Memory Text: Mark 12:30 NKJV “‘And 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.”

Sunday, May 22 We Cannot Tell
Mark 11:27-33 KJ21 “27 ¶ And they came again to Jerusalem. And as He was walking in the temple, there came to Him the chief priests and the scribes and the elders, 28 and said unto Him, "By what authority doest thou these things? And who gave thee this authority to do these things?" 29 And Jesus answered and said unto them, "I will also ask of you one question; answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 The baptism of John: was it from Heaven, or of men? Answer Me." 31 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we shall say ‘From Heaven,’ he will say ‘Why then did ye not believe him?’ 32 But if we shall say ‘Of men’" —they feared the people, for all men counted John that he was a prophet indeed. 33 And they answered and said unto Jesus, "We cannot tell." And Jesus answering, said unto them, "Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things."”
Mark 11:27 COMMENTARY BY MATTHEW HENRY We have here Christ examined by the great Sanhedrim concerning his authority; for they claimed a power to call prophets to an account concerning their mission. They came to him when he was walking in the temple, not for his diversion, but teaching the people, first one company and then another. The Peripatetic philosophers were so called from the custom they had of walking when they taught. The cloisters, or piazzas, in the courts of the temple, were fitted for this purpose. The great men were vexed to see him followed and heard with attention, and therefore came to him with some solemnity, and did as it were arraign him at the bar with this question, By what authority doest thou these things?
Mark 1:7-8 MKJV “7 And he proclaimed, saying, There is One coming after me who is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down to loosen. 8 I indeed have baptized you in water, but He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
John 1:29 William Tyndale’s NT “The next day, John saw Jesus coming unto him, and said: behold the lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”

Monday, May 23 The Parable of the Tenants
Mark 12:1-12 NLT “1 ¶ Then Jesus began telling them stories: "A man planted a vineyard, built a wall around it, dug a pit for pressing out the grape juice, and built a lookout tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and moved to another country. 2 At grape-picking time he sent one of his servants to collect his share of the crop. 3 But the farmers grabbed the servant, beat him up, and sent him back empty-handed. 4 "The owner then sent another servant, but they beat him over the head and treated him shamefully. 5 The next servant he sent was killed. Others who were sent were either beaten or killed, 6 until there was only one left—his son whom he loved dearly. The owner finally sent him, thinking, ‘Surely they will respect my son.’ 7 "But the farmers said to one another, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!’ 8 So they grabbed him and murdered him and threw his body out of the vineyard. 9 "What do you suppose the owner of the vineyard will do?" Jesus asked. "I’ll tell you—he will come and kill them all and lease the vineyard to others. 10 Didn’t you ever read this in the Scriptures? ‘The stone rejected by the builders has now become the cornerstone. 11 This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous to see.’" 12 The Jewish leaders wanted to arrest him for using this illustration because they realized he was pointing at them—they were the wicked farmers in his story. But they were afraid to touch him because of the crowds. So they left him and went away.”
Mark 12:1 COMMENTARY THE FOURFOLD GOSPEL The winepress consisted of two tub-shaped cavities dug in the rock at different levels, the upper being connected with the lower by an orifice cut through from its bottom. Grapes were placed in the upper cavity, or trough, and were trodden by foot. The juice thus squeezed from them ran through the orifice to the trough below, from which it was taken and stored in leather bottles until it fermented and formed wine.
Isaiah 5:1-7 NRSV “1 ¶ Let me sing for my beloved my love-song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. 2 He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; he expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes. 3 And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. 4 What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it? When I expected it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? 5 And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. 6 I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. 7 For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting; he expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry!”

Tuesday, May 24 Smooth Words
Mark 12:13-17 ESV “13 ¶ And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, to trap him in his talk. 14 And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone’s opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?” 15 But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” 16 And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.” 17 Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they marveled at him.”
Mark 12:17 COMMENTARY THE FOURFOLD GOSPEL Each nation uses its own coin. Had the Jews not been under Roman sovereignty, they would not have been using Roman money; but the coin which they brought to Jesus bore witness against them that the Roman sovereignty was established in their land, and that tribute to it was therefore justly due; for whoso uses Caesar's coin must pay Caesar's tribute.
Psalm 5:9 MKJV “For [there is] no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is wickedness; their throat [is] an open grave; they flatter with their tongue.”
Psalm 12:2-3 MKJV “2 They speak vanity each one with his neighbor; [with] flattering lips and a double heart they speak. 3 The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that speaks proud things,”
Proverbs 20:19 MKJV “A gossip is a revealer of secrets; so do not mix with him who flatters with his lips.”
Proverbs 26:28 MKJV “A lying tongue hates [those] afflicted by it, and a flattering mouth works ruin.”
Proverbs 29:5 MKJV “A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet.”

Wednesday, May 25 A Trick Question
Mark 12:18-27 ASV “18 ¶ And there come unto him Sadducees, who say that there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying, 19 Teacher, Moses wrote unto us, If a man’s brother die, and leave a wife behind him, and leave no child, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. 20 There were seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed; 21 and the second took her, and died, leaving no seed behind him; and the third likewise: 22 and the seven left no seed. Last of all the woman also died. 23 In the resurrection whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife. 24 Jesus said unto them, Is it not for this cause that ye err, that ye know not the scriptures, nor the power of God? 25 For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as angels in heaven. 26 But as touching the dead, that they are raised; have ye not read in the book of Moses, in [the place concerning] the Bush, how God spake unto him, saying, I [am] the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? 27 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living: ye do greatly err.”
Mark 12:18 COMMENTARY BY MATTHEW HENRY They take it for granted that there is a resurrection, and would be thought to desire instruction concerning it, when really they are designing to give a fatal stab, and think that they shall do it. Note, It is the common artifice of heretics and Sadducees to perplex and entangle the truth, which they have not the impudence to deny.
Mark 12:18 COMMENTARY BY WILLIAM BURKETT Now our Saviour, for resolving of this question, first shews the different state of men in this and in the other world. The children of this world, says our Savioiur, marry and are given in marriage, but in the resurrection they do neither. As if Christ had said, "After men have lived a while in this world, they die, and therefore marriage is necessary to maintain a succession of mankind; but in the other world, man shall become immortal, and live forever, and then the reason of marriage will wholly cease; for when men can die no more, there will be no need of any new supplies of mankind."
Exodus 3:6 ASV “Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.”
John 11:26 KJ21 “and whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believest thou this?"”
1 John 5:11-12 NKJV “11 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”

Thursday, May 26 The Greatest Commandment
Mark 12:28-34 NRSV “28 ¶ One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, "Which commandment is the first of all?" 29 Jesus answered, "The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; 30 you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these." 32 Then the scribe said to him, "You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘he is one, and besides him there is no other’; 33 and ‘to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength,’ and ‘to love one’s neighbor as oneself,’ —this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices." 34 When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." After that no one dared to ask him any question.”
Mark 12:28 COMMENTARY THE FOURFOLD GOSPEL According to the statement of Jewish writers, there had been an old and interminable dispute among the rabbis as to which was the greatest commandment. Some held that it was the law which commanded sacrifices (Nu 28:3); others, that which commanded the wearing of phylacteries (Nu 15:38,39; De 22:12); others contended for those about purification (Le 10:10, etc.); others, for those about the great feasts (Ex 12:15-18, etc.). But as they reckoned the commandments of Moses as numbering over six hundred, there was plenty of room for argument. On this memorable day the answers of Jesus had hitherto been of such a nature as to put his questioners to silence. Therefore, in asking this question, they hoped to get an answer about which they could at least find room to wrangle, and thus discredit the wisdom of Jesus.

Friday, May 27 Further Study
Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages , p. 600 - In the Jews’ crucifixion of Christ was involved the destruction of Jerusalem. The blood shed upon Calvary was the weight that sank them to ruin for this world and for the world to come.