A New Question September 17
Mark 12:13 Then they sent to Him some of the Pharisees and the Herodians, to catch Him in His words. 14 When they had come, they said to Him, “Teacher, we know that You are true, and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? 15 Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?”
The Herodians are the supporters of Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great, who betrayed Israel to the Romans. In exchange for his treachery, Herod the Great had been made king of Israel under Roman authority.
Herod Antipas rules over only one fourth of Herod the Great’s domain, sharing the title of tetrarch with three other rulers. Herod and his followers are sympathizers with Rome, so the alliance with Jesus’ other opponents is uneasy and temporary.
The question posed to Jesus is another “no win” question. Jesus is a threat to Rome and subject to arrest if He answers “No”, or will lose the support of the people if He answers “Yes.”
After stating they know Jesus does not care about the opinions of men but speaks only the truth of God, they ask, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?”
Implied is a simple “yes” or “no” answer, either of which will be damaging to Jesus.
The purpose of a question is to gain enlightenment, but this question is designed to obscure truth rather than to bring truth to light. It is a trap rather than a question, a cloak of darkness concealed under the illusion of light.
Another Question Back September 18
Mark 12:15 Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?”
But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, “Why do you test Me? Bring Me a denarius that I may see it.” 16 So they brought it.
And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They said to Him, “Caesar’s.”
17 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
And they marveled at Him.
The questions asked Jesus, the source of His authority and whether to pay taxes, both have held answers that must conflict with either the secular or the religious authorities. That the Synoptic Gospels all agree so closely in relating these two scenes gives us an idea of the impression these events made on those who witnessed them.
Again, Jesus answers a question with a question.
Jesus involves those in need of healing in the process. Being made whole requires the commitment of those who are ill, and it is important that they are a part of the process.
Asking questions as they do has been an attempt to control the narrative, to prejudice the response so that those who ask are the clear winners in this show of power.
Jesus’ question to them has an obvious answer, an answer they already know. Although no one has more knowledge for hearing the answer, the truth of the answer to Jesus’ question is the foundation for the correct answer to their question.
The coin has Caesar’s image. Therefore, the coin belongs to Caesar. Thus, the answer to their question is obvious!
They Marveled September 19
Mark 12:17 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
And they marveled at Him.
To want to please those who question us with the “right” answer is a natural instinct. We want to belong, to earn acceptance.
But the Herodians and Pharisees already have stated why they will be unable to trap Jesus. They have said that Jesus cares not about the opinion of men, but only the truth of God.
And they marvel at Jesus because He is more willing to please God than men….
A secular world tends to ask secular questions, even when dressed in what appears to be spiritual garb. Secular truth is derived from spiritual truth. When we fail to go to the deeper level of the question, the answer may be accurate, but not true.
When complex issues are reduced to two choices, there is a huge possibility that we are not asking the correct question.
Where we spend money, who we protect or demonize militarily, and the rights of individuals versus corporations, for example, have similar responses from both U.S. political parties.
For example, is $40 billion better spent on a distant war or a distant famine? Why was that not the question?
It does not take an Isaiah or a Jesus to show us that we have lost our way. Ask a question of importance in 2022, and we will see our answers are unhelpful because we are not asking the right question.
Whose Wife? September 20
Mark 12:18 Then some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him; and they asked Him, saying: 19 “Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man’s brother dies, and leaves his wife behind, and leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. 20 Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife; and dying, he left no offspring. 21 And the second took her, and he died; nor did he leave any offspring. And the third likewise. 22 So the seven had her and left no offspring. Last of all the woman died also. 23 Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be? For all seven had her as wife.”
The Sadducees are conservative in their interpretation of what writings are included under the term “Scripture.” They accept only the five books of Moses. In these writings of Moses, they find no resurrection.
Their question is an extreme example. A woman has married and is childless when her husband dies. A brother fulfills his obligation (Deut. 25:5-6) by marrying the widow, and she is childless when he dies. The same story continues through all seven brothers. Whose wife is she in heaven?
There are a number of Scriptures outside of Moses that tell us of the resurrection, as in Job 19:23-27, Dan. 12:2, and Is. 26:19.
We can see the Sadducees’ question to Jesus has the purpose of forcing Jesus to admit there is no resurrection, thus agreeing with them against the Pharisees. Otherwise, he must offer proof acceptable to them that there is a resurrection, and no one has successfully refuted their argument previously.
His questioners are confident they have asked a question with no acceptable answer.
The Power of God September 21
Mark 12:24 Jesus answered and said to them, “Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.
Jesus does not take a defensive position, but answers their questions on His terms according to the limited Scriptures they will accept.
First, Jesus asserts they do not know the Scriptures, a charge He will substantiate shortly.
Second, their doubt of the resurrection to eternal life is doubting the power of God. This is further evidence that the Sadducees do not understand the Scriptures. Jesus does not speak, for example, of the birth of Isaac (Gen. 21) that would confirm His statement. God fulfilled His promise of a son to Abraham and Sarah, life after the death of their regenerative ability (Gen. 18:1-15).
His third point regards the sexless life of angels who, because they do not die, have no need of procreation. The Sadducees do not believe in angels, but the lack of a need for marriage in heaven is clear from the analogy of angels and resurrected spirits.
Their question is meaningless because there is no marriage in an earthly sense in the resurrection. Their question shows a misunderstanding of the nature of heaven even among those who believe in the resurrection.
All of this is a prelude to Jesus’ central lesson.
God of the Living September 22
Mark 12:26 But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 27 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. You are therefore greatly mistaken.”
Jesus meets the Sadducees on their own terms by referring to the writings of Moses.
In Exodus 3, God Identifies Himself as “I AM,” an entity that has always been and always will be. In verse 6, God states that He is the God of Moses’ father, as well as of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God’s statement does not allow a time when He is not the God of these men.
Indeed, God’s statement speaks of a very personal relationship, a connection between God and individuals rather than God and a collective, such as a nation.
As the eternal God, His relationships are eternal, never ending. For this to be true, death cannot end the life of God’s Creation.
We must think of His relationship with Israel as eternal, as it is with other individuals and collectives, including Cain (Genesis) and Assyria (Jonah), for example.
Jesus does not chastise the Sadducees for their limited selection of Scripture, but for their misinterpretation of what they do accept. His remarks are gentle compared to His words against the hypocrisy of the Pharisees.
This is a reminder for us to study the Word of God in the context of His character.
The Greatest Commandment September 23
Mark 12:28 Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?”
Scribes are well-versed in the Law, having spent a lifetime of copying Scripture. This man recognizes Jesus’ wisdom in His response to the Pharisees, and asks a question.
This appears to be a legitimate question to Jesus, a true desire for knowledge as to the first (greatest, or most important) commandment.
We might imagine this as a question that has been in the back of his mind for some time as he waded through the multitude of laws of the Pharisees. There are a large number of Pharisaic laws. Add the differing interpretations by respected teachers, and the complexity of it all is beyond the understanding of lay people.
The scribe also copied both the Law from Moses and the pronouncements of the prophets. The Ten Commandments had been in the Ark of the Covenant, and the additional laws in the books of Moses had been in pockets on the outside of the Ark. Simplicity had become more complex, and the complexity had become overwhelming with the interpretations and restrictions added and revised and multiplied over time.
In a complex physical world that often seems at odds with the core principles of righteousness and justice, the desire for an overriding principle that brings everything together is understandable.
We all look for the simplicity beyond complexity. Perhaps we will find it in one law….
Next day
Mark 12:13 Then they sent to Him some of the Pharisees and the Herodians, to catch Him in His words. 14 When they had come, they said to Him, “Teacher, we know that You are true, and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? 15 Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?”
The Herodians are the supporters of Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great, who betrayed Israel to the Romans. In exchange for his treachery, Herod the Great had been made king of Israel under Roman authority.
Herod Antipas rules over only one fourth of Herod the Great’s domain, sharing the title of tetrarch with three other rulers. Herod and his followers are sympathizers with Rome, so the alliance with Jesus’ other opponents is uneasy and temporary.
The question posed to Jesus is another “no win” question. Jesus is a threat to Rome and subject to arrest if He answers “No”, or will lose the support of the people if He answers “Yes.”
After stating they know Jesus does not care about the opinions of men but speaks only the truth of God, they ask, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?”
Implied is a simple “yes” or “no” answer, either of which will be damaging to Jesus.
The purpose of a question is to gain enlightenment, but this question is designed to obscure truth rather than to bring truth to light. It is a trap rather than a question, a cloak of darkness concealed under the illusion of light.
Another Question Back September 18
Mark 12:15 Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?”
But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, “Why do you test Me? Bring Me a denarius that I may see it.” 16 So they brought it.
And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They said to Him, “Caesar’s.”
17 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
And they marveled at Him.
The questions asked Jesus, the source of His authority and whether to pay taxes, both have held answers that must conflict with either the secular or the religious authorities. That the Synoptic Gospels all agree so closely in relating these two scenes gives us an idea of the impression these events made on those who witnessed them.
Again, Jesus answers a question with a question.
Jesus involves those in need of healing in the process. Being made whole requires the commitment of those who are ill, and it is important that they are a part of the process.
Asking questions as they do has been an attempt to control the narrative, to prejudice the response so that those who ask are the clear winners in this show of power.
Jesus’ question to them has an obvious answer, an answer they already know. Although no one has more knowledge for hearing the answer, the truth of the answer to Jesus’ question is the foundation for the correct answer to their question.
The coin has Caesar’s image. Therefore, the coin belongs to Caesar. Thus, the answer to their question is obvious!
They Marveled September 19
Mark 12:17 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
And they marveled at Him.
To want to please those who question us with the “right” answer is a natural instinct. We want to belong, to earn acceptance.
But the Herodians and Pharisees already have stated why they will be unable to trap Jesus. They have said that Jesus cares not about the opinion of men, but only the truth of God.
And they marvel at Jesus because He is more willing to please God than men….
A secular world tends to ask secular questions, even when dressed in what appears to be spiritual garb. Secular truth is derived from spiritual truth. When we fail to go to the deeper level of the question, the answer may be accurate, but not true.
When complex issues are reduced to two choices, there is a huge possibility that we are not asking the correct question.
Where we spend money, who we protect or demonize militarily, and the rights of individuals versus corporations, for example, have similar responses from both U.S. political parties.
For example, is $40 billion better spent on a distant war or a distant famine? Why was that not the question?
It does not take an Isaiah or a Jesus to show us that we have lost our way. Ask a question of importance in 2022, and we will see our answers are unhelpful because we are not asking the right question.
Whose Wife? September 20
Mark 12:18 Then some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him; and they asked Him, saying: 19 “Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man’s brother dies, and leaves his wife behind, and leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. 20 Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife; and dying, he left no offspring. 21 And the second took her, and he died; nor did he leave any offspring. And the third likewise. 22 So the seven had her and left no offspring. Last of all the woman died also. 23 Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be? For all seven had her as wife.”
The Sadducees are conservative in their interpretation of what writings are included under the term “Scripture.” They accept only the five books of Moses. In these writings of Moses, they find no resurrection.
Their question is an extreme example. A woman has married and is childless when her husband dies. A brother fulfills his obligation (Deut. 25:5-6) by marrying the widow, and she is childless when he dies. The same story continues through all seven brothers. Whose wife is she in heaven?
There are a number of Scriptures outside of Moses that tell us of the resurrection, as in Job 19:23-27, Dan. 12:2, and Is. 26:19.
We can see the Sadducees’ question to Jesus has the purpose of forcing Jesus to admit there is no resurrection, thus agreeing with them against the Pharisees. Otherwise, he must offer proof acceptable to them that there is a resurrection, and no one has successfully refuted their argument previously.
His questioners are confident they have asked a question with no acceptable answer.
The Power of God September 21
Mark 12:24 Jesus answered and said to them, “Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.
Jesus does not take a defensive position, but answers their questions on His terms according to the limited Scriptures they will accept.
First, Jesus asserts they do not know the Scriptures, a charge He will substantiate shortly.
Second, their doubt of the resurrection to eternal life is doubting the power of God. This is further evidence that the Sadducees do not understand the Scriptures. Jesus does not speak, for example, of the birth of Isaac (Gen. 21) that would confirm His statement. God fulfilled His promise of a son to Abraham and Sarah, life after the death of their regenerative ability (Gen. 18:1-15).
His third point regards the sexless life of angels who, because they do not die, have no need of procreation. The Sadducees do not believe in angels, but the lack of a need for marriage in heaven is clear from the analogy of angels and resurrected spirits.
Their question is meaningless because there is no marriage in an earthly sense in the resurrection. Their question shows a misunderstanding of the nature of heaven even among those who believe in the resurrection.
All of this is a prelude to Jesus’ central lesson.
God of the Living September 22
Mark 12:26 But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 27 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. You are therefore greatly mistaken.”
Jesus meets the Sadducees on their own terms by referring to the writings of Moses.
In Exodus 3, God Identifies Himself as “I AM,” an entity that has always been and always will be. In verse 6, God states that He is the God of Moses’ father, as well as of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God’s statement does not allow a time when He is not the God of these men.
Indeed, God’s statement speaks of a very personal relationship, a connection between God and individuals rather than God and a collective, such as a nation.
As the eternal God, His relationships are eternal, never ending. For this to be true, death cannot end the life of God’s Creation.
We must think of His relationship with Israel as eternal, as it is with other individuals and collectives, including Cain (Genesis) and Assyria (Jonah), for example.
Jesus does not chastise the Sadducees for their limited selection of Scripture, but for their misinterpretation of what they do accept. His remarks are gentle compared to His words against the hypocrisy of the Pharisees.
This is a reminder for us to study the Word of God in the context of His character.
The Greatest Commandment September 23
Mark 12:28 Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?”
Scribes are well-versed in the Law, having spent a lifetime of copying Scripture. This man recognizes Jesus’ wisdom in His response to the Pharisees, and asks a question.
This appears to be a legitimate question to Jesus, a true desire for knowledge as to the first (greatest, or most important) commandment.
We might imagine this as a question that has been in the back of his mind for some time as he waded through the multitude of laws of the Pharisees. There are a large number of Pharisaic laws. Add the differing interpretations by respected teachers, and the complexity of it all is beyond the understanding of lay people.
The scribe also copied both the Law from Moses and the pronouncements of the prophets. The Ten Commandments had been in the Ark of the Covenant, and the additional laws in the books of Moses had been in pockets on the outside of the Ark. Simplicity had become more complex, and the complexity had become overwhelming with the interpretations and restrictions added and revised and multiplied over time.
In a complex physical world that often seems at odds with the core principles of righteousness and justice, the desire for an overriding principle that brings everything together is understandable.
We all look for the simplicity beyond complexity. Perhaps we will find it in one law….
Next day