the death sentence. They must get the approval of the secular authorities. Jesus will be taken to Pilate, the Roman governor.

Next, Mark places the top slice of the bread on the sandwich, by telling us what happens to Peter. We last saw him slipping into the courtyard of the Chief Priest. While Peter keeps his distance, he does take a risk by following Jesus. But when confronted by strangers for having been with Jesus, Peter realizes the danger and three times denies having ever known him.  The crowing of the cock awakens Peter. Ironically, while they taunted Jesus to prophesy, Peter along with Mark’s readers learn that he did prophesy at the Passover table. And his prophecy has come true. Peter has betrayed his Lord. 

It should bother us Jesus had to stand trial all alone. In Matthew 25, in the parable of judgment among the nations, Jesus condemns those who had not visited him while in prison. You know the story. Those condemned defend themselves saying they never knew Jesus had been in prison. Jesus responds, “if you didn’t do it for the least of these, you didn’t do it for me.”^[1]

While we can’t change what happened to Jesus, we can make sure that no one else must go through such a trial by themselves. As followers of Jesus, we should speak out against injustice, especially injustices brought upon those unable to help themselves. Otherwise, as Matthew 25 warns, we are like Peter, denying Christ. Amen. 

Commentaries Used: 

Edwards, James R., The Gospel According to Mark, Eerdmans Publishing, 2002.

Hare, Douglas R. A., Mark: Westminster Bible Companion, Westminster/John Knox Press, 1996. 

Hooker, Morna D., The Gospel According to Saint Mark, 1991, Hendrickson Publishing, 1997. 

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^[1] Matthew 25:31-46 (especially 45). 

Jeff Garrison
Mayberry Church Maundy Thursday Service
April 17, 2024
Mark 15:1-15

With this sermon, I will have essentially completed my journey through Mark’s gospel.^[1] Last year, Palm Sunday and Easter 2024, I preached on Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection in Mark’s gospel. On Easter, this year, I will again look at Mark’s teaching on the resurrection as I attempt to summarize what we’ve learned from this book. 

For our homily this evening, I’m reflecting on the passage you’ve heard from when Jesus was “handed over” to be crucified. Like much of Mark, he’s brief with details at this point. Mark wants his readers to get to the crucifixion and the resurrection. The cross and the empty tomb are essential to our faith.

It is thought Mark wrote his gospel in Rome in the mid-60s, during the reign of Nero. If this is the case, it would have presented some challenges to the author. First, Rome had long ceased being a republic. It was a dictatorship. As such, one had to be careful about criticizing Rome or saying anything that would have put the empire in bad light.  

Second, as I have pointed out many times on our journey through this gospel, Mark was writing for a gentile audience. Many think these reasons led Mark to put the blame of Jesus death more on the Jews than the Romans. 

But crucifixion wasn’t a Jewish punishment, nor could they have carried out such a punishment even if they wanted. It was the Romans who employed this punishment to ensure slaves and those who lived in occupied territories toed the line. The terror of dying on the cross was enough to make anyone wanting to revolt against Rome have second thoughts. It was a grotesque way to die, and the Romans generally allowed the corpses to remain on the cross while the birds picked them off, something which horrified the Jews. Being sensitive to their culture, Rome allowed the bodies to be taken down before sunset.

In a way, both the Sanhedrin and the Roman authorities are responsible for Jesus’ death. The Sanhedrin, who in Mark are referred to as the chief priests, scribes, and elders, saw Jesus as a threat to their position of power. The Romans wanted to tap down the possibility of a revolt and, because they were conquerors, didn’t care much about the people of Palestine. If the crucifixion of Jesus allowed them to get through another Passover without a revolt, so much the better. 

Mark tells us that as soon as it was morning, Jesus was taken to the Pilate. Romans’ rulers generally handled business early in the day. That way, they could have the afternoon free to pursue leisure activities, such as going to the coliseum. It would be like today, politicians doing their work earlier so that when the dew on the greens dried, they could play golf. 

Pilate was the face of Rome from 26 through 37 AD.  While we don’t know a lot about him outside of his time in Judea, there are several sources beyond the gospels which speak of him while he was there.  Not only did he serve as a governor (his actual title was a prefect), but he also served as a judge. Normally, Pilate lived on the coast, in Caesarea Maritima. However, with the Passover pilgrimages flooding in, he moved to Jerusalem to keep his eyes on things. I’m sure handling this complaint from the religious leaders was the last thing he wanted to do.

Before the Sanhedrin, Jesus was charged with blasphemy. The Romans could care less about blasphemy, after all they were mostly pagan, not Jewish. In front of Pilate, they charge him with claiming to be the “King of the Jews.” In the political court, I’m sure Pilate looked at Jesus, who’d already been abused, and shook his head at the thought he was a king. Of course, Jesus is a king, just not the kind Pilate would have recognized. 

As he had done earlier before the Sanhedrin (which I preached on Monday night), Jesus mostly remains silent. When asked if he was the King of the Jews, he only says, “You say so.” With the rest of the charges, he remains quiet, which amazes Pilate. 

Pilate normally released a prisoner for the Passover. Pilate offers the crowd a choice, he can release Barabbas, a rebel and insurrectionist who had committed murder, or Jesus, the King of the Jews. Mark provides an editorial comment here, stating that Pilate had figured out that the Jewish leaders were jealous of Jesus, which is why they were trying to have him killed.  But the crowd, at the priests’ encouragement, cry out for Jesus to be crucified.  Even when Pilate asks if what evil Jesus had done, the crowd only cried louder, Crucify.

Mark shows Pilate giving into the crowd. He releases Barabbas and hands Jesus over to be whipped before being crucified. Mark shows Pilate to be a weak man of political expedience. He gives into the crowd only to keep them from rioting. He has no care for justice. Most likely, he looked down on his subjects in Judea, thinking them all inferior. The same goes for his thoughts about Jesus. While he understood that justice was not being carried out, he probably felt it wasn’t worth the risk. Most likely, he saw the Jews contemptible, but not worth arguing over what’s just.  

Thanks to the Jewish historian Josephus and the Roman historian Philo, we know more about Pilate’s time in Judea. While not as brutal as Nero or Caligula, Pilate could be insensitive and hard-nosed politician. 

Pilate once raised the Roman military standard with its emperor’s bust on the pole inside the holy city of Jerusalem. This incited the Jews who interpreted the act as idolatry. Roman normally tried to be sensitive to local customs like this. The Jews marched to the coast and for five days carried out a non-violent protest in front of his home. Pilate ordered the Roman soldiers to herd the crowd to the stadium and slay them. But when the Jews exposed their necks to the swords, he relented and removed the staff.  

On another occasion, he took money from the temple and built an aqueduct. The Jews protested. This time, the protest ended with a lot of dead Jews.  He again showed brutality when he quelled a Samaritan revolt, which even shocked the Romans and led to his removal from Judea.

When it comes to Jesus, Pilate made a political decision. Who’s going to care what happens to this Galilean.  But he was wrong, and unknowingly, he fulfilled his role in the divine plan. Without mercy, Jesus is led away to suffer death for the life of the world.  

As Christians, we must not be like Pilate. Because we believe God created everyone in the image of God, we should speak out for justice even when it goes against the popular sentiment. For when justice is denied to one, what’s keeps it from being applied to others?  Our God cares for all people, which is why Jesus was willing to pay the price for our sin. In thanksgiving for what God has done for us in Jesus Christ, we should be willing to stand up for justice and mercy. Amen.  

Commentaries Consulted: 

Edwards, James R., The Gospel According to Mark, Eerdmans Publishing, 2002.

Hare, Douglas R. A., Mark: Westminster Bible Companion, Westminster/John Knox Press, 1996. 

Hooker, Morna D., The Gospel According to Saint Mark, 1991, Hendrickson Publishing, 1997. 

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^[1] I say essentially, but I did miss Mark’s treatment of the Passover (Mark 14:12-31) due to illness and hope to come back to that passage at a later day. 

Jeff Garrison
Mayberry and Bluemont Churches
April 13, 2025
Mark 14:32-52

At the beginning of worship:  
It’s good to be back, but I can’t say I enjoyed being gone. My thanks to Carol Strickland for preaching for me two weeks ago as I recovered from a nasty stomach bug. I have never been so sick as an adult. I know some of you have also had the bug. My condolences. For the rest of you, avoid it if you can. It’s a terrible way to lose a few pounds. 

Last week, I was scheduled to be away and had lined up Carl Utley to preach. I attended the HopeWords Writers Conference in Bluefield, West Virginia. The speakers were outstanding, but it corresponded to a high pollen count and my head pounded the entire weekend. Hopefully, the worse of the pollen is over… 

Today is Palm Sunday is also known as Passion Sunday. Last year, my passage for the sermon was Jesus’ crucifixion as told by Mark-obviously a sermon on the passion.^[1] Since I covered Mark’s recount of Palm Sunday back in November,^[2] this Passion Sunday, I want us to focus on Jesus’ time in the Garden of Gethsemane. The Passion of Jesus involves more than the cross. It includes all the events of the last days of his life, from the Passover, through the crucifixion, death, and burial.^[3]

I’ve been reading Fleming Rutledge’s The Crucifixion: Understanding the Death of Jesus Christ over the past week. This is her magus opus, the great work of her career, as she attempts to show how everything about our faith rises and falls at the cross. She’s not the first one to suggest this. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “For Jews demand signs and the Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified…”^[4]

Sadly, as Rutledge points out, much of American Christianity skips over the crucifixion. We want to go from the parade in Jerusalem straight to the resurrection and skim over Jesus’ agony of the Garden and his suffering on the cross. But when we do that, we miss out what God has and is doing for us. This week, take time to comprehend what God has done for us. As Paul writes, “While we were sinners, Christ died for us.”^[5] What does that mean?

Before reading the Scripture:
Today, we’re looking at Jesus’ passion which starts in the Garden of Gethsemane. Gethsemane means olive press. The garden, located in the Kidron Valley, just below the Mount of Olives, would have been the perfect place for such a press. 

Also important for us to understand is that during the Passover, the Jewish pilgrims remained in Jerusalem not only for the evening meal but throughout the night. Because so many people crowded into Jerusalem during this time, a city of 50,000 ballooning to a quarter million by some estimations, they expanded the city’s boundaries beyond the walled areas. They considered Gethsemane and the Mount of Olives a part of the city. However, Bethany, where the disciples had been staying, was outside the boundaries. This is another reason they would not have gone back to where they had lodged during this night. 

The Passover was a celebration meal that lasted for several hours. It would have broken up around midnight after lots to eat and four glasses of wine. The lateness of the hour and the food and drink helps explain what happens in the garden. After the meal, Jesus leads the disciples to Gethsemane. The moon would have been full, as it was the Passover. 

Furthermore, we can imagine groups of the faithful sitting around fires around the city, after having celebrated earlier in the evening. This provides the setting for the events that take place as we’ll hear. 

Read Mark 14:32-52

Our passage displays the faithfulness of Jesus and the lack of faith of the disciples. But Jesus’ decision to remain faithful out of obedience to the divine plan causes him great internal agony. What happened in the garden this night of his arrest, reminds us that Jesus is not just divine, but is also a human being who fears what’s ahead. In prayer, he submits to his divine will even though the temptation to run away is great. 

According to our passage, most of the disciples (perhaps all except for Judas) go with Jesus to the garden. But outside the garden, he tells all but his inner core (Peter, James, and John), to sit and wait. He then proceeds into the garden, asks the three to wait close by and to pray. He steps away to pray by himself. 

Jesus’ prayer is full of agony. Normally, Jewish men would pray standing up, but here Jesus throws himself on the ground. The reality of Jesus’ grief is apparent. As one commentator noted, there is nothing in scripture that compares to the grief shown in Gethsemane—not in the Psalms of Lament or with Abraham when he thought he was going to have to sacrifice Issac, or in David’s grief over the death of Absalom.^[6] Luke tells us that Jesus sweated blood.^[7]  

Since Jesus first foretold his death in Mark 8, he has been focused on Jerusalem. The disciples question what’s going to happen, but Jesus moves forward. But now, with things about to spin out of control, Jesus pauses to pray. He realizes what is required of him to save humanity from sin. 

The cup of which Jesus speaks of links the Lord’s Supper with the crucifixion. This isn’t a simple death. It’s not just a painful death. Jesus, on the cross, accepts the consequences of sin, which alienates us from God. He accepts such alienation on himself, by surrendering to the sinful and taking on the sins of the world. 

Jesus ends his prayer not demanding his own will but by surrendering to the Father’s. Here, we’re reminded of that important line in the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy will be done.” 

While today, we don’t spend much time on Gethsemane, except for maybe on Maundy Thursday. But this event impressed the early church. The Jesus depicted at Gethsemane carries a level of authenticity, for who would describe their hero questioning what is about to happen.^[8] Jesus in Gethsemane isn’t Socrates, who Plato describes willing drinking the poison hemlock without complaint. But again, his death involves so much more. And while Mark has throughout his gospel pointed out the divine nature of Jesus, here we see his bare humanity. He experiences the same fear and uncertainty we all face. 

When Jesus goes back to check on the disciples, he finds the three asleep. He speaks to Peter, but instead of using the name Peter, which means “rock,” he uses his older name, “Simon.” Perhaps this was because Peter is not rock solid at this point.

 However, we shouldn’t forget that it’s been a long day and after a big meal with plenty of drink. So it’s understandable that Peter and the disciples can’t stay awake. This happens twice more, before Jesus says, “Enough,” and arouses the three sleeping disciples. They go to meet the betrayer. 

Again, as Mark does whenever Judas is mentioned, we’re reminded that he’s one of the 12.^[9] Mark doesn’t let us forget this. The betrayal is an inside job.

Judas comes with a mob from the Sanhedrin. He kisses Jesus to identify him, which is an odd sign. We know in the ancient world, disciples would often kiss their master on the cheek, but this is the only occasion in which we’re told Jesus received such a kiss. But this kiss of betrayal sets off the events that will lead to Jesus’ crucifixion.  But even here, we see that Jesus is in control as he surrenders to the powers sent to arrest him. 

Then “All” the disciples desert him.  At the table, after Peter declared his unfailing allegiance to Jesus, we’re told that All the disciples agreed to stand fast.^[10] Now we see that’s not the case. 

This section ends with a funny story about a young man who may have been asleep and heard the commotion and came out with only the linen cloth worn in bed. When the authorities try to grab him, he runs always naked, leaving them holding the cloth. It’s interested and we don’t know who this person was, although some think it may have been Mark’s way of acknowledging his presence at the betrayal.^[11]

While it wasn’t really a dark night, for the full moon would have shown brightly across the valley, it was a night filled with dark events. Jesus remains faithful to his divine plan, but all the disciples abandon him. Yet, there’s good news here. For our hope is not based on our faithfulness. If that’s the case, we’ll liable to be just like the disciples. Instead, our hope (and the disciples hope) is based only on God coming to us in the life of Jesus. In him, God willing gives his life for ours. Amen. 

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^[1] See https://fromarockyhillside.com/2024/03/24/jesus-crucifixion-as-told-by-mark/

^[2] See https://fromarockyhillside.com/2024/11/17/7549/

^[3] Fleming Ruthledge, The Crucifixion: Understanding the Death of Jesus Christ, (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2015), 65. 

^[4] 1 Corinthians 1:22-24. 

^[5] Romans 5:8. 

^[6] James R. Edwards, The Gospel According to Mark (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2002), 432.

^[7] Luke 22:44. 

^[8] See Edwards, 432 and Morna D. Hooker, The Gospel According to Saint Mark (1991, Hendricks Publishing, 1997), 349. 

^[9] See Mark 14:10. In Mark 3:19, instead of being referred to as “one of the twelve,” Judas is identified as the betrayer (the one who handed him over). 

^[10] Mark 14:31. 

^[11] Edwards, 440-441.Douglas R. A. Hare, Mark: Westminster Bible Companion, (Louisville, KY: WJKP, 1996), 197-198.

Jeff Garrison
Mayberry and Bluemont Churches
Mark 14:1-11
March 23, 2024

At the beginning of the service: 
I recently read Holy Unhappiness: God, Goodness, and the Myth of the Blessed Life by Amanda Held Opelt. She will be one of the presenters at HopeWords Writers’ Conference in a few weeks. In the chapter where she explored the meaning of the church (or the assembly as she points out the correct meaning of the word in Greek), she tells of how her experiences as a child was different from that as an adult. Her experience probably mirrors most of ours. As a child, most experienced “the assembly” as loving, caring, and grace filled. As an adult, we see the other side, especially the tendency to divide people into a “us versus them” mentality. Then she confesses, “No one ever told me the enemy might be on the inside.”^[1]

Part of the problem with our idealized view of the church and the Christian life is our selective use of scripture. If we were really steeped into the Bible, we’d see how even the heroes of scripture, except for Jesus, have feet of clay. It’s not about being perfect, but about how God uses imperfect people to carry out his mission. Today, we’ll see that even Jesus had to deal with enemies on the inside. Perhaps we can learn something. 

Before reading the scripture:
Today, we begin looking at Jesus’ last two days before his crucifixion. From last week, we’re jumping over the 13^th chapter of Mark, which we covered during Advent. The 13^th chapter was where Jesus instructed his disciples concerning his return. At the beginning of the 14^th chapter, we learn the plan to do away with Jesus has come to a head. Ever since the 3^rd Chapter, some leaders among the Jews thought Jesus needed to go.^[2] Now they ready. 

Let me give you a heads up on next week’s text. We’ll look at Jesus’ last supper with the disciples. We’ve moved the date for communion, from the first Sunday of the month, to the last, this one time. That’s so we can celebrate communion as we recall Jesus’ last meal.

Our reading today consists of Mark’s classic “sandwich” construction.^[3] We’ve seen this structure numerous times as we worked our way through Mark.^[4] The first two and the last two verses here deal with the conspiracy against Jesus. In the middle, an anointing of Jesus takes place which creates discord within the disciples while reminding them of what’s ahead. 

Read Mark 14:1-11
We should note as we come toward the end of Mark’s gospel, women take a more prominent role.^[5] Men, or at least the disciples, are seen as cowards. Of course, Judas is the exception. But he betrays Jesus. And the religious leaders are devious and filled with evil intent. But women, starting with the woman with the alabaster jar of perfume, are seen as faithful and devoted. They remain with Jesus even during his execution and are there to care of his body afterwards.

As I’ve discussed since the 11^th Chapter when Jesus entered Jerusalem for the first time, he and the disciples have been staying in Bethany, a small town about two miles away.^[6] In John’s gospel, we have a similar story as this, also set in Bethany, but at the home of Lazarus. There, Lazarus’ sister Martha serves while Mary, another sister, anoints Jesus with an expensive nard.^[7]

Here, in Mark along with Matthew’s gospel,^[8] we’re told they’re at the house of Simon the leper. This could be explained if Simon was Lazarus’ father, but we don’t know. By being called “the leper” most likely means he once had the disease. If the disease was active, he would not be able to host the Jesus and the disciples in his home. From staying outside of Jerusalem in Bethany to eating with a leper, Jesus shows how he is outside the mainstream.^[9]

Mark doesn’t name the woman who anoints Jesus. The nard she pours over Jesus’ head was very expensive. At 300 denarii, it would be equivalent to a year’s wage for a laborer. Nor do we know her motives for anointing Jesus. The case has often been suggested she prepared Jesus for his role as King, but if that’s the case, oil and not nard would have been used. 

Our text suggests she wanted to prepare Jesus body for the grave. Perhaps this was because the bodies of executed criminals were not often afforded such honor.^[10] However, it’s doubtful she knew what was about to happen to Jesus. After all, the disciples themselves seem clueless, despite having been repeatedly told by Jesus that he would be killed and then rise on the third day. It’s only after she has performed her act of devotion that Jesus interprets it as preparation for his death. 

Perhaps its best for us to understand this act as one of great devotion. In a world where women had few rights and privileges, Jesus offered dignity and respect. Maybe this woman wanted to express her thanks, love, and devotion. 

Whatever her reason, the woman’s act raises the ire of those present. Again, in John’s gospel, we’re told it was Judas who suggested the perfume could be used to care for the poor.^[11]Mark doesn’t put the words into an individual’s mouth, just saying that some (in other words, more than one person) felt the expensive gift could have found a better use. 

Nor was the idea of taking care of the poor a bad suggestion. After all, Passover was a time for doing such deeds of mercy.^[12]Think of how how we contribute food and toys around Thanksgiving and Christmas. It was the same at Passover. While the disciples judge based on appearance, Jesus judges on motives.^[13] He knows what’s in both the woman’s and the disciples’ heart.

Jesus defends this obviously well-off woman. Think about it. I doubt few if any of us have a jar of perfume or cologne equivalent to a year’s salary. In a way, this woman stands in sharp contrast to the woman we saw last week giving her two small copper coins to the temple’s treasury.^[14] Jesus values both women. Again, Jesus judges by the condition of our hearts. Today, we recall both women’s devotion.

Now let me say a bit about Jesus’ comment on always having the poor with us. I wish Jesus wouldn’t have said this. Too often someone quotes it as an excuse not to help the poor. But that’s not Jesus’ intention. Jesus never said, don’t take care of the poor. “Feed those hungry people,” Jesus tells the disciples.^[15] And by the example of his life, we see that he is very concerned for those in need. 

Maybe, instead of sighing and feeling overwhelmed about always having the poor with us, we should see them as a test. Our response to them shows the condition of our own hearts. If we despise the poor, if we have no empathy, we’re not living the gospel. Perhaps we should do some serious soul-searching. 

This sentimental story finds itself injected into one of Mark’s sandwiches. Before it, we learn of the plans of the chief priests and scribes to stealthy abduct and kill Jesus. Of course, they want to avoid angering the crowds, so they hope to do this after the crowds leave Jerusalem following the Passover. 

Jerusalem, during the Passover, swelled upwards of five times its normal size.^[16] Jerusalem would be like living at a tourist destination. If at the beach, winter is the dead season. In the summer you can’t find a parking place or a seat in the restaurant. Jerusalem, during Passover, flooded with people and was like a tourist town. Many of these people came from Galilee, with favorable views of Jesus. Killing him during the Passover might lead to a riot.

However, the Jewish leaders don’t have a plan. They can’t believe their luck when Judas comes knocking on their door, offering to betray Jesus. Again, Mark doesn’t tell us why Judas decides to betray Jesus. It must not have been for money, as our text treats the offer to pay him as an afterthought. In Luke and John’s gospel, we’re told of Satan’s influence. Others have suggested that Judas, being a zealot, wanted to force Jesus to bring in his kingdom, but again that doesn’t appear to be a reason here. Mark isn’t interested in Judas’ motive. Judas is just a player in the ongoing drama. Mark shows us that the trap for Jesus’ arrest is set. 

Judas reminds us that proximity to Jesus doesn’t guarantee faithfulness. In the 13^th chapter, Jesus emphasized watchfulness^[17]. Even those of us in the church need to be watchful that we’re not tempted to betray Christ. Like the woman in our morning story, our first love must be Jesus. If we love anything else more, we may find ourselves “asleep” when he returns. 

This passage reminds us to remain focused on our Savior, the lover of our souls. Don’t let yourselves to stray away from Christ and his teachings. Amen. 

---

^[1] Amanda Held Opelt, Holy Unhappiness: God, Goodness, and the Myth of the Blessed Life (New York: Worthy Publishing, 2023), 148. 

^[2] Mark 3:6. See https://fromarockyhillside.com/2024/03/10/the-plot-against-jesus/

^[3] James R. Edwards, (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002), 410. In a way, this passage could also be one slice of bread of a longer sandwich, with the story of the widow’s mite in Mark 12 serving as the other piece of bread. We have the two women as examples of faithfulness with a longer passage showing the disciples need to be watchful in-between. See Morna D. Hooker, The Gospel According to Saint Mark (1991, Hendrickson Publishing, 1997), 329. 

^[4] examples

^[5] Douglas R. A. Hare, Mark: Westminster Bible Companion (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1996), 181. 

^[6] Mark 11:1-11. See https://fromarockyhillside.com/2024/11/17/7549/

^[7] John 12:1-8. 

^[8] Matthew 26:1-13. 

^[9] Edwards, 414.

^[10] William L. Lane, The Gospel of Mark: NICNT (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1974),, 494.

^[11] John 12:1-8.

^[12] Lane, 493. 

^[13] Edwards, 415.

^[14] Mark 12:40-44. See https://fromarockyhillside.com/2025/03/16/the-widow-and-the-arrogant/

^[15] Mark 6:37. See https://fromarockyhillside.com/2024/06/30/a-grand-picnic-and-a-call-to-feed-the-hungry/

^[16] Lane, 490. Jerusalem went from 50,000 to 250,000 during Passover. 

^[17] Edwards, 412; Mark 13:33-36. 

Jeff Garrison
Mayberry and Bluemont Churches
March 16, 2025
Mark 12:38-44

At the beginning of worship:

The Reverend Dawna Bridgewater, an associate pastor for a large church, found herself with the task of raising money for a new roof on their sanctuary. Her first day with the assignment proved quite successful. An attorney called and told her the church had received a $65,000 bequest. A couple dropped by and confirmed their plans on giving $35,000. Another member dropped by and handed her a $100 check. What a day, $91,100 raised. 

Just as she packed her bags in preparation for going home, she heard a commotion in the office lobby. A woman yelled, “Is that lady preacher in?” She stepped out into the reception and recognized immediately a woman she’d helped a few weeks earlier. She remembered giving her ten dollars for gas from the church discretionary fund. A single mother, the woman was overweight and wore dirty clothes.  Her three children, ranging from age one to five, were in tow. They could all use a bath and new shoes.

Dawna assumed the woman needed more help and asked how she was doing. She was surprised by her answer. “I’m fine. I was able to sign up for food stamps and with the gas you brought me, I found a job.” 

Then she shocked the pastor. “I want to thank the church for helping.” She dug into her pocket and pulled out a handful of crumbled bills and laid $12 on Dawna’ s desk. 

“The church doesn’t expect you to repay the gift,” Dawna said. “And we’re certainly not charging interest.”  

The woman said the ten was to pay the church and the two dollars was for God, who had helped her out when she was in need. “You may have another need,” she said. “Use it.”

The next day, Reverend Bridgewater reported to the finance chairperson they now have $91,112. The chair was impressed, but not nearly as impressed as Dawna, who knew who had given the $12.^[1]

Introduction to the Scriptures

As we work through the gospel of Mark, we’re coming to the end of Jesus’ public ministry. After today’s passage, Jesus spends the 13^th chapter teaching the disciples about his return, which we explored back in Advent. Then, the 14^th Chapter, which we’ll begin to explore next week, deals with the Passover and leads up to Jesus’ arrest. 

Interestingly, Jesus began his public ministry by calling the fishermen who left everything behind.^[2] He ends condemning the religious leaders of the day and contrasts them to a woman who gives everything, something Jesus will also do on the cross.

Read Mark 12:38-44. 

The way Mark tells this story, it’s been a long day which we’ve explored over the last three Sundays. Earlier in the day, Jesus and the disciples hike back into Jerusalem from Bethany, where they’ve been staying. They enter the temple. We can imagine the bustling activity. Three days before the Passover, the most holy of the religious holidays, pilgrims flock to the temple. 

In verses 38 and 39, Jesus speaks to the crowd for the last time. The rest of the Mark’s gospel consists of Jesus teaching the disciples, followed by his arrest, trial, crucifixion, and resurrection.^[3] Here, Jesus addresses the scribes (and I’m glad I’m not wearing a robe this morning). This seems a bit odd, since Jesus just praised a scribe for being near to the kingdom of God. At least there was a good one among the bunch. The scribes taught the law, and there would be many of them around the temple during the holiday looking for patrons. 

Think about how their flowing robes separated the scribes from the common people. This is always a danger those of us in the clergy face. In the Protestant tradition, we believe in the priesthood of all believers. In other words, while I have the education and have jumped through the hoops required for ordination, I’m not any different than anyone else. We all have equal access to God. Your prayers are just as good as mine. 

Jesus, watching the religious authorities of his day, was taken back by some of their behavior. I’m sure Jesus would have similar feelings today. Back in the 1990s, we had a wave of Catholic priests in Boston caught preying on children. But we Protestants have also had similar problems. Just this past week there was an arrest of an evangelical megachurch pastor in Texas who served as a spiritual advisor to leading politicians.^[4]

With their fancy robes, long prayers, and the likelihood they were ripping off those who could least afford it, Jesus had to say something in the first century. It’d be no different if Jesus came back today.  

By the time Jesus enters the Court of the Women, he’s wearied and tired. Repeatedly, he dealt with attempts of entrapment: from the chief priests, the elders, the Sadducees, the scribes, and even the Herodians. Plumb worn out, I imagine Jesus reclining on a bench across from the treasury, with it’s 13 trumpet-like receptacles lining the opposite wall of the Court.^[5]

Many who are rich enter wearing fancy clothes and drop lots of coins which ring out as they fall into the treasury. Some of the gifts are announced publicly, encouraging others to give, kind of like a how shot machine jingle when someone hits the jackpot.^[6] Others are dressed modestly and drop in smaller amounts. Since this was before the advent of paper money (folding money as it used to be called), the clanging of the coins falling into the receptacles make a racket. The disciples sit beside Jesus, mystified. To them, the temple and the grounds and all that’s going on is amazing. 

None of this, however, phases Jesus. That is, until a certain unnamed woman enters the court and makes her offering. Why does she grab Jesus’ attention? What makes her stand out? Could it be her clothes? But then, beggars and the poor are commonly seen in Palestine. What makes this woman stand out in a sea of humanity?

Perhaps her faith catches Jesus’ attention. Her determination as she marches up to one the 13 receptacles and drops in her offering. Instead of the constant clanging of coins made by the rich making their offerings, her gift causes just a ping or two as the lightweight coins roll into the treasury. 

These are copper coins, the smallest coins in circulation, worth less than our pennies. About 7/10s of 1% of a denarii, the coin Jesus and the Pharisees and Herodians quibbled over earlier.^[7]We’re told this is all she has in the world, and she gives it to the temple. She was not expected to give it all. She could have kept one of the coins. But she didn’t. What happens to her now? Mark doesn’t’ say, leaving us to ponder. 

Jesus points the woman out to the disciples. I’m sure they’re not overly impressed. After all, it takes a lot of money to fund the operations of the temple. What will a mere two cent do?  But Jesus points her out because of he is more concerned with the condition of our hearts than in the amount given.^[8] This woman can do what the rich man, who we met in chapter 10, wasn’t able to do.^[9]

The widow who appears to pass under the radar of all the religious leaders milling around in the courtyard catches Jesus’ eye. The disciples must have missed her, too, until Jesus points her out. While she remains anonymous, like all the rest who gave to the temple this day, we recall her generosity. In a way, her story reminds us that our giving is between us and God who sees and knows all. And while she gave perhaps the smallest amount this day, her gift has inspired people for 2000 years. 

Furthermore, by giving all she had, she foreshadows what Jesus will do at the end of the week, when he offers up his life for us. And while Jesus never says we must follow her example of giving all; she serves an example of trust in the Lord and a reminder that all we have belongs to God. 

Another thing we should grasp from this passage is that Jesus doesn’t criticize the giving of the rich. Obviously the two small coins wouldn’t do much for operating the temple. There was a need for larger gifts, and they were appreciated. But Jesus didn’t come to support the status quo of the temple, for he himself would build a new temple in the hearts of his followers, one that was not bound to a particular place on earth.^[10]

Finally, in this passage, we see the importance of humility. Whatever we do for the kingdom should not be done with arrogance or pride. Throughout Mark, Jesus continually attacks false piety.^[11] Such deeds, cloaked in religious trappings, upset Jesus.^[12]  

As our giving is between us and God, so is our faith. We shouldn’t make a big deal out of it, because our faith is ground in God’s grace, not in our doings. So, keep your faith close to your hearts, for we’re not to brag or to show off. And while Jesus didn’t say so directly, stay away from those who brag about what they’re doing for the kingdom for they may be like the scribes at the temple in the first century, full of hot air. 

Instead, as you walk through life following Jesus, trust God and, like the woman at the treasury, quietly doing what you can to further God’s kingdom. As we saw last week, this involves loving God and loving our neighbors. Amen 

---

^[1] William J. Carl, Jr., “The Single Mother’s Mite,” The Living Pulpit (July-September 1997), 39. I used this story in another sermon on this passage in 1997.

^[2] Mark 1:16-20. See https://fromarockyhillside.com/2024/01/14/you-catch-em-hell-clean-em-jesus-begins-his-ministry/

^[3] Scholars are split over Jesus ending his ministry after the rebuke of the scribes or with the woman at the treasury.  For the two sides see William L. Lane, The Gospel of Mark (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1974), 441. And James R. Edwards The Gospel According to Mark (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2002), 382. 

^[4] https://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/12/robert-morris-texas-megachurch-indicted-sexual-abuse/

^[5] For the setting of the treasury, see Lane, 442-443. 

^[6] Edwards, 381. For the link to slot machines, see Chelsey Harmon, Commentary on Mark 12:38-44. https://cepreaching.org/commentary/2024-11-04/mark-1238-44-4/

^[7] Douglas R. A. Hare, Mark: Westminster Bible Companion, (Louisville, KY: WJKP, 1996), 165. The conflict over the denarius: Mark 12:13-15. See https://fromarockyhillside.com/2025/03/02/opposition-to-jesus-grows/

^[8] Edwards, 381. 

^[9] Mark 10:17-22.  See https://fromarockyhillside.com/2024/10/20/with-god-all-things-are-possible/

^[10] See John 4:21. 

^[11] Morna D. Hooker, The Gospel According to Saint Mark (1991, Hendrickson Publishing, 1997), 294. 

^[12] Hare, 164.

Jeff Garrison
Mayberry and Bluemont Churches
March 8, 2025
Mark 12:28-37

Comments at the beginning of worship:

A bird cage would be one way to look at boundaries. It’s clear. You are either in or out. Inside might be seen as a prison, or a place of safety and nourishment. Outside can be free, or wild and dangerous. It’s a matter of perspective.

A bird bath also has boundaries. Otherwise, all the water would trickle away. But when we look at a bird bath, we don’t pay attention to the boundaries holding the water in the same way we do with a bird cage. Instead, we look at the center, at the ripples of the nourishing water within the bowl.

Our task in the church is to invite people to the center, where we find nourishment in Jesus Christ.^[1]

Comments before reading the Scripture:

Over the past two weeks, we’ve seen several groups of challengers’ question to Jesus. Two weeks ago, it was the Sanhedrin asking for Jesus credentials. Then, last week, it was the Pharisees and Herodians asking about taxes and the Sadducees asking about the resurrection. Now Mark tells us of a question from a Scribe concerning God’s most important commandment. With the big ten and six hundred plus additional commandments, it’s a legitimate question. Listen:

Read Mark 12:28-37:

Supposedly Mark Twain once endured a talk by a long-winded Bostonian who went on and on about his plans to travel to the Holy Lands. He wanted to climb Mt. Sinai and stand on the very spot Moses received the Ten Commandments. Hearing enough of his plans, Twain suggested a better idea. “Why don’t you stay in Boston and keep the Ten Commandments?”

As followers of Jesus, we sometimes get carried away and believe what’s required of us is to do and not do certain things. Now, don’t get me wrong. Certain things are expected of us. The prophet Micah has a good summary: 

He has told you, O mortal, what is good,
    and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice and to love kindness
    and to walk humbly with your God?^[2]

But we tend to ignore such wide-sweeping claims on our lives and pick and choose from a long list of the laws. First century Jews were good at this. Not only did they have the 10 Commandments, but the Torah contained another 613 laws. Of them, you had 365 negative commands: things we’re not to do. And there were 268 positive commands, things we’re supposed to do.^[3] And there were many more, for the rabbis and scribes, to clarify, sometimes created additional ideas of what to do and not do. 

The law became overwhelming. Everyone had their favorites. We’re no different. Often, we pick and choose. Sadly, we often see the most serious laws as those we are less likely to break. 

This past week, the Presbytery of the Peaks met. Preaching for the Presbytery was Dr. Rodney Sadler, a Black Baptist who teaches at Union Seminary.^[4] Since February is Black History Month, it had been arranged for him to preach. However, we had a snow and ice that day in February, so they postponed the presbytery meeting to March. Thankfully, he was able to rearrange his schedule. 

Sadler made an interesting point about two sins so many churches get upset over: abortion and homosexuality. He pointed out that Jesus never addressed either one, which is true. Other places in scripture mentions them, but not Jesus during his ministry. Sadler even admitted his own concerns over such issues, especially abortion. And then he made this point. Those churches who primarily focuses on these two sins as the most egregious, focus on sins of which white heterosexual males don’t struggle. He hit home. 

Again, as I have reiterated over and over, God’s law serves as a boundary. Within the law, we can have abundant life. Outside of it, we’re going to find ourselves struggling. So, while the law is important, we must be careful. Danger arises when we pick and chose from God’s commandments and then use our favorite laws (often ones we don’t struggle with) as a measuring stick to judge others. It’s important to understand that the law wasn’t given for us to oppress or judge our neighbors. The person in the mirror is the only ones we should judge. 

I wonder if Jesus had enough of the “law?” After all, he was often challenged for breaking it. Remember back early in Mark, Jesus had to defend his disciples for snacking on grain while they walked on the Sabbath. That was followed up by him healing a man on the Sabbath.^[5] In our passage this morning, Jesus simplifies things a bit, by reducing the list from 613 to 2: the love of God and the love of neighbor. 

It appears the previous debate between the Sadducees and Jesus may have caught this scribe’s attention. Mark tells us the scribe overheard them talking. He wasn’t sent to trap Jesus. Unlike the last three questions, his question appears to be out of a genuine curiosity. And it’s legitimate, for people are concerned over the meaning of the law. 

Jesus then quotes a familiar phrase, known as the “Shema” or “Hear!”, which is a reciting of Deuteronomy 6:4-5. “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” While there are parallel passages to this in Matthew and Luke, only Mark quotes the entire verse.^[6]

This commandment focuses on attitude. Jesus didn’t quote from moral law. There’s no “thou shalt not do this or that. Nor is there even a prohibition against idolatry,^[7] of which the first several commandments focus on.^[8]

Then Jesus adds a second command, “love your neighbor as yourself.”

There is nothing new in what Jesus says. In the synagogue of Jesus’ day as well as in the morning and evening prayers of the faithful, the Shema or the first half of Jesus’ commandment was recited.^[9]

Some contemporary teachers had even reduced all the commandments to “love your neighbor as yourself.”^[10] However, their view of a “neighbor” could be limited. We see this in the parallel passage found in Luke’s gospel. There, Jesus is asked a follow up question, “Who is my neighbor.” Jesus then tells the parable of the Good Samaritan, which emphasizes that our neighbors aren’t just those whom we share a fence line.^[11]

Jesus grounds the love of God and the love of neighbor-as-self for a reason. Love depends on our belief and faith in God. God loves us first, as seen through the act of creation and further demonstrated at the cross. At the cross, we see God’s willingness to do what it takes to reach us, to be in a relationship with his fallen creation. And because God loves us and accepts us for who we are, we’re freed to accept ourselves for who we are. If we love ourselves for any other reason, we risk idolatry. Yet, we need a healthy sense of self to reach out to others. 

Notice also that Jesus doesn’t just say, “Love God.” He qualifies it. We love with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.” In other words, we love in all we do whether feeling, praying, thinking, or working. In all we do, we’re to bring glory to God.

Jesus may have simplified the law by reducing them from 613 to 2, but this great commandment may be more difficult to obey than all the laws. It involves a reorientation of our lives. Instead of putting ourselves first, we put God first in all we do. And we elevate others, for we’re to love them as well as we love ourselves.  

The Scribe who asked the question appears pleased with Jesus’ answer and praises our Savior. Jesus tells him he’s not far from the kingdom of God. This is the one positive encounter with a scribe in Mark’s gospel.^[12] Those who witness this conversation must have also been impressed, for no one else asked Jesus a question.

Our passage ends with one last question, this one asked by Jesus. This question has to do with the scribes, the teacher of the law, claiming that the Messiah would be the son of David. Jesus asks how this can be since David in the Psalms claimed the Messiah to be Lord and over even him.^[13] Like the other questions, this was also a trick question, and no one answers. But Jesus impresses the crowd who watches and listens. 

Loving God and our neighbors keeps us in line. In Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis points out that the essential Christian vice and utmost evil is pride. While Jesus doesn’t say the avoidance of pride is the greatest law, I think Lewis and Jesus are not far apart. Lewis writes, “Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison: it was through pride that the devil became the devil; pride leads to every other vice; it is the complete anti-God state of mind.”^[14]

But if we love God and our neighbor, we check our pride. Our lives are not about bringing us glory but giving God glory through our love for the divine and our care for those whom God created. In this manner, we join with God in his redemptive work. We seek God’s vision, not our own.  And we’re not far from what God said through the prophet Micah: 

What does the Lord require of you
but to do justice and to love kindness
    and to walk humbly with your God? Amen.

---

^[1] This illustration adapted from Jack Rogers, Claiming the Center: Churches and Conflicting World Views (Louisville, KY: WJKP, 1995). 

^[2] Micah 6:8.

^[3] James R. Edwards, The Gospel According to Mark (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2002), 370. n

^[4] Dr. Rodney Sadler, “That Ain’t Jesus,” a sermon o Matthew 12:33-35, 15:31-40. The sermon was preached on March 6, 2025 at the Presbytery of the Peaks meeting at Quaker Memorial Presbyterian Church in Lynchburg. 

^[5] Mark 2:23-3:6.  See https://fromarockyhillside.com/2024/03/10/the-plot-against-jesus/ and https://fromarockyhillside.com/2024/03/03/jesus-and-the-law-concerning-fasting-and-the-sabbath/

^[6] Matthew 22:34ff and Luke 10:25ff leave off “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”

^[7] Douglas R. A. Hare, Mark: Westminster Bible Companion (Louisville, WJKP, 1996), 158. 

^[8] The first three of the 10 commandments say: no other gods, no graven images, and no misuse of God’s name. All of these are to prohibit idolatry. 

^[9] Edwards, 371. 

^[10] This was Hillel the Elder (40 BC-10 AD).  William L. Lane, The Gospel of Mark (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1974), 432.

^[11] Luke 10:25-37. 

^[12] Edwards, 369. 

^[13] Psalm 110:1. 

^[14] The Lewis quote from Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer (Nashville, TN: Upper Room Books,  ), 125-127. 

Jeff Garrison
Mayberry and Bluemont Churches
March 2, 2025
Mark 12:13-27

At the beginning of the service^[1]:
Two weeks ago, those of us who live and own property in Carroll County received a real estate reassessment. I’m not sure about Patrick County, but Virginia law requires all counties to reevaluate real estate property values every five years. So, if you’re in another county and didn’t get such a statement, don’t worry, your time will come. 

There has been a lot of gashing of teeth and complaining about the reassessments. County wide, property values are up 40-some percent and many of us have seen valuations up by 50 or 60 percent. If you think it’s too high, you can appeal. I doubt anyone will say anything if they think theirs is too low.

We’re going to talk about paying taxes and God’s control today. I am sad to inform you that I can’t give a theological reason not to pay taxes. But if you feel your evaluation is high, you have the right appeal. Hopefully, what we pay in taxes will be used to enhance our communities and support things which makes our common life more productive and pleasant. 

Before reading the Scripture:
We’re continuing through Mark’s gospel. As I mentioned last week, opposition to Jesus increases as we move toward his arrest. Today, we’ll see Jesus challenged with the second and third of four questions. The first question, which we heard about last week, had to do with his authority. He now gets bombarded by different groups of Jews, who attempt to trick Jesus into incriminating himself. The second and third questions have to do with paying taxes and the resurrection.  

We see an odd group of folks come at Jesus. The question as to taxes involves the Pharisees and the Herodians. The latter group supported Roman control over Palestine. Normally, we’d see these groups on opposite side of issues. Of course, nobody likes paying taxes. But the Pharisees disliked it for theological reasons while the Herodians saw it as a necessary evil which allows them to enjoy the things Rome supports.^[2] Earlier in Mark’s gospel, we see the two dissimilar groups joining together against Jesus.^[3]

The next question which relates to the resurrection is brought about by the Sadducees, a group who denied the resurrection. The Pharisees believed in it, but they’re not the one who asked this question. The questions and those who ask them are ironic. It’s almost like someone set up several groups of people to ask Jesus questions. But our Savior answers them in a way that sends the questioners off shaking their heads. 

Read Mark 12:13-27
Have you had a salesperson play on your emotions to get you to buy their product? The life insurance salesperson who speaks about how desperate your family will be when you die. Or maybe a car salesperson trying to get you to move up to a nicer vehicle than your budget allows, telling you how impressive you’d be riding in the fancier car. I’m sure we’ve all been there. 

Not long after moving here, we had our HVAC system checked. The technician suggested the thing was rusting away and leaking, and I should replace it before winter. A few days later the company’s owner came to give me a quote. I had already called around, so I knew about how much a system should cost. So, when he handed me his quote, I was shocked. It was well over twice what I expected. 

He tried to tell me all the reasons they were the best company and pressure me into signing a contact with offerings such as a yearly maintenance check, but only if I signed that day.

When he realized I was not buying his line, he changed tactics. He told me how all the other HVAC companies hire guys trained in prison. He also implied that many of these workers were people of color. Then he asked what I’d think if one of them came into my house and attacked my family. I’d had enough. I told him to leave. 

The next person who came to give me a quote for a new HVAC system asked why I thought I needed a new system. I told him I’d been told it needed some expensive freon and was rusting out. He looked at the system, said the rust was to be expected, and wasn’t bad. He then asked if he could test it. After hooking up gauges, he shook his head. “Your system is fine,” he said, “And if you put anymore freon in it, you’ll blow it up.” We’re still using the same system and have yet to add freon. It has lasted the past five winters. 

When a wire shorted out, I called the guy who said I didn’t need a new system. He isolated the problem and quickly fix it.  

Honesty and good service are traits which serve us well. When someone tries to butter you up or use dishonest techniques, hold on to your wallet and run. 

Jesus must have known when the Pharisees and Herodians showed up together, something was up. And then they butter him up with praise. I’m sure Jesus just listened, waiting for the hook. Sure enough, they then asked: “Should we pay taxes to the emperor?” 

This put Jesus in a bind. If he says yes, the people who despise taxes will think Jesus sold them out. Furthermore, the Roman taxes had to be paid with Roman coins, the denarius,^[4] which the Pharisees and strict Jews considered idolatrous. The coins went against a strict interpretation of the commandment prohibiting graven images.^[5] Furthermore, the inscription around the emperor’s head read “Tiberius Caesar Augustus, Son of the Divine Augustus.”^[6]  In other words, it indicated the divinity of the Caesars, which flew in the face of monotheistic Jews. 

On the other hand, if Jesus said, “no, you shouldn’t pay taxes,” the authorities would have a reason to arrest Jesus. “Inciting the crowds against Rome,” would be the charge. It’s a no-win situation. 

But Jesus is clever. “Let me see a coin,” he said. And they produced one, which is telling since they considered the coin idolatrous. When Jesus said, “give to the emperor the things that are his, and to God the things that are God’s,” the questioners are left speechless.  

Jesus acknowledges the legitimacy of human government.^[7] We shouldn’t forget that all governments, like all human institutions, are sinful. Yet, scripture understands they’re necessary and, as Paul reminds us, deserve our respect.^[8] Jesus does not encourage an artificial separation of life into the secular and sacred, as some have suggested.^[9] Instead, if we’re to acknowledge that all belongs to God, that includes even what’s the emperors. The earth and those who live in it are the Lord’s.^[10]

We don’t know if the Sadducees who next approach Jesus were waiting to see what happened to the Pharisees and Herodians, or if it was later in the same day or another day. But Mark presents these events as if they happened in rapid succession. 

 Mark first informs us the Sadducees don’t believe in the resurrection, then tells the scenario which they present to Jesus. We also know that the Sadducees didn’t believe in angels and demons in addition to no afterlife.^[11] They base their question on the laws of Moses, which said that if a woman dies without children, her brother-in-law should marry her.^[12] In this case, the woman is terribly unlucky with husbands, because every brother she marries dies without her having children. 

Their question for Jesus, “who’s the woman’s husband in the life to come since she’s had seven husbands on earth?”

The Sadducees story drips with irony. They don’t even believe in the resurrection, yet they are trying to trap Jesus concerning his beliefs. Jesus responds harshly, telling them they don’t know scripture, nor do they understand the power of God. He suggests that in the life to come, we’ll be more like angels, of which the Sadducees also didn’t believe in. 

Paul, in his great chapter on the resurrection in 1^st Corinthians, speaks of our earthly bodies as perishable seeds, but the resurrected body as imperishable. Just as we don’t know for sure what a seed will produce until it planted in the ground and sprouts, it’s not for us to fully understand what our resurrection life will be like.^[13]  

Jesus concludes his response by drawing on the name God gave Moses to use when he addressed the Hebrews in slavery. “I am the God of Abraham, of Issac, and of Jacob.” God didn’t say, “I was.” The use of the present tense is important for it implies that the patriarchs of the Jewish people are not dead and forgotten. 

In this second story, Jesus refuses to let the people pin God into a vision from their own minds. God’s freedom and ability are beyond our minds to comprehend. We tend to think of the afterlife in terms which we know from this life. We expect our bodies and families continuing as we have experienced them. But Jesus’ response reminds us there is a lot we don’t know. We are called to walk by faith, and that includes into the life to come. 

Furthermore, we shouldn’t be surprised when others rise up against us. Jesus faced enemies in his ministry, and it won’t be any different for us. Hold on to the faith and keep your eyes on Jesus.

Today’s stories remind us of God’s sovereignty over our earthly lives. Yes, we’re to live on earth and abide by laws, if they don’t contradict God’s law. And we are to live by faith, trusting the future to the one who created and redeemed us. Amen. 

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^[1] I plan to omit the opening section at Mayberry to shorten the service because the congregation celebrates communion on the first Sunday of the month.

^[2] William L. Lane, The Gospel of Mark (Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1974), 423.

^[3] Mark 3:6. See https://fromarockyhillside.com/2024/03/10/the-plot-against-jesus/

^[4] Lane, 424.

^[5] Exodus 20:4. 

^[6] James R. Edwards, The Gospel According to Mark (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002), 363. 

^[7] Edwards, 363.

^[8] Romans 13:1. 

^[9] Douglas R. A. Hare, Mark: Westminster Bible Companion (Louisville, KY: WJK Press, 1997), 154. 

^[10] Psalms 24:1. 

^[11] Edwards, 365. 

^[12] Deuteronomy 25:5-10. 

^[13] 1 Corinthians 15:35-42. 

Jeff Garrison
Bluemont and Mayberry Churches
Mark 11:27-12:12
February 23, 2025

At the beginning of worship:

“’Throwed away’ is an expression peculiar to eastern North Carolina. If a piece of land or a person or a stretch along a highway looks ‘throwed away,’ it can be in no worse shape,” writes Linda Flowers in the preface to her book titled, Throwed Away.“Fields left unattended and overcome with cockleburs are ‘throwed away.’ Ramshackly houses with boarded-up windows and rotten porches, or country stores that have bitten the dust are ‘throwed away.’

Flowers grew up in Faison, North Carolina toward the end of the share-cropping era. Her family share cropped. In 1968, she left the state for graduate school in Ohio and later New York. When she returned in 1980, the change startled her. 

The end of tenant farming is generally thought to have occurred in the mid to late 1960s, as machinery reduced the number of hands needed on farms. Of course, some continued afterwards, but the economy of sharecropping was on its way out. A few sharecroppers gained enough cash to buy their own land, but most moved into factories and other forms of labor. 

Flowers, in her book, set out to recapture the world of her youth which she describes in this manner. “At its best, tenantry was exploitative; at its worst, it was a kind of slavery.”^[1] Such farming practices weren’t new. As we’ll see today, they existed in Jesus’ day. 

Before reading the Scripture:
We’re back in Mark’s gospel, picking up where I left off in November. If you remember, during Advent I jumped ahead and we looked at the 13^th Chapter of Mark, which pertains to Jesus’ 2^nd Coming. That’s an Advent topic. Today, our text begins with Mark 11:27. From here through the end of the12^th chapter of Mark, we see the conflict around Jesus’ ministry intensify. Various groups try to trick him or cause him to incriminate himself. But Jesus proves to be up for the challenge.  

The economic world of Palestine in the first century was one of poor tenant farmers who slaved to raise crops and then had to give a significant portion of their income to the absentee owners.^[2] This was a system like what went on after Civil War in the South, where those without land struggled and worked the lands of those owned by former plantation owners who had depended on slaves. 

In a way, a tenant farmer was just a step or two above a slave. He could leave, but where could he go? We know Jesus often takes the plight of the downtrodden. In both first century Palestine and in the South from the 1860s until the 1960s, tenant farmers were mostly downtrodden. But in the parable Jesus tells, he flips the story. Here, the owner of the land is generous. The tenants are evil. 

Our passage begins with Jesus’ third visit to Jerusalem after his arrival on the day we refer to as Palm Sunday. This would be Tuesday of Holy Week. It appears Jesus left the city each night and stayed in Bethany, where perhaps the lodging was cheaper.  The next morning, he came back to the city and headed for the temple.

Read Mark 11:27-12:12
Early in Mark’s gospel, we have the story of Jesus in the synagogue in Capernaum, which became the center of his Galilean ministry. There, Jesus impressed the people with his authority. His speech was beyond anything they’d heard from the scribes.

He followed this up with his authority over evil spirits.^[3] In that early encounter, the question was raised as to where Jesus obtained his authority.

Now that we’re into Jesus’ last week of his earthly ministry, we learn the question over Jesus’ authority continues to linger. Early in Mark’s gospel, the freshness of his teachings caused his popularity to rise. He comes to Jerusalem as a popular man. Those who held the authority at the temple fear him. 

This is the third day in a row that Jesus enters Jerusalem. But it’s not the city itself which interests him, it’s the temple. He immediately heads for the temple which stands high over the city, as he has done of the previous two days.^[4]

We can imagine Jesus and the some of the disciples walking along the massive courtyards and porticos around the temple. A group of religious leaders approach him: chief priests, scribes, and elders. These three groups made up the Sanhedrin, leaders of the faith who also handled the precarious relationship with Rome.^[5]  

It was probably just a representative group of the Sanhedrin who approached Jesus as the entire body consisted of seventy-one members.^[6] They know Jesus has been making a stir around Jerusalem from his entry parade^[7] to his overturning tables and chasing out livestock the day before.^[8] So, they ask Jesus by what authority does he do such things. 

Jesus doesn’t give a direct answer. If he said, “my Father in heaven,” not only would they probably not accepted it, but they may also have used it as a reason to charge Jesus with blasphemy. Instead, Jesus asks a question. Questioning back and forth was a standard tactic in debates of the day.^[9]

Jesus’ question as to the authority of John the Baptist, places the Sanhedrin in a bind. If they say John’s authority came from heaven, Jesus could pin them down as to why they didn’t believe John. And if they say his authority was human, the people who see John as a prophet might revolt. So, the leaders’ refusal to answer Jesus’ question allows him not to answer theirs. 

I should point out that Mark understands Jesus’ fate is tied to John’s fate.^[10] Both will give their lives to stand up for their principles. 

This sets the stage for Jesus to tell the last major parable of his ministry recorded by Mark, the Parable of the Wicked Tenants.^[11]Jesus’ familiarity with the Prophet Isaiah can be seen in this parable which parallels the prophet’s “Song of the Unfruitful Vineyard.”^[12] In both cases, the owner plants a vineyard, encloses it, builds a tower and winepress. 

In Isaiah, the story hinges around the vineyard yielding only sour wine. Think vinegar. The owner decides to do away with the vineyard, which the prophet links to God punishing Israel for its lack of faith.  

Jesus’ parable starts the same way with a man planting a vineyard, putting a fence around it and building a tower and winepress. I’m sure the Jewish authorities who heard the beginning of Jesus’ story immediately recalled Isaiah’s song. They knew where Jesus was going, that he was addressing them. 

But then Jesus’ story takes a dramatic shift from Isaiah. In both cases, the owner of the vineyard represents God. But in Jesus’ story, instead of the vineyard producing a bad crop, the owner of the vineyard relocates to a foreign land. Think heaven. He hands his farm over to tenant farmers. 

At the time of the crop, the owner sends back a slave to collect the owner’s share of the crop. But instead of paying up, the tenants beat up the slave and send him back to the owner limping and bruised. He sends others, but the same thing happens. The representatives of the owner are beaten or killed. 

Finally, the man sends his son, thinking they will honor him. That, of course, doesn’t happen. The owner provides the tenants multiple opportunities to keep up their end of the bargain. Seeing the son who is the heir to the property, they decide to kill him. Perhaps they think the owner has died and, with the son out of the way, they can claim the property for themselves. Not only do they murder the son, but they also disrespect the body by throwing it out to decay. Of course, the owner isn’t dead and will come and destroy those tenants. 

Jesus concludes with a verse from the 118^th Psalm, of the rejected stone becoming the cornerstone.^[13]

Mark tells us the religious leaders realize the parable’s intention. They desire to do away with Jesus but are afraid of the crowd. However, not only is this parable about them, who have ignored the prophets call, it’s also about Jesus. He’s the son who represents the father. He’s the son, the rejected one, who will become the cornerstone in the new covenant God establishes with his people. 

As I pointed out before reading the passage, Jesus turns this story its head. Instead of siding with the tenants, he portrays them with wicked hearts. Sin doesn’t reside in just one class of people. Rich and poor are equally guilty. 

I’m sure the religious leaders didn’t want to see themselves as tenants. They think of themselves as leaders. Yet, they’re still responsible to God. In fact, we’re all tenants on God’s good earth. A steward is another way of describing our position. God gives us talents and the good earth. We only have possession of it for a short period of time. Sooner or later, we must give it back. Do we make good use of God’s gift?

As the Psalmist proclaims so elegantly, “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it.”^[14] We must always remember who is in charge; our allegiance belongs to God. As tenants, we’re to be doing the work of the owner.

Another thing Mark confirms about Jesus is that the Savior discouraged any radical attempt to forcefully bring about the kingdom. Jesus discourages taking up arms against Rome.^[15] In the parable, Jesus points out that the rulers (the wicked tenants) are out for their own well-being, not representing God.^[16]

Mark paints a darkening picture of forces gathering around Jesus. In two days, the “Son” will be arrested in the garden. The following day he will be killed outside the city walls. The peaceful man who devoted his ministry to doing good and teaching kindness is about to live into the parable he told. Mark leaves it to his readers to decide which side we’ll be on.  Amen. 

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^[1] Linda Flowers, Throwed Away: Failures of Progress in Eastern North Carolina (Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1990), 64. 

^[2] James R. Edwards, The Gospel According to Mark (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002), 354-356; Morna D. Hooker, The Gospel According to Saint Mark (1991, Hendrickson Publishers, 1997), 274; and William L. Lane, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: The Gospel of Mark (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1974), 416. 

^[3] Mark 1:21-28. See https://fromarockyhillside.com/2024/01/21/jesus-in-the-synagogue/

^[4] Mark 11:11 and 15. 

^[5] Edwards, 350. 

^[6] Edwards, 350.

^[7] Mark 11:1-11, https://fromarockyhillside.com/2024/11/17/7549/

^[8] Mark 11:15-19, https://fromarockyhillside.com/2024/11/24/what-does-jesus-have-against-fig-trees/

^[9] Hooker, 271, Edwards, 351.

^[10] Hooker, 272. 

^[11] Edwards, 354.

^[12] Isaiah 5:1ff. 

^[13] Psalm 118:22-23. This Psalm was also used two days earlier as Jesus’ entered Jerusalem. See Mark 11:9-10.

^[14] Psalm 24:1

^[15] This will be made even more clear a few chapters later at his arrest. See Mark 14:47. 

^[16] Brian K. Blount, Go Preach! Mark’s Kingdom Message and the Black Church Today (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1998), 82-83. 

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Pastoral Prayer for today

20250223 Pastoral Prayer

We gather after another cold week, giving thanks for a warm building and warming weather. We gather with concerns in minds and hearts. Will we have enough to get by in retirement? Will we still have medical care? Will we endure another pandemic, bird flu or something else. We gather, unsure about the future, but your Son and our Lord and Savior, tells us not to worry. We’re to trust you, for whatever happens, we’re in your hands. So, we come became you, gathered as your people, turning our burdens to you while we give you thanks for your faithfulness in the past. And we trust that as you’ve proven your faithfulness in the past, you will continue to be faithful today, and in the days to come. Regardless as to what happens, remind us of your presence and help us to seek what is right in your eyes. 

Almighty God, we confess we have made a mess of your good earth. There are not only rumors of wars, but there are wars.  We are shocked to learn of 70 Christians beheaded in the Democratic Republic of Congo, yet we feel safe because that’s so far away. We are sad to hear of the civilians suffering in Ukraine, those in Gaza whose lives have been destroyed, and the Israelis who have died, but again that all seems so far away. And we’re heartbroken when we hear about violence on the streets or in our homes. You have created us all in your image. Help us to work toward breaking the chain of violence, to seek reconciliation, and to do the hard work of loving one another. 

Be with those who are poor, those who suffer from bondage to sin and addictions, as well as to those who are in prison. Show us how to make a difference in our world, even if it is in just one life. Give comfort to those in grief over the death of loved ones. Be with the sick…