Mark 12:13-44

Where have we just been in this story?

The picture of the Temple’s destruction. The parable of the withered fig tree.

In chapter 12, we are still at the temple, and we are going to see further reason for the need that the temple needs to come down.

Challenge of wits

Mark 12:13–17 “13 And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, to trap him in his talk. 14 And they came and said to him, “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. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?” 15 But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” 16 And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.” 17 Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they marveled at him.”

The Pharisees and Herodians

They don’t agree on anything

Pharisees were fore purity and isolation from Rome and other authorities. They wanted to endure and rid themselves of the foreign influence.

The Herodians were fine with Herod and the regional rulers — they leveraged it for themselves.

They try to flatter Jesus

You are true and do not care about anyone’s opinion. You are not swayed by appearances.

Literally, the line reads: you are not swayed by their face (which becomes Jesus’ illustration with Caesar’s face on the coin)

We already learned form Mk. 11:32 that the chief Priests and scribes were described as those who feared man over God.

Their trap

Should we pay taxes or not?

There are people to disappoint and incite on both sides of this tricky question.

If you say we should give to Caesar, then you are pro Roman

If you say we should not give, you are an insurrectionist.

Either one we can use.

Jesus acknowledges that it is a test. He asks for a coin.

Jesus knows their hypocrisy. He asks them for a coin.

Apparently, the Jews were allowed to have their own coinage, so the fact that these Pharisees and Herodians even had a denarius was telling. They may have posed as questioning the authority of Rome or withdrawal from Rome, but they had no issue having a denarius in their purse.

Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s

Caesar has a legitimate authority. Though the tax may be exploitive and though you may dream of the day when Caesar is overthrown and you have your government back, you have a duty to render to him what is his due. You have that coin because of services rendered you are called to give back for the same.

Sometimes there is a wicked government. Sometimes there are autocrats and you don’t have a vote.

There is a time to use a ballot as a bullet, and when that is not an option, we also see how the Christian conquers regimes through the gospel — its proclamation, its faithful work, and sometimes its persecution. Rome indeed was changed in exactly that way.

Tiberius caesar was the adopted son of Augustus, who set up the new line of autocratic emperors. His name was Octavian, but he gave himself the title of Augustus — the august and regal one, majestic, great, and venerable.

Who gives themselves that name? The english contraction of the latin, Augustus, is of course the name Austin.

Tiberius Caesar's coin include the Latin inscription "TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVSTVS" on the front, which translates to "Tiberius Caesar Augustus, son of the divine Augustus". The back typically features a depiction of Livia (Augustus's wife) as the goddess Pax, with the inscription "PONTIF MAXIM" ("Pontifex Maximus")

He set himself up as the majestic one and the pontif maxim — the high priest.

Rome was a cult of emperor worship. He was divine.

But Jesus takes this even farther by saying that we must give to God the things that are God’s.

The coin may bear the inscription of the Emperor — it’s his mint and he can have it back.

Where is God’s likeness, His (eikōn) image, likeness, found? It’s on you. Caesar has a limited right, and it can be to the coinage of the realm, but his authority stops with you. You must not give over to Caesar what doesn’t belong to him. You must not join in the worship of Caesar. You belong to God.

If we think about changing a regime—that is exactly the spirit that we must have. We may suffer unjustly, and there are times to eat crow and do so obediently But there are many, many areas where we will be asked to bend the knee where we must say no.

This is a bigger insult to Caesar than they were looking to get, but it didn’t seem to incite the people, it made them marvel. It wasn’t about taxes, it was about worship.

The people marvel, but that doesn’t equal faith.

This is always a dangerous approach to God. Being astounded at him does not mean that there is obedience and devotion and faith.

He’s must not only be great to you because He can win a debate or do a miracle. He must not be merely venerated; God must be worshipped. Delighted in and obeyed.

2nd Challenge

“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 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 marry 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, how 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.”” (Mark 12:18–27, ESV)

Sadducees didn’t believe in the resurrection. Classic joke: they were sad, you see.

They held to the authority of the Pentateuch (first five books of the bible) and therefore rejected where most of the OT speaks about resurrection and afterlife (Isa.26:19; Dn. 12:2, the Psalms)

They thought the overtones of resurrection meant reputation and posterity, not personal survival.

Challenge him on the Levirite vow from Deut. 25 (a reductio ad absurdum)

Seven brides for one wife (instead of seven brothers)

Jesus says they are wrong and don’t know either the scriptures or the power of God.

As to the scriptures, Jesus uses their authoritative scriptures to prove where they are wrong. He quests Exodus 3:6, from the Pentateuch, and argues that God is the “I Am”, the living God.

The covenant nature of God repeatedly articulated by books of Moses is rife with God being the covenant keeping God. As we are about to see in Hebrews, the lives of the patriarchs were lives of faith, they didn’t always receive what they hoped for, but their faith was not in vain.

They also didn’t know the power of God. They failed to see God as the Lord of resurrection. This may be coming into focus because of Jesus’ upcoming resurrection, and particularly as He begins to speak about the destruction and resurrection of the temple (of course the true temple meaning Him)

“For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.” (Mark 12:25, ESV)

In heaven there will be need for what marriage protects and provides here, namely the production of children and a picture of the gospel love, sacrifice, and submission. In heaven, we become like Angels. This doesn’t mean that we don’t love or feel or remember or recognize, but in a way that of course I don’t know how, all that is rich and wonderful about God’s grace in marriage only becomes greater and more full in heaven.

3rd Challenge

“And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘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.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” And the scribe said to him, “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.” And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.” (Mark 12:28–34, ESV)

Mark for You The Third Challenge

The scribe asked for one command, but Jesus has given two. Jesus is saying that these two commandments are distinguishable, yet inseparable. Indeed, the New Testament tells us that we cannot say we love God and yet hate our brother (1 John 4:19–21). If you claim you can separate the two commands, the Bible does not just call you inconsistent. It calls you a liar.

The scribe even said that to love God and neighbor was much more that all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. Especially since we have been in Hebrews we have been seeing exactly this. Rend your hearts and not your garments — offer to God acceptable worship, from the heart.

Mark for You (Part Two)

The episode with the scribe is one of the few times that Jesus answers a question and then someone openly acknowledges that he is right. How will Jesus respond? Notice that he does not say, You are in the kingdom, but “You are not far from the kingdom of God” (v 34). This comment raises the question: What is the scribe missing? What does he need to see in order to enter the kingdom?

The scribe still does not understand the identity of Jesus. He says, “You are right, Teacher” (v 32). But it is not enough to call Jesus “right”; one must call him “Lord.” Jesus makes this point in the next story.

Liar, lunatic, or Lord

Whose Son Is the Christ?

“And as Jesus taught in the temple, he said, “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.” ’ David himself calls him Lord. So how is he his son?” And the great throng heard him gladly.” (Mark 12:35–37, ESV)

Jesus makes a challenge of His own.

Do they really know what they are looking for in the Messiah?

Mark for You (The Question for the Religious Leaders)

Then Jesus asks the “gotcha” question: “David himself calls him Lord. So how is he his son?” (Mark 12:37).

How can the Messiah be David’s son if he is David’s Lord?

Mark for You (The Question for the Religious Leaders)

Jesus has already been confessed as “the Son of David” by Bartimaeus (Mark 10:47–48). So, here in Mark 12, Jesus is not questioning the accuracy of the scribes’ understanding on this point but the adequacy of it. In other words, the question is not whether the Messiah is the son of David but whether he is only the son of David. (Meyer)

This Psalm is the most quoted OT verse in the NT (33 times).

YHWH said to my Adonai, sit at my right hand.

Would David call His son Lord?

What is said of this Adonai? He sits at God’s right hand. He is at session, seated and ruling with God. He is equal with God.

At COG, we have a session. It really just means being seated. Congress is in session or business is in session, when all are present and are seated. They are executing their work.

“And to which of the angels has he ever said, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”?” (Hebrews 1:13, ESV)

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:5–11, ESV)

Jesus is Lord.

Even David, a figure at the height of Jewish rule and devotion, and here more broadly is the city of David and the temple commissioned by David, needs to submit and bend the knee to David’s Lord.

Mark for You The Question for the Religious Leaders

Augustine is right when he says, “Christ is not valued at all, unless he is valued above all.”

(Two contrasting pictures close ch. 12 - the frauds and the genuine)

Beware The Scribes

“And in his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”” (Mark 12:38–40, ESV)

Peacocks and predators

Think of those who prey on the elderly or on widows, making spam calls and MLM offers.

Beware of those who preach in long black robes….This was more about ostentation and pride.

(Connect this section to the following)

The Widow’s Offering

“And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”” (Mark 12:41–44, ESV)

The large sums were noticeable or visible.

““Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:2–4, ESV)

We should notice the way that she gave, and we should also make a connection with the preceeding verses. One of these coins was 1/64 of a Denarius (which is one day’s wage).

Her giving was out of worship, not in pretense. Some give sparingly. Even their large sums aren’t much of a sacrifice. They contributed out of their abundance. Which might mean that they gave what they had left over. It might be a large sum, but it was not really a sacrifice, it was for show and status. ON the other hand, this widow put in all that she had to live on. Jesus tells us that what she gave was more than the others. She gave in faith. She put it all in. She became poorer the more she gave, not so with the others.

There is another dynamic to this as we connect to the previous story. The temple system had become predatory. They devour widows’ houses. She may be giving genuinely, but it’s also possible that this demand on her has been placed wickedly. Was there a corrupt system surrounding the temple that promised false hope for those who “sow a seed of faith financially?” Think of indulgences and other scams.

Jesus comes to love and serve and sacrifice for His bride, not extort her.

The Destruction of The Temple

“And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”” (Mark 13:1–2, ESV)

We will pick up here next week.