- Question 1-by what authority
- Parable of Sons: You need to Repent
- Parable of Tenants: Because you have Rejected Me
- Parable of Wedding Banquet: Because you have Rebelled Against God
- Question 2-Taxes
- Question 3-Resurrection
- Question 4-the Greatest Commandment
- Question 5-Jesus asks this question that answers where his authority comes from.
Let's look at the first question about taxes.
15 Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. 16 They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are. 17 Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” 18 But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? 19 Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, 20 and he asked them, “Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?”
21 “Caesar’s,” they replied.
Then he said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
22 When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.
The first question is asked by the Pharisees and Herodians.
You should have gasped when I wrote that last sentence. All of the first century Jews would have. The Pharisees and Herodians hated each other. Out of the Pharisees will arise a group called the Zealots that want to overthrow the reign of Rome. The Pharisees did not like Rome and wanted to distance themselves from the Roman way of life. The Herodians were just the opposite. They thought the best way to advance the kingdom of God was to align themselves WITH the Romans. Because of this, they supported King Herod and his political agenda of sucking up to Rome.
Yet these two groups find a common enemy in Jesus, and so they develop a question that appears to them to trap Jesus with whichever response he gives.
Should we pay taxes to Caesar or not?
If Jesus says yes, he loses the support of the crowds. The people hated Rome and the taxes that were inflicted on them, which were close to 1/3 of their income. And the people's expectation of a Messiah would be someone who would overthrow Rome and their taxes, and if Jesus says we should pay taxes to Caesar, then he is not Messiah, or so they thought.
So Jesus can't say yes, but he can't say no.
If Jesus says we shouldn't pay taxes to Caesar, the Herodians would then leave, tell the Roman government, and they would have Jesus arrested and executed.
They thought they had Jesus trapped. Yet Jesus saw right through this question, and gave an answer that not only left them dumbfounded, but revealed the Jewish leaders hypocrisy.
He said:
19 Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, 20 and he asked them, “Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?”
A denarius was a coin that the Roman government issued and used to put their propaganda on. On one side of the denarius it said, "Tiberius Caesar, son of the divine Augustus" and on the other side it said, pontifex maximus, which meant "the most high priest".
This coin was blasphemous!!!!
It stated that Tiberius was the son of god, Augustus, and on the other side it said he was the most high priest.
Yet, the Jews had submitted to this rule and interacting daily with this blasphemous claim. And they wanted to call Jesus out? Also, they were in the temple when this happened. The coin contained a carved image of Tiberius on it.
This wasn't just blasphemous, it was idolatry!!!
As the Jewish leaders answered Jesus, they knew they were in trouble before they said anything. Yet, they had to respond. They said it was Caesar's inscription. Then Jesus responded by saying:
Then he said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
The word, "give", is literally "give back". Jesus is saying give back to Caesar what he gave to you, but also give back to God what he gave to you.
This logic is simple but profound.
We are called to pay taxes to the government that is over us. This means that we don't cheat on our income taxes, we don't cheat the system, but we submit ourselves to this. Yet, we also are called to tithe, to give back to God what he gave to us, which is everything.
The Pharisees and Herodians were shocked! They thought they had Jesus trapped, yet he poked a hole in their question. Because of this they left with their tails between their legs. We don't see the Herodians again, but the Pharisees will come back again for another beating.
Next, come the Sadducees.
21 “Caesar’s,” they replied.
Then he said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
22 When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.
The first question is asked by the Pharisees and Herodians.
You should have gasped when I wrote that last sentence. All of the first century Jews would have. The Pharisees and Herodians hated each other. Out of the Pharisees will arise a group called the Zealots that want to overthrow the reign of Rome. The Pharisees did not like Rome and wanted to distance themselves from the Roman way of life. The Herodians were just the opposite. They thought the best way to advance the kingdom of God was to align themselves WITH the Romans. Because of this, they supported King Herod and his political agenda of sucking up to Rome.
Yet these two groups find a common enemy in Jesus, and so they develop a question that appears to them to trap Jesus with whichever response he gives.
Should we pay taxes to Caesar or not?
If Jesus says yes, he loses the support of the crowds. The people hated Rome and the taxes that were inflicted on them, which were close to 1/3 of their income. And the people's expectation of a Messiah would be someone who would overthrow Rome and their taxes, and if Jesus says we should pay taxes to Caesar, then he is not Messiah, or so they thought.
So Jesus can't say yes, but he can't say no.
If Jesus says we shouldn't pay taxes to Caesar, the Herodians would then leave, tell the Roman government, and they would have Jesus arrested and executed.
They thought they had Jesus trapped. Yet Jesus saw right through this question, and gave an answer that not only left them dumbfounded, but revealed the Jewish leaders hypocrisy.
He said:
19 Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, 20 and he asked them, “Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?”
A denarius was a coin that the Roman government issued and used to put their propaganda on. On one side of the denarius it said, "Tiberius Caesar, son of the divine Augustus" and on the other side it said, pontifex maximus, which meant "the most high priest".
This coin was blasphemous!!!!
It stated that Tiberius was the son of god, Augustus, and on the other side it said he was the most high priest.
Yet, the Jews had submitted to this rule and interacting daily with this blasphemous claim. And they wanted to call Jesus out? Also, they were in the temple when this happened. The coin contained a carved image of Tiberius on it.
This wasn't just blasphemous, it was idolatry!!!
As the Jewish leaders answered Jesus, they knew they were in trouble before they said anything. Yet, they had to respond. They said it was Caesar's inscription. Then Jesus responded by saying:
Then he said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
The word, "give", is literally "give back". Jesus is saying give back to Caesar what he gave to you, but also give back to God what he gave to you.
This logic is simple but profound.
We are called to pay taxes to the government that is over us. This means that we don't cheat on our income taxes, we don't cheat the system, but we submit ourselves to this. Yet, we also are called to tithe, to give back to God what he gave to us, which is everything.
The Pharisees and Herodians were shocked! They thought they had Jesus trapped, yet he poked a hole in their question. Because of this they left with their tails between their legs. We don't see the Herodians again, but the Pharisees will come back again for another beating.
Next, come the Sadducees.
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