Services | Questions on Taxes and the Resurrection

Bulletin

Hymn # 156 “Jesus Paid it All”

SCRIPTURE READING – Romans 3:21 - 26
Giving of Selves and Our Offerings
OFFERTORY PRAYER
OFFERTORY MUSIC – Pru Hungate

Praise and Worship
“This Is Amazing Grace”
“God so Loved”
“Praise You Anywhere”

Proclamation of the Word
Message by Pastor Joe
“Questions on Taxes and the Resurrection”

“Resurrecting”

Sermon Notes
Mark 12:13 – 17 Seeking to trap Jesus the Pharisees and Herodians ask Him a question about taxes and Jesus’ amazing response
Mark 12:18 – 23 Sadducees question Jesus about the resurrection
Mark 12:24 – 27 Jesus’ answer is that God is the God of the living

---

Scritpures

---

Transcript of Service

You've probably heard it said, there's nothing certain except death and taxes. There's a group of people who asked Jesus about taxes and life after death. They were amazed at Jesus' teaching and his response to their attempted trap. Let's see how Jesus deals with death and taxes.

You've probably heard it said, Politics makes strange bedfellows. People who seem to be on opposite sides of an issue get together because of some joint reason. But also it can be true that people who hate Jesus make strange bedfellows. And that's exactly what we're going to find in this passage today. So if you have your Bibles, and you should, turn to the Gospel of Mark Chapter 12, and we'll start with verse 13. And so we're going to see this. And Jesus has been in Jerusalem during the day, goes back to Bethany at night, goes back and forth. So he's in Jerusalem. And it says, then they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to him in order to trap him in a statement. Now, these are strange bedfellows. Why? Because the Pharisees were also religious and they were looking for a reason to get rid of Jesus. And so they're going to ask them this question because if Jesus answers it one way, they can say, aha, you are for Rome. And you're not the Messiah, because we're looking for the Messiah in our own kingdom, and you're denying that possibility. On the opposite with them are the Herodians. Well, the Herodians are those who are behind King Herod, who was installed by Rome. He has his authority and power based on that that has been bestowed upon him by Rome itself. And so if Jesus says a different answer, then the Herodians could say, we need to arrest him because he is being a insurrectionist and that he's trying to challenge the authority and power of Rome. And so these two sides are there. And so that's why it's a trap, because each side is looking for and answer that they might then accuse him. So the question isn't a legitimate one. It's not like they're going to their accountant and say, what are the legitimate deductions we can take? They're there not to ask honest questions. And quite frankly, if you've seen the various questions they have asked, they're never legitimate questions.

They're there to somehow ensnare Jesus by the question. So they came and said to Him, Teacher, we know that you are truthful and defer to no one. No, they don't. Because if they did, then they would do what He said. And if He was truthful, what did He say? I am the Son of the living God. I am the Messiah. I am the way. I am the truth. I am the life. I am Him. And they deny that. They don't like his teachings But they're trying to butter them up so that they might give them an answer that might ensnare them in the trap And so they're they're saying well, we we we know you'll speak the truth And so you got two choices and neither choice is going to be good for you. So speak the truth For you are not partial to any but teach the way of god in truth Again, if they truly believe that, their one question should be this, what must I do to be saved? But they don't ask that question. They said this, is it lawful to pay a poll tax to Caesar or not? Is it lawful to pay Caesar's tax or not?

This is your choice. If you answer, it's lawful to pay the tax, the Herodians will be ecstatic, but the Pharisees will say, aha, you're not the Messiah. You're denying the potential kingdom, and therefore let's turn our backs if you say pay the tax or not pay the tax. Shall we pay or shall we not pay? So not only is they're saying, well, what is it lawful? But now if you answer it a particular way, If you say we don't pay the tax, then you're going against Rome and you are an insurrectionist. If you say it's okay, then you're not the Messiah. But he knowing their hypocrisy. So Jesus knows it's not a legitimate question because who's asking it and the company they're keeping. Instead of them, why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius to look at. So he goes, what's the coinage that you're going to have to use to pay this tax? It's a denarius. So he says, let's take a look at this coin that we're going to be paying the tax on. And then I brought him one. And he said to them, and I'm sure it doesn't tell us, but I'm sure he took it and he's looked at it and he flipped it. On one side, is the face of Caesar. On the other side is Caesar sitting on a throne.

So no matter which way you look at it, it's Roman authority. So he says to them, whose likeness and inscription is on this? And it's going to say, the likeness is going to be Caesar and the inscription is going to be emperor of the world or whatever the inscription may be. son of the living God, those types of things, because at that point, many emperors thought they were gods. So it goes, whose likeness and inscription is on it? They said Caesar's, because leaders like to put their faces on it. Now, we've changed it. We just put the faces of dead presidents or dead other people on it. We don't put current people. But it's kind of the same thing if I were to say, you know, is it lawful to pay a tax? And I said, give me a $10 bill. And on the $10 bill is Alexander Hamilton, who was the first secretary or treasurer. And so I'd say, okay. So that's kind of the concept. And they said, it's Caesar's. And Jesus said to them, render to Caesar that the things are Caesar's. Now that's an amazing thing because he's going, this is his likeness. This is his coin. Give it back to him. It's okay. Because it's his. He printed it. He circulated it. He's authorizing it to be used to pay taxes. It looks like him. Give it back to him. But then he says something even more spectacular. And to God, the things that are God's. And it says that they were amazed at him. When he says, render to God the things that are God's, the Pharisees should know very well because they follow the scriptures.

And in Genesis, when he made man and woman, he made them in his likeness and image, he made them. Now, unfortunately, because of sin, we have marred that image. So we don't look so much like God that He made us, but He made us in His image. And so Jesus is saying, you can give the coins back to Caesar because they're Caesar's, but your life, your breath, your very existence reflects God. and therefore you are God's and therefore you are to render to God the things that are God, which means you were to render yourself to God. I don't think they were expecting this answer. They were thinking, well, he's going to pay tax or not and take the risk. He's going, give Caesar his stuff. You give God his stuff. Now let's face it. Whatever the tax is, nowhere the amount that we owe God. Because we owe our very existence, our very breadth, what talents we may have, what days on this earth may be, all of those things we are because of God, His creation, and we are His. That's been our problem. We don't like that, and we want to rebel against that, and we want to be our own God, and we want to be in our own image, but that's not who we are. We are his and in his image, and therefore we are to render ourselves to him. It'd have been a lot easier if he'd have just stopped rendering the Caesar's the things that are Caesar's, and we'd go, okay, wonderful. But then he put a truth upon us. And they said, you speak as if you don't care which side you're on and you speak in truth.

So therefore, what is the truth? We're gods. Therefore, we are to render to God everything we are. So that wasn't good enough. So there were other people in the crowd. So we have the Pharisees and the Rodians. Now we have the Sadducees. This is a group of religious people that basically only see the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible, as the Word of God. They basically reject the prophets and the history and all those things as being inspired by God. They look solely at the Torah as their proof, which is interesting because they were very influenced by Greek thought. And so to a certain extent, you would think them more liberal because they were more in the sense of Greek thought. They also, in as it tells us, some Sadducees who say that there is no resurrection. And I remember somebody saying a long time, if you have difficulty remembering was it the Pharisees or Sadducees who didn't believe in a resurrection, they said, the Sadducees don't, they're sad, you see? So that we don't miss the point, it tells us they don't believe in a resurrection. So that's why they are going to ask this question.

They're going to ask a doctrinal question to see what Jesus answers, and they're going to give a question that is super hyperbolic and ridiculous. So this is, they came to Jesus and began questioning him, saying, teacher. And notice, everybody's a teacher. Well, then if he's teacher, do what he says to do, what he teaches. Or they don't enroll in the class. So for instance, On the news this week, there's a university somewhere in New York that is having a class on how to steal.

I would say if you take the commandments seriously, you probably wouldn't want to enroll in that class because it would be counter to what we're taught not to do. And so, but they're saying, you're the teacher. And so he goes, teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies, And he leaves behind a wife and leaves no child. His brother should marry the wife and raise up children to his brother. Now that is true, Moses did do that. But this law was in effect even before Moses wrote the law. If you question me, I suggest you take a look in Genesis. I forget the exact number, but around chapter 30, 29, whatever, where Judas son marries, his wife dies, has no kids, and so the other brother marries, and it's an interesting story, but there was that requirement even before the law. And so, yes, Moses did this, what we call the levirate right of marriage.

And so it says, if someone marries a woman and they don't have children and he dies, His brother is to marry her and have children for the brother, not for his own sake. But then they're going to make it a little more absurd. There were seven brothers, and the first took a wife and died, leaving no children. The second one married her and died, leaving behind no children. And the third likewise. And I'd kind of at this point kind of be like Judah. This is the black widow. Nothing good happens burying her now. She may be taking you out or there may be terrible circumstances, but we've got now and it goes on and says, and so all seven left no children. She's a widow 7 times, has no children. And last of all, the woman dies also. So we've got Seven dead men and one dead woman. Seven husbands, four deceased, and now a deceased widow. So now here's their question after asking this absurd question. In the resurrection, when they arise again, which one's wife will she be?

For all seven had married her. Now see, they're asking this question because they don't believe in a resurrection. So they don't think that that's a problem. They're going to give it a problem to Jesus because if he teaches about a resurrection, then they're apparently well, we got. And we shouldn't have 7 husbands married to one woman. It kind of seems unnecessary. So their question is, I'm going to ask you an absurd question and therefore I'm going to ask which one So is it the first one? Is it the seventh one? Whatever. Now, in our culture, we kind of recognize this because in the marriage vows and stuff, we say that you're going to promise this until death do us part. So in our culture, we say the marriage kind of ends when you breathe your last. So they're asking this question.

And Jesus said to them, is this not the reason you are mistaken? So he's telling them they have a problem with their theology. And their problem with their theology is this, that you do not understand the scriptures or the power of God. He says, you have come to the wrong conclusion because you don't understand the scriptures. And he is going to give them an example that is not one found in the prophets or in the Psalms or in Job. One of my favorite passages about the resurrection is in the book of Job, where it says that I myself will see my Redeemer with my own eyes and not another, even though my flesh would melt away. there's a very clear understanding, but he doesn't use the book of Job. He doesn't use any of the others. He's going to use the first five books of the scriptures. And not only is he going to use the first five, he's going to use the first one. He's going to use Genesis. And he says, for when they rise from the dead, they will neither marry, nor are they given in marriage, but are like the angels in heaven. So he's going to go, there is no marriage in heaven, They're like the angels, there's no marriage. I'm going to come back to this in a moment. But regarding the fact that the dead rise again, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God spoke to him saying, I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.

Now I want you to notice the tense. I am the God of. He did not say, I was the God of Abraham. I was the God of Isaac. I was the God of Jacob. He goes, I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Why? Because they're still living. So he says, he is not the God of the dead. There is a resurrection because he could have said, Moses, you be faithful to me because I was faithful to these guys during their lifetimes. They're now dead. But my promises continue while you're alive. No, he says, I am the God of, and he is the God of not the dead, but of the living. You are greatly mistaken. Now I'm going to take a little turn from this. A lot of times, When we read the scriptures, we read them, and especially there are certain doctrines, and we just kind of accept them because, but I'll give you an example. If you have great difficulty believing that God can forgive you because of whatever sin that you think God can't forgive, You have great difficulty believing God can forgive you, even though the scriptures over and over and over talk about how merciful God is, how forgiving God is, how he sent his own son to die for us, that we might be not just excused, but justified.

So the scriptures, the doctrine is plain, but sometimes it is hard for those who are struggling with it to accept it. Now, When I looked at about the marriage and not marriage in heaven, I always believed it. And to make sure, and I still believe it. Okay. But because of my current circumstance of having lost my wife, I come into more contact with other Christian men who have lost their wives. Now, widows, This may be true for you. I don't know because I haven't talked to widows about this situation. And so it may be true for you, but I can only speak from what I know. I have talked to Christian men who hate this passage that there is no marriage in heaven. They are saddened by the fact that they think that they should continue to be married to their spouse into eternity. And they're looking for a way to get around this scripture. Because, one, it must be miracles because, the kind of joke is, marriage is a terrible institution, but so is San Quentin.

We all make the jokes about how terrible marriage is, except there are some Christian men who actually love their wives and wanted to continue that throughout eternity. And so I've spoken to them, and they have spoken to other Christian men, and again, it's, more of a rarity because usually women survive their husbands. So we're kind of a subclass. I still believe this passage. But even if I accept their argument that there's some way around this passage and that there is marriage in heaven and that when I go to be with the Lord, Libby and I will be reunited, it's still not going to be the same. Well, why? Because here on earth, as her husband, it was my role, it was my function to love her as Christ loved her, like Christ loved the church, and gave himself for her. I no longer need to do that. Because there's no more pain, no more sickness, no more sorrow, no more tears. She is infinitely loved already. I was there to provide for her, to protect her, to make sure that she was better. Now, I'm not saying I was successful, okay? I'm not saying that because I was so great at all these things, But the fact is, those things that I was supposed to do for my wife, I am no longer needed because Jesus fulfills it all. So even if we were married, it's still not the same. And quite frankly, it's part of the reason then of my grief. It's funny. You'll hear people say, and it's true, Don't assume because you feel a certain way, other people feel a certain way.

So classically what people do when there is a death, people think, oh, well, they're in a better place. And my immediate response is, it's not the place, it's who she's with. She's with the Lord. And being there is far better than being with me. So she is far better off than being with me. But I am not far better off being without her. And so I understand that even if there's marriage in heaven, it's just not the same. And I miss that. It's kind of weird. A lot of responsibility, a lot of different things. And the scripture says, these were my responsibilities. And whether she accepted it or not, I couldn't compel it. I was never given authority to compel her to do anything. I was just to love her like Jesus loved her. All too often, and there are some great theologians, because let's face it, in this world, a lot of women think that marriage is an institution where you're supposed to evangelize. And by that I mean, Women are supposed to make the men better. We're crude and rough and whatever, and women are supposed to refine us and make us better and whatever. That's not the image that Christian men are supposed to have.

So guys, if you're trying to date a woman who's trying to make you different and better, you probably should get out of the relationship. Because that's not her role. And women, if you're dating a guy that you think you need to change and make better, maybe you ought to get out of the relationship because it's his job to make you better. Well, I'm pretty outstanding, great, but you're not perfect. So I'm not looking for a verse around this scripture. I believe that Jesus was straightforward. Because why? What's what was marriage for? Initially, he said, God said to be fruitful and multiply and fulfill the whole world. Well, there are a whole bunch of us around now and we're going to live forever. So there's no reason to be fruitful and multiply because God has given everybody that he's going to save, be saved. So he's happy with the number he's got. Second, like I said, the whole point was for us men to present our wives like the church, perfect in all manners. Jesus made Libby perfect when she breathed her last.

And when she returns to this earth, he will give her a body that's no longer subject to sickness and disappointment, but be a body like his. So there's no point to marriage in heaven. Because every reason that the marriage is supposed to have purpose is irrelevant. We live forever and we're already in a relationship with Him that shows the relationship with Him. Because otherwise what our marriage is supposed to be is a little church that says, That's the way church is supposed to be. And that family and this family and that family and that family all gather together as a church so that people say, that's the way church is supposed to be because they're all making their families like the proper church. No longer necessary. So I am grateful. that I understand the scriptures, that he is not the God of the dead. Libby no longer has to operate on faith. She now sees.

And it's funny how your perspective's changing, because, and I've said it in their music that talks about, as long as I have breath, I will praise the Lord. After I cease breathing, I will praise the Lord. And she is currently praising God with untold others who are believers who have gone on to be present with Him and see Him for exactly who He is. And let me give you a little secret. Even if you don't believe, you're still going to praise Him.

Because it says, every knee will bow. and every tongue will confess Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father. So even if you're the most rebellious, hateful person, he seems to be very popular. Even Hitler will bow his knee and say, God is God and Jesus is Lord. And even the person who says, well, I lived a pretty good life and God will let me in because I lived a pretty good life. Well, did you not read the scriptures for all who have sinned and come short of the glory of God? And when you see the glory of God, you'll go, oops. That person who thought they were plenty good enough will bow their knee and confess. You see, our faith is not a faith of here and now. It's a faith that carries us from this life to eternal life. It's not life, death, life. Notice, God didn't say, I will be the God of Abraham as soon as I get around to resurrecting people. I will be the God of Isaac when Jesus comes a second time. I will be the God of Jacob when Jesus steps on Mount of Olives and splits it in two. He goes, I am, which means that they are living now.

Now all of us We have all these questions about, well, why did this happen? What is this? And why did this? I'm pretty sure, because it's like the song we sing that says, will I sing or will I be silent? What all these things don't do? I don't know what we're going to do, but a lot of the questions we have just isn't going to matter. These Sadducees, let's pretend that they're believers. The question's no longer important because they're there in his presence. Your questions, while may bother you and may have some way to trip up your face, will be very clear. We will see not through a mirror darkly, but we will see clearly face to face when we come into his presence. And whether that be when we breathe our last, or whether that be when he returns when we're still alive. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, we'll be changed. See, this faith doesn't matter what they do to us now. Because God's promises are not only for today and tomorrow, and forever.
That's the kind of God that we worship.
And all God's people say.


Tags: Jesus, Sermon, Mark Chapter 12, Bible Study, Taxes, Life After Death, Pharisees, Herodians, Christian Faith, Gospel of Mark, Religious Teaching, Spiritual Growth, Faith, Christianity, Jesus' Teachings, Biblical Lessons, Christian Sermon, Religious Message, Spiritual Reflection, Christian Inspiration