I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob

Then they sent to him some Pharisees and some Herodians to trap him in what he said. And they came and said to him, ‘Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality, but teach the way of God in accordance with truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?’ But knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, ‘Why are you putting me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me see it.’ And they brought one. Then he said to them, ‘Whose head is this, and whose title?’ They answered, ‘The emperor’s.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ And they were utterly amazed at him.

Some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him and asked him a question, saying, ‘Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no child, the man shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother. There were seven brothers; the first married and, when he died, left no children; and the second married her and died, leaving no children; and the third likewise; none of the seven left children. Last of all the woman herself died. In the resurrection whose wife will she be? For the seven had married her.’

Jesus said to them, ‘Is not this the reason you are wrong, that you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the story about the bush, how God said to him, “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”? He is God not of the dead, but of the living; you are quite wrong.’

- Mark 12:13-27

The confrontation continues for Jesus and the authorities. My study bible tells me that the Herodians are Jewish political supporters of the ruling house of Herod the Great, and thus willing servants of Rome. So, in this passage, we have new groups representing different authorities coming to confront and to test him in an attempt to discredit Jesus' authority with the people. Considering their ties to Roman rule, it is fitting, then, that their question centers on paying taxes to Rome. Jesus, we are told, knows their hypocrisy in this respect. So, once again, his answer (just as in yesterday's passage) is tailored to the one who is asking and the motive behind the question. His quick wit answers once again in a riddle for those who seek to discredit and to trap him. "'Why are you putting me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me see it....Whose head is this, and whose title?' They answered, ‘The emperor’s.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ And they were utterly amazed at him." Jesus is a tremendously gifted speaker, his wit and even the charm of his answer amazes those who are trying to trap him. He is an excellent defender of himself and his position - he gives nothing away until he himself is ready to give it away. His power and his authority remain his own, and this is conveyed through his speech as well. Of course, for those of us who read this story in scripture, we understand that we are dealing with God as man; the Son of Man who is Lord of the Sabbath. But the things that do not conflict with our duty to this Lord are the worldly things in which we freely participate; there is an important lesson here about righteousness and worldly life and how we are to view and to live them both.

In that sense of the worldly and the spiritual duties of life, we are told about the next question that is to put Jesus to the test. This time they are Sadducees who ask him the question. The Sadducees represented landowners and other wealthy families in Jerusalem. They differed from the Pharisees in varying ways. They were politically prudent and adapted to the presence of the Romans. They held many high offices in Israel and controlled the temple and the Sanhedrin. Also in contrast to the Pharisees, they did not believe in the resurrection at the end of the age nor angelic life. Their focus was an even more rigid interpretation of the law than the Pharisees. After the destruction of Jerusalem, they completely disappeared. Their question to Jesus about a childless woman who is wife to seven successive brothers reflects their particular perspective.

To answer the Sadducees' question, Jesus reflects on scripture and once again gives us (and them) a teaching. At the resurrection, our lives and even our sense of life and experience of time is changed, transformed. We "become like angels in heaven" - it is an eternal life that is entered into. There is no marriage nor childbearing. Most importantly, he cites the passage of the burning bush for a correct understanding of this spiritual reality. Quoting the voice at the burning bush, Jesus repeats: "I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” ... He is God not of the dead, but of the living; you are quite wrong.’ The present tense use of the verb: "I am," so central to our understanding of God and the nature of God, conveys timelessness. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are not passed in a worldly sense of life and time, but living in this eternal reality. And we cannot help but remember again, that Jesus himself is both man and God, as Logos he is also present in the burning bush. He is giving us a sense of the eternal reality, the nature of God, and the nature of time and life in that resurrection. Neither can the Sadducees reply to Jesus' interpretation of scripture: he flatly tells them that they are wrong.

Our peaceful messiah once again engages in confrontation and he is tested by new representatives of the powers that be. He gives away nothing, but instead defends his position and his authority - and displays that authority by his understanding. His authority is not given to him by others, not a reflection of a place in society in some narcissistic sense, but rather a reflection of true identity within himself. It is an authority borne of himself, his internal reality, as Son to Father. The central place of God in identity is evident in Jesus just as it is also an example to us of how we are to live our lives, and take our identity from our relationship to this central source of all Reality. True to himself and his identity, all of his answers also serve as teaching tools - not only for those who ask and try to entrap him, but for us as well.