Jesus Versus the Religious Leaders Mark 12:13-37 Justin Deeter August 13, 2017

Transcription

1 Jesus Versus the Religious Leaders Mark 12:13-37 Justin Deeter August 13, 2017 Everyone loves a good action movie, and one of the best moments within an action movie is the brawl. Here is how it goes: at some point, the action hero of the story will be backed into a corner and surrounded by goons. The stress is high and the moment is intense, but we, the audience, do not worry. We know the hero will unleash with round house kicks and penetrating jabs of fists. Before long, the hero knocks out enemy after enemy, and before long is the only one left standing. We ve seen this hundreds of times in different movies, but we love it every time! Today, in Mark s Gospel, we will see Jesus do just that. The scene is tense. Jesus laid the gauntlet down as he entered triumphantly into Jerusalem, making a public declaration that he was the Messiah. He had gone into the temple and started driving out the money changers, rebuking the false worship of Israel, and thus the leadership of the religious leaders. Jesus has come back to the temple after that temple cleansing, only to be met by a posse of religious leaders, ready to challenge Jesus authority. Jesus not only outsmarts them, but then humiliates them as he tells the parable of the wicked tenants. However, Jesus enemies are not backing down. If anything, Jesus has only riled them up even more. The religious leaders intend to publicly discredit Jesus before the watching crowds. They want to mock him and make him look foolish, hoping that Jesus will make a mistake and they will catch him saying something treasonous that could give them just cause to execute him. So as the showdown commences in the public gate of the temple, the crowds swarmed to watch. This was the fight of history, as Jesus, the professed Messiah in one corner, takes on the religious leaders of Israel in the other corner. Yet, Jesus dispatches foe after foe, proving that he is the master teacher and wise Son of God. 1

2 As we hear from God s word this morning, I pray that we would behold and be in awe of Jesus. As we look at four different confrontations from this brawl, we will see the wisdom of Christ as he counters every challenge and defeats every foe. As we walk through this passage, we will look at four different rounds of this boxing match. Jesus begins by fending and countering his enemies jabs, but by the end plants the knock-out punch, silencing his enemies once and for all. Round 1: Jesus vs. the Pharisees and Herodians (Should we pay taxes to Caesar?) The first round of the battle starts when the Pharisees and some of the Herodians conspire a trap for Jesus. You ve heard it said that the enemy of my enemy is my friend that certainly applies to the Pharisees and the Herodians. Bound by a common enemy, these unlikely allies join forces to try to take out Jesus. The Pharisees were the right wing and ultra-conservative Jews, who detested Roman rule. The Herodians were the left wing of Judaism, and accommodated to Roman rule. The two groups couldn t stand one another like the Republican and Democratic Party of our country. So it s surprising that the one who would bring the Pharisees and Herodians together was Jesus. They teamed up to put a plan in place to trick Jesus, so that either way Jesus would be dealt an incredible blow. With their plan established, they go up to Jesus with empty words of flattery, in hopes that Jesus might let his guard down. Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone s opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Though they didn t mean what they said, what they spoke was true. Jesus didn t care what people thought about him, he was going to stand for truth. After buttering Jesus up, they spring the trap: Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not? It s a sly question that puts Jesus on the spot, with seemingly no right answer. The leaders insist that there are only two answers to this question. 2

3 Either we should pay taxes to Caesar or we should not. If Jesus said No, you should not pay taxes to Caesar. Then they have a public confession that Jesus subverts Roman rule, which means they could get Jesus arrested for leading an insurrection. If he said, Yes, you should pay taxes to Caesar. Then the crowd of Jews watching the contest would have seen Jesus as a traitor who accommodates to Roman rule and a compromiser. What would Jesus do? Jesus could not dodge the question, that would have been disastrous for his ministry. Nor could he skirt around the issue. He had to give an answer. But, Jesus the master teacher sabotages the trap by demonstrating that the question is a false dilemma. There is a third option. Upon the question, Jesus sees straight through their phony praise, and mourns their hypocrisy. He asks for some one to bring him a denarius. A denarius was a small silver coin, with one side of the coin emblazoned with Caesar s head. Every man and woman in the empire was required to pay a denarius to Caesar just for existing as a tax. Jesus holds up the coin and asks the leaders, Whose likeness and inscription is this? Jesus then gives a breathtakingly wise response, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar s, and to God the things that are God s. In a single sentence, Jesus tells us how Christians are to relate to the government, which the apostle Paul expands in Romans 13. Jesus affirms the validity of the state, even when its run by a godless pagan like Caesar, while at the same time recognizing that Caesar has no claim of ownership over the souls of men. Caesar can claim rights to the coin made in his own image, but he cannot claim ownership to humanity made in God s image. Whole books could and have been written on the implications of Jesus statement here. He dismantles their trap, and teaches us that God doesn t care who we pay our taxes too, as long as we give God what belongs to him, that being our souls. Round 2: Jesus vs. the Sadducees (Whose Wife Will She Be?) 3

4 The second round of conflict comes from the Sadducees. If your unfamiliar with this group, Mark provides us with a bit of background; they rejected the idea of resurrection and any idea of life after death. Believing there was no persuasive argument from the Old Testament scriptures, they rejected any idea of the supernatural, angels, spirits, or a continuing of human existence after physical death. The Sadducees were quite wealthy and prominent, highly trained and academic. Though smaller, the wielded great influence with a lot of clout. Seeing the Pharisees and Herodians fail, it s their turn to jump into the ring with Jesus. Surely, they could handle this uneducated country-bumpkin from Nazareth. So they ask Jesus a question about his belief in the resurrection, thinking they could stump him. They ask: 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? The question is grounded in Deuteronomy 25:5-6, where Moses writes in the law that a man must marry his brother s widow. This law existed for a few different reasons, but primarily to economically care for the widow and protect the lineage and heritage of its family, including its land and wealth. Since the Sadducees don t believe in a resurrection, they ask the most extravagant what if scenario imaginable: a widowed woman who marries seven different brothers due to their deaths. The Sadducees ask, If there is a resurrection, since Jesus you believe in one, who will have her as a wife? Jesus responds by stating flatly their question is wrong. He can t answer it because the premise is incorrect. They are wrong, Jesus says, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. First, they don t know the Scriptures. These well educated men, who claim their is no resurrection, have wrongly interpreted the Scriptures. Jesus tells them, how can their be no evidence for the resurrection? He takes them to Exodus 6, where God speaks to Moses from the burning bush. There God said, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. If these guys were dead and buried, no longer existing and absorbed into nothingness, why would God say this? God s introduction of himself as the present God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob testifies to the resurrection and life after death. Plus, God introduces himself as the Great I Am, he is existence. How can he be the God of the dead? He can only 4

5 be the God of the living. So, Jesus refutes their Scripture interpretation proving that they are just plain wrong. However, Jesus says that they also do not understand the power of God. They also do not understand the power of God and how it changes human existence in the resurrection. Jesus says that when humans resurrect, they will be like the angels. People read Jesus words here and ask all sorts of questions. If we are like angels, will we have wings? Will we know one another? Will we be genderless, no longer male nor female? And, why won t their be marriage? That makes me not even want to go! But see the power of God in the resurrection! In the resurrection the entirety of who we are will be raised. That means that we will experience a bodily existence. That means you will be you. You won t be married anymore, so in that sense you will be like the angels, but in the resurrected state, you will be you! Yes, that means you will know your friends and family, and of course you will know your spouse. So yes, there will be no marriage in heaven, but that doesn t mean you won t love one another. In fact, you will love one another perfectly! The love of Christ that will fill our hearts completely will be perfectly expressed to one another. The power of God in the resurrection perfects human existence. Therefore, let us look forward to heaven and the resurrection of the dead. The Christian hope is set upon a future promise. The Christian experiences the power of the resurrection because we have a savior who has been raised by the Father! By faith in Christ alone, we possess eternal life. The Christian, unlike the Sadducees, knows the Scripture and the power of God! The dead in Christ will be raised! Round 3: Jesus Weakens the Opposition (What is the Greatest Commandment?) Again, we see the wisdom of Jesus! The hero dispatches foe after foe, defeating all who would challenge him. The Pharisees, Herodians, and the Sadducees have all given it their best shot, but they can t land a jab on the Son of God! However, during this public contest between Jesus and the religious 5

6 leaders, one of the religious leaders hears Jesus responses, and his interest is piqued. Watching Jesus respond with such wisdom and authority stirs his interest in Jesus; he s strangely drawn to him. Most likely, he originally came to watch his friends beat down Jesus, but Jesus is still standing while his friends are licking their wounds. Compelled by his own interests, he asks Jesus a genuine question, not one to catch him in a trap. The man s earnest and eager to hear Jesus answer to a common question of religious debate. He asked, Which commandment is the most important of all? This was a popular question of debate by the religious leaders. The questioned required the answerer to summarize the heart and intention behind the Law. How one answered the question said a lot about what the purpose of the Law was. Jesus answers with the Shema lifted straight out of Deuteronomy 6:4-5. Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. A Jew would recite the Shema each morning and evening. They wrote it above their doors. It was well known by all. Jesus answer here, though a good one, wasn t original to him. However what is astonishing about Jesus answer is how he joins his summary of the Law with his next answer. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these. In Jesus summation, Jesus accomplishes several brilliant moves. First, he summarizes the entire Ten Commandments. The first of the Ten Commandments center around what it means to love God. The last of the commandments focus on what it means to love our fellow man. With these two commands, Jesus sums up the entirety of the Law. Second, Jesus shows us that loving God and loving humanity go hand in hand. If we say we love God, but don t love others we are liars. True love of God means we love other people. Jesus elevates the radical call to love one another. The inquiring scribe was impressed with Jesus answer. You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. This scribe is beginning to get it. He s starting to realize that the purpose of the Law wasn t to create a legalistic spirit of lifeless obedience. Rather, it was to spur them to love God and man. Jesus responds back to the man, You are not far from the kingdom of God. This scribe has begun to get it, though he isn t there yet. He s started to realize 6

7 the intention and purpose of the law, but has yet to grasp his inability to keep it. In that sense, he s moving in the right direction. He boldly speaks up before his friends and interacts with Jesus, knowing his pals are giving him dirty looks for doing so. He feels the hollowness of legalism and rule following, but he has yet to feel the weight of his own sin, and thus his need for a savior. The man is getting close to the kingdom, but he s not there yet. The Gospels never tell us if this man eventually arrives into the kingdom, but he s close! This is an important warning for all of us. You can be close to the kingdom, but yet condemned! You can be standing in the doorway of entrance, but never pass through. Just because your in close proximity to the entrance, doesn t mean you are a citizen of Christ s kingdom. You could have grown up in the church and have sat so closely to the gate of faith, but you ve never walked through! You know the right answers and have all the right knowledge, but yet you have not become broken in your sin and have realized your need for Christ. You ve never flung yourself upon Jesus with complete abandon and desperation. May each of us check our own souls, and may none of us here today be this close to the entrance of Christ s kingdom, only to refuse to put our trust in Christ today. If your sitting by the gate, enter through the door of Christ! Round 4: Jesus Lands the Defeating Blow (Whose Son is the Christ?) After Jesus answered this scribes question, no one dared to ask Jesus any more question, however Jesus intends to finish the fight. His enemies are on their heels, but Jesus plans to deliver the knock out punch! Jesus had been playing defense and countering the blows of his opponents. However, now he turns and goes on the offensive. The wise and masterful teacher stands in the temple and challenges the scribes concerning the Messiah. How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? David himself, in the Holy Spirit, declared, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet. Jesus makes a powerful knock out blow about the identity of the messiah, not merely as a son of David, but as the son of God! The common belief was that the 7

8 promised Messiah would be a descendent of David. But Jesus pushes back on that simplistic understanding by taking them to Psalm 110, a psalm composed by David. It s a Messianic psalm that speaks of the coming King. However, Jesus points out something peculiar about David s psalm, a psalm he wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. David himself, the author of the psalm, calls the future messiah Lord: The Lord (God) said to my Lord (Messiah/Christ). So Jesus knock out punch is a question: So how is he (the Messiah) his son? Jesus challenges the religious leader s assumption about the Messiah, and hints at his divine origins as not only the son of David, but the Son of God. Final Thoughts In these four rounds in the boxing ring, Jesus dispatches every challenger and stands victorious. He is the wise Son of God, the author of the Law, who easily defeats the religious leaders who challenge him. He is never stumped or stupefied. He is never caught flat footed. In each round of this brawl, we ve seen the wisdom of Jesus. Perhaps today, you are amazed at Jesus wisdom. Like the inquiring scribe, as you ve listened to Jesus counter argument after argument, you feel drawn to him. After all, who in human history has ever spoken with wisdom like this? Who has ever taught with this type of authority? If that s you, I pray you wouldn t get near the gates of the kingdom, but come in by faith. After all, admiring Jesus or having an appreciation of him does solve your problem of sin. You can be close to the kingdom, but not in the kingdom. I pray that today you would realize that Jesus isn t simply a wise teacher, a cunning rhetorician, and an unmatched debater, but the Son of God who sits at the right hand of the Father, who puts the enemies of his son under his feet. Jesus isn t an intellectual to admire from a distance, but a savior to confess as Lord. Come near to him. Respond to his authority and teaching with faith. 8