13 And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, to trap him in his talk. 14 And they came and said to him, “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? Should we pay them, or should we not?” 15 But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” 16 And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.” 17 Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they marveled at him.
18 And Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection. And they asked him a question, saying, 19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 20 There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no offspring. 21 And the second took her, and died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. 22 And the seven left no offspring. Last of all the woman also died. 23 In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.”
24 Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26 And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 27 He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.”
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
The Jewish leaders were actively trying to trap Jesus. They asked Him questions to try and build a case against Him. They asked Him if it was in accordance with God’s law to pay taxes to Caesar or not. They were trying to trap him between the religious (yes to pay taxes to a pagan ruler) and the political (no and invite retaliation from Rome). The question was cleverly created to give Jesus no possibility of a right answer. Jesus recognised their intentions and called them on it, “why put me to the test?” He asked for a Roman coin and asked whose image was on the coin. They answered, “Caesar’s.” Jesus told them to give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s meaning to pay the tax as owed for the benefits they received of the use of the money and the government system they lived under. But Jesus added that they must give back to God what is God’s. Ultimately our allegiance is to God and we owe Him everything because we are his (we are His image-bearers).
The Sadducees, who didn’t believe in the resurrection, came to Jesus and presented Him with a question designed to show that the resurrection didn’t make sense. The Law of Moses had a section known as Levirate marriage designed to preserve the family inheritance. They presented a hypothetical situation where the eldest of seven brothers married and then died childless. Each subsequent brother married the woman in order to give her a child according to the law but they all died childless. Finally, the woman died. The conundrum they present to Jesus was, who would she be married to in the resurrection because they were all married to her? Jesus pointed out that they are wrong because, while they knew the content of the Scriptures, they did not understand them and they hadn’t fully recognised the power of God (over death). The fault in their entire argument was the misunderstanding that marriage is an earthly arrangement needed to grow and preserve the human race. In heaven, there will be no marriage. Instead, we will all be like angels—immortal and in the presence of God. When God spoke to Moses He said, “I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” God used terms that indicated the Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were still in a relationship with Him even though they had died many years before—they had not simply ceased to exist.
We too can misunderstand Scripture if we approach it with preconceived ideas. We must read Scripture with humility, looking for God’s truth, and expecting the Holy Spirit to reveal that truth to us. If we start with a fixed view then we will find ways to enforce our false view even using Scripture to justify that view as the Sadducees did.