The Cross Examination Continues. (Mark 12:13-44 )
When the Prime Minister or a President has a press conference the journalists turn up and most of them seem to believe they have a right not just to ask questions but to challenge everything that is said. It seems to me that during the last week of His life on earth Jesus faced a constant cross examination. We saw some of it last week and it continues in the text we shall look at today. But in His case, it wasn’t the press corps, it was the religious and political leaders of His day that Jesus constantly faced. And they came at him with just one plan, to deliberately trying to trip him up and thereby be justified in killing Him. There is much to learn here not only about how he handled such cross examinations, but also the valuable spiritual lessons that He taught in doing so. Before we look at the passage in detail I want you to notice that there will be three groups of people challenging Jesus.
In the opening five verses it’s the Pharisees and Herodians. In verse 18-27 it’s the Sadducees and then finally it is the Scribes, the teachers of the law. Jesus deals with questions and objections from all three groups Then at the end of the chapter there is a closing section where Jesus will turn the tables on them all by asking them all an important question. So, lets pick up the story at verse 13.
Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words.
(Mark 12: 13)
The Pharisee were the people who added the oral law to the written law we have met them many times before in the Gospel accounts and they were the legalists of their day. The other group, mentioned with them are the Herodians and they were the political elite of their day, and they supported Herod and the Romans. What is fascinating to know is that the Pharisee’s were extremely anti-Roman and the fact that these two groups came together to attack Jesus is very interesting. Natural enemies have banded together to do battle with their common enemy, Jesus. Clearly, they viewed him as a threat. So, they come together and says this.
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.
(Mark 12 14-15a)
So, there not above using flattery to ingratiate themselves with Jesus, but they don’t mean a word of this. This is all just totally insincere flattery, and they then ask Him this question.
Is it right to pay the poll-tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay, or shouldn’t we?’
(Mark 12: 14b-15a)
So, that’s the question, but one thing we need to note is the phrase “should we pay” Now the word translated pay, is actually a word that means give. You see from their point of view, they were not paying for something, they were just giving something to the Romans that they though was theirs. One of the reasons they disliked paying this tax, was because they had to pay it to Caesar and they had to use Roman coins to pay it, and on these coins was an image of Caesar and they considered that idolatry. So here they come to Jesus and say is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar? This is the trap, because if he says no to that, then he is in trouble with the Romans, in fact for saying such a thing the authorities could probably come and arrest Him. If he said, yes, he would lose any popular public opinion he had. It seems no matter what He says He is going to be in trouble. However, they didn’t realize He was going to say this.
But Jesus, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, “Why do you test Me? Bring Me a denarius that I may see it.” So, they brought it. And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They said to Him, “Caesar’s.” 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 marvelled at Him.
(Mark 12: 15b-17) N.K.J.V
I have had to go back the original King James Version to make what I believe is a very interesting and important point. Remember back in verse 14 I said the word “pay” meant to give. Jesus uses a different word this time a word translated correctly here as “render”. That Greek word “render” means to return, to give back, to restore to someone. So, the Pharisee’s and the Herodians are saying, do we have to give this money to the government, and Jesus is saying, no, you are not really giving them anything as such, you are merely returning to them what is due. Caesar’s Government has been giving you something and you are just required to give some of it back. In other word obedience to a political tax system does not mean disloyalty to God. Obligations to a Govt, no matter how flawed do not infringe on our rights and responsibilities towards God and neither does it condemn you if the human Government takes your tax money and then spend it inappropriately. We can and should lobby and declare what our Christian faith prompts us to say how that tax money should, and should not be used for, but our responsibility stops there. So let me say, just in case any of you think otherwise, the bible is very clear that we should pay all our taxes. None of us can accept the benefits of what the state gives us, (no matter how flawed in their application the state system is, but then opt out of our responsibilities to pay. We may think are governments were flawed, but if ever a system of Government was flawed it was the Roman government in the time of Jesus. At the end of the day it still brought about a sense of security, and what was called the “Pax Romana”, and it was that “Roman Peace” that allowed the gospel to spread across the then civilized world.
So, Jesus says, “render to Caesar what belongs to Caesar”, and he uses the image of a Caesar on the coin to make His point. However, at the same time, he then says, “Render to God what is Gods.” Caesar had his image stamped on a Roman coin, but I wonder where does God have His image stamped? Well, the bible tells us this.
God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
(Gen 1:27)
So, give back to Caesar the things that belong to him, for his stamp of ownership is on the coin anyway. But give back to God that which belongs to Him, because his image, his stamp of ownership is on you. So, they cross examined Him, and they tried to trip Him up, but they failed. It is at this point another member of this theological press core has a go at Him from another angle. We now here from the Sadducees.
Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. ‘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 and died without leaving any children. The second one married the widow, 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 the seven were married to her?’
(Mark 12:18-23)
Did you see what is going on here? It’s complicated but let me read for you verse 18 again, then drop down and look at verse 23 again.
18 Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question…………………………
23 At the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?’
The group who don’t believe in the resurrection, bring up a question about the resurrection, could they be any more hypocritical. I love Jesus’ answer, verse 24.
24 Jesus replied, ‘You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?
(Mark 12: 24)
The Sadducees were assuming that life today was going to be what life is like in heaven. They are making the mistake of creating heaven in the image of earth. Human beings have always done this. Native Americans art shows heaven as a happy hunting ground. In Europe the Vikings who were by nature warriors saw their heaven (Valhalla) as a banqueting place where every evening the fallen warriors would be resurrected to spend the evening in banquets, drinking wine from cups made from the skulls of their conquered foes. (Nice)
The Muslims people at the time of its appearance were an impoverished desert people, and they saw heaven as a place of unimaginably luxury where people would relax replete in spender with every physical and bodily pleasure being met. Men will always make heaven in the image of earth, but, Jesus says, you don’t get this at all, that’s not what is going to happen, because that’s not what heaven will be like.
When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.
(Mark 12: 25)
You guys don’t understand heaven at all and you also don’t understand what the scriptures teach concerning the resurrection.
Now about the dead rising – 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: 26-27)
Now this is where it can seem to get a little bit complicated, but, let me try and explain what He does here. There are many passages in prophetic books of the Old Testament that talk about the resurrection but here He chooses to go to a passage in Exodus Ch 3. So, why does He do that? The answer is because the Sadducees only respected the Pentateuch, the first five books of the bible. He selects a passage that they would have to accept as authoritative. He says to them, you remember back in Exodus at the burning bush God said this to Moses, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.’ (Ex 3:6) So, what’s that got to do with the resurrection? Well, God also said “I am” the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, not, I was, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. So, to say “I am”, present tense, meaning even when they had already died physically, they are still alive spiritually somewhere else.
The Sadducees are what we would today call annihilationist’s. The thought once you were dead, that was it. So, what Jesus is doing here is using the scriptures that they accept, to rebuke them, and answer their question in the most incredible way. He used the Word of God, to demonstrate the power of God to correct their wrong thinking. We’ve seen two people challenge the Lord, there is one more group who want to have their two-penny’s worth.
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?’
(Mark 12:28)
I need to stop and tell you at this point, that the teachers of the law are exactly what their name suggests, they are the lawyers, and the lawyers want to know what is the greatest law? Remember this group of “lawyers” are the supposed experts they are the ones who codified the 10 commandments into 613 different laws. And they claim they want to now know which one is the most important. Jesus answers them.
‘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 neighbour as yourself.” There is no commandment greater than these.’
(Mark 12: 29-31)
This is another deeply significant move on the Lord’s part. He tells them, you ought to love the Lord with all that is within you, with all of your being. This is not just loving Him emotionally with your heart but also, with your mind. It doesn’t really matter whether you are smart or not so smart, God gave you whatever intellect you have, and he expects you are to bring it all to the alter when it comes to understanding and loving God. So, having told them that, he adds the caveat, oh, by the way you should also, “love your neighbour as yourself”. Listen to what the disciple John said about this in his first letter.
Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.
(1 John 4:20-21)
Jesus reminds us of these two commandments, the greatest commandments, belong together, they are not two separate things. The scribes and lawyers then respond to Jesus in this way.
‘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 neighbour as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.’
(Mark 12: 32-33)
This group seemed to get this much. They have done better than the other groups who questioned him earlier, and this prompts Jesus to say.
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: 34)
No more questions; not surprising really, is it? He has now dealt with the Pharisees the Herodians and the teachers of the law. Notice it was only the teachers of the law that Jesus said were the close to getting it, and he commends them for it. But remember being close to the kingdom of God is not the same as being in the kingdom of God. Having done that he does one more thing. He turns around and says, let me ask you guys a question.
While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he asked, ‘Why do the teachers of the law say that the Messiah is the son of David? 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.’”[Ps 110]
David himself calls him “Lord”. How then can he be his son?’
The large crowd listened to him with delight.
(Mark 12: 35-37)
Now, this is brilliant, let me explain. The Jews recognized the Messiah was coming, and they recognised that the Messiah was the ‘Son of David’. They also recognized that one of the key Psalms in disclosing the promise of the Messiah was Psalm 110. So, Jesus says, you teachers of the law, you know the scriptures, your close to the kingdom of God, let’s get you into the kingdom of God. You know that Psalm, (Psalm 110) is talking about the coming Messiah, but have you looked at it carefully, he says. It says, “the Lord said to my Lord” David is talking here, and he calls the Son of David, the Messiah, “My Lord” How can David say his son will have Lordship over him. If he’s your son, how can he have authority over, you. In other words, the Son of David, is the Lord, who is also the Son of God and remember David was a king and the only person over a king, is God. So, if He is the Messiah, and because he is over David, then He is definitely over YOU. The crowd, the common people listening got this right away. Which is why at this point Jesus turns to the crowd and says;
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 honour at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.’
(Mark 12: 38-40)
He had just said to the scribes, you are not far from the kingdom of God but you’re not in it yet because you haven’t recognised who the Messiah is. Then at exactly the same time, He turns to the common people and says, you beware of these people because all they really want is a place of pre-eminence. Then He describes what these types of people generally look like. They wear long robes, he says, so that they can be distinguished from the ordinary man in the street, he says. They love to be recognised and receive special greetings in the marketplace. The love to sit in the most important place at the dining table and they love to sit in the most important seats in church and they take advantage of people who are financially struggling in order to Lord over them. Jesus says, beware of those people because all they really want is to be pre-emanant.
Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few pence. 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: 41-44)
The Lord is saying beware of people who want to be pre-eminent. Then He says, by way of illustration, look at this widow, if you really want to do something significant in the eyes of God, be like her and practice sacrificial giving. Some give all they have, and some give only out of what they have left-over.
Let me sum this all up, because there are some huge things we have dealt with in this lengthy section of scripture. In the context of a discussion covering the payment of taxes, the resurrection, and the most important commandments Jesus teaches we ought to render to Government what is theirs and render to God what is His and we give to God by loving Him and loving our neighbour.
If you belong God, if you recognise Jesus as the Messiah, if you know the scriptures and the power of God. You should then not seek pre-eminence. Instead, you should just whole heartedly love God and love your neighbours as yourself and sacrificially give and serve. Too often in life we seem more focused on trying to outdo one another and have other serve us.
I heard of a story of a private who went into his Majors office. He saluted and said, “permission to speak, Sir.” The Major said, “just wait a moment, soldier I have an important phone call to make.” He picked up the phone pressed some buttons and spoke. “Hello General, is that you I am just returning your call, I can confirm I will be able to meet you along with the other officers at the time you requested.” He then hung up the phone, kept the private waiting another 30 seconds whilst competing some paperwork before saying, “what was it you wanted to say to me private.” The private said, “Sir I have been sent to connect your phone.” Beware of those who seek pre-eminence.
At the beginning of this passage Jesus said, bring me a coin. And asked, whose image is on it? Whose image is on you? We need to remember we are made in the image of God; therefore, we belong to him. And we belong to Him by believing His Son Jesus Christ is the Messiah and the saviour of our souls and out of that comes the ability to love, and to love our neighbours as ourselves. This passage of scripture just about covers everything that you need to live the Christian life. If you can do all that, you’re not just close to the kingdom of God, you’re in the kingdom of God. When we really know scripture, and we really know the power of God, we can only then truly humbly submit to the Lord in the Power of the Holy Spirit. So, my advice to all of us today, and to myself also, don’t be like the scribes, be like the widow and you’ll be just fine. Don’t be near to the kingdom of God, be in the kingdom of God.