MARK 12:13-27 Lesson # 34

THE CENTRALITY AND FAITHFULNESS OF GOD

I. Greetings:

II. Introduction:
Note: We spoke last time of being under attack. Today our focus will be more on substantive answers. The Holy Spirit has chosen to present Jesus in controversy five times between Mark 11:27-12:40. These controversies were recorded for our benefit. The two controversies we will deal with today cover two great doctrines: the nature of what it means to be human and the resurrection. In a practical sense (and all real doctrine has practical implications), these two great doctrines deal with our freedom and hope. Freedom and hope are two qualities many today desperately need. Our goal is to see “the source” of both.

III. Trying To Impale Jesus on the Horns of Politics: Mark 12:13-17.
Note: The first attack on Jesus was meant to hurt Him, but Jesus took this deceptive attack and turned it into a benefit for us. Jesus could take even the vilest situation and bring benefit from it. He was the master of reversing what sinful human leaders tried to do.
A. The Attack. Mark 12:13-15.
>>>> Have someone read Mark 12:13-15.
Q Were they using flattery?
An = Yes, they were. Sincere compliments and flattery are two very different things.
Q Why? What reason did they have to compliment Him?
An = He had boldly taken them on and had not deviated from His answers, no matter how many important and powerful the people were He had offended. However, their compliments were not sincere but rather flattery.
Q What constitutes flattery?
An = Flattery is praise that is insincere. Have two different people >>> read John 8:48 and John 9:16. In John’s Gospel, these particular enemies openly expressed their negative opinions of Him, but here in our story they used flattery. Beware of flattery. We love to hear it, but Jesus saw through it (Mark 12:15 b “But He, knowing their hypocrisy…”). We need to focus on our mission of obedience, not on the approval of our detractors.
Q What was the trap they were setting?
An = The Pole tax that was placed on all adults, which the Romans put in place in 6 AD. It was deeply hated by the local population. The money was used to pay for the Roman soldiers stationed there to control the Jews. They were forced to pay for their own lack of political freedom. If Jesus said yes, He would lose popular support. If He said no, they could have Him arrested by the Romans for inciting rebellion. It was a good trap.
B. Jesus’ Response: Sanity and Centrality. Mark 12:16-17.
>>>> Have someone read Mark 12:16-17.
Note: No one had a denarius, least of all Jesus.
Note: Coins in the ancient world were 1) signs of power; 2) the extent of a king’s or government’s rule was delineated by the presence of his valid currency; 3) often a king’s head or inscription was on the coin, so in a sense it was His property. In this case, Caesar had his likeness on the coin and his titles that stressed his partial deity. Such coins as these were a great offense to the Jews. It was a form of idolatry to them (Barclay, pp. 298-300).
Note: Jesus’ answer was that the coin was Caesar’s, so give it to him = if we enjoy the fruits of government, then pay taxes, whether we like the government or not. If we use a road, mail a letter, are not invaded, etc. then pay taxes.
Q What did the last part of these verses mean?
An = The audience were in God likeness (Genesis 1), so we ultimately belong to God. Our life’s existence bears likeness to God. As the coin bore the likeness of Caesar and belonged to Caesar we human beings bear the likeness of God and therefore belong to Him.
Q How did Jesus’ detractors respond towards Him?
An = They were amazed. They tried to trap Him and wound up amazed, not converted, but impressed.

IV. Trying to Embarrass Jesus on a Doctrinal Issue. Mark 12:18-27.
A. The Attack: Presenting the ridiculousness of His doctrine. Mark 12:18-23.
>>>> Have someone read Mark 12:18-23.
Q Did the Sadducees believe in the Resurrection?
An = They did not believe in the Resurrection and only held the Torah or first five books of the O.T. to be authoritative. The Sadducees in Jesus’ time did not believe in a Resurrection, as they claimed such a belief could not be found in the first five books of the Old Testament. It is true the belief in a resurrection is more clearly drawn from other parts of the Old Testament. The Pharisees and Jesus held the rest of the Old Testament to be authoritative, and Jesus agreed with the Pharisees that there was going to be a resurrection.
Note: Since the Sadducees did not believe in a resurrection they wanted to ridicule Jesus’ belief and had some standard arguments, one of which was the one we have just read. It was based on the “Leverite” marriage law.
Q Does anyone know what the “Leverite marriage law” was?
An = The Leverite marriage law was an ancient custom to protect land distribution, give security to women, and give honor to the deceased who died without children. If a man died while being married and did not have a male descendent a brother was to marry her and the first male child of the union inherited the deceased brother’s estate and carried the name of the deceased brother.
However, the situation here was a highly ridiculous one: a situation that would never happen in reality. This scenario was a huge “what if” that was intellectually possible but not likely to happen. However, it was used to attack a belief Jesus had clearly taught.
Q Have people ever ridiculed some of your beliefs? (Encourage people to share their experiences).
Q What have been some of your experiences?
Note: The Sadducees were trying to show the stupidity of the resurrection. They wanted to show that Jesus was foolish and ridiculous for believing in a resurrection. Jesus’ answer is instructive. First, He knew they did not believe in the parts of the Old Testament that refer to a resurrection, so He played the game in their court, so to speak, and used only the parts of the Old Testament they considered authoritative.
B. Jesus’ Answer: You Misunderstand the Power of God. Mark 12:24-27.
>>>> Have someone read Mark 12:24-27.
Q How did Jesus answer their ridicule?
An = 1) They had made heaven in their own image, just like we often do (Barclay, p. 304). Their understanding of resurrection was revealed to be in error. Their reference point to understanding the resurrection was inadequate. They had left out God Himself.
2) The depth of God’s power and the depth of God’s powerful love for His own were misunderstood. Whom God makes a covenant with has His love forever.
3) The great name of God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob pointed to another aspect of His power. It was extended to the living, not the dead; because God was the God of life, not of dead There was no death-cult or preoccupation with the dead in the Torah, and every Jew knew that. If one reads several of the laws in Deuteronomy or Exodus one could see that following them would remove the Jews from the being trapped by fear of the dead, death spirits, etc. The Jews were the freest people around in their handling of death. In addition, the Mosaic law forbad preoccupation with the dead and not only focused all the community’s resources on the living, but also freed the Jews from a great deal of dread, fear and torment from the occult world.
Since God was spoken of as the “God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” then these three men must be alive, because God was not the God of the dead.
Q Do people often attack an inadequate view of Christianity? What can we do in such cases?
An = The informed Christian can straighten out their conceptual errors in understanding what Christians actually believe. This was what Jesus did with His clever use of the Holy Name of God. The Sadducees were attacking an inadequate view of the Resurrection. Many people who attack Jesus Christ or the Bible often reveal a deficient understanding. If they really knew God’s power, if they really understood the Scriptures, then their attack would not take place.
Q From what part of the Old Testament did Jesus answer their question?
An = Jesus answered the Sadducees from the Torah: Exodus 3:6. He played the contest in their court and used only the Scriptures they held themselves as authoritative.
Q In both of Jesus’ answers in (12:13-17 and 12: 18-27) what was the center focus?
An = Both answers stressed putting God first and properly understanding the situation (our being made in His image, and a proper understanding of God’s majesty of being the God of the living). If we can see Him as He really is: One who loves us forever (12:27) and who has a right to our loyalty (12:17). If this happens, then we will see reality as it really is.
Q What could this teach us in handling the controversies set against us?
An = God should be the key focus of our presentation. The more we understand who we are, and who God is, the more we can adequately defend the truths of Scripture and help others see reality.
1) If we can understand that He made us, has a right to us and our loyalty, then we can be free. Loyalty to Him can free us from bondage to other humans and that dominate others.
2) If we understand the power of His everlasting love for us, then our understanding of God’s love can help us understand our own dignity and the basis for our hope of eternal life. Once we really understand God, then knowing we will live forever in the Resurrection is easy to understand.

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Note: You may want to print the material below and hand it out after the meeting to your audience to help them with their own witnessing attempts. Some of this comes from Lane, p. 421.

1. First Encounter. Jesus authority was challenged. Mark 11:27-12:12. Answer: He began with a counter question that forced his audience to commit themselves first, thus robbing them of the “cat-bird” seat of non- committal. Jesus used an O.T. parable (Isaiah 5:1-7) and then created one of His own (12:1-12). Both stressed that by means of humility, God’s blessing comes.
2. Second Encounter. Jesus’ Enemies Use Trickery: “What about taxes”. Mark 12:13-17. Answer: He created a proverb that stressed putting obedience to God above all else. They set a trap, and He brilliantly stepped out of it.
3. Third Encounter. They attacked His doctrine of belief in the resurrection. Mark 12:18-27. Answer: He again used the O.T. and showed what the Scriptures truly stress: God’s personhood and God’s power.
4. Fourth Encounter: An Intellectual Challenge: “What is the greatest commandment?”
Mark 12:28-34.
Answer: Jesus used the O.T. and stressed loving of God and others.
5. Fifth Encounter: Jesus went on the Offensive: He presented to them a question that asked for their interpretation.
Mark 12:35-40.
Answer: Jesus was subtly pointing to Himself as the Messiah, especially because of the openness of the last inquirer. He showed great interpretive ability with the O.T. and stressed that the true Messiah would come on a larger scale than they had anticipated.
Note the responses to His answers: 12:12 the opponents were angry but feared multitude, in 12:27 the opponents were amazed at the brilliant answer. In 12:34 the opponents would not question Him any more. In 12:37 crowds enjoyed His answers.
Note: He clearly won these debates, but not their hearts. Even the most brilliant mind cannot win over a stubborn heart.
Note: Jesus was well versed in the Scriptures (as we should be) and in its true intent. Throughout all of these encounters there was a focus on the will, character and agenda of God, not on a human agenda. If we have our own agenda in situations where we witness, we cannot serve as He did. Jesus would be pleased if we stayed focused on pleasing His Father, not winning arguments. He wants to properly show forth the character and purpose of God.
Note: Jesus knew His culture and if we are going to present the truth to people we have to know their culture. We need to answer them from within their own culture and beliefs. We have to play the game on their court.
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