Testing the Word of God
Mark 12:13-27
13 Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. 14 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 the imperial tax to Caesar or not? 15 Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”
But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” 16 They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”
“Caesar’s,” they replied.
17 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.
18 Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. 19 “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. 20 Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died without leaving any children. 21 The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third. 22 In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too. 23 At the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?”
24 Jesus replied, “Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? 25 When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. 26 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’? 27 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!”
When we last left the Jewish leaders, they sought to kill Jesus. But they fear the crowd. So, first they seek to discredit Him. So, they begin looking for things that Jesus has said or will say that will cause the crowd to reject Him. (Ultimately they will end up with His statements about the destruction of the temple.)
In our passage today we have two issues raised by two different groups. It is obvious here that we have two problems that have been worked through. There are issues in conflict. There are human resolutions to those conflicts. There are Jesus’ responses to these conflicts that show that God’s kingdom has a way through the problems. It is only our own understand that has trouble.
- Paying Taxes to an Evil Government v.13-17
- There seems a conflict of authority
God has given promises. They are not in evidence yet. There are only a certain amount of resources.
The world belongs to God. God wants us to use our resources wisely.
- God’s resources used poorly
Rome is not about the kingdom of God.
If we are paying taxes to a government that is in opposition to God both philosophically and practically, are we not sinning?
We fund the authorities that persecute us!
- Give to authorities what is due to them
Did God make the coin?
Is God short on ability or resources because of Roman taxation?
Does God remain in authority over all of heaven and earth?
Does God allow things that we do not like and that we must submit to?
Why did Israel exist in the first place? Who can thwart God’s will?
Did Israel squander their blessings?
Is Jesus the real resolution to this?
- Problems with Resurrection
- Relationships here and there
The law has a man marry his brother’s widow in order to provide children for her.
So, whose spouse is she in heaven? (This argument is backward and male centered.) Whose spouse is David’s in heaven? Abraham’s? Issac’s? Jacob’s? Solomon’s? All of these men have multiple wives. Why can’t a woman have multiple husbands?
- People do not understand
We do not understand the exact nature of relationships in heaven. What if there is no marriage in heaven? What if all marriage is between Jesus and His bride?
The bigger problem is that this silly argument is used to refute the concept of the Resurrection of the dead!
It would be wiser to say that marriage is a concept that does not fit heaven, than to say that heaven cannot exist because it does not fit the concept of marriage! This is the trouble with legalism. It produces stupid conclusions.
These men do not understand the Scriptures:
God is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
God is the God of the living.
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are presently living.
These men do not understand the power of God:
The power of God to allow a person to live when their body dies. To deny the power of God because of a silly logical contradiction is lame!
- God is the God of the living
Are there any examples in Scripture of people not dying? Are there any examples in Scripture of people who have died who are just alive somewhere else? Sadducees only accept the first five books!
Enoch and Elijah did not die.
Samuel is communicated with after his body has died.
Moses and Elijah appear at the Transfiguration.
We are not our bodies.
There has to be life after death if there is to be any justice in the world!
“Vengeance is mine, I will repay!” When?!
When faced with issues of tension as they relate to what we believe or understand, what should we do?
III. Wisdom and the Word of God
Suffering. Uncertainty. Confusion. Things aren’t working out the way that they should be. Relationship trouble.
- Proverbs and Paul
Proverbs 9: 7 Whoever corrects a mocker invites insults; whoever rebukes the wicked incurs abuse.
8 Do not rebuke mockers or they will hate you; rebuke the wise and they will love you.
9 Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still; teach the righteous and they will add to their learning.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
II Timothy 3:16-17 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
- Jesus and the Bible
The Word of God and the Word of God
John 1: 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Psalms 119:
9 How can a young person stay on the path of purity?
By living according to your word.
11 I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.
105 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.
John 8: 12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Luke 6: 46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?
Matthew 7: 24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
John 15: 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
Matthew 17: 5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”
- Ask, seek, knock and act
James 1: 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
You have not because you ask not. You ask and don’t receive because you want to spend the answer on your own pleasures.
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