Chronological Gospels: Matthew 22; Mark 12

Aug 12, 2025

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Chronological Gospels: Matthew 22; Mark 12

This week we read through Matthew 22 and Mark 12 where things begin to heat up between Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders. The traps continue to be set for Jesus, but Jesus being God knows what they are doing. This is the first thing that really strikes me in these passages. Jesus knows their thoughts and intentions. He knows when they are purely trying to trip Him up, and He knows when they are being sincere or not. He knows their hearts and their minds.

Jesus not only knows the hearts and minds of the Jewish religious leaders, but He knows ours as well. He knows when we truly desire Him, when we truly desire to learn from Him, when we truly desire to follow Him, and when we truly intend to obey Him. He knows when we are neglecting our sins and when we are truly repentant. He knows us better than we know our own selves.

What does this truth teach you about Jesus and your own relationship with Him?

I love the depth of the parables in these chapters where Jesus describes the Kingdom of God. The more I read and learn from scripture, the more nuggets I draw out of the parables throughout the gospels.

What about these parables stands out to you today? What do these parables teach you about God and your relationship with Him?

The main thing I am convicted of with these parables is that we are the servants sent to tell others of the wedding banquet and to the Vineyard to collect the fruit. We are commissioned with telling the world about Jesus, even unto death. This is not a lighthearted quest or a halfhearted commitment. This is an all-in experience. Faith isn’t for convenience. Faith is absolute belief, being fully convinced, and committing to the truth we believe about Jesus, choosing every day to live it out in all circumstances.

Throughout these chapters, what stands out to you about Jesus Himself? What stands out about the responses He gets, and the responses He gives? What does this teach you about Him?

These chapters are filled with so many vital truths we are called to believe and live by. Here we see Jesus tell us what the greatest command is, and to the surprise of those listening it was a two-parter. In our culture we simplify it by saying “Love God, Love people”, but be careful of oversimplifying these vital truths. Jesus was clear. Loving God and loving people should go deeper than this simple phrase depicts. We are to love God with our whole heart, self, mind, soul, and strength.

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Jesus tells us this vital lesson right after also teaching to give God what is God’s. We are God’s. We are made by God, for God, and we were bought with the blood of Jesus. By giving to God what is God’s we are to give God our whole selves, to truly love God with our whole life and being.

How does this encourage or convict you in your own relationship with the Lord?

Have you accepted the grace of God?

If you have not accepted the grace of God and chosen to believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I encourage you to pray to God now and invite Him in, accept Jesus as the sacrifice for your sins, and repent of your sins. Submit it all to God, lay it at His feet, seek the forgiveness of God, welcome Him into your life, and believe that Jesus died and rose again to save you from your sins.

If you would like to learn more about salvation, you can find a couple of studies that may help here:

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