Wise Men Who Please God and Fools Who Anger Him

Jesus used a parable: A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a pit for the winepress, and built a tower. Then he rented it out to some tenant farmers and went abroad. Later, the owner sent his servants to collect the rent. In the end, every servant who was sent was either beaten or killed. Afterwards, the owner sent his own son to collect the rent, but the son was also killed. What will the owner do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others (see Mark 12:1-12).

What was that tenant farmer thinking? His worldview was: As long as I occupy this place, I can get it. But he did not know that if he pleased the owner, the owner would give him the vineyard. In fact, Jesus is telling us: If you please God, God will give you more.

All things in heaven and on earth were created by God, and God gave all of this to man, but man has forgotten that everything he has is given by God. Man's vision is really very short, often only concerned with the present. Like the kings of Israel, they did not know that their throne was given by the Lord God. To protect their throne, they dared to kill the prophets sent by God. The Bible says that these kings did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord. They reigned foolishly, generation after generation.

The great prophet Isaiah was sawn in two, and the king who killed Isaiah once personally sought Isaiah and asked him for the word of God. The people of this world are so strange. Those kings seek the prophets, but they do not like to listen to the words of these prophets. Then, like ostriches, they bury their heads in the sand, and as a result, God takes their lives. When God wants to take a person's life, no one can stop it, so never be a person who provokes God's anger.

A person's view of the world determines whether he is wise or foolish. Those who know God will think before making a decision: There is God! As a result, they get the benefit. Those who do not know God will think before making a decision: There is no God? I am God! As a result, they suffer a lot. So there are two kinds of people in this world: one is the wise man who pleases God, who knows that his days on earth are not long and must live by trusting in God. For example, Abraham, a man of faith, did things by faith in God, and God made his name great, made his descendants a great nation, and made him a blessing to all nations. The other is the foolish man who provokes God's anger. They do not believe in God at all, and only draw near to God with their mouths, but rely on themselves in everything they do. For example, the Pharisees who tempted Jesus.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.（Proverbs 9:10）True wisdom is knowing God and knowing that God is the Lord of all the earth. If you please God, will God not give you everything?

Fools Ask Foolish Questions

From the questions a person asks, it can be judged whether he is wise or foolish. The questions people ask come from their own worldview. Some people think that what they cannot do, others cannot do either. Let's look at the first foolish question the Pharisees asked, which was about money and taxes.

They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we?” (Mark 12:14)

They thought they would definitely stump Jesus, because their logic was this: If Jesus said that taxes should not be paid, then they would say that Jesus was anti-government; if Jesus said that taxes should be paid, then they would say that Jesus was not a true believer in God. Both answers would make Jesus look foolish and ignorant, but he answered very wisely.

But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” And they were amazed at him.（Mark 12:15-17）

The money that fools value is not important at all in God's eyes. God wants people to have life and enter into his grace. But these Pharisees did not know what God wanted, and they did not expect Jesus to answer in this way. What was wrong with the Pharisees' questions? Didn't they also read this Bible? Therefore, do not think that people who read the Bible are Christians. The devil also reads the Bible. When reading the Bible, you must read it with faith, read that God is the Almighty God, trust in him well, and please him all your life, then you will not ask this kind of foolish question. People who do not believe in the Lord often ask me: If Jesus can heal, what is the use of a hospital? I said: This is a foolish question. Because hospitals can only cure some diseases. They are prepared for people who have no faith and do not know how to draw on God's grace, but I know that our God is the greatest doctor!

The second foolish question was asked by the Sadducees.

Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman and died without leaving any children. The second one married her, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third. In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too. At the resurrection, whose wife will she be, since all seven were married to her?”（Mark 12:19-23）

The Sadducees had no idea of resurrection in their minds. They asked this question in order to stump Jesus. As a result, Jesus answered:

Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or God’s power? When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the account of the burning bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!” (Mark 12:24-27)

The wise man will think that he does not know, but the fool thinks that he knows everything. These Sadducees did not know God when they were alive. Did they think they would know God after they died? There are so many faithful promises in the Bible. Instead of drawing on them, they try to stump Jesus here. It is very sad. So we must begin to walk a path of practicing our faith, not just discussing it in theory. This is the characteristic of our church, because we are definitely not playing false, nor are we arguing in words. We are demonstrating to people with the powerful evidence of the Holy Spirit. I encourage everyone to be raised up and become people who act on God's word, not people who speculate.

Wise Men Ask Wise Questions

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.（Mark 12:28-34）

We must, like this scribe, learn to ask the right questions. What should I do? Whether it can be done is another matter, but knowing what you should do is very important! Here, Jesus' answer to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength is measured according to the ability God gives to people, not a set standard. For example, if I was born as a farmer and have not received a higher education, then God will measure me according to my situation. Therefore, this word all is so well said! In whatever situation we are in, we speak whatever words are appropriate, and act according to that situation. In this way, as long as you know that God is everything to you, you can do it. But if you do not know that God is an almighty God, nor do you know that God can meet all your needs in life, you will put many things above God.

Therefore, when reading the Bible, be sure to ask smart questions! After reading it, how should I act? Do not be foolish, do not speculate.

Jesus wants to subvert our ideas

Previously, these people were asking Jesus questions, but now it's Jesus' turn to ask questions. He asked about David, because all Israelites knew David, and no one denied that David was a prophet, nor did anyone deny that David was pleasing to God. So Jesus used the poem written by David, saying:

David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared: “‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.”’ David himself calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can he be his son?” The large crowd listened to him with delight. (Mark 12:36-37)

How does Jesus want to guide us? By asking this question, he hopes that intelligent people can realize a truth: that Jesus is originally the Lord, the Son of God, who came into this world in the flesh to be a sacrificial atonement for man. Jesus hopes that intelligent people can become even more intelligent, see the truth clearly, and subvert our worldview.

For example, if I say to someone: Come to the meeting and believe in the Lord properly. He would say: Then will you help me solve my problems at work? He thinks that God cannot help him, but God has already confirmed one thing among us: as long as you believe in the Lord properly, serve and trust this God well, God will help you solve your problems at work!

The sign of a curse is that thorns and weeds grow in the work you do, that is, many inexplicable problems arise that cannot be solved no matter how you try. But those who serve God well in our church rarely encounter problems in their jobs. Since our God is the God who rose from the dead, are you willing to give all your problems to God? This requires completely subverting our concepts, that is, God will solve my problems for me, our God is an almighty God.

Do not believe in the Lord hypocritically

Be sure not to believe in the Lord hypocritically, and also beware of those who cheat and deceive.

As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and for show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.” (Mark 12:38-40)

Jesus is criticizing the unbelief of the scribes. These scribes like to do superficial work, which can be proved by their attitude towards money. They only love God on the surface, but inside they love money. People like high positions and like to gain human honor, but what people like is what God hates. This is of no use except to subject them to more severe punishment. When we truly trust in God, pleasing God alone is enough.

Genuine dedication

A poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” (Mark 12:42-44)

People's attitude towards money basically determines people's attitude towards God. Whether it is work or life, the root of many problems is money. If a person has worries about money, then he will basically play tricks, thinking that trusting in God is not real, and having money is real. This is a very foolish idea, whether you have money or not is not the problem, because a disaster can sweep away all your wealth.

Therefore, if you are a person who works desperately every day, you probably do not believe that God will solve your problems; if you learn to let go of the difficulties you face with faith, God will really solve your problems! Even if your problem is not solved immediately, you will not die. Why can't you set aside the time that belongs to God as holy?

This widow is genuine. Jesus saw an eighty-year-old widow put all the two copper coins she had in her hand into it. She lives by faith, because God will never let people be so poor that they have nothing to eat! When you start to dedicate yourself genuinely, God's power will surely be manifested through you and become your blessing, because God wants to bless such people.

Jesus said that this person put in everything she had to live on. If you also put in everything you have to live on, or like Peter: Lord, we have left everything to follow you. Then, there is no one who will not receive a hundred times as much in this present age and eternal life in the age to come. (See Mark 10:30) The words of Jesus will definitely be fulfilled in us, as long as we walk with such faith, we will definitely be blessed.

Today, many people are still busy with work, but they do not know that the power of God can solve all the problems in people's lives, nor do they know that faith can draw on God's grace. Because the earth and all that is on it, the heavens and all that is in them, belong to our God, and if God gives us a little, it is enough for our lives, how simple!

Therefore, if we truly believe in the Lord, let us be genuine and never play tricks with God. Whatever God says, we will do. Do not ask foolish questions, ask smart questions, not only ask smart questions, but also start learning to pay the price to prove that we are genuine! I hope that the brothers and sisters in our church will all become people blessed by God!