Let's pray.
Father God, we thank you for your word.
We pray that we would not tonight make the mistake
of these who confront Jesus,
who play loose and fast with the truth,
who deny some of the central tenets
of what it means to be part of your kingdom.
We pray, Lord, that we would read your word,
we would hear your word,
we would understand your word
and that we would not ignore it.
We pray, Father, that in what we're doing tonight
that we will not miss you, we pray.
So we pray that we would get a greater glimpse
of your glory, your purposes,
and the part that we play in that as your people.
And so be with us now as we open up your word
that we might not just hear it,
but that we might experience something of your power.
And we pray it for your sake.
Amen.
So get your Bibles open to Mark chapter 12.
Our recent sermon series on the kingdom of God,
I think, is particularly helpful
when we're coming to looking at Mark 12
and this little short series that we got here
last week, this week, and next week
on the clash with ultimate authority.
For anyone out there,
remember how we define the kingdom of God
in our series, Kingdom of God?
God's people in God's place under God's rule.
Yes, God's people in God's place under God's rule.
Fantastic.
Straight at the top of the class.
Tashi, you should consider a ministry internship
at some point.
For the people of God in the Old Testament,
much of their expectations of the kingdom
centered around Israel and Jerusalem
and the temple and the rituals in the temple.
And what we saw in our series
was that the consistent problem
was that they did all the religious practice stuff
but they rejected God
and they rejected his authority,
they rejected his word.
They looked the part
but in the actual fact,
their hearts were a long way from God.
The eventual consequence was exiled from God's place.
God stuck them over there in the naughty corner
for 70 years in Babylon
and to fine tune them a bit.
And during the course of that,
God was speaking to his people
and prophesying about a future day
where there would be a future king,
a Christ, a Messiah,
who would restore the kingdom of God.
And when this king comes,
he will give his people new hearts
which would internally be moved to obey Christ
or the king, the Messiah.
And so the opening words of Jesus' ministry
right at the beginning of Mark's gospel
are very significant for us.
So chapter one says this,
the time, this is the words of Jesus,
the time has come.
The kingdom of God is near.
And so Jesus is talking about the fulfillment
of all of these promises for the people of God.
Jesus then goes on to demonstrate the kingdom's realm,
the rule of this king.
And he, as the king of the kingdom of God,
by calling disciples to follow him,
complete strangers,
come, follow me,
and they leave their nets
and they go and follow Jesus.
He drives out demons,
he heals lepers,
the blind, the paralytic,
he raises the dead,
he calms the storm.
He demonstrates that there is nothing
outside of his control.
As the king of the kingdom,
he rules everything.
And so the kingdom of God
is not restricted to Israel
and Jerusalem and the temple.
He is the king over everything,
all encompassing.
And then as you move further into Mark's gospel,
you get to chapters nine and 10
and we discover the surprising nature
of this rule,
of this king.
He is, in fact,
a servant king
who has come to serve
and not be served.
He has come to give his life
as a ransom for many.
And the second great surprise
is when you move out of chapter 10
and into chapter 11
and you see that the king arrives
at his,
the city.
He arrives at Jerusalem,
Jesus arrives
and there's a crowd there.
They've got palm trees,
you know,
and they're waving
and they're cheering.
The king has arrived.
And what you discover
is that when the king
goes to the temple,
he is rejected.
He's rejected.
He first of all
rejects the temple
and the old order of things.
He gets a whip
and turns over tables
and drives people out.
He rejects the old
religious system
of pomp
and corruption
and hypocrisy
and he replaces
that system
with himself.
He says,
you don't come
and meet God
now through this temple.
You meet God with me.
So three days,
I'm going to pull it down
and I'm going to rebuild it again.
So everything
that this temple stood for
is now going to be
met in me.
You meet God
through me.
You want to relate to God?
It is through me.
And what happens then
out of there,
chapter 11,
Jesus curses a fig tree.
It's a symbol
of God's rejection
of the old order of things.
And so that
it is completely clear
what Jesus is on about,
we hear the story
of the parable
of the tenants
that Chris preached
on last week.
Sorry,
Sam preached
on last week here.
that the people
of Israel
have consistently
rejected God
and rejected
the messengers
of God
and now
I'm rejecting you.
I'm rejecting
the old order,
the old system.
And so in the temple courts,
the scene
of the king's
rejection
of the old order,
if you like,
out on the deck,
we see the rejection
of Israel king
by the leaders
of Israel.
Israel.
Jesus' credibility
and even his life
are at stake
in these encounters
that he has
with these religious leaders.
Jesus uses
each of these
encounters,
these clashes,
as an opportunity
to reveal something
striking
about the kingdom
and what it means
to be part
of that kingdom.
Last week,
we had round one.
Chief priests,
teachers of the law
and the elders
confront Jesus
and they go away
with their tail
between the legs.
Round two
is introduced
in verse 13.
Later,
they,
that's talking
about the Sanhedrin,
that's the Jewish
ruling council,
the Sanhedrin,
they send
some Pharisees
and Herodians
to Jesus
to catch him
in his words.
There are two kinds
of powers
that bind people together.
One is love
and the other
is hatred.
Naturally,
love is preferred.
Love is the glue
of the Trinity.
It is,
love is God's gift
to the church
and his command
for the church
but hatred
can bring together
diverse people.
People is diverse
as the Pharisees
and the Herodians.
There could be
hardly,
I think,
two groups
with such opposing
views in Israel.
The Pharisees
were fierce
nationalists.
The Herodians,
on the other hand,
were supporters
of Herod,
the Roman ruler
over Israel.
The Pharisees
represented
a narrow,
conservative Judaism
and the Herodians
were liberal
in their convictions.
The Pharisees
were right-wingers,
the Herodians
were left-wingers.
The Pharisees
represented resistance
to Rome,
the Herodians
accommodation
to Rome.
And what cemented
them together
as a group
was their hatred
of Jesus.
They've come together
because of their
hatred of Jesus
and the hope
that we can bring
this man down.
And then once
that's done,
we'll go back
to hating each other.
You see,
Jesus was causing
havoc with the
religious agenda
of the Pharisees
and he was causing
havoc with the
political agenda
of the Herodians.
And so they
unite in an attempt
to bring him down
and that's what it
says there in verse 12.
Later,
they sent
some of the Pharisees
and the Herodians
to catch him
in his words.
They want to
trap Jesus
in his words
so that they could
charge him
with treason
or heresy,
both of which
they can conspire
with the death
penalty in some way.
First though,
they have to
pave the way
for the question
in order to,
by throwing Jesus
off course if you like.
So verse 14,
they came to him
and said,
Teacher,
we know
that 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.
And so their lips
are just dripping
with insincere flattery
as they attempt
to appear
as innocent inquirers
of Jesus
in a hope
that Jesus
will be thrown
off course
and they can slip
their question in,
he'll give them
a wrong answer
and bang,
we've got him.
They're hoping
to disarm him.
Ironically,
their flattery
contains at least
an element of truth.
Jesus isn't influenced
by man
and he wasn't
influenced
by their flattery
in any sense.
He wasn't going
to be intimidated
by them,
he was walking
into their trap
with his eyes
wide open
and the trap
is set in verse 14,
is it right
to pay taxes
to Caesar
or not?
Should we pay
or shouldn't we?
That's a very
clever question.
It would seem
that they have
learnt
something
from the last
encounter
between Jesus
and the chief priests,
the teachers
of the law
and the elders.
You remember
the last encounter
from last week
when Jesus
asked these guys
a question?
John's baptism,
was it from man
or from God?
And either answer,
they get together
and huddle
and either answer,
they know,
and so what do they do?
These gutless weasels
lied through their tooth
and said they don't know.
They hang loose
with their convictions
in order to
save their egos
and their skin.
And so the next group
have thought
that was a good idea,
turned Jesus' tactic around
and thrown it back
in his face.
They've hit him
with a question
where either answer
would be enough
to secure
the death penalty.
A refusal
to answer
would be disastrous
and so would evasion.
And so
if Jesus says,
yes,
pay your taxes
to Caesar,
he's a traitor
to Israel.
We can get him up
on blasphemy charges.
And those
with the religious agenda
would just have him
at that
and they just love that.
But if he says,
no,
then he's stirring up
a rebellion
against Rome
and those
with a political agenda
could have him
up on treason charges
and we'll get him
for that.
And so the
tension
you can imagine
in the air
is thick.
Pharisees
hoping for a yes,
the Herodians
hoping for a no,
but Jesus
is one step ahead.
He knows
their hypocrisy.
It says in verse 15
and he says this,
why are you
trying to trap me?
Bring me a denarius
and let me look at it.
You can just imagine
the hush
in the crowd
as Jesus
takes the coin
that's been given
to him,
probably not by Judas,
and he
holds it up.
He holds it up
in front of them
and says,
so whose portrait's
that?
Verse 16.
Whose portrait's
that?
Whose inscription
is on there?
What can they say?
It's pretty obvious.
It's the face
of Tiberius Caesar
was on the inscription.
It was the face
that was on there
and the inscription
on it says,
Tiberius Caesar,
son of the divine
Augustus.
That was the
inscription on it.
Whose picture is it?
Who made it?
What do the people
say?
Caesar.
And so Jesus
says to them
in verse 17
what some have regarded
as the single most
influential political
statement ever made.
Give to Caesars
what is Caesar's
and to God
what is God's.
And they were
all amazed
at him.
And Jesus
temporarily
saved his life
as well as
giving the guidelines
of a proper
relationship
with God
and Caesar.
In saying
give to Caesar
what he
seizes,
Jesus recognizes
there is
a place
under God
even for a
Gentile ruler
in society.
The Apostle Paul
writes this
in Romans 13
verses 4 to 7
that such a
ruler
is God's
servant
to do you
good.
But if you
do wrong
be afraid
for he does
not bear
the sword
for nothing.
He is God's
servant
an agent
of wrath
to bring
punishment
on the
wrongdoer.
Therefore
it is necessary
to submit
to the
authorities
not only
because of
possible punishment
but also
because of
conscience.
This is also
why you pay
taxes
for the
authorities
are God's
servants
who give
their full
time to
governing.
Give everyone
what you owe
him.
If you owe
taxes
pay taxes
if revenue
revenue
if respect
then respect
if honour
then honour
and Peter
says the same
has the same
idea in 1 Peter 2
13
when he calls
for submission
for the Lord's
sake
to every
authority
instituted
among men.
Every
authority
instituted
among men.
And so
the New
Testament
assumes
the validity
of the
secular state
and it
demands
even when
the secular
state
is controlled
by a man
who thinks
he is
God
it still
demands
allegiance.
submission.
A
poorly run
state
is better
than no
state at
all.
Of course
there are
some
exceptions
but the
overall
point is
that
Christians
are called
to a
profound
obedience
to their
government.
Cheating
on taxes
is completely
ruled out.
there ought
to be
respect
and
submission
to those
in authority
and must
pray for
those who
rule over
us.
More often
than not
though
the reason
we obey
is for fear
of punishment
not because
of the
Lord's sake
right.
Not because
it's right
but because
we fear
to be
punished.
Such as
driving along
the M7
on the way
to Katoomba
and all
of a sudden
the traffic
is all
slow.
We're way
below the
speed limit
and why
are we
way below
the speed
limit?
Because a
policeman has
pulled up
someone on
the side of
the road
and we
just all
assume
automatically
that we
are guilty.
We fear
punishment.
Not because
we think
it's right
to stick
on 100
kilometres
an hour.
We just
fear to be
caught.
And when we
say we fear
to be caught
we're worried
about the
cost it's
going to be.
$200 or
whatever it
is for,
I don't know
what the
speed and
fine is,
but whatever
it is,
depends on
how fast
you're going.
We submit
for the
Lord's sake
but Jesus
brilliance
really comes
to the
fore in
the second
half of
the answer.
Give to
God what
is God's.
Because it's
the second
half of
the statement,
it is the
emphasis of
the statement.
See what I'm
saying there?
Give to
Caesar what
ceases,
give to
God what
is God
means that
that second
half of the
statement
usurps it.
that's the
primary point.
The kingdom
of Jesus
that Jesus
is talking
about isn't
primarily about
you pay your
taxes,
it's about
giving God
what is
due to
God.
Our
submission to
God's
authority will
be evidence
in our
submission to
God by
obedience to
what he
commands.
In other
words, you
can't say
Christ is my
ruler, I
submit to
Christ as
my king and
then ignore
what he
commands, such
as submission
to governing
authorities or
being generous or
to meet together
as a church or
to turn the
other cheek or
to reject anger
or to not
judge or to
let no unwholesome
talk come out
of your mouth.
You can't say
he is my king
and then reject
what he
commands.
In saying
give to God
what is God's,
Jesus is
recognizing that
there is only
one God
which subtly
puts Caesar
in his place.
but it
doesn't just
put Caesar
in his place,
he puts us
in our place
as well.
You see, the
essence of
sin is to
rebel against
God.
It's an attempt
to remove
God and
his authority
over my
life so
that I am
king.
It is to be
the determinants
of our own
life and our
own destiny
and direction.
And yet
what this
passage is
saying is
that whether
you realize
it or not,
even those in
positions of
authority,
we are all
people under
orders.
We are all
under orders.
Jesus subtly
states God's
ownership of
everything,
giving to God
what is God's
is exactly
what the
Pharisees have
not been
doing.
They have
been playing
religious games.
It's a very
clear warning
for us here
to check
our allegiances.
Jesus.
And so the
Pharisees and
the Rodians,
they have
played their
ace card and
they've been
trumped.
Two groups
have now
confronted Jesus
seeking a
reason to
arrest him.
Both have
walked away
with their
tail between
their legs.
And now it's
time for the
Sadducees to
have a shot.
Not with a
political question
but with a
theologically loaded
question.
And again,
lips just
dripping with
insincerity.
There's a bit
of scoffing
and a bit
of ridicule
thrown in
amongst it
all.
The Sadducees
were a
powerful Jewish
faction.
Mark tells
us in
verse 18
that the
distinctive
doctrine of
the Sadducees
is they
don't believe
in the
resurrection.
Which is
why they
were sad,
you see.
They
some of
them are
just getting
it now.
It's an
old one,
I know,
but every
time Sadducees
are there,
you've got to
give it.
Anyway,
they basically
denied the
spiritual life.
The Sadducees
were the most
conservative group
in Israel.
They accepted
only the
Old Testament
law, that
is the Torah,
the Pentateuch,
the first five
books of the
Bible.
They only
accepted those
first five
books as
the word of
God.
They rejected
everything else.
They rejected
the rest of the
writings of the
prophets from
the Old
Testament.
And they
were legalists,
that is,
they were
legalistic about
the obedience to
those laws as
they saw fit.
But they were
legal liberalists,
which means they
obeyed the bits
that they believed,
but the bits that
they don't believe,
they basically read
the Bible with a
pair of scissors.
They cut out the
bits they don't
like.
And so
they were a
pretty nasty
bunch of
people.
In fact,
Josephus,
who was a
historian around
that time,
who himself was
a Sadducee,
said that the
Sadducees were
rude, harsh,
and callous.
And that was
just amongst
themselves,
with their own
kind.
Forget about
anyone else,
they just hated
everyone else.
So they had a
pretty bad
reputation of
being not nice
people.
They weren't
well regarded in
the community
at all.
And they
reckon that the
Old Testament
law doesn't say
anything about
life after death.
And they come to
Jesus with a
hypothetical theological
situation, a
ridiculous situation.
It's an attempt to
make resurrection
look ridiculous,
and in the end
make Jesus look
stupid.
Just suppose,
they say,
there are seven
brothers, and the
first brother is
married, he dies,
and leaves a wife
with no kids.
Now Moses says,
back in
Deuteronomy,
that this
brother, one of
his other brothers
is meant to take
over and marry
the widow.
So the second
brother marries
her, but he
dies too.
And it's the
same thing for
the third, the
fourth, the
fifth, the
sixth, the
seventh brother.
Kind of like
seven brides for
seven brothers
except the other
way around,
sort of.
And last of
all, say the
Sadducees, the
woman finally
dies, exhausted
from seven
marriages and
having to put up
with seven
husbands.
So here's the
question.
You reckon
there's going to
be life after
death, whose
wife's she going
to be in
heaven?
What they're
trying to do is
they're trying to
take a central
theological truth
and make it look
so stupid.
And Jesus, the
foundation of
Jesus' answer is
in verse 24.
Are you not
in error?
Because you do
not know the
scriptures or the
power of God.
You see, their
problem had two
sources, ignorance
of God's word
and ignorance
of God's
power.
And I want to
say that they're
both, in fact,
connected.
In their
reading of the
Bible, even
their bit of the
Bible, they've
missed God.
And in missing
God, they've
missed his
character, they've
missed his
power, they've
missed everything
that God can do.
You see, a
thorough knowledge
of the word of
God is the
only way to
safeguard us
from error.
And yet, these
guys knew it.
At least the
bit they
accepted.
Their problem
was a lack of
submission to the
word of God.
They won't attack
the Bible with a
pair of scissors.
Anything they
like, get rid
of.
And Jesus
addresses the
problem of
their ignorance
of God's word
by diving right
into the very
heart of the
Old Testament
law.
which they
claim resurrection
can't be found.
And so Jesus
takes them to
Exodus 3, one of
the most famous
passages in the
Old Testament,
where God speaks
to Moses the
burning bush, and
God says to
Moses, I am the
God of Abraham,
the God of
Isaac, the God
of Jacob.
Now you see,
Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob were
dead hundreds of
years when God
said that to
Moses the
burning bush.
And notice he
doesn't say, I
was, he doesn't
say, I used to
be, he says, I
am, I am,
I still am the
God of Abraham,
Isaac, and
Jacob.
I am still very
much their God
because they are
with me.
He's not the
God of the
dead, he's the
God of the
living.
And in one way
when he says
that, he's a
bit of an
uppercut to
these Sadducees,
I'm the God
of the living,
not the dead,
which is why
you're not
accepting me as
your God because
you're dead.
Sort of a bit
like that, he's
having a crack at
them as well.
So Abraham,
Isaac, and
Jacob enjoyed a
special covenant
relationship with
God which was so
dynamic and so
profound that it
demanded a
continued living
relationship with
God after death.
So Hebrews 11,
verse 10 tells us
that the patriarchs,
which are Abraham,
Isaac, and
Jacob, knew that
the covenant
promises extended
beyond life in
this world.
It says,
Abraham was
looking forward
to the city
with foundations
whose architect
and builder is
God.
They were all
still living by
faith when they
died.
They did not
receive the
things promised.
They only saw
them and welcomed
them from a
distance and they
admitted that they
themselves were
aliens and
strangers in the
world.
And verse 16 of
Hebrews 11 says
this,
Instead, they
were longing for a
better country, a
heavenly one.
Therefore, God is
not ashamed to be
called their God
for he has
prepared a city
for them.
And that's when
Jesus comes in with
his concluding
thrust.
He's not the God
of the dead but
the living.
Take that, you
Sadducees.
It's right out of
book two of the
five books that you
accept as the word
of God.
And that's just one
example.
He could have used
at least half a
dozen different
examples.
What it seems to
me is that their
whole reading of
these five books
of the Bible,
their whole law,
what they accept
as the word of
God, in all their
reading of it, it
appears that they've
missed God.
Completely missed
God.
Who is the whole
point?
They had read the
Bible and they had
judged it, they had
evaluated it and they
believed it based on
what they thought
their minds were
reasonable.
What their minds
thought was reasonable.
What they had had is
they gained a whole
heap of rules in
order to govern
their life.
They had pursued
some kind of
moralism.
But they missed
God.
They missed God's
agenda.
They missed his
purpose.
They missed his
character.
They missed his
miracle working power
to resurrect the
dead.
And in missing
God, they missed
life.
That is why I think
our core value of
Christ-centered Bible
saturation is crucial
for us as a church.
It's not just Bible
saturation.
It's not just know
your Bible.
It's know the Christ
of the Bible.
Because he's the
point.
God is the main
thing.
We go to the
scriptures to see
God and his
glory, his
purposes, his
character, so that
we would be aligned
with him.
And so giving to
God what he's
God's is a call to
total allegiance
that would flow
over into every
aspect of your
life.
Clearly it didn't
for the Pharisees,
for the Herodians,
or for the
Sadducees.
They had sort of
packaged their life
life, so they
had all these rules
and it didn't seem
to impact anything
relationally.
Total allegiance
with God flows
over into all
areas of life.
If you have a
problem with the
submission to
authority, let me
tell you, it
flows up to your
submission to
Christ.
It is a reflection
of your submission to
Christ.
They're not
disconnected.
And why is this
allegiance to
Christ so
essential?
Because eternal
life, resurrected
life, is not a
destination, it's a
person.
John 17, Jesus
says this,
now this is
eternal life,
that they may
know you, this
is Jesus
speaking, that
they may know
you, God, the
only true God, and
Jesus Christ whom
you have sent.
You miss Jesus,
you reject Jesus,
you ignore Jesus,
and you reject
life.
To know Jesus is
to know the
power of God's
gift of a
resurrected life.
And that is the
problem with the
Sadducees.
They have read the
Bible, missed God,
and missed life.
What is implicit in
these encounters,
which will become
explicit next week,
in Jesus' last
encounter,
is that the
allegiance God
requires is not
a mere obedience
to a set of
rules, it's
not an
impressive
religious
practices,
but a heart
that loves God,
that treasures
Jesus, treasures
the Lord Jesus.
And in the
very temple
precincts,
at the very
center of the
religious practices
of the people
of God,
Jesus has
encounters with
the leaders of
the religious
practices of the
people of God.
The leaders of the
people of God.
And they have
their pomp,
and they have
their ceremony,
and they can quote
the scriptures,
and they can pray
impressively,
and yet they
reject their
king.
Right in the
very temple
precincts,
they reject
their king.
The very place
where you would
think that
people would be
waiting for the
fulfillment of all
the promises of
God, waiting for
the Messiah to
come, longing
for him,
and he gets
rejected there.
So, I want to
ask you,
what if these
encounters that
Jesus had
happened on our
deck,
straight after
five o'clock
congregation?
Would Jesus
find hearts and
lives that
treasure him?
Amen.