Mark 12:18-27 - October 22, 2010

Mark 12:18-27 “Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. 19 "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 have children for his brother. 20 Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died without leaving any children. 21 The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third. 22 In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too. 23 At the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?"

24 Jesus replied, "Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? 25 When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. 26 Now about the dead rising-have you not read in the book of Moses, in the account of the bush, how God said to him, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? 27 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!" 

Are you sure you want to be a minister of the gospel!? The life of Jesus was filled with wonder, miracles, personal transformations and moving moments of compassion but it was also a life and ministry consistently faced with opposition, debate, demonic attempts to entrap and ensnare and encounters with the tensions created by human weakness and failings. At every turn there was a new problem to solve, a new snare to avoid, or a fresh doctrinal issue to set right.

Mark 12 is a consistent flow from one conflict or debate to another. The entire chapter is such a demonstration of the emotional stamina of Jesus that it is truly amazing. Jesus does not demonstrate insecurity, nor anger in His responses to the pressure of these traps and debates. Nor does He display any signs that these exchanges have worn Him out and left Him on edge. Instead, Jesus remains consistently focused and firmly rooted in His emotional makeup. The mouth is the window of the emotions and His is under perfect control! His responses consistently reflect His theological integrity, His wisdom, and His emotional composure!

In Mark 12:18-27 Jesus is confronted with another doctrinal issue that the Sadducees bring to Him. This time addressing the issue of marriage within the context of the possibility of resurrection these men present a theological question to Jesus through the means of creating a very complex fictional scenario that contains a difficult theological tension within it. The Sadducees do not believe in the resurrection and so from their perspective this question exposes the conflict between the laws about marrying your dead relative’s spouse so that you can raise up an heir for him and the dynamics that would be created if there is a resurrection.

Jesus wastes no time once again in His response. He immediately addresses the fact that these men are in error. He uses the context of His response to confront them on two distinct levels. Jesus states that the error of their thinking is because they “do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?” With this response to the Sadducees Jesus identifies two core areas of understanding that are necessary to comprehend the things of God and are often the source of error even today. These men who came to Jesus had an incomplete knowledge of the word of God and they also had an inaccurate understanding of the power of God. Oh, how this describes the state of so much of the church. We must know the word deeply and possess a right understanding of the power of God to properly interpret the things of God!

At its core the correction that Jesus brings to the Sadducees is one of the foundational truths of who God is. “He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” Jesus is aware that the theology of the Sadducees does not support the doctrine of resurrection and so He is addressing this issue from the reality of God’s ongoing relationship with the founders of our faith, the patriarchs. Jesus redefines for them the nature of our eternal being and the reality of the resurrection. Jesus’ redefinition of the problem effectively silences another snare!

Mark 12:14 - October 21, 2010

Mark 12:14 “They came to him and said, "Teacher, we know you are a man of integrity. You aren't swayed by men, 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 taxes to Caesar or not? 15 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."  16 They brought the coin, and he asked them, "Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?" "Caesar's," they replied. 17 Then Jesus said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's." And they were amazed at him.

In considering Mark 12:14-17 we are faced once again with a story that contains many layers of insight that can be explored.  Verse 14 is a revelation of insincere flattery that springs from false motives. Jesus is target of an organized, purposeful attempt to discredit Him. It is sad but true that people will operate in this way but this passage is a lesson to us to learn to look a little deeper into the hearts of men when we are dealing with issues of the kingdom of God. This passage demonstrates that not all words that seem sincere and genuine spring from the heart of the Holy Spirit.

These men were trying to trap Jesus and their approach was to seek to put his guard down by speaking in words that were affirming and complimentary yet poison was in their hearts. In their attempts to ensnare Jesus these men appealed to His sense of who he was as a means to draw Him into an error in His response. They sought to veil their attack by affirming His person and ministry before offering a leading question. What is sad and yet fascinating to consider is that the things they state about Him are true, they know it, and yet they still seek to tear Him down. They say to Him “we know you are a man of integrity. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.” They affirm His character, His commitment to treating all men equally, and the truth and Godliness of His message and still they attack!

The lesson that this reality needs to teach us is that the enemies of God do not need to find a flaw in us to have a reason to attack. If they cannot find one, they will at times invent one! Satan’s capacity to deceive the hearts of those who should love the work of God is apparent on every level.

The snare that these leaders have set for Jesus is now not one limited to the Mosaic scriptures. They are seeking to find in Him seeds of rebellion against the Roman government so that they can attack Him on a political level instead of a religious one. Their goal is to use His commitment to the standards of God as a means to make Him an enemy of Rome! But Jesus is not ignorant of their wicked motives. Again, Jesus’ response is a powerful lesson in the art of confrontation! Jesus is very direct in dealing with them. He is not fearful, not does He send hints. His answer is bold and direct. “Why do you try to trap me?”

There is a time for confrontation and many people are afraid of it. This is why so many problems exist in both the church world and the business world today. Fear of man limits so many people from saying and doing the things that will resolve the issues and problems that are hindering. Jesus uses such wisdom in His confrontation. He recognizes the root of the trap is centered on the fact that these men are trying to place Him in a situation where His commitment to God is in conflict with His submission to the government. Jesus’ response quickly and powerfully separates the two issues in a righteous resolve. Through the use of a roman coin Jesus effectively teaches the people to honor both the government of God and the government of man. In this response He sets the foundation for Paul’s teaching in Romans 13:1-7 exhorting us to honor earthly governments. Once again Jesus effectively silences the voice of His adversaries with a wisdom that leaves them amazed.

Mark 12:13 - October 20, 2010

Mark 12:13 “And they sent unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words.”

The persistence of some people in their sin is truly amazing! Even though directly confronted by Jesus through His most recent parable, told of their sinful heart condition and actions, these men went right out and began to seek for other ways to undermine and hinder the work of Christ! Truly this verse is a powerful picture of the nature of a hardened heart!

The religious leaders were given such a clear parabolic rebuke from the Lord. They were confronted in such a way that earlier verses say that they knew that He had spoken this parable against them. And yet this rebuke was not sufficient to break through the hardness of heart that held these men captive. When a heart is truly bound by sin the power of that deception is a powerful stronghold. These men were given opportunity to repent but instead were on the opposite side of the grace of God!

In considering this reality there are two things that seem to speak loudly from this sad reality. First it is clear that though these men were, in God’s mercy, given a strong rebuke and opportunity to repent, their rejection of this opportunity now positioned them as God’s adversaries and the tools through which He would fulfill His purpose. Just as in the case of Moses where Pharaoh’s rejection of the signs sent to him positioned Him as a tool through which God would reveal His wrath, so the resistance of these religious rulers set them up to be the vessels through which Christ would be sent to the cross. This great act of betrayal on their part became the setting for their own judgment and for the fulfillment of God’s greatest purpose! We must learn to look through the lens of heaven when interpreting the conflict and opposition that we face as we walk out our callings. The very same act that on one hand God uses to train us and to fulfill His purpose concerning us, at many times becomes the setting through which God’s divine justice is set in motion in regard to His dealings with both His enemies and the lost that He is reaching out towards.

The second reality that calls to us through this passage is the power of a wrong heart. At first glance the reactions of these men may seem rooted in a misguided loyalty to the things of God. There is however a deeper reality at work behind the motives that hold these men’s hearts. John 11:47-48 reveals through their own words the true motives of their anger and resistance towards Christ. "Here is this man performing many miraculous signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation." Indeed there is no noble but misdirected commitment to God at work in the actions of these men. The true condition of their heart is centered upon their commitment to preserve what they would lose personally if Christ continues to inspire faith in the multitudes. Instead of possessing the heart of John whose reaction to Christ’s growing influence was, “He must increase. I must decrease,” there was only possessiveness instead of surrender to God’s purpose. “Lord give us the heart of your servant John!”

Mark 12:10-12 - October 18, 2010

Mark 12:10-12 “And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner: 11 This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?” 12 And they sought to lay hold on him, but feared the people: for they knew that he had spoken the parable against them: and they left him, and went their way.”

As we have noted in the last two devotionals there is a distinctly prophetic edge to this particular parable and in it Jesus has revealed many kingdom principles while placing a distinct focus on who He is and the death that He will soon face at the hands of the religious leaders of Jerusalem. There is no attempt to change the course of these things only an announcement of the things that will soon come to pass. His words have been direct, pointed and purposeful and He finishes this exchange with a powerful closing statement. He has been speaking to them with parabolic inference as He has confronted these leaders and as a final confirmation of both the accuracy of His parable and the coming events that He has foretold He directs them to a prophetic statement found in Ps. 118:22-23 that confirms the outcome that He has foretold.

There would be a stone that is rejected by the builders but that stone will end up being the chief cornerstone. This is a powerful message concerning the reality that those things which man rejects are often the very things that God chooses. In this case not only is the stone that is rejected by men put into use by God but it will become the centerpiece of God’s plan! Verse 11 of Mark 12 expands in a wonderful way upon the reality of this plan by saying “this was the Lord’s doing, and it was marvelous in our eyes.” Man will not be the one who promotes the Lord. It is God’s doing! Man will simply look upon what God has done and marvel at His glorious handy-work.

What is truly amazing in this parable is that Jesus tells these men through this parable that they have been guilty of a neglectful abuse of God’s vineyard. He warns them of both the certainty that they will betray Him and the judgment of God that follows. Verse 12 tells us that they KNEW that this parable was spoken against THEM! And yet they still left that encounter and immediately began to conspire of a way to kill Him; the very thing that the Lord prophesied that they would do. Truly they heard Him but never really heard Him. Perhaps in this audience there were a few who heard with open ears and withdrew from this course. Perhaps this was even the reason that Jesus spoke it forth even knowing that the outcome wouldn’t change. Perhaps through it’s telling a few men were delivered and the rest were now fully accountable to God for what they would soon do. God is always just in His dealings with man and seeks to give every chance to repent.