Tuesday In Holy Week: Mark 11: 27 - 12: 44.
Jesus returns to the Temple. A bold move considering what happened yesterday. Not surprisingly the spiritual leaders challenge His right to make judgments on the administration of the Temple. In what follows we see Jesus holding up a mirror to the souls of these men. They are unfaithful guardians of the soul of Israel. More concerned with divisive controversies and theological hair-splitting than genuinely seeking God and caring for His people.
One teacher of the law has the right attitude. To have your whole life oriented to God, to aspire to love Him and fulfil His will in caring for others, this is more important than rigid adherence to ritual law.
Jesus warns the crowds against those in spiritual leadership whose priorities are wrong, more concerned with the trappings of religion than living faith. He points to a poor widow who has got it right. She gave all that she had to the Temple treasury. A living rebuke to all those who compromise in their commitment to God.
Today is a day for us to consider whether in all the things that drive us, - theological, political, personal, - our obedience to Jesus’ command to seek first the Kingdom is our overwhelming priority.
