The first story we encounter is Jesus being questioned about taxes. The Pharisees and the Herodians come to Jesus to try and catch him in a verbal trap. We've talked about the Pharisees before, but this is the first time we've encountered the Herodians. While the Herodians were not a religious sect or grouping like the Pharisees, they were a political group of people who were in favor of Herod, his rule, and his policies.
This makes us stop for a moment. Here are the Pharisees, these purists of the Jewish faith, buddied up with the Herodians, people who were all about Herod, and in turn, ok with the rule of Rome. We've talked about that before. Rome was in full control of everything surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. Because of their rule, they levied taxes on everywhere. Thus, even if you were on the family piece of property in Israel that you and your family have owned for 100s and 100s of years, you still had to pay tax to Rome.
The Pharisees and Herodians come to Jesus to ask him if they he felt people should pay the tax. They butter him up at the beginning of the conversation saying,
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.Wow. That's the nicest thing they have ever said about Jesus. Interestingly, everything they say about Jesus is true. Not that they are admitting it. They are more than likely saying this for the crowds. Think of all that has transpired so far. Jesus has come to the temple and caused a ruckus by throwing out the people selling and buying offerings for the temple, along with the money changers--the people who collect the taxes for the temple. Then, the next day, he gets in a verbal war with the religious leaders. Each time there has been an interaction there has been a crowd of people there to take it in. They've witnessed everything. They've heard the exchanges and seen the reactions. The Pharisees and Herodians are completely aware of this. They must act like they are being honest and sincere as they interact with Jesus, otherwise, the crowds will turn on them.
So they are nice to Jesus. Kind with their words. Then they pose the question, "Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”
No one likes paying taxes, especially taxes levied from people who are far away, who aren't giving you anything other than the peace of not beating you down when you pay your taxes. There question, however, doesn't phase Jesus. He is totally on to them.
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?One must ask the question, do these guys even think before opening their mouths? Did they really think that Jesus would give them a straight up yes or no answer to their question. Didn't they learn from the earlier question to Jesus about where his authority comes from? That didn't work well for them either. They've put themselves in a pickle again.
Garland notes that Jesus asking for a coin here infers that he did not have a coin on him. He also walks through the inscriptions on coin the Pharisees and Herodians produce for Jesus. Inscriptions that talk about Caesar being divine. These two people groups dont' have a problem with carrying this type of coin, one inscribed to show that Caesar is divine. Now, for the Herodians, that's not a problem. They aren't religious. However, the Pharisees have a problem. No Gods before me and no idols are both a part of the 10 Commandments. This coin could have been seen as an acknowledgement of Caesar as divine and as an idol. I wonder if it was a Herodian that had the coin?
Had Jesus answered yes to the question, that they should pay the tax, the crowd would have flipped out. That would be like a politician saying he thought it would be best to raise taxes. The people felt oppressed by the empire. Jesus affirming that would have went against what the Messiah stood for.
Answering no would have put him in just as much trouble. With Rome in power, you did what you needed to do to keep Rome happy. Not paying taxes would have been one thing. Telling everyone in a public forum to not pay taxes would have been treason.
Jesus isn't going to answer either way. He's caught the two groups in their game. As he asks about the coin, they have to respond, "Caesar's" because that's the answer. Its his face and his words.
And then there is Jesus' final statement, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”
Think of it this way. If you are going to live under Caesar and use his money, you live under his rule and have to follow what he requires. That is easy. Do what you need to to keep yourself out of trouble and you will be all good. That's really what the religious leaders have been doing.
Give to God what is God's is much different. Jesus has already stated the expectations of one who follows. It was no different for the Jews under the Law. God expected full commitment to the Covenant that he made with Israel. He expected them to live out the Law, not as things the had to do, but a new way of life, one that was shaped by His presence and politics, not by the outside world. Such a strong statement that Jesus makes. So much so that it amazes them.
A question meant to trap turns into yet another blaring light on the fault of those in power and of the systems in place.
Right after this exchange, the Sadducees step up and take their turn in questioning Jesus. The Sadducees where religious, just like the Pharisees. They differed in some theology, though. The biggest difference is that they did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. That's why they were sad, you see (I know, that was bad. But you know who they are now). The Sadducees were totally committed to the Torah, but the Torah only. Any later interpretations, like the Mishnah, were off limits and out in their regard. They come to Jesus to question him about the raising of the dead. Rather than get into a full on theological debate, they put a scenario in front of Jesus.
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?”Did you follow that? In that day, if one of your brothers was married and died without a son, you stepped in as husband and had a son with her. That way, the family had an heir, one who would continue the ownership of the land and so on. Creepy right? Normal to them. The question then is, if all of these brothers are married to the woman, who's her husband at the resurrection?
Jesus' first response should have been, "Um....y'all don't believe in the resurrection. Why are you asking this question?" Maybe he's thinking it. Maybe the crowd is thinking this. Mark doesn't tell us. He only gives us Jesus' response.
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!He does it again. He quickly deals with the question with something more than what the questioner is looking for. This is how he responds:
First, you are ignorant because you don't know Scripture.
Second, rising from the dead isn't about family reunions, its about the Kingdom of God and presence with God.
Third, since you all believe in the Torah, you know what God says at the burning bush--that he is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. At this point when he is telling Moses this, they are all dead. So either God is the God of dead people, or God is the God of people who have some sort of presence/life after this life.
Fourth, you are ignorant. God is the God of the living.
So what's the take home for us in the middle of all this? First, and foremost, don't get into a verbal argument with God and try to trick him. It won't turn out well for you. Second, if we are people of the Kingdom, the Kingdom takes up our focus, not the world or politics or taxes. God's Kingdom reigns over all those things. Third, at the end of life on this Kingdom, God has all worked out. Its not about family reunions. Its about presence with God, being in the place where the Kingdom of God is in its fullest. Since God's got all of that under control, lets focus on being the Kingdom now and let God take care of the rest.
Lord, help us focus on the right things!
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