Once Jesus entered the temple, things really started to stir up in Jerusalem during the Passover Feast.
Now everything was just fine before Jesus entered the temple, at least that is what the Pharisees would have told you. Everything was running smoothly. Everyone was getting along. The temple was full of business and activity and for all outward appearances appeared to be thriving. There were no problems. Not in their eyes.
However, God was not pleased. What the Pharisees had forgotten was that this was not their temple, but this was God’s temple, God’s house, in which he had laid out specific laws on how it was to be governed and ran. His house was never intended or created to be a marketplace but a place of prayer.
All their works and businesses they applauded themselves on actually hindered the work of God and was fruitless like the fig tree that withered from the roots. Outwardly these religious leaders looked beautiful as if they were flourishing from a distance, but inwardly they were both empty and filled with dead works. Fruitless. Jesus found nothing but leaves.
The Chief Priests and the teachers of the law could not see their sin as the issue, but saw the light exposing their sin as their issue, Jesus. They began looking for a way to kill Jesus because they were afraid of him and of his teaching. They began to look for ways to shame him and discredit him in front of the crowds in order to get rid of him.
The first thing they began to do was to question his authority. “By what authority are you doing these things?” They asked.
Pride had blinded their eyes. They could see no authority but their own. They were considered the experts in the law. It was the great business of their life to know it, to make it known, to enforce and protect it. They interpreted the laws of God and how to apply them and often added on to their requirements. Who was Christ to question them?
The Pharisees had begun in positions of authority that were good, but pride began to take over them and they began to extend their authority outside the limits that God had given them and they became power hungry and controlling and eventually found themselves instead of operating beneath and within the authority of God, to operating against the authority of God.
Jesus began to tell the story of the parable of the vineyard, showing that they were in positions of service and the grace of God had allowed them to operate and run this vineyard as tenants with only a small part of the fruit to be collected and given back to God out of the harvest of the vineyard. But they would give nothing back to God. They would not acknowledge the authority or ownership of God but became possessive and kept everything for themselves and would kill God’s messengers and eventually his very son.
The Pharisees knew enough to understand that Jesus was speaking against them in the parable. Instead of being convicted of their sin when confronted, however they sought a way to extinguish the light that was exposing their sin by finding a way to get rid of Jesus. They just wanted things to go back the way they use to be before Jesus interfered in their business and their lives.
That’s what God does, does he not? He gets all up in our business. His light exposes our sin but it’s not to destroy us but because He knows our sin is destroying us and He would save us. Our response? Anger. We would attempt to destroy God, throw God out of lives before we gave up our sin. That is the sinfulness of our human nature that it continually seeks to destroy God so that we can continue on in our lives unconvicted and not having to deal with our sin.
This is where we find ourselves tonight as certain Pharisees and the Herodians seek to trick Jesus in order to get rid of him.
And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words.
We are familiar with the Pharisees, they are the religious rulers, the religious leaders of the day, the teachers of the law. Jesus sternly rebuked them repeatedly because they cared more for outward ceremonies of religion and cared little for inward holiness. He referred to them as white washed tombs full of dead man’s bones. They would clean the outside of the cup but leave the inside of the cup untouched.
The Herodians were a sect or party of Hellenistic Jews who followed Herod the Great. They were men of the world and cared little for religion.
These two parties, the Pharisees and the Herodians were normally at odds with each other similar to how the Republicans and Democrats are always at odds with each other today. The Pharisees sought to establish the kingdom of David. The Herodians sought to establish the kingdom of Herod. Jesus sought to establish the Kingdom of God, so both parties were against him.
Remember way back as early as Mark chapter 3 after Jesus healed a man’s withered hand in the synagogue on a Sabbath Day, the Pharisees began their plotting that very day how they were to get rid of Jesus. This bitterness runs deep now and goes way back.
Mark 3:6 – “So the Pharisees went out immediately and began plotting with the Herodians as to how they could assassinate Jesus.”
The Pharisees and The Herodians seek to catch Jesus in his words. Notice the purpose for which they went. They went under the guise of seeking truth by asking questions, but this was not their real intent. They did not come with open hearts and ears to listen. They had a ulterior purpose which was creating an opportunity to catch Jesus in his words, to entrap him in something that he would say so that they could accuse him and get rid of him. Getting rid of Jesus was their goal, not to get answers to questions. Their mind was already made up before they even entered the synagogue
When representatives of these two groups came to Jesus, their aim was to “catch Him in His words.” The word catch is a rather feeble and insipid translation of the Greek that is used here, agreuo. This word is a hapax legoxmenon, a word that appears in the New Testament only once. That rarity means it is difficult to grasp the full measure of the meaning of this word. The verb Mark uses here means “to take by hunting,” and it has connotations of violent pursuit. The idea is something like hunting for a man-eating tiger by digging a pit and putting sharp spikes at the bottom so that the tiger will fall in and be impaled. The Pharisees and Herodians were not just trying to play tag with Jesus. They were trying to destroy Him with violence. – R.C Sproul
And when they were come, they say unto him, Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth:
The disciples of the Pharisees come to Jesus with the Herodians to try to publicly shame him. They know the crowds are amazed at his teaching and his wisdom so they seek to try to turn the public opinion by bringing guild on him publicly with a trick question to catch him in his words.
They start off with flattery, layers of flattery as if to show their utmost respect and reverence for Jesus and his opinion and teaching.
“Here is a fair glove drawn upon a foul hand…There are those who will smile in your face, and at the same time cut your throat.” – Trapp
Here is a demonstration of wolves who come in sheep’s clothing. Their words are dressed to be innocent and harmless, righteous even, but their intent is to make a kill.
Notice the blatant hypocrisy in their approach, they acknowledge that Jesus is true and is no respecter of man’s opinions. In other words, Jesus does not try to persuade men like most men do by flattery. Jesus tells it like it is. Yet here are these Pharisees using flattery in their attempt to trap Jesus. Here they are telling him that they believe he teaches the way of God, and yet their hearts are so hard and stubborn, they are unwilling to hear a word Jesus says, it’s all a set up.
It was in Matthew 23 Jesus had rebuked the Pharisees with seven woes and one of these woes was that of being whitewashed tombs. Outwardly they appeared beautiful and righteous, but inwardly they were full of deadness, hypocrisy and lawlessness.
Matthew 23:27-28 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. “
God cares about the motives of our hearts.
Proverbs 16:2 “All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, but the LORD weights the motive.
We can easily deceive ourselves sometimes by rationalizing and excusing our behavior to justify ourselves, but we must be cautious to examine our own hearts, to examine and question our own motives, and to be distrustful towards ourselves.
Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
This world would encourage us to trust our hearts and to follow them unquestionable as our guide but God’s word warns us otherwise. We are to distrust our hearts and to examine our reasoning and thoughts carefully, continually to make them subject to the word of God.
John Flavel wrote a wonderful book called, Keeping the Heart, in it he states:
“The greatest difficulty in conversion, is, to win the heart to God; and the greatest difficulty after conversion, is keeping the heart with God……….That the keeping, and right managing of the heart in every condition, is the great business of a Christian’s life.”
This doctrine is based off Proverbs 4:23 that says: “Keep they heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”
Keeping our hearts with God is our duty he teaches but it takes God’s power to accomplish it. We have no more power to keep our hearts with God then we do to make the sun stop or the river run backwards.
This is such an important doctrine for sin starts in the heart. This is where it grows from an embryo till it is full grown and given birth to action. This is why the mediations and our imagination is so important to our well being and why God looks at our motives because true holiness is purity of heart before God. True holiness is not outward appearance or works but it’s cleaning the inside of the cup. No one may be able to see you scrubbing and praying but God himself, but his eyes on your heart are enough to bring about repentance.
It’s conviction of sin when no eye is on you but God’s alone and his eye seeing it is enough. It’s knowing that God sees our motives even when others do not. To avoid becoming hypocrites, white washed tombs, we must keep our hearts with all diligence, only then will we be genuine godly religious leaders.
Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not? Shall we give, or shall we not give?
Next comes the trick question. Should they give tax money to Caeser or not? A lot of ears probably turned up at this question because it was a big debate at the time. The Jews were required to pay taxes to the emperor’s treasury. Some refused because they did not want to recognize the Roman rule. The Roman’s were seen as the oppressors and the taxes were an insult. No one liked paying the taxes, but most did out of fear and grudgingly.
Here was the trick question, if Jesus said yes, then he would be denying the sovereignty of God over Israel and acknowledging the authority of Roman rule over Israel. This would please the Herodians but upset the crowds and the Pharisees who believed otherwise. Jesus would immediately loose popularity. But if he said no, then he would be seen as a revolutionary against the Roman government and that would make him an enemy of Rome and the Herodians would have charges to bring against him. It was a no-win situation that the religious leaders had devised.
The Pharisees and Herodians were probably patting themselves on the back for this question. It was fool proof no way out. But you can’t trap Jesus. There is no situation, no victory God can’t claim. A situation may look impossible to us but nothing is impossible with God.
But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it.
Jesus knew what they were up to. He didn’t fall for their flattery and knew their hypocrisy. He let them know he knew they were attempting to trap him? Why do you test me? He asks. He immediately exposes their motives. But then he calls them on it. He answers the unanswerable question in their eyes by telling them to bring him a penny to look at. He did not readily have one on him, but they were quick to hand him one.
And they brought it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar’s. And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. And they marveled at him.
Jesus’s answer is full of wisdom. In it he acknowledges the authority of God and the authority of heaven. He limits the authority of Caesar while showing that some things should be rendered to God.
Jesus shows that we are citizens of both heaven and earth at the same time. We are to show our respect to earthly authorities. Romans 13 calls us to obey earthly authorities for God himself has established them.
Romans 13: 1-7 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents 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 as a matter of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor
1 John 4:20 Makes the case that anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. Loving the physical shadow is a requirement for loving the reality of the unseen spiritual. This principal would hold true for authority also. If we can’t respect the authority we have seen, that is a shadow of the reality of God, how can we say that we respect and obey the unseen authority of God? This world is a training tool for us of heavenly realities, heavenly truths are taught to us in shadows God purposely set up to display on earth to mimic heavenly realities.
Instead of destroying Jesus’s reputation with the crowds, their question increased it. The people marveled at Jesus and his wisdom. It is like Balem trying to curse Israel in the Old Testament, when he opens his mouth all that comes out is blessings.
However, the Pharisees did not marvel or give up. They would later twist these words and say that Jesus said it was unlawful to pay taxes to Caesar when this is not what he had said at all.
“And they began to accuse him, saying, “We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Messiah, a king.” Lk 23:2
Then come unto him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying,
The Sadducees now step forward to try their hand at testing Jesus with their impossible questions. The Sadducees were a rich, influential, educated and aristocratic sect. The Sadducees are known for their belief that there is no resurrection. They believed that when the body died, the soul died with it. They did not believe in immortality, spiritual beings, angels, or any kind of afterlife and looked down with ridicule on anyone who did believe such things. The idea was ridiculous to them and they saw themselves as much higher educated and knowledgeable to believe such silly things. They stepped up to Jesus not looking for truth when they ask this question but to make the doctrine of heaven and resurrection to sound foolish and absurd so to justify their own position.
Master, Moses wrote unto us, If a man’s brother die, and leave his wife behind him, and leave no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. Now there were seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed. And the second took her, and died, neither left he any seed: and the third likewise. And the seven had her, and left no seed: last of all the woman died also. In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife.
The law of Moses had established was called the “levirate” or Brother-in-law marriage. If a married man died and his wife was childless, it was up to the man’s surviving brother to marry the widow to have children on behalf of the deceased brother to continue the lineage.
The Sadducees use this law to make up an exaggerated and ridiculous story situation to try to show the ridiculousness of the doctrine of the resurrection and to try and demonstrate their own great wisdom and knowledge before the crowds and before Jesus to discredit him and what Jesus taught.
The problem is they are thinking with assumptions and priding themselves in human reasoning, when God’s word and God’ wisdom is much greater then higher than ours.
24 And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God? For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven.
This is a great insult to these well-educated rich folk who really believe that Jesus has nothing to teach them.
Jesus points out their err is in several areas. The first is that they do not know the scriptures as well as they think they do. The second is that they do not know the power of God like they think they do.
The Sadducees think that heaven will be like earth. But Jesus points out that our life in heaven is going to be quite different then how we live here. We won’t marry or be given in marriage any longer. Heaven’s life is going to be a different order than this life. Heaven is not a continuation of this life but a complete transformation that will take place.
Many people think this way about heaven in error. In some ways it gives us comfort and something to look forward to in death, something familiar to think of a spouse and a continued life together, and it could be quite sad and frightening to know we will not be married to our spouse in heaven, but God has a whole new order and dimension in mind that already exists, and it will be far greater then we can imagine. Much of it will not and cannot make sense to us now with our limited knowledge and imagination, but through faith we can trust the wisdom and love of God for us in that we will be what he created us to be and to enjoy what he created us to enjoy, in this new world and that we will enjoy perfect relationships in a whole new way that we can’t even imagine here.
And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.
The Sadducees did not just error, they greatly errored. This was no small mistake in their knowledge of God.
Jesus confirms with the Sadducees that the dead do indeed rise. He points to the book of Moses which is in the first five books of the bible. The Sadducees believed in the bible but only believed the first five books of the bible were the true bible.
Jesus points to Exodus the story of the burning bush to demonstrate the resurrection of the dead is taught in scripture. God refers to himself as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob in the book of Exodus. This would have been long after these men had deceased. Yet, God refers to them in the present tense. If they had died and there was no resurrection, God would have said he was the God of Abraham, He was the God of Isaac and of Jacob. But He instead says that he is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, pointing to the present tense, he is still their God, they yet live. He is not the God of the dead but of the living. The dead can have no God, what kind of God would he be if he were a God of the dead, he is not the God of the dead but our God is the God of the living. The Sadducees errored greatly in showing they did not know God.
28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?
A scribe now approaches Jesus, a third question. Mark says this scribe had been listing to the debate and noticed that Jesus had answered them well. His attitude is a bit different then the first two. The scribe asks a genuine question. Which is the first, or which is the greatest commandment of them all?
Genuine question or not, the Pharisees who were continually fault finding when it came to Jesus, would be listening for some sign of disregard or neglect to some area of Moses depending on which laws Jesus emphasized.
29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
In one commandment, Jesus sums up all 10 commandments with their spiritual essence and principle behind it.
The Lord is one. He is three in one but complete and perfect unity and harmony, there is no separation between God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. They are one.
The Spirit behind all the commandments of God is love, love for God and love for others. When we love others, we keep the laws and commandments of God automatically. We do not need the law to order us to love, we love because the Spirit of God compels us to love others and to love God.
What God really wants from man is love. Man can obey God without loving God. People can serve God without loving God or others, as they go about their routines and business. We can attend church without loving God. We can show generosity without loving others. The Pharisees were full of “good” works, they obeyed God, they kept the laws religiously, you could not accuse them, but their hearts were empty and devoid of love and they knew it not. They should have done all this plus loved.
We can obey God without ever loving Him, but we cannot love God, and not obey him. If we love God, we will obey him.
“This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome. 1 John 5:3
Obedience to God’s commands, obedience to the word of God is demonstration of our love for God. If we do not obey the word of God, we do not love God. Period. We deceive ourselves.
What is God’s commands? To love him and to love others, especially the brethren.
“If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother….This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands.” 1 John 4:20-21, 5:2
Here it is laid out for us very simply. Our love for God Himself is measured by our love for others.
“Our love to God is measured by our everyday fellowship with others and the love it displays.” – Andrew Murray
If we would love others so that we might love God, we must obey God’s commandments. God’s commandments enable us to love others. God’s commandments are all about how to love Him and How to love others. Put God first above all. Take a Day to spend time with God, do not steal from others, do not murder others, do not covet from others, don’t commit adulty. All of these are geared toward making you love others.
You can do theses things and not love others. But you cannot say you love others and do these things. You cannot say you love your spouse and commit adulty. You cannot say you love your brother and bear false witness about him. You cannot say you love your parents and dishonor them. You can’t do it.
32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that dared ask him any question.
The scribe affirms what Jesus has said. It’s easy to think that religious duties, religious works, religious routines and rituals display our love for God. Ministries make us feel good. Good works make us feel good. There is a sense of accomplishment. There is a sense of making a difference. We enjoy the applause the appreciate our works bring us.
But better then all of these, better then all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices, is loving God with all your heart, all your understanding, all your soul and all your strength. God wants this from you, a sincere pure heart, more then he wants anything else you can outwardly do. It’s this pure heart that blesses and purifies all your activities and actions before God. Otherwise, all your activities and actions, your sacrifice of item is an abomination before God.
God wants your heart. He wants your devotional life. He wants your love. Otherwise you are dead on the inside. A white washed tomb. A religious Pharisee, who has it all down to a perfect routine and order but does his works without heart, only to be applauded and appreciated by man and not God.
35 And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the son of David? 36 For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool. 37 David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly.
Now it’s Jesus turn to ask a question, to trap them at their own game and to catch them in their own words. You should never attempt to play word games with Jesus, the very word of God. He will win every time.
Since Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of David, he is referring to himself. He challenges them regarding his own identity. How is it that the Christ is the Son of David?
So Yahweh (LORD) and Adonai (Lord) usually refer to the same person, namely, God. Yet, here in Psalm 110, we find Yahweh calling someone else Adonai. David certainly is not saying, “The LORD said to Himself.” Rather, he says, “The LORD said to my Lord,” or “my Adonai.” Clearly he is thinking of two different people. Who, then, is David’s Adonai? Who is sovereign over the king of Israel? In Hebrew categories, that would be God. So, it seems that God is speaking to someone else who carries the title for God. Thus, Jesus said to the scholars: “What do you think about this? What is the Holy Spirit saying? – R.C Sproul
The scribes, who were the religious leaders responsible for preserving the law and teaching the law, were great genealogists. This should have been something they excelled at, the ability to trace heritages all the way back to Abraham. But they had no answer for this riddle that Jesus asked.
How blessed are we that we can respond, Jesus is the Christ, the Son of David. Blessed be his name!
The Pharisees and the Sadducees did not enjoy or appreciate Jesus’ teaching at all. Their hearts were too hard to listen. They didn’t care for his sermons. They didn’t get anything out of them. But the common people heard him gladly. They thoroughly enjoyed his teaching and listened to him whenever they could.
38 And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces, 39 And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts: 40 Which devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation.
Jesus gives a warning to beware of those scribes, those teachers who are essentially in their roles and positions for their own glory rather then the glory of Christ.
James will later give this same warning to those who aspire to be teachers, to be leaders in the church.
“Let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment” James 1:3
It was never the Gentiles that Jesus rebuked, it was not the lost but the religious leaders that Jesus rebuked most harshly and repeatedly throughout the New Testament. Anyone in church leadership who are tasked with feeding and tending to the sheep of God face great responsibility and will be held to greater accountability because God will hold them accountable for the well-being of his sheep in their care.
Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 2 Tim 4:2-4
Not everyone takes Jesus responsibility to teachers seriously but Jesus takes it very seriously.
Jesus is also warning the sheep to beware of such teachers, such false leadership and to be on guard against them and to watch their teachers conduct. We are responsible for how we hear and to cultivate our hearts to receive God’s word gladly and obediently.
We often hear foolish people say “You must always preach in love, and not say anything against anybody; Jesus did not denounce anybody.” Oh, dear! then what about this denunciation of the scribes? Were Jesus here today, he would not be the molluscus creature that some people want us to be. He had a backbone, and a conscience, and a very heavy right hand, and he brought that hand down, like a sledge-hammer, upon cant and hypocrisy and error, and if we would be like Christ, we must be manly, and bold, and outspoken. They tell us this in order that we may easily glide through the world, and that all men may speak well of us. But so did their fathers to the false prophets; and do you suppose that we who preach God’s Word, are going to keep back any part of our testimony because it will bring us into ill repute with the ungodly? God forbid! We live for something higher and nobler than being fed upon the breath of evil men. If there be error in high places, if there be vice anywhere, it is the duty of the minister of Christ, in his Master’s name, to attack it with all his might. Here we find our Lord and Master plainly declaring that the scribes, the great masters of the law, were a set of pretentious hypocrites who robbed even the widow and the fatherless, and who would, in due time, “receive greater damnation.” Even so must the truth still be spoken, whoever may be offended by it. – Spurgeon
