Faithful on Fridays Blog

Jesus’ Last Week: Part Four

Religion and politics are two subjects we avert in friendly discussions, but not with Jesus. During His last days on earth He confronted those religious leaders who were maliciously trying to entrap Him: “Jesus, what about taxes?” That should do it. 

“Teacher, we know that You are true and do not care about anyone’s opinion. For You are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Mark 12:14a 

Flattery will get you nowhere with Jesus for He knows hypocritical hearts and speaks justly. Basically, He told them to pay what they owe: both to the state and to God.

They couldn’t trap him with politics; how about religion? Jesus nailed their entanglement about multiple marriages and the resurrection (Matt. 22:23-33) and He flipped it to the immortality of the soul. Earthly marriage is only the lower story; Jesus wanted them, and us, to think about the upper story: eternal life. He explained that with knowledge of the Scriptures and the power of God we’ll get it right. Bringing up Moses, the burning bush, and their beloved King David Jesus exposed their lack of understanding of the upper story. 

The Apostle John showed us they were waiting for the Christ (7:25-31), the Son of David, but Jesus questioned them:

David himself, in the Holy Spirit, declared, “The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, until I put Your enemies under Your feet.” David himself calls Him Lord. So how is He his son?” Mark 12:36-37a 

Confused? Maybe this will help; the first Lord is actually LORD, Yahweh. The Father gives the royal position beside Him to His Son, the Messiah or Christ. The second Lord is Adonai, Jesus our Lord. Understanding the Trinity is critical in this passage, but the leaders’ lack of understanding prohibited them from seeing the truth. 

Jesus also questioned their perspective of the Shema, calling it the most important commandment (Mark 12:28-34): 

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. Deuteronomy 6:4-5 

When you understand that God is One in three persons and loving Him is a priority of life, loving one another comes easier. Consequently, Jesus wisely responded by saying, in essence, “You’re not far from walking in the Kingdom of God.”

The attitude of the religious leaders of Jesus’ day are really no different from many today. Following rules rather than developing relationship, an incorrect understanding of the heart of the Scriptures and the love of God, or even having a false perspective of Kingdom living. It’s not about the lower story, earthly positions and man’s honor, but the humility and faith like the widow who gave all she had (Luke 20:45-21:1-4). Let’s remember these last teachings as we walk closer with Him.