Sunday
Morning Bible Study
January
29, 2017
Introduction
Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel
preached? Does it address the person who is: Empty, lonely, guilty, or afraid
to die? Does it speak to the broken
hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk – Meat – Manna Preach for a decision
Is the church loved? Regular: 2900
words Communion: 2500 words Video=75wpm
Luke was a doctor and a travelling
companion of the apostle Paul.
He wrote this book while Paul was
in prison.
In writing this book about Jesus,
Luke made use of other older documents like the Gospel of Mark, as well as
extensive eyewitness accounts.
Jesus’ ministry is well under way,
and the people have been amazed not just at the things He’s been teaching, but
the things He’s been doing.
We are now on the homestretch of Jesus’ ministry.
Jesus is now in Jerusalem, on His way to be crucified.
Luke has reminded us of what Jesus’ main purpose was in life:
(Luke 19:10 NKJV) for the Son
of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
We saw Jesus arrive in Jerusalem on a Sunday, to the shouts of an adoring
crowd, crying “Hosanna”.
The next morning, on Monday, Jesus came into the Temple and cleared out
those who were ripping the people off .
He then began to teach in the Temple, as He would every day until He would
be arrested.
Last week, when the Temple leaders challenged Jesus’ authority to be
teaching in the Temple, He responded by telling a parable about tenant farmers
who rebelled against their landlord and killed the beloved son.
20:19-26 Paying Taxes
:19 And the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay
hands on Him, but they feared the people—for they knew He had spoken this
parable against them.
to lay – epiballo
– to cast upon, to lay upon
they feared – phobeo
– to put to flight by terrifying (to scare away)
they knew – ginosko
– to learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of perceive, feel
:19 the chief priests and the scribes
Matthew records a third group was in the mix here trying to trip up Jesus:
(Matthew 22:15–16a
NKJV) —15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His
talk. 16 And they
sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians…
Three groups were joining together to try and trip Jesus up so He could be
arrested and turned over to Pilate.
The chief priests were mostly Sadducees.
Theologically, the Sadducees were quite liberal.
They didn’t believe in miracles, angels, or a
resurrection.
They only believed the first five books of the Old
Testament to be inspired by God.
They had a political stance as well.
They were in favor of the Hasmonean dynasty.
The Hasmoneans were the Jewish family that led the
Maccabean Revolt in 160 BC, and who ruled over the land of Israel until it was
conquered by Rome in 63 BC.
In Jesus’ day, the Hasmoneans were connected to Herodians,
but only because Herod Antipas was married to Herodias, who was Hasmonean.
At the moment, the Sadducees were pro-Rome.
The scribes were mostly Pharisees.
Theologically, the Pharisees were much more conservative.
They believed in miracles, angels, and a resurrection.
They believed the entire Old Testament was inspired by
God.
They strived to obey the Law of Moses, but only outwardly.
Politically, the Pharisees were opposed to Roman rule.
They looked forward to the Messiah coming to overthrow
Rome’s rule over Israel.
The Herodians were a mostly political group.
Theologically, they tended to be aligned with the Sadducees, liberal.
Politically, they didn’t care about Hasmonean rule, they were in favor of
the Herods ruling over Israel, and since Herod got his power from Rome, they
were in favor of Roman rule.
There were other groups among the Jewish
sects that aren’t mentioned because they weren’t present.
The Zealots were a political group
dedicated to the overthrow of Rome, and worked to do this with guerilla style
attacks.
One of Jesus’ disciples, Simon, had
been a part of this group before becoming a follower of Jesus.
The Essenes were a religious group.
Like the Pharisees, they believed
in the supernatural, as well as the inspiration and authority of the entire Old
Testament.
Unlike the Pharisees, they didn’t
work to obey the Law outwardly so people were impressed, they also worked to
obey God from the heart.
The Essenes were disgusted with the
hypocrisy of the Sadducees and the Pharisees, and had withdrawn from Jerusalem,
forming their own community near the Dead Sea.
This is the group that was
responsible for the Dead Sea Scrolls, preserving the Old Testament for future
generations.
Some suggest that John the Baptist
lived with the Essene community.
:20 So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be
righteous, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the
power and the authority of the governor.
:20 sent spies who pretended to be righteous
they watched – paratereo
– to stand beside and watch, to watch assiduously, observe carefully
spies – egkathetos
– secretly to lie in wait, a spy; one who is bribed by others to entrap a
man by crafty words
pretended – hupokrinomai
– to take up another’s statements in reference to what one has decided for
one’s self; to make answer (speak) on the stage; to impersonate anyone, play a
part; to simulate, feign, pretend
This is the word that “hypocrite”
comes from.
The Greek actors were called
“hypocrites”, pretending to be someone.
The religious leaders sent spies to
play a role and “pretend” to be righteous.
righteous – dikaios
– righteous, observing divine laws
The “spies” were pretending to be “religious”.
Sometimes the “good guys” are just wolves in sheep clothing.
These guys were going to try and trip Jesus up and make Him say something
that will get Him into trouble with the Roman governor Pontius Pilate.
They were pretending to be
“righteous”.
This makes me think of the
Essenes. Perhaps they were pretending to
be Essenes.
seize – epilambanomai
– to take in addition, to lay hold of, take possession of, overtake,
attain, attain to
to deliver – paradidomi
– to give into the hands (of another); to deliver up treacherously; by
betrayal to cause one to be taken
This is the word that will be used
to describe what Judas will do, betraying Jesus.
power – arche
– beginning, origin; the first place, principality, rule, magistracy
authority – exousia
– power of choice, liberty of doing as one pleases; the power of rule or
government (the power of him whose will and commands must be submitted to by
others and obeyed)
governor – hegemon
– a leader of any kind, a guide, ruler, prefect, president, chief, general,
commander, sovereign; a "legatus Caesaris," an officer administering
a province in the name and with the authority of the Roman emperor
:21 Then they asked Him, saying, “Teacher, we know that You say and teach
rightly, and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in
truth:
rightly – orthos–
rightly; from orthos – straight,
erect
personal favoritism – prosopon
– the face; the appearance one presents by his wealth or property, his rank
or low condition
Literally, “you do not receive the
face…”
Jesus was not impressed with
people’s outward appearances.
Again, this is one of the issues
the Essenes had with the Pharisees and the Sadducees. They were phonies. They spoke of following God, but only did
things outwardly to impress people.
:21 we know that You say and teach rightly
They are going to start off with flattery.
They are saying that since Jesus doesn’t show personal favoritism towards
people, He’s willing to even rebuke political leaders, which of course could
get Him into trouble.
They are saying that Jesus is
willing to even to say harsh things against a ruler if that ruler needs
rebuking.
When Jesus had been told that Herod
wanted to have him killed, Jesus called Herod a “fox”, a conniving bad guy.
:22 Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
:22 Is it lawful for us to pay taxes
Is it lawful – exesti
– it is lawful
Caesar – Kaisar
Though the word was originally the
last name of Julius Caesar, the name was taken by Octavius (Caesar Augustus),
and after him, it became known as a title for Roman Emperors.
taxes – phoros – tribute,
a direct tax on houses, lands, and persons
This was a Roman tax.
There are four different Greek
words used in the Bible to describe the different kinds of taxes the people
paid.
didrachmon was the coin
used to pay the Temple tax, collected by religious leaders to help with the
upkeep of the Temple.
kensos was a “poll-tax”
collected annually on individuals by the Roman government.
telos was an indirect
tax on merchandise collected at piers, harbors, and city gates. It was like an import tax collected by Rome.
phoros was a direct tax
on houses, lands, and persons, and paid usually in produce. This was a Roman tax.
Illustration
The local juice bar was so sure that its bartender was the strongest
man around that they offered a standing $1000 bet: The bartender would squeeze
a lemon until all the juice ran into a glass, and hand the lemon to a patron.
Anyone who could squeeze one more drop of juice out would win the money. Many
people had tried over time (professional wrestlers, longshoremen, etc.), but
nobody could do it. One day this scrawny little man came in, wearing thick
glasses and a pocket protector, and said in a tiny, squeaky voice, “I’d like to
try the bet.” After the laughter had died down, the bartender agreed, grabbed a
lemon, and squeezed away. Then he handed the dried, wrinkled remains of the
rind to the little man. But the crowd’s laughter turned to total silence as the
man clenched his fist around the lemon and SIX drops fell into the glass. As
the crowd cheered, the bartender paid the $1000, and asked the little man,
“What do you do for a living? Are you a lumberjack, a weight lifter, or what?”
The man replied, “I work for the IRS.”
Just a note – the people in Jesus’ day enjoyed paying their taxes just as
much as you do.
:23 But He perceived their craftiness, and said to them, “Why do you test
Me?
:23 He perceived their craftiness
He perceived – katanoeo
– to perceive, remark, observe, understand
craftiness – panourgia –
craftiness, cunning; a specious or false wisdom
Paul used the word in:
(1 Corinthians
3:18–19 NKJV) —18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in
this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. 19 For the
wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches
the wise in their own craftiness”
God knows how to spot “craftiness”.
We ought to be praying that we too will perceive the
“craftiness” of people who are trying to frustrate the work of God.
Paul also wrote,
(Ephesians 4:14–15 NKJV) —14 that we
should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every
wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of
deceitful plotting, 15 but,
speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the
head—Christ—
One way we defeat
sneaky thinking is to speak the truth in love and grow up.
test – peirazo
– to try whether a thing can be done; to try, make trial of, test: for the
purpose of ascertaining his quality, or what he thinks, or how he will behave
himself
This is the spies’ first attempt to trip Jesus up.
Keep in mind that the mix of people asking the questions include some who
would think it’s right to pay taxes, and some who wouldn’t.
If Jesus replies that it is NOT lawful to pay taxes, then Jesus will be in
trouble with the Roman authorities.
If Jesus replies that it IS lawful to pay taxes to Rome, then the people
won’t like Jesus, because the Jewish people hated paying taxes to their Roman
overlords.
:24 Show Me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?” They
answered and said, “Caesar’s.”
:24 Show Me a denarius
A denarius was a type of money.
Jesus might have asked this because He didn’t have a denarius, but it could
be that He wants to prove a point with the money in their own pockets.
Show – epideiknumi
– to exhibit, show
denarius – denarion – a
Roman silver coin in NT time.
The name means “ten donkeys”, and was originally meant to equal the value
of “ten donkeys”.
This was the principle silver coin of the Roman Empire.
From the parable of the workers in the vineyard (Mat. 20:2-13), it seems to
be the equivalent of a days’ wage.
:24 Whose image and inscription
does it have?
image – eikon
– an image, figure, likeness
inscription – epigraphe
– an inscription, title
In AD 33, The emperor of Rome was Tiberius.
His image would have been on the coin.
:25 And He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are
Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
Render – apodidomi
– to pay off, discharge what is due; to give back, restore
therefore – toinun
(“truly” + “now”) – therefore, then, accordingly
:26 But they could not catch Him in His words in the presence of the
people. And they marveled at His answer and kept silent.
could – ischuo
– to be strong; to have power; to be able, can
catch – epilambanomai
– to take in addition, to lay hold of, take possession of, overtake,
attain, attain to
words – rhema
– that which is or has been uttered by the living voice, thing spoken, word;
subject matter of speech, thing spoken of
marveled – thaumazo
– to wonder, wonder at, marvel
kept silent – sigao
– to keep silence, hold one’s peace
:22 Is it lawful for us to pay taxes
Lesson
Taxes
Jesus has already been challenged
regarding a Jewish Temple tax:
(Matthew 17:24–27 NKJV) —24 When they
had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter
and said, “Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?” 25
He said, “Yes.” And when
he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, “What do you think,
Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their
sons or from strangers?” 26 Peter said
to Him, “From strangers.” Jesus said
to him, “Then the sons are free. 27 Nevertheless,
lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that
comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of
money; take that and give it to them for Me and you.”
Jesus’ argument
was that since He and his disciples were part of the family of God, that they
ought to be exempt from paying the Temple Tax.
Yet lest they
offend others, they paid the tax.
Even though there
was a miraculous aspect of Peter finding a fish with a coin in its mouth, Peter
was a fisherman. He paid the tax by
going to work.
There are some people who claim to be Christians, and suggest that we
shouldn’t be paying taxes to the government.
They will say things like, “Our nation supports abortion, so I will not
give them any of my money”.
Our nation has certainly eroded morally through the years, but to be
honest, it’s nothing like the world in the days of Jesus or Paul. When Paul wrote to the Romans thirty years
after Jesus’ death, Caesar Nero had been emperor in Rome for ten years.
If you think any of our politicians are bad people, you should look at the
life of Nero. He became emperor by
poisoning his adopted father, emperor Claudius. He was criticized for craving
personal popularity. He was known for frequenting brothels and taverns. Over his life, Nero killed wives, brothers,
mentors, and even his own mother. And
that was before he got really crazy when he burned Rome and began the persecution
of Christians.
Nero was emperor when Paul wrote,
(Romans 13:1–7
NKJV) —1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there
is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed
by God. 2 Therefore
whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who
resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want
to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from
the same. 4 For he is
God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not
bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute
wrath on him who practices evil.
The government has the right to punish lawbreakers (the
sword).
The police have the right to write you that ticket when
you break the speed limit.
5 Therefore you
must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. 6 For because
of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually
to this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due,
customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.
We should not only pay taxes, but show respect.
We ought to be paying our taxes.
Some employers pay their workers in cash to avoid paying taxes. Don’t do that.
Don’t cheat the government from what you owe it.
We should also be careful not to pay more taxes than we should.
We are to be good stewards of the finances God has entrusted us with.
Be wise about your taxes.
If the government gives you the legal ability to pay less,
take advantage of it.
Take your deductions.
Have your taxes done properly.
Whatever you don’t give the government you can use for the
kingdom of God.
:25 render … to Caesar … and to God
Lesson
Two Different Worlds
Disneyland used to have an attraction called “Country Bear Jamboree”.
One song in the attraction had a particular impact on Deb and I.
Video: Disneyland Country Bear
Jamboree 2001 (7:36 - 8:23)
“Two Different Worlds”
Why did that song impact us?
Because often at night, she is covered up with three
blankets, and I’m sleeping on top of the covers.
When that happens, one of us will sing, “Two different
worlds, we live in two different worlds…”
As believers in Jesus Christ, we also live in “two different worlds”.
Most of us here are citizens of the United States of America.
Those of us who are believers in Jesus are also citizens of heaven.
It’s like having dual passports.
Just as we ought to be paying taxes in this “world” we live in, we also ought
to engage the world we live in.
It’s not wrong for Christians to be involved in politics.
I have been blessed to see the growing influence that Mike Pence is
bringing our nation. Here’s a clip from
his speech at last Friday’s “March for Life”:
I like that quote, “Compassion is overcoming convenience”.
While issues like abortion are clear cut when it comes to what God’s heart
is and where we should be, there are other issues that are a little more
complicated.
How should we handle the immigration issues?
I’m not talking about whether we should stop terrorists
from entering our country, but the issue of the millions of Hispanic illegal
immigrants already living here.
It’s a complicated issue.
There is the issue of illegal immigrants taking jobs from
those who are citizens.
We are a nation of laws, and our laws ought to be
respected, including immigration laws.
Yet what do we do when our own politicians don’t want to enforce
the laws we already have, without changing those laws?
As Bible believing people, we have other obligations such
as,
(Exodus
22:21 NKJV) “You shall neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him, for you
were strangers in the land of Egypt.
More than a few of the people who stand in line at our
monthly food outreach are illegal immigrants.
When the Syrian refugee crisis was at its height in
Europe, Caleb and his team in Hungary used the opportunity before them and
reached out to the flood of people on their doorstep. Many came to Christ.
It’s complicated.
When we get too attached to this world, we tend to get too attached to a
single political party.
Both parties have some valuable ideas.
Both have some problems.
Though you might be registered with a particular political party, our
ultimate loyalty is not to a party, but to Jesus.
Whether you agree or even like President Trump, you and I have an
obligation.
(1 Timothy 2:1–4
NKJV) —1 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers,
intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings
and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in
all godliness and reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our
Savior, 4 who desires
all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Paul wrote this when Nero was in Rome, and the Herods were
in Palestine.
We ought to be praying for our leaders, with the ultimate
goal that people get saved.
Though Mr. Trump (as with our previous President) deserves our respect
(Rom. 13:7) and prayers (1Tim. 2:2), he is not our true leader as believers.
We follow a king.
When Jesus was on trial before Pilate, Pilate asked Jesus if He was a king…
(John
18:36 NKJV) Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom
were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered
to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.”
In both Greek and English, the
words “citizen” and “citizenship” are based on the word “city”.
(Hebrews 11:8–10 NKJV) —8 By faith
Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive
as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign
country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same
promise; 10 for he waited for the
city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
We are a bit like
Abraham, living here in the United States like we were living in a foreign
country, waiting for that day when we will go home to our true kingdom, our
true “city”, heaven.
We may live in
Fullerton, but like Abraham, our true home town is heaven.
Paul wrote,
(Philippians
3:17–20 NLT) —17 Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn
from those who follow our example. 18 For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in
my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the
cross of Christ. 19
They
are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about
shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. 20 But we are
citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting
for him to return as our Savior.
We ought to be acting as citizens of heaven, not citizens
of this world.
Be careful about being known as a person who wants to
follow President Trump.
We ought to be known for following King Jesus.
What is the goal of our king? What is the focus of our kingdom?
(Luke
19:10 NKJV) for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was
lost.”
Jesus didn’t come to save Republicans or Democrats. He came to save sinners.
We are all sinners.
Jesus died so that you can find that greatest thing that
you were born for – to know your God.
One last thought…In our passage, one way we “render to Caesar” is by paying
our taxes.
So how do we “render to God”?
Paul put it this way:
(Romans
12:1–2 NLT) —1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your
bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy
sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship
him. 2 Don’t copy
the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new
person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will
for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
(Philippians 1:27 NKJV) Only let
your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see
you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one
spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,
Let the proof of your citizenship
be worthy of the gospel. Show the world
what “nation” you belong to – the kingdom of God.
(Hebrews 11:16 NKJV) But now
they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not
ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
(Hebrews 13:14 NKJV) For here
we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come.
To the overcomers in the city of
Philadelphia, Jesus wrote,
(Revelation 3:12 NKJV) He who
overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go
out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of
My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I
will write on him My new name.
John tells us about our “city”.
(Revelation 21:2–4 NKJV) —2 Then I,
John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the
tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they
shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be
no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the
former things have passed away.”