Jesus Can't Be Trapped

Mark 12:13–40 NIV

Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. 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? 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.” They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. 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. Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. “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. Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died without leaving any children. The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third. In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too. At the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?” Jesus replied, “Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. 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’? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!” One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions. While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he asked, “Why do the teachers of the law say that the Messiah is the son of David? David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared: “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.” ’ David himself calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can he be his son?” The large crowd listened to him with delight. As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”

Introduction: Dick Vitale once had a phrase for a College Basketball Player who was very difficult to defend against. “You Can’t Stop Him, you can only hope to contain him.” With Jesus, You can’t even contain him, but we try. How do we try?

We Try to Trap Jesus.

Once, a group of kids decided to play a game of 'trap the rabbit.' They used all kinds of clever tricks, but their furry friend hopped right through every trap they set. In the same way, when the religious leaders attempted to trap Jesus with tricky questions, He danced right through their schemes with wisdom and humor. No matter how elaborate their traps were, Jesus always found a way to hop over them!

- Our perspective of Jesus is sometimes too glossy. In some ways, we have attempted to make him easier to understand, and thus we’ve minimized his dangerousness. Blogger Kyle Chastain offers some reminders: “A system only works as long as a majority of people agree to follow it. Anyone who operates outside the economic, social, religious, or political system is a threat. So it makes sense why Jesus was threatening—He was on the outside.” He adds, “Jesus threatened the religious and political systems of the first century because those systems didn’t exist to serve the people. He threatened their power and authority, so the system decided to crush Him. At least they tried” (Kyle Chastain, “This Is What Makes Jesus So Dangerous,” Koinonia [blog], Medium, May 13, 2021,

The pressure every election to preach one party over another.

The discussion between Richard - Jesus would be a Democrat, and Purvis, Jesus would be a Republican. They ask me, - Jesus would be an independent.

My question today, is if we super-impose these conversations of Jesus with our current political parties and our denominations, how would that go for us?

Jesus Can Not Be Trapped by a Sect.

Remember that it is the Chief Priests, Scribes, and Elders who are trying to find a way to arrest him for his Claim that he had authority to clear the Temple, and they can not discern what is from God or man.

Representatives of Four different Groups are sent to Trap Jesus in a way to arrest Him. Who are these Groups?

They are Political/Religious Parties

Chart:

The Pharisees and Herodians would have been on the opposite of the Political and Religious Sepctrum. But they had one thing in common, wanting Jesus arrested, wanting to trap him.

“These opponents probably peg Jesus as an extremist who will flash the same militant zeal as Judas the Galilean. If he openly rejects the head tax, he will be like those diehard rebels who incited revolt and will be subject to arrest for treason (Herodian Trap). But if he endorses the tax, he will undermine his support among the zealous, who chafe under Roman rule.(Pharisee Trap)” “...Furthermore, a yes answer will also throw into question whether he is really the Christ since the Messiah was expected to depose those who tyrannized God’s people and to enforce justice.....By asking for a coin, which he does not possess, he throws them off guard. They must dig through their purses to come up with one while they wonder about his intentions. The head tax was paid by a silver denarius. In Jesus’ time, it was probably a Tiberian denarius. Coins in the ancient world were used for propaganda effect, and this coin bore an image of the emperor and proclaimed Roman ideology. The coin’s obverse had the effigy of the emperor and the superscription read: “Tiberius Caesar, August Son of the Divine Augustus”). The reverse had a female figure seated on a throne, wearing a crown and holding an inverted spear in her right hand and a palm or olive branch in her left. The superscription read: “Pontif[ex] Maxim[us]” (“High Priest”). ...

The opponents produce the coin, and Jesus asks them to identify whose image it bears. When they answer, “Caesar’s,” Jesus can now answer their question. Caesar’s coins belong to him. Since they have no qualms about doing business with Caesar’s money, they had better pay Caesar’s taxes. And since they are able to produce the coin, Jesus also exposes that they have no qualms about bringing an image of Caesar and an emblem of his worldly power and his pretension to deity into God’s temple. He makes them look foolish and impious. They already pay a kind of tribute to Caesar by possessing his coin. Therefore, they owe Caesar the tribute he demands from taxes. In effect, Jesus says, “Let Caesar have his idols!”

“Give to Caesar” does not give Caesar a carte blanche. Jesus does more than balance this statement when he tells them to render to God what is God’s. God is Caesar’s Lord. One may owe Caesar what bears his image and name—money. One owes God what bears God’s image and name. Since we are created in the image of God (see Gen. 1:26; Prov. 7:3; Isa. 44:5; Jer. 38:33; cf. Ezek. 18:4) and bear his name as children of God, we owe him our whole selves. David E. Garland, Mark, The NIV Application Commentary

The Sadducees and Pharisees while united in Worship of the one true God in the Temple System, they were theologically very different, but again, they seem united in trapping Jesus.

Jesus is clear, you are very mistaken and do not Know the Power of God

The Saducees want to trip him up in what they think is illogical in the belief of the Resurrection. - Remember they do not believe in it.

Luke makes the point that people are like Angels after the Resurrection, not because they float around like wings, or are seemingly sexless, but that they will not die again. Procreation will not be necessary in the New Heaven and New Earth, therefore marriage is not necessary. They mis-understand that whole reality.

He Quotes from Exodus a scripture they know that there is an after life - God Is the God, not God Was. He could have also gone to Genesis 3 to point out that sin brought death, humans were made to live forever initially.

He tells the scribe that he is close to the Kingdom of Heaven, because of his answer to the greatest Commandment. - This is one of the people plotting and trying to trap him into being arrested.

In the end Jesus challenges this group as well.

Mark 12:38–40 NIV

As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”

So let’s recap

All Parties were getting something wrong according to Jesus.

Some Individuals within a party might get something right according to Jesus, even if that Party is completely wrong.

Observation: Scholars believe that Jesus aligned most with the Pharisees in terms of teaching, Piety, belief in afterlife, Desire to Follow God and follow the law. But they were the ones he critiqued the most - mostly because they compounded laws for outward behavior, and Jesus focused on transformation of the heart. - these laws became incoherent and contradictory and then often hypocritical.

In essence Jesus is an equal opportunity offender

Do we allow Jesus to be an equal opportunity offender of our Parties. I suspect too that.

Some parties or denominations at any given point in are more in line with Jesus.

Yet All will be off track with Jesus on some level.

While individuals may be closer to Jesus, then there party or denomination.

If we take a lesson from this passage, we must not trap Jesus in our Parties, we must let him to have authority over them.

Jesus Challenges us to be Reformed According to Him.

Two examples: The add on Abortion from the Harris Campaign - The impression was that Women will not be able to have a DNC after a miscarrage, becasue that is considered abortion.

ECTOPIC PREGNANCIES AND MISCARRIAGES

All states allow for a DNC after miscarriage, but Texas and Louisiana are not clear in their laws for while a miscarriage is in process.

Second example, after the discussion on Defund the Police - Republicans charged the Democrats of supporting Defunding the Police - Interpreted as get rid of the police all together. Democrats pushed back, it did not mean that, it meant diverting some funds to more crime prevention methods - Where did that extreme come from - I heard one individual on NPR actually state that she believed in getting rid of the the Police.

To be Salt and Light, we need to Move from Christ’s Authority downward.

We need to allow Him to be able to Critique all movements and political parties. - That includes the ones we are affiliated with.

We must not marry Jesus or the Gospel to any one political party. Why, because when that party grows more hungry for power and winning at all costs, and they all do at some point, compromises with Jesus and conflicts with him, then who are you going to Choose, and are we as Christians left having to explain ourselves when they do.

We are called then to be objective from Christ’s point of view, not allowing the pressures of Group Think carry us along, politically

We are called to follow Jesus’ way, which was not gaining political power, but the way of sacrificial service - So voting is still very much.

Finally, it is possible that our political enemies are not far from the Kingdom, even those who want to trap us or Jesus. Our primary response to individuals is to point them to Jesus.

Conclusion:

At a pivotal moment in history, various rulers and religious leaders sought to control the narrative of the day, subjugating voices that challenged their authority. Jesus, however, walked steadily in truth, never allowing Himself to be cornered by human agendas or power struggles. This act reminds us that when we face pressures to conform to earthly systems, we can find strength in Christ to rise above—an invaluable lesson in discerning our own lives, ultimately aligning with His kingdom.