He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living

 Then they sent to Him some of the Pharisees and the Herodians, to catch Him in His words.  When they had come, they said to Him, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth.  Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?  Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?"  But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, "Why do you test Me?  Bring Me a denarius that I may see it."  So they brought it.  And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"  They said to Him, "Caesar's."  And Jesus answered and 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.

Then some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him; and they asked Him, saying:  "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, and leaves his wife behind, and leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.  Now there were seven brothers.  The first took a wife; and dying, he left no offspring.  And the second took her, and he died; nor did he leave any offspring.  And the third likewise.  So the seven had her and left no offspring.  Last of all the woman died also.  Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be?  For all seven had her as wife." 

Jesus answered and said to them, "Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know 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.  But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?  He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living.  You are therefore greatly mistaken."

- Mark 12:13-27

Yesterday we read that Jesus and the disciples came again to Jerusalem (it is the day after His Triumphal Entry).  And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to Him.  And they said to Him, "By what authority are You doing these things?  and who gave You this authority to do these things?"  But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one question; then answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things:  The baptism of John -- was it from heaven or from men?  Answer Me."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?'  But if we say, 'From men'" -- they feared the people, for all counted John to have been a prophet indeed.  So they answered and said to Jesus, "We do not know."  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."  Then He began to speak to them in parables:  "A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a place for the wine vat and built a tower.  And he leased it to vinedressers and went to a far country.  Now at vintage time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that he might receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the vinedressers.  And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed.  Again he sent them another servant, and at him they threw stones, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated.  And again he sent another, and him they killed; and many others, beating some and killing some.  Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them last, saying, 'They will respect my son.'  But those vinedressers said among themselves, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.'  So they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard.  Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do?  He will come and destroy the vinedressers, and give the vineyard to others.  Have you not even read this Scripture:  'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.  This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?"  And they sought to lay hands on Him, but feared the multitude, for they knew He had spoken the parable against them.  So they left Him and went away.

  Then they sent to Him some of the Pharisees and the Herodians, to catch Him in His words.  When they had come, they said to Him, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth.  Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?  Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?"  But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, "Why do you test Me?  Bring Me a denarius that I may see it."  So they brought it.  And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"  They said to Him, "Caesar's."  And Jesus answered and 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.  The Herodians are those who are Jewish political supporters of the ruling house of Herod the Great -- and therefore willing servants of Rome.   This question is designed as a trap for Jesus, and once again calls us to notice His tremendous power of testimony, as a witness.  Here in the temple, even the Roman coins bearing Caesar's image are considered to be defiling (and we recall that Jesus' first act in Jerusalem was to cleanse the temple of the money changers).  A "yes" answer will brand Him as a collaborator with the Romans.  A "no" answer will bring a charge of treason from the Romans.  Jesus offers instead His own testimony.  All things belong to God, but that does not stop us from rendering the state its due while serving God.   As the coin bears the image of the emperor and is properly paid to him, so each person bears the image of God and therefore belongs to God, says my study bible.  Conflict arises when the state demands that which is contrary to God.  (See Romans 13:1-7.)

 Then some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him; and they asked Him, saying:  "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, and leaves his wife behind, and leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.  Now there were seven brothers.  The first took a wife; and dying, he left no offspring.  And the second took her, and he died; nor did he leave any offspring.  And the third likewise.  So the seven had her and left no offspring.  Last of all the woman died also.  Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be?  For all seven had her as wife."   The Sadducees are another party of the council, and they represent landowners and other wealthy families in Jerusalem.  My study bible says they held many high offices in Israel.  They controlled the temple and the Sanhedrin.  They were different from the Pharisees in that they were politically prudent and adapted to the presence of the Romans.  They interpreted the law more rigidly than the Pharisees, and unlike them, they rejected any belief in angels and in the resurrection from the dead at the end of the age.  Therefore this question is designed as another sort of trap.  The Sadducees completely disappeared after the destruction of Jerusalem.

Jesus answered and said to them, "Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know 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.  But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?  He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living.  You are therefore greatly mistaken."  Jesus confirms that there will be a resurrection, but not the kind the Sadducees have dreamed up in this imaginary scenario.  What they consider the resurrection to be is merely a continuation of earthly life (including earthly marriage).  Their mocking question is based on ignorance of the Scriptures, which reveal a transfiguration of life in the resurrection.  This knowledge would make their questions irrelevant.  They also fail to understand how Abraham and his sons can be alive in God even if they are physically dead (St. Paul calls them a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us).  My study bible says that it is the clear teaching of Christ that the souls of the faithful who have departed this life are sustained before the face of God in anticipation of the final joy of the resurrection.

Once again we see Jesus as a great witness (see also yesterday's reading and commentary).  His testimony is accurate and truthful, as even the Herodians attest:  "We know that You are true, and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth."  This is a great key to Jesus' character:  He doesn't pay attention to the things most people find impressive.  His is the most acute form of discernment.  We're told repeatedly in the Gospels that He knows the hearts of all people.  This is what holiness does and is; it is "set apart" and "not of this world."  When Jesus is asked for an answer to a question designed to trap Him, He never gives the scoffers what they want.  He refuses to be trapped.  This is the toughness of an expert witness, of someone who knows what is His cause, His truth, and what He is to be about.  Jesus, instead, offers answers that stick to the truth, without giving what the false questioners want.  He will not give them an opportunity to trap Him in a falsehood He doesn't believe.  His answer to the Pharisees and Herodians using the Roman coin teaches the truth He believes.  (And we note that others in the temple who witness these exchanges will ensure these teachings find their way into the Gospel for His followers of all the future).  The question as posed offers Him two choices, of which neither is appropriate.  He refuses to be trapped between these two parties and the two answers on offer.  He finds and poses His own question and answer instead.  It's also important to note that when the Sadducees question Him about the resurrection, He not only refuses to accept their premise of what resurrection is and will be like, He steers them to the Scriptures.  He tells them, in fact, that they are ignorant of the Scriptures.  They have not studied them closely and they do not understand them.  This is another important teaching for those of us who follow Him.  It should not be lost on any of us.  Ignorance of what is taught leads to error, to misunderstanding, to a depth of mistaken assumptions regarding the most profound questions of God and of our own communion in faith and with one another.  In this way, every question, regardless of how ill-intentioned, becomes a kind of opportunity for witnessing, for testimony.  Jesus' very refusal to accommodate false questioners is, in fact, another kind of testimony.  Let us take notice and learn from His wisdom in all things.