Mark 12:37 …And the common people heard him gladly
Are the smartest people you know the most spiritual people you know? Are the biggest theologians you know the most spiritual people you know? Are the most persuasive people you know the most spiritual people you know? Are the most pious people you know the most spiritual people you know? You might anticipate the answer to be no, but that is not necessarily the case because it may be that they are. The people who are conspicuously pious may be the most spiritual and maybe the biggest theologians you know are the most spiritual, but it does not necessarily follow. Another thing to consider is if motives matter.
As you look at Mark 12, you find some very pious, religious, smart people, the Pharisees, scribes, and Sadducees, who relentlessly asked the Lord Jesus questions. That should be a good thing, but I want to see if you think that it was a good thing. Mark 12:13 says, “And they send unto him [Jesus] certain of the Pharisees and the Herodians, to catch him in his words.” The Pharisees were a religious sect and the Herodians were more political. They did not always agree, but they did agree that they were against the Lord Jesus. So, they asked Him a question with the intention of catching Him, snaring Him like a wild animal.
They asked Him a question about taxes. Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar or not? Jesus made reference to their hypocrisy and to the fact they were tempting Him. They were not asking this question to get an answer but to get an argument. Were their motives behind their questions pure and good? Were they the most spiritual people around?
Verse 18 says, “Then come unto him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection.” This was a religious sect that did not believe in much of the supernatural. They asked this hypothetical question about the resurrection. Jesus answered, “You are mistaken. You are off base. You err because you know not the Scriptures nor the power of God.” They actually made reference to Moses and said, “Master, Moses wrote unto us.” So, they knew the Scriptures, but they didn’t know them. They knew the theology, but not the God of the theology.
Then came another religious leader, a scribe, who seemed to be more open-minded, asking, “Which is the first commandment of all?” When Jesus answered each of these questions masterfully, as only Jesus could, the Bible says, “And no man after that durst [dared] ask him any questions.” If you get a good answer from a question, wouldn’t you ask more questions from that source? Surely you would if you planned to become wiser, but if you are asking for an argument and are thwarted at every turn, you are not going to ask any more questions. That is what happened with the enemies of Christ. They were not asking to get an answer; they were asking to get an argument. They were not wise because they were not asking to gain wisdom.
On the other hand, verse 37 says, “And the common people heard him gladly.” So, do motives matter? Does the reason for my asking questions matter? Of course it does. Wisdom is the willingness to hear. The common people heard him gladly. That was something the Pharisees, scribes, and Sadducees, the religiously intelligent people who were spiritually blind, never figured out because they weren’t asking for answers. Wisdom is the willingness to hear.
In verse 38 Jesus said that the scribes loved salutations in the marketplace, to be called Rabbi and so on. We ought to give honor where it is due, but having wisdom is not to have a doctorate honorary or earned. Wisdom is more than being smart theologically. Verse 19 shows that the Sadducees knew the Bible but rejected the God of the Bible because they rejected its Christ.
Whether someone is wise or not is not a social question. Jesus said the scribes devoured widow’s houses. They were covetous. The next story is of a widow who gave all she had in the temple treasury. Wisdom is not a social statement. Wisdom is the willingness to hear. What does that require?
First, know how to ask. Are you asking for an argument or an answer? Wisdom is an attitude that results in action and understanding. Wisdom is not mere smarts or knowing theology. It is a willingness to hear and act on it. If I am not willing, I am not wise. To be wise requires knowing how to ask.
Second, know who to ask. The religious leaders did know who to ask, but they didn’t know how. If you ask with an open heart and you know who to ask, then you can get answers. So often we have questions about our lives, even practical questions, and the default is to go to some expert online for an answer. There may be experts, but God made the universe so He knows how it works. If some expert has an education and smarts but has advice that is contrary to what God has said, it is not wise. I need to begin by asking God about His thoughts on the matter, then asking people who know the Lord and have a submissive, willing heart.
Third, know to ask. Haven’t you missed out on something really good because you didn’t ask? So often we miss out on God’s choicest blessings because we never ask. God is the ultimate source, the one I should ask. I should ask and ask with reverence. There may be people in my life who can be a channel for the wisdom from heaven. They need to be submissive with confidence in the Word of God and a willingness to listen as well as to be heard.
Today, are you pious? Are you theologically minded? Are you intelligent? These are all good things, but are you spiritual and are you wise? Do you actually know God? Motives do matter and wisdom is the willingness to hear. May God help us to hear all He has for us today.