Read: Mark 12:13-27 NLT – Taxes for Caesar – Later the leaders – Bible Gateway
“Jesus replied, ‘Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God.’” Mark 12:24 NLT
This week in Biblical Insights Jesus is approached by two groups of religious rulers opposed to each other but have a common enemy, Jesus. Their goals are to trap Jesus into contradicting Himself and for Him be at odds with either the Roman government or the Jewish law.
Our first group is a combined group of the Pharisees and the Herodians. The Herodians were a political group of supporters of King Herod, not exactly the Jews best friend but they were sent together to ask Jesus a question about paying taxes. “Later the leaders sent some Pharisees and supporters of Herod to trap Jesus into saying something for which he could be arrested.” (Mk.12:13 nlt) Their hope was Jesus wouldn’t recognize the Herodians and He would agree with the Pharisees in not paying tribute to Caesar by not paying taxes forcing His arrest.
The Pharisees and Herodians used flattery by telling Jesus they knew how honest He was. They noted His impartiality, playing no favorites, and always speaking the truth of God. Then they asked Jesus should we be paying taxes to Caesar. Of course Jesus saw right through this. “Why are you trying to trap me? Show me a Roman coin, and I’ll tell you.” (Mk.12:15 nlt) Showing Jesus a coin, He asked them an easy question, whose picture is on the coin? When they replied with ‘Caesar’s’ Jesus said, “Well, then, give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.” (Mk.12:17 nlt) Problem solved. But the Pharisees didn’t see it that way. They hated to pay taxes to the Roman government who was oppressing them. Their thought was, Jesus would never sanction such a tax, but he did, and they were amazed. They also failed at their attempt to trap Jesus in having Him arrested or the crowds turning on Him which was the real goal.
What Jesus laid out to the taxpayers of His day applies to us in our day. Jesus implied our responsibility to the government does not interfere with our responsibilities to God. We are under divine obligation to pay taxes to the government God has placed over us, for all authority comes only from Him. Many Christians today have the same problem the Jews had in paying taxes to an oppressive government, but Jesus spoke it plainly, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.”
Our second group this week are the Sadducees. They were the sophisticated Jewish party and very wealthy. Australian Theologian Leon Morris describes them best, “The conservative, aristocratic, high-priestly party, worldly minded and very ready to cooperate with the Romans, which, of course, enabled them to maintain their privileged position.” They were made up of High priests, chief priests, and most of the Sanhedrin. They were highly political and had great influence in the religious activities at the Temple. They oversaw the Temple business which Jesus disrupted the day before by clearing them all out. Their beliefs were noticeably opposite the Pharisees and other religious rulers. The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection. They were all about this world and making a profit. The Sadducees only recognized the first five books of Moses as authority and did not adhere to any oral, traditional, or Scribal law of the Pharisees. They also denied the existence of angels.
This group, the Sadducees, described in the previous paragraph asked Jesus the most ridiculous question. They based the question on a law of Moses found in the Old Testament. The Sadduceess were seeing common ground with Jesus for their question. They confirmed the book of Moses and knew of Jesus’ quotations from Moses. But their question was to prove their point of no resurrection. They start by saying, “Teacher, Moses gave us a law that if a man dies, leaving a wife without children, his brother should marry the widow and have a child who will carry on the brother’s name.” (Mk.12:19 nlt) The purpose of Moses’ law was to provide a continuance of the man’s family name and inheritance rights. The first son born would be considered the son of the dead brother. The Sadducees then create a scenario where there were seven brothers and all of them died without passing on a son, and then the woman died. Now their ridiculous question from a group who doesn’t believe in the resurrection, “So tell us, whose wife will she be in the resurrection? For all seven were married to her.” (Mk.12:23 nlt) Absurdity!
“Jesus replied, ‘Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God.’” (Mk.12:24 nlt) The Sadducees were ignorant of the Scriptures. If they knew God’s Word even just the first five books they claim to believe they would know of the power of God and His ability to raise the dead. People today are just as ignorant of the Bible as the Sadducees were. They don’t believe because they don’t know. They don’t know because they haven’t read. They don’t read because their eyes are blinded by the spirit of darkness in this world. Christians should be in prayer for eyes and hearts to be opened in people to read God’s Word and understand His plan of salvation.
Jesus then explained those raised from the dead are not married as when they were here on earth but are like angels in heaven. Angels do not marry and do not have children. Life in heaven is not like life on earth. Marriage was established by God on the earth for companionship and advancing the human race. Believers in heaven will have a totally new spiritual existence.
The Sadducees needed understanding in another area in which Jesus is going to explain to them. They needed to know the truth of the resurrection. “But now, as to whether the dead will be raised—haven’t you ever read about this in the writings of Moses, in the story of the burning bush? Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, God said to Moses, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’” (Mk.12:26 nlt) Jesus went right to book of Moses, the book they should have been familiar with for they accepted it as the authority of God. This Scripture proves there is a resurrection of the dead. God spoke of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as being alive. He said, ‘I am the God of Abraham’ not ‘I was’, but ‘I am’ in the present tense.
Only the power of God is able to raise someone from the dead. Every believer’s body will be raised up on the last day and be united with our living souls in heaven. Our physical bodies die but our souls live on either in heaven with Christ or in hell with the lost until they reunited at the Lord’s return unto eternal life or eternal punishment. Don’t be as the Sadducees. Don’t be ignorant of the Bible, believe in the resurrection and the power of God, and accept Christ as His Spirit calls you unto salvation.
Word for the Soul 