The Gospel According to Mark (Part 38)

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The Gospel According to Mark

(Part 38)

Good Morning and Welcome to Jesus Church

We are in a series walking through the life of Jesus

• And through everything we’ve studied Jesus is always intentional
  • Intentional – To bring Heaven to Earth
  • Intentional – Show what a spirit filled believer looks like
  • Intentional – To show what relationship w/ the Father looks like

Two weeks ago Jesus physically attacks the temple

• Then last week Jesus brings up the greatest shame in Jewish history
  • Poem God writes thru prophet Isaiah – calling out their failure
  • And Jesus goes on to bring that story to the leaders of his day
• Because in the story Jesus tells of a vineyard owned by God
  • He brings in tenants (Israel) to work the land and benefit from it
  • But the tenants decide they want to be owners not tenants
  • And try to take what was never meant to be theirs
• It falls apart… in the same way we all have a desire to be owners
  • Owners of my life/money/possessions/family
  • We’re not made to bare ownership responsibility… stewardship
  • And in the end stealing ownership will only lead to destruction

TAG: And because of all of this – Religious leaders want to kill Jesus

Today is next attempt to justify arresting/killing Jesus

Mark 12:13-27

Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we? But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s” they replied. Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” And they were amazed at him.

Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. Teacher, they said, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died without leaving any children. The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third. In fact none of the seven left any children. Last of all the woman died too. At the resurrection whose wife will she be since the seven were married to her?

Jesus replied, Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage, they will be like the angels in heaven. Now about the dead rising, have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the account of the burning bush, how God said to him, I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken.

[PRAY]

Story – Couple years ago… met with some new people

They came because one of them happened to share my last name

• Which if you know my last name… that doesn’t happen
  • Thought we must be long lost relatives or something
• So they came and they kept telling me about their amazing friend
  • She is so good with kids… was the kids pastor at their old church
  • She loves the Bible & we need to get her to check this place out
• So eventually she came but she wanted to meet with me
  • So I met with her and one of her friends for coffee
  • Kathy sits down with a NOTEBOOK of questions

And it was great… I loved it actually

• And the questions were rapid fire
  • What books are you reading… what pastors do you listen to
  • Tell me about the vision & future of the church
  • Lets talk about theology and your commitment to scripture
• But at first when she pulled out the notebook… a little intimidating
  • Because I thought – I’m being questioned
  • Ever been in a spot in life where you’re being questioned
  • A job interview/first date/presentation/pitch/convo on Jesus
• And you’re at the spot where you’re being questioned
  • And you know one wrong question and it all falls apart
  • You don’t get the job… you get ghosted… don’t get funding

TAG: Stakes are high so there’s a tension in air you could cut with a knife

This is basically context for all of Mark 12

Jesus is being questioned by the religious leaders

• Remember last week… Jesus kicks the beehive w/ a vineyard story
  • Saying you bare no fruit… God has bent over backyards for you
  • Yet you still have rejected him b/c of your selfishness
• And from this time on: Jesus is a marked man (want him dead)
  • But they can’t kill him just because they want to
  • For one… Jesus is still very popular with the people
  • But also Israel was under Roman rule
    • Only Rome could hand out capitol punishment
• So the religious rulers had to find a way to entrap Jesus
  • To say or do something that will make Rome want to kill him
  • Or make the crowd turn on him and kill him in the chaos

TAG: Start grilling Jesus w/ questions… NOT smart (don’t go against…)

So first Pharisees ask Jesus about paying the poll tax to Caesar

• There is no real way out of this question
  • If he says yes – Jewish people will be mad
    • The coin used to pay this specific tax was a specific coin
    • [PIC] Coin says “Caeser son of divine” / “High Priest”
    • Not only that… Torah says have no graven images b4 me
  • If he says no – He’d be reported to the Romans
    • Either thrown in Jail or worse killed if he didn’t recant
    • It could easily start a movement based on his influence
    • That would get many Jewish imprisoned or killed
• But Jesus has the BRILLIANT response:
  • Who’s image is coin made in… give to Caesar what is Caesar’s
  • Who’s image are you made in… give to God what is God’s

TAG: And they are all amazed at Jesus’ Houdini skillz

Then after the Pharisees – Sadducees come at him

Who were the Sadducees… Religious like Pharisees but think old money

• Think East coast… not West coast – The cultural elite of Israel
  • And theologically they only acknowledge the Torah as scripture
  • They didn’t follow the rest of the Hebrew Bible nor the Mishna
• Now because of that… they didn’t believe in resurrection
  • Reason b/c the Torah says almost nothing about resurrection
  • No life after death… no heaven or hell
  • When you die that is all there is (live > die > done)

Wisdom of Solomon (Apocrypha – Summary of Sadducees view)

No one had been known to return from beyond the grave. For we were born by mere chance and after we shall be as though we had never been. When it is over the body turns to ashes and the spirit will dissolve like air.

Our name will be forgotten, no one will remember our works, there is no return from our death because it is sealed and no one can turn back. Come therefore, let us enjoy the good things, making use of the creation to its full. Let us take our fill of costly wine and perfumes. And let no flower of spring pass us by. Everywhere let us leave signs of enjoyment because this is our portion.

• Does that sound familiar at all???
  • This is the ethos of the world/culture we live in
  • The mentality that this life is all there every will be
  • So make money… eat good food… do anything that pleases you
    • Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die!

So in light of that why would the Sadducees ask about resurrection

• I get the Pharisees question… loaded… taxation… political zeal
  • But why would the Sadducees ask Jesus a theology question
  • They don’t even believe in the resurrection
• Reason: Resurrection was a dangerous idea to 1^st cent Sadducees
  • First Biblical reference to Resurrection is in Ez. 37 (dry bones)
  • Valley of bones – Creepy – the bones come back to life
  • And this vision Ezekiel has was of a resurrection of Israel
    • Babylon had taken over and Israel was dead
    • But the call was that Israel would come back to life
• Over time resurrection became hope to all Jews for life after death
  • So 1 – Jewish resurrection was a resurrection coming to Israel
  • And 2 – Jewish resurrection was hope for after you die
• So believing in resurrection… meant if I die that’s not the end
  • And this meant risking their life to fight against the evil empire
    • One for the future of Israel
    • Two because of the security of what’s to come

So when a no name scrapy guy from Galilee starts gaining followers

• And all any Jews wanted was for God to send the Messiah
  • To lead a rebellion against the empire and start a war
  • Jesus shows up in Jerusalem crowned as this Messiah
• Israel already a tinder box of anger/frustration/rage against Rome
  • And everyone is just waiting for someone to light a match
  • That’s bad for the Sadducees b/c they’re in collusion with Rome
  • They have power and privilege because Rome is in control
• But if that changed… they’d be on the wrong side of history
  • And that’s exactly what ends up happening
  • Jewish revolt in 66 AD – Jews actually take back Jerusalem
  • Sadducees were wiped out… never heard of again
• This is the very thing they are trying to avoid right here
  • So if you are a 1^st century Sadducee (power/education/future)
  • You’d have a vested interest in a world with no resurrection
  • B/C resurrection is dangerous: Implications for future & present

So this whole section is focus on question of rez

Mk 12:18-19

Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. Teacher, they said, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.

Now if you aren’t familiar with the OT might think: That’s in the bible?

Duet 25:5-6 (YES!!! And its really funny)

If brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son, his widow must not marry outside the family. Her husbands brother shall take her and marry her and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her. The first son she bares shall carry on the name of the dead husband so that his name will not be blotted out in Israel.

• Remember its 3000 BC – Woman w/o a husband had no security
  • So as odd as this is… its actually compassionate
  • It would carry on the family name AND take care of the widow
  • Safety/Security/Roof over her head

Duet 25:7-10 (However keep reading)

However, if a man does not want to marry his brother’s wife, she shall go to the elders at the town gage and say, ‘My husband’s brother refuses to carry on this brother’s name in Israel. He will not fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to me.’ Then the elders of the town shall summon him and talk to him. If he persists in saying, “I do not want to marry her,” his brothers widow shall go up to him in the presence of the elders, take off one of his sandals, spit in his face and say, “This is what is done to the man who will not build up his brother’s family line” That man’s line shall be know in Israel as The Family of the Unsandaled.

• Can you imagine if we had to do stuff like that today
  • Your husband doesn’t want to have kids
  • We all start calling him “Jason the Shoeless spitface”!
  • So ONE we need this for context – TWO its really funny

Sadducees bring this obscure law and go into crazy hypothical situation

Mk 12:20

Now there were 7 brothers (so you know its gonna be a good story). The first one married and died without leaving any children. The second one married the widow, but he also died leaving no child. It was the same with the third. In fact none of the seven left any children. (you’d think by brother 4 they’d just take the sandal to the face) Last of all the woman died too. (Now here’s the question) At the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?

• The Sadducees are thinking they’ve got Jesus with their story
  • They know Torah (Gen 2) Gods picture for marriage & sexuality

Gen 2:24

For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

• This is God picture and creation of marriage and sexuality
  • Not polygamy
  • Not a man and a man / woman and woman
  • Marriage to God is between a man and his wife
• If you want to argue there was polygamy in the OT – Yes there is
  • And every story of it is a commentary on why not to do it
  • Because it always ends in disaster

Mk 12:24 (So they ask the question… now Jesus replies)

Are you not in error because you do not know the Scripture nor the power of God. (which was a huge slap in the face – expertise was scripture) When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage, they will be like the angels in heaven.

Now think for a second… because this is easy to misread

• Jesus isn’t saying at the resurrection we will be turned into angels
  • One… every angel in the scripture is male
  • Two… they are giant and terrifying (not a Swedish model)
• Jesus also isn’t saying we will just be spiritual and not physical
  • Some think we will just be floating spirits in the clouds
  • That’s not biblical at all
• Paul tells us in 1 Cor 15 – We will have a SPIRITUAL BODY
  • Meaning A BODY… physically flesh and bone
  • But the difference is the heart won’t bring us life like now
  • No… the spirit will bring life to your SPIRITUAL bodies

Jesus saying: Rez is more than a continuation of what we know now

• Jesus basically saying your entire vision of life after death is off
  • It’s more than just more of the same life… but longer
  • He is saying that resurrection is total transformation of…
    • 1 – The human body
    • 2 – Creation itself
  • Analogy Paul gives us – Seed to a plant
    • Body right now.. Earth right now
    • What we see now is just a glimpse of what is to come

Mk 12:26-27 (So Jesus continues)

Now about the dead rising – have you not read in the Book of Moses (yet another slam – about to make a case for rez from the TORAH!) in the account of the burning bush, how God said to him, “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

At 1^st this is confusing… how do you tie in rez to this quote form Exodus

• Resurrection isn’t even mentioned… where is Jesus going with this
  • Well what he DOES say is “I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM…”
  • Not “I WAS THE GOD OF…”
• 1: How could God say to Moses 100’s of years after Abraham
  • I am their God…
  • Unless in some sense… Abraham/Isaac/Jacob were still alive
• 2: This passage is all about freedom from slavery in Egypt
  • How God would keep promise to Abraham about promised land
  • How could God keep the promise to Abraham if he is dead

Jesus is saying even if resurrection isn’t explicit in torah… it is implicit

• God will always keep his promise
  • Because if there is one thing that even God can not do
  • Its that He cannot break his WORD
• (HEAR ME) God always keeps his promises
  • Meaning Abraham is still alive in some sense in God’s presence
  • But he is yet to experience resurrection… Abraham is waiting
  • And he will at some point come back to be resurrected
    • And will no longer be in heaven but will live in the land
    • Why – Because Jesus says God is the God of the living
• Hope 4 resurrection & life to come not just grounded in biblical text
  • Its actually grounded in the character of God Himself
  • “I am not the God of the Dead but the God of the Living”

Mk 12:27 (ends with an exclamation mark)

… You are badly mistaken

Phrase “Badly Mistake” is one word in Greek: Planeo

• Where we get the word “Planet” and means to be led astray
  • Same word Jesus used in the beginning of the chapter
  • You are in error b/c you don’t know scripture or power of God
• And that is a very interesting combo: Scripture / Power of God
  • Because it seems like (see this through history – OT/NT/Church)
  • People will gravitate to one of these… and away from the other
    • Bible Church/People: High value on learning/education
    • Power Church/People: High value on worship/gifts of Spirit
• But whats interesting is Jesus had a high value on both
  • Scripture and teaching… was a Rabbi and memorized the Torah
  • But also power… know just as much as a healer/miracle worker

Dream for this church – All followers of Jesus

• Is to hold the two together… not to pick one or the other
  • To be a church steeped in the scriptures
  • And a church empowered by the spirit
• 1: Because this is what Jesus is like and we are called to be like him
  • Every time we gather we pray… make us more like you Jesus
  • Jesus came to die 4 us… but ALSO to show us how to live 4 him
• 2: If we aren’t BOTH… Overtime we will get off in how we think
  • And that will directly effect how we live
  • Cognitive behavioral psychology 101
    • There is a direction tie between how we think and live

Jesus issue w/ Sadducees is how they viewed furture

1: You have those who refuse to think of the future

• Many of us: We love to hate on the Phariseeism
  • We fight against legalism
  • We are no longer under the law
  • And we aren’t saved by rules but by Jesus (all valid)
• But really should be way more talk about Sadduceeism in church
  • Because for every Pharisee… there are 50 Sadducees
  • Hey lets just enjoy life – what feels good to me – carpe diem
    • B/C our society is devoted to the god of Hedonism

2: Those who think of future but not the whole picture

• Most people see only 2 stages of existence… Life & Life after Death
  • But Bible teaches 3 stages… Life/Life after Death/Resurrection
  • Problem is the emphasis seems to always be on stage 2
  • Its what teaching/music/books/movies all focus on
• Ironically the NT says almost NOTHING about life after death
  • B/C the focus, weight and excitement goes past life after death
  • And it all gravitates around the idea of resurrection
  • Here in this world made new with Jesus as King
    • This is the future instore for you and I as Gods people
• But if u don’t realize this – Only think of future as this place heaven
  • Then its almost impossible to live in the present
    • To see & have compassion for injustice… hurting…
    • To really engage in God’s vocation for your life

Point: How u see the future has huge effect on how u live in present

• If we are truly building and establishing the Kingdom of God here
  • It will drastically alter the way you treat this world & those in it
  • B/C its not about how you get to ONE DAY escape to heaven
  • Instead its about how TODAY you get to bring heaven to earth
• And if resurrection is Jesus’ goal for us
  • The further you follow the compass of heaven as ultimate goal
  • The more off to the plan and teachings of Jesus you will become

Today… this morning… realign your hope with that of Jesus – His future