Untitled Sermon

Good evening. we are continuing our sermon series on the Gospel. if you would turn in your bibles to , will be reading from verse 12 to 27.

And they were seeking to arrest him but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they left him and went away. 13And 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. 18 And Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection. And they asked him a question, saying, 19 "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. 20 There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no offspring. 21 And the second took her, and died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. 22 And the seven left no offspring. Last of all the woman also died. 23 In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife." 24 Jesus said to them, "Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26 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'? 27 He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong."

PRAY

We find ourselves in the week before Jesus is crucified. Jesus has already made triumphal entry on Sunday, he had cleared the temple on Monday, and now it is Tuesday. In the story in Mark, Jesus has just completed telling the parable of the tenants. The parable where a man planted a vineyard and leased it out to the tenants. He repeatedly sent his servants to collect the fruit, but they beat the servants and some they killed. In it says: “ He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' 7 But those tenants said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' 8 And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. 10 Have you not read this Scripture: "'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; 11 this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?" 12 And they were seeking to arrest him but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they left him and went away.”

To review where we are in the text, we find ourselves in the passion week. Jesus has already made triumphal entry on Sunday, he had cleared the temple on Monday, and now it is Tuesday, day 3 of the passion week. In the story in Mark, Jesus has just completed telling the parable of the tenants. Paul Hepperle taught this the last time we were in Gospel of Mark. If you weren’t here when Paul preached it, it is available on the church website and I commend it to you. But to summarize, this parable is where a man planted a vineyard and leased it out to the tenants. He repeatedly sent his servants to collect the fruit, but they beat the servants and some they killed. In it says: “ He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally, he sent him to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' 7 But those tenants said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' 8 And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. 10 Have you not read this Scripture: "'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; 11 this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?" 12 And they were seeking to arrest him but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they left him and went away.”

This evening we go through the text and then I will three points of application.

Jesus’ parable was an allusion to . The parable reflects on Israel’s history marked by rebellion and unfaithfulness in spite of God’s divine grace. This parable is a biting condemnation to the leaders for their failure as leaders of the people. What is interesting here, is Jesus revealing more of the secret of his person when tells the parable. But the anger and rage and their unbelief blinded them to the truth. The only thing that prevents them from laying their violent hands on him there in the temple are the people. As you read the last verses of that parable you can almost visualize their uncontrollable rage.

To review where we are in the text, we find ourselves in the passion week. Jesus has already made triumphal entry on Sunday, he had cleared the temple on Monday, and now it is Tuesday, day 3 of the passion week. In the story in Mark, Jesus has just completed telling the parable of the tenants. Paul Hepperle taught this the last time we were in Gospel of Mark. If you weren’t here when Paul preached it, it is available on the church website and I commend it to you. But to summarize, this parable is where a man planted a vineyard and leased it out to the tenants. He repeatedly sent his servants to collect the fruit, but they beat the servants and some they killed. In it says: “ He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally, he sent him to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' 7 But those tenants said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' 8 And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. 10 Have you not read this Scripture: "'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; 11 this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?" 12 And they were seeking to arrest him but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they left him and went away.”

Jesus is clearly winning the support and approval of the people while exposing the failure and hypocrisy of the ruling Jewish leadership. The authorities, for their part, do not take this lying down and continue trying to figure out a way to arrest him; but they lack the opportunity because of Jesus’s widespread popularity among the crowds. If they seize him, the attempted arrest would cause a riot. The leaders therefore resort to a subtler tactic and try to trick Jesus into incriminating himself. by sending Pharisees (a Jewish sect known for its zeal to keep the law) and Herodians (those loyal to Herod’s dynasty) to ask him a question to which either answer would provide grounds to accuse him: “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” If Jesus answers yes, he would shatter people’s expectations of him as a Messiah who would throw off Roman rule; if no, he could be arrested for fomenting revolt. The temporary alliance of the Herodians and Pharisees (Jesus’s political and religious adversaries) clearly demonstrated that Jesus was perceived as a threat to all the existing power structures. His clever answer avoids the trap by allowing for a both/and scenario, evading the either/or dilemma posed by his foes: the denarius has Caesar’s image on it; so as long as Caesar is in power, it is appropriate to pay taxes to him (of course, in the messianic kingdom Caesar’s image would not be on the coinage, so there the obligation would no longer apply). At the same time, Jesus urges his listeners to give God the things that are God’s; since we are made in God’s image, we owe everything to him. The image of Caesar and Roman gods on coins deeply offended Jews in the first century. Yet Jesus cleverly sidesteps their trap, and the Pharisees and Herodians, amazed at his answer, are at a loss as to how to respond.

Jesus is clearly winning the support and approval of the people while exposing the failure and hypocrisy of the ruling Jewish leadership. The authorities, for their part, do not take this lying down and continue trying to figure out a way to arrest him; but they lack the opportunity because of Jesus’s widespread popularity among the crowds. If they seize him, the attempted arrest would cause a riot. The leaders therefore resort to a subtler tactic and try to trick Jesus into incriminating himself. There are going to be a series of four questions in succession, three asked by representatives of the Jewish leaders and the fourth question by Jesus himself.

Jesus has explained enough, and if the Jewish leaders were rational, they could have figured it out and come to faith. As it says in , they did not have eyes to see or ears to hear. So, they don’t believe, and want to put Jesus to death.

Jesus’ parable was an allusion to . The parable reflects on Israel’s history marked by rebellion and unfaithfulness in spite of God’s divine grace. This parable is a biting condemnation to the leaders for their failure as leaders of the people. What is interesting here, is Jesus revealing more of the secret of his person when tells the parable. But the anger and rage and their unbelief blinded them to the truth. The only thing that prevents them from laying their violent hands on him there in the temple are the people. As you read the last verses of that parable you can almost visualize their uncontrollable rage.

After Jesus has silenced the Pharisees and Herodians, the Sadducees (a Jewish sect that denied the end-time resurrection of the dead) step forward to test him with a tricky theological conundrum. Their question is designed to make Jesus’s belief in the resurrection look ridiculous. But by quoting God’s self-affirmation in , to the effect that he is a God of the living, not the dead, Jesus once again turns the tables on his opponents. They marvel at his answer and, as do the others who tried to trick him, fall silent.

Our text his evening will cover two of these questions. The first question is asked by sending Pharisees (a Jewish sect known for its zeal to keep the law) and Herodians (those loyal to Herod’s dynasty) to ask him a question to which either answer would provide grounds to accuse him: “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” If Jesus answers yes, he would shatter people’s expectations of him as a Messiah who would throw off Roman rule; if no, he could be arrested for fomenting revolt. The temporary alliance of the Herodians and Pharisees (Jesus’s political and religious adversaries) clearly demonstrated that Jesus was perceived as a threat to all the existing power structures.

Jesus is clearly winning the support and approval of the people while exposing the failure and hypocrisy of the ruling Jewish leadership. The authorities, for their part, do not take this lying down and continue trying to figure out a way to arrest him; but they lack the opportunity because of Jesus’s widespread popularity among the crowds. If they seize him, the attempted arrest would cause a riot. In a parallel in passage in , The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people. 20 So they watched him and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, that they might catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor.

Jesus has explained enough, and if the Jewish leaders were rational, they could have figured it out and come to faith. As it says in , they did not have eyes to see or ears to hear. So, they don’t believe, and want to put Jesus to death.

The text in verse 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?" In this first part of the verse they are reminding Jesus is a man of integrity who pays no attention to the opinions of men but taught absolute commitment on how to live a godly life. They are doing everything they can think of to make sure he answers the question, because they believe either answer will lead give them what they want.

The leaders’ resort to an indirect tactic and try to trick Jesus into incriminating himself. There are going to be a series of four questions in succession, three asked by representatives of the Jewish leaders and the fourth question by Jesus himself.

Jesus is clearly winning the support and approval of the people while exposing the failure and hypocrisy of the ruling Jewish leadership. The authorities, for their part, do not take this lying down and continue trying to figure out a way to arrest him; but they lack the opportunity because of Jesus’s widespread popularity among the crowds. If they seize him, the attempted arrest would cause a riot. In a parallel in passage in , The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people. 20 So they watched him and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, that they might catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor.

His clever answer avoids the trap by allowing for a both/and scenario, evading the either/or dilemma posed by his foes: the denarius has Caesar’s image on it; so as long as Caesar is in power, it is appropriate to pay taxes to him (of course, in the messianic kingdom Caesar’s image would not be on the coinage, so there the obligation would no longer apply). At the same time, Jesus urges his listeners to give God the things that are God’s; since we are made in God’s image, we owe everything to him. The image of Caesar and Roman gods on coins deeply offended Jews in the first century. Yet Jesus cleverly sidesteps their trap, and the Pharisees and Herodians, amazed at his answer, are at a loss as to how to respond.

Our text his evening will cover just two of these questions.

The leaders’ resort to an indirect tactic and try to trick Jesus into incriminating himself. There are going to be a series of four questions in succession, three asked by representatives of the Jewish leaders and the fourth question by Jesus himself.

After Jesus has silenced the Pharisees and Herodians, the Sadducees (a Jewish sect that denied the end-time resurrection of the dead) step forward to test him with a tricky theological conundrum. Their question is designed to make Jesus’s belief in the resurrection look ridiculous. But by quoting God’s self-affirmation in , to the effect that he is a God of the living, not the dead, Jesus once again turns the tables on his opponents. They marvel at his answer and, as do the others who tried to trick him, fall silent.

The first question is asked by sending Pharisees (a Jewish sect known for its zeal to keep the law) and Herodians (those loyal to Herod’s dynasty) to ask him a question about taxes to which either answer would provide grounds to accuse him: “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” If Jesus answers yes, he would shatter people’s expectations of him as a Messiah who would throw off Roman rule; if no, he could be arrested for fomenting revolt. The temporary alliance of the Herodians and Pharisees (Jesus’s political and religious adversaries) clearly demonstrated that Jesus was perceived as a threat to all the existing power structures. Taxes by the Romans were extremely unpopular. They were first imposed less than a generation before during the census by Quirinus. It caused the revolt by Judas that was put down by the Romans. If people couldn’t pay their taxes, they could be sold in to slavery.

Our text his evening will cover just two of these questions.

The text in verse 14 reads “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?" In this first part of the verse they are reminding Jesus is a man of integrity who pays no attention to the opinions of men but taught absolute commitment on how to live a godly life. They are doing everything they can think of to make sure he answers the question, because they believe either answer will lead give them what they need to accuse him.

The first question is asked by sending Pharisees (a Jewish sect known for its zeal to keep the law) and Herodians (those loyal to Herod’s dynasty) to ask him a question about taxes to which either answer would provide grounds to accuse him: “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” If Jesus answers yes, he would shatter people’s expectations of him as a Messiah who would throw off Roman rule; if no, he could be arrested for fomenting revolt. The temporary alliance of the Herodians and Pharisees (Jesus’s political and religious adversaries) clearly demonstrated that Jesus was perceived as a threat to all the existing power structures. Taxes by the Romans were extremely unpopular. They were first imposed less than a generation before during the census by Quirinus. It caused the revolt by Judas that was put down by the Romans. If people couldn’t pay their taxes, they could be sold in to slavery.

Jesus ask for a denarius. A denarius is a small Roman coin, which was worth a day’s wages. On the head part was an engraved image of Tiberius with the words “Tiberius son of the divine Augustus, and on the tail side, it said “High Priest.” The Romans couldn’t have up with anything more offensive to the Jews. So the Jews used copper coins that bore no image.

The text in verse 14 reads “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?" In this first part of the verse they are reminding Jesus is a man of integrity who pays no attention to the opinions of men but taught absolute commitment on how to live a godly life. They are doing everything they can think of to make sure he answers the question, because they believe either answer will lead give them what they need to accuse him.

Though Jesus and his followers, had none of these idolatrous coins, but apparently the questioners had a coin and they showed it to Jesus. Since they had this idolatrous money in their possession, and in their zeal to trap Jesus quickly revealed it, immediately there were in no position to criticize Jesus since they were already carrying this idolatrous money.

Jesus ask for a denarius. A denarius is a small Roman coin, which was worth a day’s wages. On the head part was an engraved image of Tiberius with the words “Tiberius son of the divine Augustus, and on the tail side, it said “High Priest.” The Romans couldn’t have up with anything more offensive to the Jews. So the Jews used copper coins that bore no image.

In verses 12:15-17, the text reads, “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.”

Though Jesus and his followers, had none of these idolatrous coins, but apparently the questioners had a coin and they showed it to Jesus. Since they had this idolatrous money in their possession, and in their zeal to trap Jesus quickly revealed it, immediately there were in no position to criticize Jesus since they were already carrying this idolatrous money.

This clever answer avoids the trap by allowing for a both/and scenario, evading the either/or dilemma posed by the Pharisees and the Herodians. The denarius has Caesar’s image on it; so as long as Caesar is in power, it is appropriate to pay taxes to him (of course, in the messianic kingdom Caesar’s image would not be on the coinage, so there the obligation would no longer apply). At the same time, Jesus urges his listeners to give God the things that are God’s; since we are made in God’s image, we owe everything to him. The image of Caesar and Roman gods on coins deeply offended Jews in the first century. Yet Jesus cleverly sidesteps their trap, and the Pharisees and Herodians, amazed at his answer, are at a loss as to how to respond.

In verses 12:15-17, the text reads, “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.”

After Jesus has silenced the Pharisees and Herodians, the Sadducees (a Jewish sect that denied the end-time resurrection of the dead) step forward to test him with a tricky theological conundrum. Their question is designed to make Jesus’s belief in the resurrection look ridiculous. But by quoting God’s self-affirmation in , to the effect that he is a God of the living, not the dead, Jesus once again turns the tables on his opponents. They marvel at his answer and, as do the others who tried to trick him, fall silent.

This clever answer avoids the trap by allowing for a both/and scenario, evading the either/or dilemma posed by the Pharisees and the Herodians. The denarius has Caesar’s image on it; so as long as Caesar is in power, it is appropriate to pay taxes to him (of course, in the messianic kingdom Caesar’s image would not be on the coinage, so there the obligation would no longer apply). At the same time, Jesus urges his listeners to give God the things that are God’s; since we are made in God’s image, we owe everything to him. The image of Caesar and Roman gods on coins deeply offended Jews in the first century. Yet Jesus cleverly sidesteps their trap, and the Pharisees and Herodians, amazed at his answer, are at a loss as to how to respond.

Even though we are still in the introduction, we come to my first point, which is:

After Jesus has silenced the Pharisees and Herodians, the Sadducees show up to ask a question. The Sadducees were different from the Pharisees in that the Sadducees were from the aristocratic party of high priests and other leading families from Jerusalem. They did not believe in the resurrection and only held to the first five books of Moses. Those books didn’t clearly teach the resurrection so that is why they did not believe in it. When you died, you were dead and that was it. The Pharisees on the hand believed in the supernatural and the resurrection. And we read the Gospel a few of the Pharisees are sympathetic to Jesus, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea. But no Sadducees.

1. Sin is irrational, and unless the Holy Spirit regenerates you, you will never get out of your lostness.

Their question is designed to make Jesus’s belief in the resurrection look ridiculous. But by quoting God’s self-affirmation in , to the effect that he is a God of the living, not the dead, Jesus once again turns the tables on his opponents. They marvel at his answer and, as do the others who tried to trick him, fall silent.

1. Sin is irrational, and unless the Holy Spirit regenerates you, you will never get out of your lostness.