Mark, Day Nineteen

Um...perhaps I gave myself a bit too much grace on the Mark blogging, since it seems I only blogged on it once last week!  I'll try to get back into more of a groove.

Mark 12

• Jesus teaches a parable that the priests, scribes and elders realize is against them.  They're angry but afraid of the crowd, so they go away (for now).
• Then they send some Pharisees and others to try to trap Jesus with tricky questions.  Jesus, of course, manages to dodge their questions (making them look foolish).  But one of the scribes seems to ask Jesus a genuine question:  "Which commandment is the first of all?"  And Jesus tells him we should love God first and then love our neighbor as ourself.  And the scribe says, "You are right....this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."  And Jesus says, "You are not far from the kingdom of God."  What particularly struck me about this is that even among Jesus' most ardent detractors, there was one (maybe more?) who heard him and accepted him (at least in part).  Presumably, this man was one of the men sent to trip Jesus up (so he wasn't pre-disposed to like Jesus), but instead he came to a place of accord with Jesus.  So often it seems like Jesus' prophetic message falls on deaf ears in the religious community...but not always.  Which could be encouraging to modern-day prophets/preachers/teachers.  Even when it seems like everyone is against you (and in this day of internet commenting, you really see all the nastiness), there may be some who hear and understand. 
• Then Jesus preaches against the scribes who put on a show, and contrasts that with the widow who gives all she has.  Quietly, matter-of-factly, with faith.  No entertainment.  No building herself up.  No pandering to the crowd.  She just does the right thing.  And the very hard thing.