A wife and the big picture (Mk 12:18-27)

          The Sadducees did not believe in resurrection because they did not believe in an afterlife.  From their perspective, the idea of resurrection is contrary to Scripture and leads to irrational, absurd consequences.  They were also aware that Jesus did believe in both resurrection and an afterlife.  For that reason, they looked for an opportunity to engage Jesus in a discussion.  Their aim was to expose him as a false teacher by proving that resurrection is an untenable belief.  Mark’s gospel records one such encounter.

          The strategy of the Sadducees is to pose a question based on a passage found in the Book of Deuteronomy.  That passage specifies a man’s duty to the wife of his deceased brother (Dt 25:5).  If the doctrine of the resurrection is true, then the woman having seven husbands at the resurrection is contrary to Scripture.  Or else, having to choose which of the seven would be her husband leads to absurd and irrational consequences.  This dilemma suggests that the doctrine is therefore false.  Thus, the question the Sadducees pose is meant to put Jesus in an embarrassing position. 

          If he denies the necessity of the practice called for in the Book of Deuteronomy, he avoids the absurd consequences suggested by the question, but in effect denies the truth of Scripture.  This would undermine his credibility and authority to teach the reality of the resurrection, and thus undermine the doctrine itself.  On the other hand, if Jesus denies that there is indeed a future state where such absurd consequences occur, then he denies resurrection outright.  Either way, the Sadducees prove their point that resurrection is an untenable and false doctrine.

          Once again, however, Jesus turns the table on his interrogators.  He points out that their question relies on a false premise.  Their question assumes that resurrection means a return to a state much like the present one with similar circumstances.  For Jesus, this amounts to comparing apples to oranges.  Instead, Jesus makes it clear that life in the spiritual realm is not like life in the physical realm.  In the spiritual realm, there is no need for marriage. 

          As a result, the Sadducees’ use of one passage from the Book of Deuteronomy to disprove resurrection was a misuse of Scripture.  Relying on one passage to prove a point often leads to a distortion of Scripture.  This was the tactic used by Satan who quoted from Scripture for his own purpose when he tempted Jesus in the desert.  At the very least, selecting one passage to prove a point reflects an uncritical approach to Scripture and a failure to understand its purpose.  It is in this respect that the Sadducees were greatly misled.  When it comes to reading Scripture, they failed to get the big picture. 

          The Sadducees failed to understand that Scripture reveals and explains the relationship between God and his people.  The purpose is to inspire and lead us to the truth about God and his plan for our salvation.  As the Apostle John puts it, ultimately the purpose of Scripture is that we come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief we may have life in his name (Jn 20:31).  That was true for the Sadducees long ago as much as it is true for us today. 

The Trap is Sprung (Mk 12:13-17)

The Pharisees and Herodians thought they had set an inescapable trap for Jesus with their question about the census tax owed to Caesar. On the one hand, Roman law required payment of the tax and a refusal to pay would be viewed as subversive. Subversives were often jailed and summarily executed for their rebellion. Thus, had Jesus said it was unlawful to pay the tax, he would have run afoul of the Roman law.

On the other hand, the Mosaic Law prohibited adoration and worship of any but the God of Israel. Both Exodus and Deuteronomy record the first commandment in the following terms: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them” (Ex 20:2-5; Deut 5:6-9). Because the coin used to pay the tax bore the image and likeness of Caesar, its use was considered an act of adoration and worship for Caesar. Thus, had Jesus said it was lawful to pay the tax, he would have run afoul of the Mosaic Law.

For this reason, the Pharisees and Herodians thought they had Jesus right where they wanted him. If he said no, it is UNLAWFUL to pay the tax, the Roman law would be his undoing. If he said yes, it is LAWFUL to pay the tax, the Mosaic Law would be his undoing.  Either way, Jesus was going to fall into their trap. Or so they thought.

Instead, Jesus springs the trap with an appeal to the principle of belonging, or being in the right place. For Jesus, being in the right place with the Roman government meant giving to Caesar what belongs to Caesar. His reference to the image and likeness of Caesar on the coin shows that what belonged to Caesar were all those things that bore Caesar’s image and likeness.

 

Jesus then makes the same claim for God, for the same principle of belonging applies to God as well. Being in the right place with God means giving to God what belongs to God. And what belongs to God is likewise that which bears his image and likeness. The creation story in Genesis reveals that each and every human being bears the image and likeness of God.

Thus, we all belong to God. We are his children, and what is owed to God is care and respect for the wellbeing and dignity of others and ourselves. Because creation also bears the image and likeness of God, it too belongs to God. It does not belong to us. For that reason, we owe care and respect for the environment and its resources as well.

This is the message that Jesus gave with his response to the Pharisees. His message remains clear and relevant to our own time. We owe all of creation, especially our companion sojourners, our care and respect.  Caesar may want our money, but God wants our hearts.

The Challenge Still Applies (Mk 12:1-12)

The many parables that Jesus provided always aimed to challenge his audience in some way, either about their way of life or their view of reality, especially when their treatment of others jeopardized their participation in the kingdom of God.  The parable of the vineyard in Mark’s gospel is no exception.  This parable is an indictment of the religious leaders at the time.  The parable calls attention to their unjust and cruel treatment of the prophets who came before Jesus.  The parable also aims to reveal their murderous intentions toward Jesus himself.  Toward the end of the parable comes the prediction of their ultimate fate because of their evil ways.

Given the hindsight of a modern reader, all of this seems rather obvious with little meaning or application for us today.  After all, prophets seem to be an Old Testament phenomenon and Jesus was long ago killed by others. Thus, how this parable might apply to us today does not seem very obvious.

Consider, however, the last line of the parable that declares the vineyard will be taken from the original tenants and given to others.  Our modern hindsight tells us that ”others” in this case refers to those who follow the way of Jesus, that is, the way of love and mercy.  In that sense, responsibility and care for the vineyard belong to all those who come after Jesus and live in his Spirit.

Consider also that, in this parable, the vineyard is a symbol for the kingdom of God.  Our modern hindsight tells us that the kingdom of God is not a place, but a way of life.  We know that we are called to that way of life today by Jesus as much as he called those during his time on earth.  And, like those of long ago, we too are tempted to reject that calling and follow false gods, for there are many false gods vying for our time and devotion.  Those gods make it easy to forget our true calling.

False gods also make it easy to forget that prophets do not belong to Old Testament times alone.  A prophet is one called to bear witness to the message of God.  By virtue of our own baptism, we today are called to be prophets.  Jesus calls us in a special way through baptism to bring his message of love and mercy to all those with whom we have contact, especially to the vulnerable members of our communities.  This is what it means to be a prophet—to bear witness to the message and love of God with our lives.

Doing for the least of God’s children is the same as doing for Jesus himself.  Jesus called not only the ancient Jewish people to treat others with love and mercy, but he has called us to do the same. We have received that instruction through the two great commandments of love for God and neighbor.  This is the principle to guide our lives and conduct as much as it was for those during the time of Jesus. For this reason, the parable of the vineyard has as much meaning and application for us today as it did long ago.