Jesus’s conflict with the local elite in Mark 12 sets the stage for his prophecy of judgment against the temple (and foretaste of Jesus’s followers suffering conflict) in ch. 13. Jesus had come in mercy, as God’s beloved son (12:6), but his killing (12:8) would bring judgment (12:9), the sort of judgment articulated more specifically in 13:2. This would be relevant to Mark’s audience in the face of imminent war in Judea.
- Jesus’s way of returning to Caesar what is Caesar’s (12:13-17) could have averted war
- Sadducean disbelief in resurrection eschatology enacted by God’s power left the aristocratic priesthood and others to fighting for their own future by human means (12:18-27)
- Loving one’s neighbor (12:31, not strictly part of the scribe’s question in 12:28; cf. Jesus’s transcultural application in Luke 10:29-37) could have forestalled revolt (Mark 12:28-34)
- A divinely-exalted, heavenly Lord was not the militaristic Son of David of many popular conceptions (12:35-37)
- As in 12:9, the elite who exalt themselves at others’ expense would incur judgment (12:38-40)
- Things are not what they seem: a poor widow has contributed more in God’s sight than all the others (12:41-44), just as God is not impressed with the magnificent, supposedly invulnerable, temple complex (13:1-2)
Jesus’s teaching throughout this chapter is theocentric, challenging human claims that lack absolute dependence on God (in some cases, even what religion claims to do for God without dependence on God’s power): God would exalt the cornerstone (12:10); one must return to God what is God’s (12:17); resurrection is by God’s power (12:24, 27); loving God comes first (12:29-30); and God will exalt his chosen one (12:36).
Ultimately, these observations have implications not just for the municipal elite in first-century Jerusalem. They also challenge us to prioritize loving our neighbors over seeking humanly-defined status or power.
