Well, hello friends, and thank you for joining me in our daily reading from God's holy word. Today we're reading Mark chapter 12 verses 13 through 27. And in this lesson we see Jesus demonstrate his wisdom and understanding as he refutes those who sought to trap him and trip him up. Now before we read, let's pray.
Our Father in Heaven help us hear and believe Jesus in his name I ask it. Amen. Mark chapter 12 beginning verse 13. And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians to trap him in his talk.
And they came and said to him, teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone's opinion. You are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay them or should we not?
But knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, why put me to the test? Bring me into various and let me look at it. And they brought one. And he said to them, whose likeness and inscription is this?
They said to him, Caesars, Jesus said to them, render to Caesar the things that are Caesars. And to God, the things that are gods. And they marveled at him. And Sadducees came to him who say that there is no resurrection.
And they asked him a question saying teacher. Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. There were seven brothers. The first took a wife.
And when he died, left, no offspring. And the second took her and died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. And the seven left, no offspring.
Last of all, the woman also died. In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For the seven have had her as wife. Jesus said to them, is this not the reason you are wrong?
Because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God. For when they rise from the dead, they neither married nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses in the passage about the bush? Have God spoke to him saying, I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.
He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong. So Jesus defends the truth in two encounters. The Pharisees of Herodotians seek to trap him about taxes and loyalty to God.
The Sadducees seek to make his trust in God's word concerning the resurrection look foolish. Let's take them in turn. And that's actually our first lesson. Never be surprised when people who otherwise disagree and oppose each other stand together to oppose Jesus.
And that's because Jesus is polarizing. You are either with him or against him. Those who are against him see that he's the biggest threat to them. So they'll conspire against him and his church, try to make God's word look foolish.
Yet so often they've never even read his word. Now notice the subtlety of the first question. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay them?
Or should we not? Now if he had said pay them, the Pharisees would have accused him before the priests for supporting the Roman subjection of the Jews. If he said don't pay them, the Herodians would have accused him before Pilate of rebellion and sedition. So the trap was crafty like Satan himself.
What are the rights of our governors and the state and the rights of God and his church? It raises that question and many Christians have struggled to navigate those waters. What if the state is at odds with the church? What if our governors are at odds with God?
Jesus impresses us with his wisdom. He knew the mystery, the hypocrisy of his enemies. He knew they used the common coin of the realm. So he says, bring me one.
Then he asks whose faces on it? They answer Caesar's. By their own words, they acknowledge they have some duty to the governing authority. They use its money.
So he says, render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's. You have obligations, he says, it matters temporal and spiritual. Pay taxes in temporal things. Give honor to God in spiritual things.
In short, says J.C. Ryle, he bids the proud Pharisee not to refuse his dues to Caesar and the worldly Herodian not to refuse his dues to God. As the Apostle Paul says, in Romans 13 verse 7, pay to all what is owed to them. Taxes to whom taxes are owed.
Revenue to whom revenue is owed. Respect to whom respect is owed. Honor to whom honor is owed. Or as the Apostle Peter says in 1 Peter 2, live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.
Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
We are to submit to God by obeying our earthly governors unless they command what he forbids or forbid what he commands. Today amidst the coronavirus, I'm thankful for the wisdom of our Arkansas governor in never commanding the closing of churches, even while encouraging physical distancing in every place. Keep praying, friends, for our governor and for our churches, elders that we would all honor God. Now in the second confrontation with the Sadducees, they asked him whom a widow will be married to in heaven if she's been married multiple times.
They try to make the Old Testament hope of resurrection seem ridiculous. This is because, as Jesus says, they are ignorant and don't believe in God. Jesus said to them, is this not the reason you are wrong? Because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God.
Let us determine, friends, to not be like them. How sad it is to be ignorant of the Bible, yet rail against it. And how harmful. Ignorance leaves us without hope when there is so much to be helpful for.
The Sadducees didn't believe in the resurrection or the power of God, but Jesus tells them they are wrong and he proves it in two ways. First, he says, when we rise from the dead, we neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. Life in heaven will be different than on earth. Though our body will rise from the dead, we shall hunger no more and first no more.
There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain. And in heaven, we will all be brothers and sisters in the household of God, but we will not have marriage binding one man to one woman. That doesn't mean husbands and wives and families here can't spend time together or love one another. There, of course, will love heaven is a reunion and a world of love in ways you and I haven't yet been done to enjoy.
But the marriage of heaven is between Jesus and his bride, the church. Secondly, Jesus says you're wrong because God is the God of the living. And the Bible says he's the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, not that he was the God of them as if they are dead, but that he is the God of them because they live with him. His power to give life is our hope.
If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead and the dead in Christ shall rise. Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord, your labor is not in vain. Let's pray together.
Our Heavenly Father, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, we praise you for Jesus who you raised from the dead and exalted over every name. We bow and confess that he is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Help us to hope in him. Amen.
Well, thank you for listening and I hope you'll join me next time.