WEBVTT 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:06.320 So, like I said, we're in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 12, and we're going to be starting in verse 13. 00:00:06.639 --> 00:00:15.039 And as a reminder before we read that, this is the Tuesday of the week that's leading up to Jesus' resurrection. 00:00:15.759 --> 00:00:18.320 Or his death, burial, and resurrection, I should say. 00:00:18.480 --> 00:00:22.640 So Sunday we saw that there was the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. 00:00:22.879 --> 00:00:26.000 Monday, we saw Jesus cleansing the temple. 00:00:26.239 --> 00:00:30.079 And Tuesday is Jesus being confronted by all of these Jewish leaders. 00:00:30.160 --> 00:00:31.679 He's being tested by them. 00:00:31.920 --> 00:00:37.359 Last week it was about where he gets his authority to do all these things that he's been doing. 00:00:37.520 --> 00:00:40.320 And that carries right into our passage here today. 00:00:40.479 --> 00:00:42.880 So let's stand for the reading of God's word. 00:00:43.920 --> 00:00:47.119 Mark chapter 12, beginning in verse 13. 00:00:47.759 --> 00:00:53.759 Says, Then they sent some of the Pharisees and the Herodians to Jesus to trap him in his words. 00:00:54.000 --> 00:01:04.239 When they came, they said to him, Teacher, we know you are truthful and don't care what anyone thinks, nor do you show partiality, but teach the way of God truthfully. 00:01:04.560 --> 00:01:08.719 Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? 00:01:09.359 --> 00:01:11.519 Should we pay or shouldn't we? 00:01:11.760 --> 00:01:15.920 But knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, Why are you testing me? 00:01:16.079 --> 00:01:18.319 Bring me a denarius to look at. 00:01:18.560 --> 00:01:20.079 They brought a coin. 00:01:20.400 --> 00:01:22.640 Whose image and inscription is this? 00:01:22.799 --> 00:01:23.439 He asked them. 00:01:23.760 --> 00:01:25.120 Caesar's, they replied. 00:01:25.359 --> 00:01:31.840 Jesus told them, Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. 00:01:32.000 --> 00:01:35.200 And they were utterly amazed at him. 00:01:35.680 --> 00:01:39.760 Sadducees who say there is no resurrection came to him and questioned him. 00:01:40.000 --> 00:01:51.599 Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies, leaving a wife behind, but no child, that man should take the wife and raise up offspring for his brother. 00:01:51.840 --> 00:01:53.519 There were seven brothers. 00:01:53.680 --> 00:01:57.359 The first married a woman, and dying left no offspring. 00:01:57.599 --> 00:02:02.319 The second also took her, and he died, leaving no offspring. 00:02:02.560 --> 00:02:08.000 And the third likewise, none of the seven left offspring. 00:02:08.240 --> 00:02:10.719 Last of all, the woman died too. 00:02:11.039 --> 00:02:12.080 In the resurrection. 00:02:12.240 --> 00:02:19.280 So here's the question In the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be, since the seven had married her? 00:02:19.520 --> 00:02:23.840 Jesus spoke to them, Isn't this the reason why you're mistaken? 00:02:24.000 --> 00:02:26.560 You don't know the scriptures or the power of God. 00:02:26.800 --> 00:02:32.639 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 00:02:32.800 --> 00:02:44.080 And as for the dead being raised, haven't you read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God said to him, I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. 00:02:44.319 --> 00:02:46.879 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. 00:02:47.120 --> 00:02:49.280 You are badly mistaken. 00:02:49.599 --> 00:02:54.879 One of the scribes approached when he heard them debating and saw that Jesus answered them well. 00:02:55.120 --> 00:02:59.280 He asked them, Which command is the most important of all? 00:02:59.520 --> 00:03:07.039 Jesus answered, The most important is listen, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 00:03:07.520 --> 00:03:14.560 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. 00:03:14.800 --> 00:03:17.919 The second is Love your neighbor as yourself. 00:03:18.080 --> 00:03:20.319 There is no other command greater than this. 00:03:20.479 --> 00:03:28.159 Then the scribe said to him, You are right, teacher, you have correctly said that he is one, and there is no one else except him. 00:03:28.560 --> 00:03:38.960 And to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is far more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices. 00:03:39.199 --> 00:03:49.919 When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, You are not far from the kingdom of God, and no one dared to question him any longer. 00:03:50.159 --> 00:03:51.199 Let's pray. 00:03:51.520 --> 00:03:53.680 Lord, I thank you so much for your word. 00:03:53.919 --> 00:04:04.560 I thank you for this tangible thing that we can hold in our hands, that you your word, where we can learn, where we can know you more. 00:04:04.800 --> 00:04:07.680 Lord, and I pray that that is exactly what would happen. 00:04:07.840 --> 00:04:14.560 That this just wouldn't be head knowledge and fun facts that we're memorizing, but we would truly know your heart more when we leave here today. 00:04:14.719 --> 00:04:17.040 Lord, we pray these things in Jesus' name. 00:04:17.360 --> 00:04:18.000 Amen. 00:04:18.240 --> 00:04:19.519 You may be seated. 00:04:20.720 --> 00:04:32.480 So this passage that we're going through right now, it's really uh part two from last week when Ben was teaching, where Jesus confounds the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders. 00:04:32.639 --> 00:04:39.120 And at the end of that passage that we were in last week, verse 12 says, So they left him and they went away. 00:04:39.279 --> 00:04:48.480 And Ben mentioned last week, and it'll be reinforced here today, that these sects of religious leaders didn't always play nice together. 00:04:48.720 --> 00:04:52.160 Last week we saw the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders. 00:04:52.240 --> 00:05:01.360 And then this week we're gonna see the Pharisees, the Herodians, the Sadducees, and then a lone scribe come up and ask Jesus all these questions. 00:05:01.600 --> 00:05:06.800 And all of these different sects had different roles within Judaism. 00:05:07.600 --> 00:05:19.120 But what we do see is that even though these groups didn't play nicely together, their hate for Jesus is what brought them together. 00:05:19.360 --> 00:05:23.439 They came together, as we saw last week, to conspire against him. 00:05:23.759 --> 00:05:27.680 And today is that continuation of that conspiring. 00:05:27.839 --> 00:05:39.040 So before we jump into verse 13, this message is a little different than what we might be used to here, because there's three different questions that we're gonna look at here today. 00:05:39.279 --> 00:05:44.959 And each one of these questions has an individual lesson for us to learn. 00:05:45.120 --> 00:05:49.839 So, in a way, we're gonna have like three mini sermons as we go throughout this today. 00:05:50.079 --> 00:05:52.240 So let's jump in, starting with verse 13. 00:05:52.319 --> 00:06:02.240 It says, Then they, so the conspiring group, sent some of the Pharisees and the Herodians to Jesus to trap him in his words. 00:06:02.480 --> 00:06:05.120 So first let's describe what the Pharisees are. 00:06:05.279 --> 00:06:09.839 They were a part of the Jewish sect that believed in life after death. 00:06:10.000 --> 00:06:12.240 They believed that bodies could be resurrected. 00:06:12.399 --> 00:06:14.319 They believed that there is an eternity. 00:06:14.560 --> 00:06:23.199 They held to traditions really tightly, especially the oral traditions of the day, and were very concerned with appearance. 00:06:23.519 --> 00:06:29.839 If you remember, they were the same ones that were so concerned when they saw Jesus eating with the tax collectors. 00:06:30.160 --> 00:06:32.079 We saw that in Mark chapter 2. 00:06:32.319 --> 00:06:39.759 Another trait is that they also wanted to keep their Jewish independence, and therefore they were anti-Rome. 00:06:39.920 --> 00:06:42.959 They're anti-the Roman occupation of that time. 00:06:43.199 --> 00:06:46.160 And then the other group that we see right here is the Herodians. 00:06:46.319 --> 00:06:50.959 And this was the Jewish sect that were politically faithful to Herod. 00:06:51.360 --> 00:07:01.519 Therefore, they were named Herodians, and therefore were willing to appease the Romans through obedience, as was Herod in that day. 00:07:01.680 --> 00:07:09.600 So the Pharisees, as you can imagine, and the Herodians typically were political enemies that despised each other. 00:07:09.839 --> 00:07:14.639 They were on the opposite side of the aisle, so to speak, to use modern terms. 00:07:14.800 --> 00:07:21.040 Yet they found one thing that could unite them: wanting Jesus dead. 00:07:21.759 --> 00:07:23.439 Look at verse 14. 00:07:24.000 --> 00:07:35.360 When they came, they said to him, Teacher, we know you are truthful and don't care what anyone thinks, nor do you show partiality, but teach the way of God truthfully. 00:07:35.600 --> 00:07:39.279 This is just flat out buttering up Jesus. 00:07:39.680 --> 00:07:44.879 A complete flattery, because nothing that they've done to this point proves anything that they said. 00:07:45.040 --> 00:07:52.560 Except I think there's one thing that they spoke truthfully, and it's when they said, And you don't care what anyone thinks. 00:07:54.160 --> 00:08:04.079 This probably actually really stood out to them because we just continually see the fear of man coming out of these religious leaders as they're testing Jesus. 00:08:04.240 --> 00:08:10.480 They never wanted to do anything to upset the crowd at the time, and that's how they made a lot of their decisions. 00:08:10.879 --> 00:08:14.399 And not once have we seen Jesus do that. 00:08:15.040 --> 00:08:19.360 We continually see them do that, and Jesus just doesn't care what anybody else thinks. 00:08:19.439 --> 00:08:22.879 He's just faithful to do what God told him to do. 00:08:23.120 --> 00:08:27.439 So first they flatter, and then they go on into this question at the end of verse 14. 00:08:27.600 --> 00:08:31.600 It says, Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? 00:08:31.839 --> 00:08:34.320 Should we pay or shouldn't we? 00:08:34.480 --> 00:08:41.600 Now, this actually makes sense that this was the question that these two groups would be asking. 00:08:41.759 --> 00:08:51.440 Because the Herodians, those that are faithful to Herod, faithful to Rome, being supporters of those two, would say, yes, we should pay our taxes to Rome. 00:08:51.519 --> 00:08:54.159 We should appease them, we should go ahead and do that. 00:08:54.399 --> 00:09:06.399 The Pharisees would have been on the other side of this, saying, We're Jewish, the Romans are occupying our land, and we don't want to pay taxes to an evil government or to an evil emperor. 00:09:06.799 --> 00:09:09.919 So they came to see where Jesus lands. 00:09:10.159 --> 00:09:12.559 So I'm hoping you're kind of seeing this. 00:09:12.639 --> 00:09:15.360 No matter what Jesus answers, he's gonna be wrong. 00:09:15.600 --> 00:09:17.440 They're backing him into this quarter. 00:09:17.600 --> 00:09:20.960 If he agrees with the tax, then he's against the people. 00:09:21.279 --> 00:09:25.200 And if he disagrees with the tax, then he's a revolutionary. 00:09:25.440 --> 00:09:28.000 So there's really, as they say, there's no right answer. 00:09:28.080 --> 00:09:29.840 We're gonna pin him down one way or the other. 00:09:30.080 --> 00:09:31.039 Look at verse 15. 00:09:31.120 --> 00:09:36.879 It says, But knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, Why are you testing me? 00:09:37.200 --> 00:09:40.879 Seeing through it, Jesus calls out their flattery. 00:09:41.120 --> 00:09:44.159 He sees the scheme and the trap that's being set. 00:09:44.399 --> 00:09:46.240 He knows exactly what they're doing. 00:09:46.399 --> 00:09:49.919 And he just flat out asks them, Why are you testing me? 00:09:50.240 --> 00:09:54.320 But the amazing thing is, he actually answers them honestly. 00:09:54.559 --> 00:10:00.320 He could have said, you know, why are you testing me, and then just turned around and walked away, knowing that this was a trap set for him. 00:10:00.480 --> 00:10:06.799 But I think Jesus wanted them and the crowd of onlookers that's listening to all this to know the answer. 00:10:06.960 --> 00:10:11.120 And I think he wanted us here today to know the answer as well. 00:10:11.519 --> 00:10:26.399 I also think Jesus wanted to reinforce that he didn't come for the temporary, he didn't come for the temporal, he didn't come for the politics of the day, he didn't come to ensure fair taxation among the Jewish people. 00:10:26.639 --> 00:10:28.480 He came for the eternal. 00:10:28.879 --> 00:10:34.639 So at the end of verse 15, he says, Bring me a denarius to look at. 00:10:34.879 --> 00:10:38.720 They brought a coin whose image and inscription is this. 00:10:39.279 --> 00:10:44.480 Or he uh I'm sorry, they brought him a coin and he said, Whose image and inscription is this? 00:10:44.799 --> 00:10:49.360 He asked them, and they said, Caesar's, they replied. 00:10:49.600 --> 00:10:56.480 Jesus told them, Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. 00:10:56.639 --> 00:10:59.840 And they were utterly amazed at him. 00:11:00.399 --> 00:11:03.279 This is genius, what Jesus does here. 00:11:03.440 --> 00:11:11.679 There's no way that anybody could argue with what he said, and both of those sides realize, oh yeah, we can't really answer that, can we? 00:11:11.919 --> 00:11:20.879 And the first thing that I think we need to notice and pay attention to in that verse is they asked, is it lawful to pay? 00:11:21.039 --> 00:11:23.519 Now, in the Greek, that's de domi. 00:11:23.840 --> 00:11:26.879 So should we pay taxes to Caesar? 00:11:27.120 --> 00:11:34.799 Jesus responds not with the word pay, but he responds with the word give, which in the Greek is apodomi. 00:11:34.960 --> 00:11:37.519 Ah, I can't even say it, apodidomi. 00:11:38.320 --> 00:11:46.080 So pay has this connotation of giving something that's mine to somebody else for a service. 00:11:46.480 --> 00:11:51.759 But give in the Greek has a connotation of giving back. 00:11:53.120 --> 00:11:56.799 So they ask, should we pay what is ours to Caesar? 00:11:57.039 --> 00:12:01.679 Jesus responds, you should give back what is already his. 00:12:03.679 --> 00:12:12.720 If he supplied the money, if Caesar supplied the money, if he minted the coins, if he distributed it, then give it back to him as he pleases. 00:12:13.120 --> 00:12:21.600 Now, the part of this verse that I think often gets overlooked, that's the part we just covered, gift to Caesar, you know, I think most of us could quote that and we know that. 00:12:21.759 --> 00:12:28.720 But I think we often overlook the part that says to give back to God what is God's. 00:12:30.159 --> 00:12:34.559 And my question is, what do we have that is God's? 00:12:35.600 --> 00:12:36.879 Everything, right? 00:12:37.840 --> 00:12:40.799 Whose image is minted on us? 00:12:43.519 --> 00:12:46.159 We were created in the image of God. 00:12:46.399 --> 00:12:50.960 And we need to give back to God everything that he gave us. 00:12:51.919 --> 00:12:58.879 In order to do this, we need to look at everything that we have and realize that it's God's. 00:13:00.080 --> 00:13:04.799 We need to look at our own image and realize that it's God's. 00:13:05.120 --> 00:13:23.600 Every gift that he's given us, every talent that he's given us, every relationship, family member, possession, every dollar that he's given us, every moment, every breath that we have that he has given us, we need to have the attitude that it is not ours. 00:13:24.799 --> 00:13:25.519 It's his. 00:13:26.879 --> 00:13:36.399 That God has loaned us all of those things and so much more that I just mentioned for this very temporary life that we're living right now. 00:13:37.360 --> 00:13:41.279 This very temporary life that he's given us on this earth. 00:13:42.879 --> 00:13:47.759 That is what it looks like to give back to God the things that are God. 00:13:48.720 --> 00:13:51.759 It's his image that he has given us. 00:13:53.200 --> 00:13:59.360 Now, I want to show you a picture of the coin that Jesus is holding in his hand as he says this. 00:13:59.679 --> 00:14:01.200 Can we throw that picture up? 00:14:02.799 --> 00:14:05.600 Sorry, we're having some technical difficulties this morning. 00:14:06.080 --> 00:14:07.360 But hopefully it's all worried. 00:14:07.600 --> 00:14:11.200 So this is the coin that Jesus would have been holding at the time. 00:14:11.360 --> 00:14:15.519 As you can see, there's a picture of Caesar minted on the front of the coin. 00:14:15.679 --> 00:14:18.799 And there's a bunch of abbreviations that go all the way around. 00:14:18.960 --> 00:14:24.960 But if you if you take a look at the whole thing, basically it says Caesar Augustus Tiberius. 00:14:25.120 --> 00:14:28.080 So that was the ruler at the time of Jesus. 00:14:28.399 --> 00:14:31.519 Son of the divine Augustus. 00:14:32.000 --> 00:14:36.399 Now on the back here, what it says is chief priest. 00:14:39.600 --> 00:14:44.000 So this coin is claiming son of the divine. 00:14:44.559 --> 00:14:46.720 And it's claiming high priest. 00:14:46.879 --> 00:14:51.279 The Jewish people were offended by this coin for obvious reasons. 00:14:51.519 --> 00:14:54.559 But think of how offended Jesus should have been. 00:14:55.039 --> 00:14:59.679 He is the son of the divine, he is the great high priest. 00:14:59.919 --> 00:15:03.759 If anyone should have been offended by this, it should have been Jesus, right? 00:15:04.799 --> 00:15:08.320 And Jesus looks at it and goes, eh, temporal. 00:15:08.639 --> 00:15:09.840 It's like he doesn't even care. 00:15:10.000 --> 00:15:11.440 Hey, give it back to Caesar. 00:15:11.600 --> 00:15:11.919 Whatever. 00:15:12.000 --> 00:15:13.200 Just give it back to him. 00:15:13.440 --> 00:15:19.840 And I always wondered, you know, how did Jesus have this perfect response ready at, you know, just this perfect moment? 00:15:20.000 --> 00:15:21.919 And yes, of course, he's God. 00:15:22.159 --> 00:15:25.279 He has the Holy Spirit living in and through him. 00:15:25.519 --> 00:15:33.919 But I also wonder if this is something that Jesus, in his humanity, had to wrestle with when he was in construction. 00:15:34.559 --> 00:15:37.840 You know, when he was a carpenter, when he was working physical labor. 00:15:38.000 --> 00:15:42.000 You know, Jewish men had to start paying their taxes at the age of 12. 00:15:42.399 --> 00:15:46.639 And these Roman taxes were first enforced in 6 AD. 00:15:47.279 --> 00:15:54.159 So Jesus had been paying his taxes at this point for some 20 odd years. 00:15:55.600 --> 00:16:06.799 Jesus knows the evils of the Roman government and has to wrestle with the fact that his taxes are funding an evil and pagan Roman government. 00:16:07.440 --> 00:16:11.840 And I wonder if he came up with this conclusion at a very young age. 00:16:13.039 --> 00:16:16.399 And had been living by this conclusion ever since. 00:16:16.639 --> 00:16:23.519 And therefore, this was a no-brainer when these people asked this question, and he was just like, Yeah, I wrestled with this over 20 years ago. 00:16:23.759 --> 00:16:24.480 You know, who knows? 00:16:24.559 --> 00:16:25.600 That's all speculation. 00:16:25.759 --> 00:16:31.600 But I think it's a good for us to remember that Jesus had to pay taxes to the Romans. 00:16:32.240 --> 00:16:40.000 And he even paid the Jewish temple tax as well, and that was the tax to help with the maintenance of the temple. 00:16:40.159 --> 00:16:45.120 But he paid a temple tax to a temple that he had to cleanse twice. 00:16:46.960 --> 00:16:53.039 And I mention this because I think this just goes to show that Jesus was not concerned with money. 00:16:53.600 --> 00:16:58.879 He wasn't concerned with the politics of the Pharisees and the Herodians that they were trying to bring to him. 00:16:59.200 --> 00:17:03.919 And he wasn't concerned with the temporal things of this world whatsoever. 00:17:04.160 --> 00:17:10.160 Jesus had this amazing eternal perspective that nobody could pull from him. 00:17:10.720 --> 00:17:17.039 And both of these things before him in this passage are very, very temporal. 00:17:17.440 --> 00:17:21.359 Money comes and goes, governments come and go. 00:17:21.519 --> 00:17:27.759 And Jesus knows this and he doesn't get riled up about the current events of his day. 00:17:28.000 --> 00:17:33.519 And I don't know about you, but current events can get me really riled up sometimes. 00:17:34.160 --> 00:17:38.400 They can steal my eternal perspective very easily. 00:17:38.640 --> 00:17:44.720 They can steal my joy and all the other fruits of the Spirit very easily as well. 00:17:45.519 --> 00:17:53.279 And for those of you that say that you don't struggle with current events and getting caught up in them, that's okay because Jesus forgives liars too. 00:17:53.599 --> 00:17:58.559 So I think it's a struggle for all of us, isn't it? 00:17:58.799 --> 00:18:08.079 We hear about these things, we hear about the world falling apart around us, and it's so easy to just get caught up in these very temporal things. 00:18:08.319 --> 00:18:12.799 And I think this is the exact way that we need to be more like our rabbi. 00:18:13.119 --> 00:18:15.599 Where we need to become more like Jesus. 00:18:15.839 --> 00:18:26.880 And I think that's the main takeaway from our first little mini-sermon here today is keeping our eyes fixed on him and the eternity that awaits us. 00:18:28.559 --> 00:18:38.079 Because once we get there, once we're in heaven, once we're face to face with Jesus, all these things that are stealing our time and attention and affection, they're not gonna matter anymore. 00:18:39.519 --> 00:18:45.599 So we saw the Pharisees and the Herodians question Jesus, says that he astonishes them. 00:18:45.920 --> 00:18:50.960 So now in our middle section here, we're gonna see that it's time for the Sadducees. 00:18:51.119 --> 00:18:52.559 So verse 18. 00:18:53.200 --> 00:18:59.039 Sadducees who say there is no resurrection, came to him and questioned him. 00:18:59.599 --> 00:19:05.440 So, unlike the Pharisees, the Sadducees didn't believe in the resurrection from the dead. 00:19:05.759 --> 00:19:08.400 So they were at odds with the Pharisees. 00:19:08.559 --> 00:19:14.240 But that didn't stop them from uniting in wanting Jesus dead. 00:19:14.400 --> 00:19:24.240 And if you remember in the book of Acts in chapter 23, Paul actually uses the division between the Sadducees and the Pharisees to get himself out of a major pickle. 00:19:24.400 --> 00:19:29.920 He's on trial before the Sanhedrin, which was made up of Pharisees and Sadducees. 00:19:30.079 --> 00:19:36.559 But Paul appeals to the Pharisees and says, I'm on trial because of the issue of resurrection. 00:19:36.799 --> 00:19:45.920 And then the Pharisees and Sadducees start disputing, and it got so crazy that Paul was actually removed from the scene for his own safety. 00:19:46.640 --> 00:19:57.119 And it's good for us to understand that Jesus is threatening the authority of all of the religious leaders, of the whole system in Israel of Judaism. 00:19:57.359 --> 00:20:01.359 And all of these sects were threatened, including the Sadducees. 00:20:01.519 --> 00:20:05.440 So the Sadducees ask a very complicated question of Jesus. 00:20:05.519 --> 00:20:07.039 Look at verse 19. 00:20:07.759 --> 00:20:20.160 Says, Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies, leaving a wife behind, but no child, that man should take the wife and raise up offspring for his brother. 00:20:20.400 --> 00:20:22.160 So they're quoting from the law. 00:20:22.240 --> 00:20:26.240 They're quoting Deuteronomy 25, 5, if you're taking notes. 00:20:26.559 --> 00:20:31.759 And then the Sadducees, we'll see in verse 20, now they present the scenario to Jesus. 00:20:32.000 --> 00:20:32.960 Verse 20. 00:20:35.200 --> 00:20:39.279 The first married a woman, and dying left no offspring. 00:20:39.440 --> 00:20:43.759 The second also took her, and he died, leaving no offspring. 00:20:44.000 --> 00:20:45.680 And the third likewise. 00:20:45.839 --> 00:20:47.759 How would you like to be the fourth brother? 00:20:48.079 --> 00:20:50.559 All my brothers keep dying when they marry that woman. 00:20:50.799 --> 00:20:52.000 Verse 22. 00:20:52.319 --> 00:20:55.200 None of the seven left offspring. 00:20:55.359 --> 00:20:58.000 Last of all, the woman died too. 00:20:58.240 --> 00:21:01.519 In the resurrection, which remember, they don't believe in. 00:21:01.759 --> 00:21:06.480 When they arise, whose wife will she be, since the seven had married her. 00:21:06.640 --> 00:21:10.480 So this whole thing just seems so trivial and complicated, doesn't it? 00:21:10.640 --> 00:21:19.599 And some believe that this was a way that the Sadducees tried to point out how ridiculous the idea of afterlife or resurrection was. 00:21:20.000 --> 00:21:24.559 They would try to point out how ridiculous it was with a ridiculous question. 00:21:24.880 --> 00:21:26.960 But you have to love Jesus' response. 00:21:27.119 --> 00:21:28.400 Look at verse 24. 00:21:28.640 --> 00:21:33.200 Jesus spoke to them, isn't this the reason why you're mistaken? 00:21:33.359 --> 00:21:37.200 You don't know the scriptures or the power of God. 00:21:37.920 --> 00:21:42.720 This was a big blow to tell them that they don't know scripture. 00:21:43.359 --> 00:21:50.000 Because they prided themselves on knowing scripture and holding to a literal interpretation of it. 00:21:50.240 --> 00:21:56.640 It was the Pharisees that held the oral traditions so high, and the Sadducees did not. 00:21:56.799 --> 00:22:06.480 And according to the educational structure in Israel at this time, These Sadducees would have had the first five books of the Bible memorized by age 12. 00:22:06.960 --> 00:22:11.759 Memorized the first five books of the Bible by age 12. 00:22:11.920 --> 00:22:16.000 So you tell them they don't know scripture, they're only gonna be like, I gotta memorize. 00:22:17.119 --> 00:22:20.960 So they knew the words that were in the text. 00:22:21.519 --> 00:22:31.519 But Jesus is telling them that they did not know the heart of God in those same scriptures that they had memorized. 00:22:34.799 --> 00:22:38.799 They knew the words, but they didn't know the word. 00:22:40.000 --> 00:22:44.960 They didn't know, and Jesus points out the power of God that was in that word. 00:22:45.440 --> 00:22:46.799 So think about this. 00:22:47.200 --> 00:22:52.400 They had the whole creation story and all of Genesis right up here. 00:22:52.640 --> 00:23:00.000 They had Exodus and all of the miracles and the plagues and all of the power of God displayed, all memorized. 00:23:00.079 --> 00:23:03.759 The crossing of the Red Sea, all of the things that happened in the desert. 00:23:03.920 --> 00:23:06.160 They had all of the law memorized. 00:23:06.240 --> 00:23:09.519 We have trouble getting through the book of Leviticus, just reading it. 00:23:10.079 --> 00:23:12.240 They had it all memorized. 00:23:12.480 --> 00:23:16.880 And Jesus points out that they don't know the scripture and they don't know the power of God. 00:23:17.440 --> 00:23:24.799 Which I think when he says they don't know the power of God, that he's actually referencing to them not believing that God had the power to resurrect somebody. 00:23:24.960 --> 00:23:28.240 Or that the spirit inside of everyone couldn't be eternal. 00:23:28.400 --> 00:23:31.920 That it was just when we die, we die and we're done. 00:23:32.160 --> 00:23:40.480 And I think as an encouragement to us here today, this should encourage us to know Scripture. 00:23:40.720 --> 00:23:45.119 Not just memorize or familiarize ourselves with it, but to know it. 00:23:45.680 --> 00:23:47.279 To know the author. 00:23:48.160 --> 00:23:50.160 To know the author's heart. 00:23:50.720 --> 00:23:57.759 To keep our nose in the word, not for head knowledge only, but for heart knowledge. 00:23:58.079 --> 00:24:02.079 This should also encourage us to believe in the power of God. 00:24:03.119 --> 00:24:07.039 That's what faith is believing in the power of God. 00:24:07.279 --> 00:24:13.440 To have faith that God can accomplish anything and has the power to do whatever he wants. 00:24:13.839 --> 00:24:16.000 So, this is our encouragement. 00:24:16.319 --> 00:24:23.599 Know with heart knowledge the scriptures and believe in the power of God to accomplish it. 00:24:25.039 --> 00:24:29.839 Now Jesus finally addresses their question after he tells them they don't know what they're talking about. 00:24:30.000 --> 00:24:31.119 Verse 25. 00:24:31.680 --> 00:24:38.400 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 00:24:38.480 --> 00:24:42.559 So this is in regards to those seven brothers and that one wife. 00:24:43.039 --> 00:24:45.759 And this just means that marriage is for earth. 00:24:46.079 --> 00:24:48.400 Marriage is not eternal. 00:24:48.880 --> 00:24:56.480 Because it serves as a foreshadowing of our marriage to Jesus that's going to take place in eternity. 00:24:56.640 --> 00:24:58.960 And therefore, we don't need the foreshadowing. 00:24:59.039 --> 00:25:10.640 We don't need the earthly marriage to continue on into eternity because it was foreshadowing what we're actually going to be living in, in our marriage to the bridegroom, our marriage to Jesus Christ. 00:25:10.880 --> 00:25:14.240 And I know for some of you this is a hard concept to imagine. 00:25:14.400 --> 00:25:19.680 You know, you love your spouse, and that's a hard thing to think about, not being married in eternity. 00:25:20.240 --> 00:25:24.400 But for some of you, this is a promise you are claiming. 00:25:26.000 --> 00:25:27.279 Marriage is not eternal. 00:25:27.359 --> 00:25:28.160 I'm going to take that one. 00:25:28.559 --> 00:25:29.680 No, I'm only joking. 00:25:32.400 --> 00:25:35.279 But if that is you, let's chat. 00:25:35.440 --> 00:25:35.759 Okay. 00:25:36.480 --> 00:25:40.720 Seriously, if that if you're looking forward to not being married in heaven, let's chat. 00:25:40.880 --> 00:25:48.000 But all that to say, we can we can look at some things that are coming in in eternity, and we can kind of think like, I don't really want that. 00:25:48.160 --> 00:25:50.720 I'd prefer kind of how the current circumstances are. 00:25:50.880 --> 00:25:54.960 But the thing is, we're not gonna be disappointed when we get to heaven. 00:25:55.680 --> 00:25:56.400 Not at all. 00:25:56.559 --> 00:26:05.519 We're gonna be there, we're gonna love every aspect of it, even if some of it doesn't quite make sense here, even if some of the things like I don't really look forward to that aspect of it. 00:26:05.599 --> 00:26:12.000 I guarantee you, you're not gonna be in heaven complaining to me after we're all there, like, I just can't believe that God's doing this. 00:26:12.079 --> 00:26:15.759 You know, like that is just that's not gonna happen. 00:26:16.079 --> 00:26:18.319 And if it does, come talk to me. 00:26:20.960 --> 00:26:21.839 Oh man. 00:26:22.000 --> 00:26:28.799 Um, and now I want to speak to those of you that might in this time be struggling in your singleness. 00:26:29.039 --> 00:26:32.480 You know, scripture tells us that this life is but a vapor. 00:26:32.640 --> 00:26:35.519 We see it for a moment and then it's gone. 00:26:36.720 --> 00:26:40.640 And the older I get, the more that this verse makes sense to me. 00:26:40.880 --> 00:26:46.799 And the longer that I'm on earth, the more that I'm okay with it, that this life is short. 00:26:47.359 --> 00:26:53.440 And the longer I'm on earth, the more I find myself longing for the day that Jesus comes back for his bride. 00:26:54.240 --> 00:27:04.079 The point of all this being your true eternal spouse is great, is waiting in great anticipation for you. 00:27:04.400 --> 00:27:08.160 And we're gonna be with them before we know it, one way or another. 00:27:08.400 --> 00:27:12.160 And this life will just be but a vague memory. 00:27:13.279 --> 00:27:21.119 And Jesus goes on and says that we won't be given in marriage in heaven, but are like the angels in heaven. 00:27:21.279 --> 00:27:27.680 And just for clarity, this is in regards to them not being married, angels not being married. 00:27:27.839 --> 00:27:32.160 This in no way means that we become angels or we become like them. 00:27:32.480 --> 00:27:36.559 It's in the way that they aren't married, we will not be married either. 00:27:36.720 --> 00:27:37.920 And that's all that that means. 00:27:38.079 --> 00:27:40.720 So don't look into it any further than that. 00:27:41.039 --> 00:28:03.279 Jesus goes on uh in verse 26, and he says, and as for the dead being raised, so he's speaking right to their core theology, he says, Haven't you read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God said to them, I am, present tense, the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. 00:28:03.519 --> 00:28:08.240 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. 00:28:08.559 --> 00:28:11.279 You are badly mistaken. 00:28:11.599 --> 00:28:20.559 Now Jesus debunks the key beliefs that set them apart from all the others, that there's no resurrection from the dead. 00:28:20.720 --> 00:28:32.960 And Jesus uses Exodus 3.15 to debunk this, where God uses the present tense when saying, I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. 00:28:33.200 --> 00:28:34.640 They're still living. 00:28:34.799 --> 00:28:42.799 Their earthly bodies have passed, but they are still very much alive and will be throughout all of eternity. 00:28:43.039 --> 00:28:49.920 And Jesus just ends this discussion with the Sadducees by saying, You are badly mistaken. 00:28:50.319 --> 00:28:57.119 Jesus just destroyed their whole theology that they stand on in just a few sentences. 00:28:57.440 --> 00:29:01.920 And there's no response that we see from them after he does that. 00:29:02.160 --> 00:29:19.839 So I think the takeaway from this middle section is to not only know Scripture with head knowledge, but with heart knowledge and to know the power of God so that we're not badly mistaken when it's all said and done. 00:29:20.319 --> 00:29:23.519 Now in verse 28, Jesus moves on to the next guy. 00:29:23.599 --> 00:29:27.200 So here's the here's the third of our last mini-sermon. 00:29:27.519 --> 00:29:35.920 Verse 28 says, one of the scribes approached when he heard them debating and saw that Jesus answered them well. 00:29:36.480 --> 00:29:41.359 He asked him, Which command is the most important of all? 00:29:41.680 --> 00:29:48.559 You know, you finally get the sense that this scribe is not in on this trap from the other religious leaders. 00:29:49.440 --> 00:30:02.720 He sees them debating, he approaches, and I think we find someone that finally has some honest questions for Jesus that aren't for the purpose of laying a trap or trying to back them into a corner. 00:30:02.880 --> 00:30:04.799 And I find this so refreshing. 00:30:05.039 --> 00:30:07.759 Like, oh, finally, somebody with pure motives. 00:30:07.920 --> 00:30:13.440 All through the book of Mark, you know, we keep seeing these people that don't have pure motives in the way that they're coming to Jesus. 00:30:13.599 --> 00:30:19.519 And I just find this scribe so refreshing, and I'm guessing Jesus probably did too. 00:30:19.759 --> 00:30:23.119 And so this guy asked Jesus, what is the greatest commandment? 00:30:23.200 --> 00:30:28.799 If you had to boil down all of the Old Testament, like what is the one thing that we need to focus in on? 00:30:28.960 --> 00:30:31.519 And Jesus answers, it says in verse 29. 00:30:32.000 --> 00:30:36.240 Jesus answered, The most important is listen, Israel. 00:30:36.720 --> 00:30:39.279 The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 00:30:39.599 --> 00:30:46.559 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. 00:30:46.799 --> 00:30:50.480 The second is love your neighbor as yourself. 00:30:50.720 --> 00:30:53.759 There is no other command greater than this. 00:30:54.079 --> 00:31:03.759 So Jesus quotes the Shema and the Vahavta, which are Jewish prayers that every Jew would know very, very well. 00:31:03.920 --> 00:31:07.519 And it comes from Deuteronomy 6, verses 4 and 5. 00:31:07.680 --> 00:31:09.359 And it says exactly what Jesus said. 00:31:09.519 --> 00:31:13.119 Listen, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 00:31:13.359 --> 00:31:19.759 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. 00:31:20.000 --> 00:31:24.880 And this is a prayer, sometimes they refer to both of those as just the Shema. 00:31:25.519 --> 00:31:30.880 But this is a prayer that would be recited multiple times a day by the Jewish community in this time. 00:31:31.039 --> 00:31:34.799 So this isn't a new concept that Jesus is throwing at the scribe. 00:31:35.039 --> 00:31:47.440 Jesus is just reinforcing something that he always knows, that this guy has always known, and he's reinforcing the importance of this prayer that might have just become kind of routine for them to go over and over day after day. 00:31:47.680 --> 00:31:53.039 But then Jesus adds in at the end, love your neighbor as yourself. 00:31:53.359 --> 00:31:57.759 You know, there's something very interesting in these five words. 00:31:58.960 --> 00:32:01.519 Self-love is assumed. 00:32:03.039 --> 00:32:09.119 One of the biggest lies of this age is that we have to love ourselves before we can love other people. 00:32:09.279 --> 00:32:10.400 And that's just a lie. 00:32:10.480 --> 00:32:12.799 It's the opposite of everything that we see in Scripture. 00:32:12.960 --> 00:32:17.119 Jesus says, love others as we already love ourselves. 00:32:17.359 --> 00:32:20.079 Self-love, we don't have to even try for that. 00:32:20.559 --> 00:32:21.759 We're just selfish. 00:32:22.000 --> 00:32:23.839 Straight out just selfish. 00:32:24.640 --> 00:32:28.319 But loving ourselves is actually the problem. 00:32:29.119 --> 00:32:30.720 The world is saying we need to do it more. 00:32:30.880 --> 00:32:34.720 Jesus is saying, no, no, get the focus off of yourself. 00:32:35.279 --> 00:32:47.680 You know, it's when we get the focus off of ourselves that we're the most mentally stable, where we're the least depressed, where we're the most joyful, and where we experience the most fulfillment. 00:32:47.920 --> 00:32:50.799 So Jesus says, put your focus on God. 00:32:51.440 --> 00:32:59.119 Put your focus on others and love them like you already love yourself, and you're gonna be just fine. 00:32:59.599 --> 00:33:04.880 And with these two statements, what he does is he sums up the Ten Commandments. 00:33:05.359 --> 00:33:08.960 And in actuality, he sums up the entirety of the law. 00:33:09.200 --> 00:33:15.680 The whole of the law and the prophets can be summed up in this love and love others. 00:33:16.880 --> 00:33:21.200 Loving God sums up the first four of the Ten Commandments. 00:33:21.440 --> 00:33:25.920 And loving your neighbor sums up the last six of the Ten Commandments. 00:33:26.160 --> 00:33:28.000 Which is why that's our church motto. 00:33:28.079 --> 00:33:29.920 If you go on our website, that's the first thing you see. 00:33:30.000 --> 00:33:32.480 It says, Love God, love others. 00:33:32.799 --> 00:33:37.839 Because if you can do this, then you won't need to worry about the rest of the law. 00:33:37.920 --> 00:33:44.000 It's all encompassing just in this simple statement of loving God and loving others. 00:33:44.240 --> 00:33:48.559 Now let's look at the scribe's response to Jesus, starting in verse 32. 00:33:49.599 --> 00:33:52.640 Then the scribe said to him, You are right, teacher. 00:33:52.799 --> 00:33:57.920 You have correctly said that he is one, and there is no one else except him. 00:33:58.400 --> 00:34:10.320 And to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself, is far more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices. 00:34:10.559 --> 00:34:13.360 Does anybody else feel like cheering at this response? 00:34:13.519 --> 00:34:16.800 I mean, this tribe finally gets it. 00:34:17.119 --> 00:34:22.960 He agrees with Jesus and then goes on to say something similar to what Samuel said. 00:34:23.280 --> 00:34:28.079 That obedience is far more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices. 00:34:28.159 --> 00:34:30.960 And Samuel says this in 1 Samuel 15, 22. 00:34:31.119 --> 00:34:38.480 He says, Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? 00:34:38.719 --> 00:34:41.760 Look, to obey is better than sacrifice. 00:34:42.000 --> 00:34:46.159 To pay attention is better than the fat of rams. 00:34:46.639 --> 00:34:53.440 You see, loving God and loving others is far better than the offerings that we can give God. 00:34:53.760 --> 00:34:56.800 Than the sacrifices that we can give God. 00:34:57.119 --> 00:35:01.760 God desires our love before we try to give him anything. 00:35:02.880 --> 00:35:05.599 Love for him and love for each other. 00:35:05.840 --> 00:35:07.119