The Pharisees - these were the super-orthodox of the day. They resented the Roman occupation. They resented paying taxes to Rome. After all, the Jewish nation had one king - God. To pay taxes to Caesar was an admission that he was a king, their king.
The Herodians - these were the party of Herod, the king of Galilee. He owed his power to Rome and worked hand-in-glove with the Roman authority. They marched in line with Herod.
The Sadducees - these were the wealthy, aristocratic and governing class. While small in number, they were large in power. The chief priests were Sadducees. Politically, they were collaborators with Rome. Religiously, they were traditionalists, accepting only the Pentateuch as binding and unwilling to accept the scribal and oral law which was held in such high esteem by the Pharisees.
Strange bedfellows ... but a common enemy leads to such bizarre alliances ... still does today. Let's read
Matthew 22: 15 - 33
What lessons can we learn from these encounters for ourselves ... for our day and time?
First ... sarcastic complements are odious! The seeming complements in verses 16 - 17 are not genuine. They were designed to look good to the crowd and to set Jesus up. Have you ever been the recipient of such twisted language? Have you ever been guilty of using it? Paul said in Ephesians 5:29
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
As Jesus people, we MUST guard our speech and avoid manipulative language. It reeks ... and we see it powerfully demonstrated in this encounter with Jesus.
Secondly ... Jesus people take civic responsibility seriously. We are citizens of two countries ... the one in which we live on this earth and the kingdom of God. Jesus told these Pharisees to pay their taxes ... coin belonged to Caesar ... so give it back to him. God requires your heart, soul, mind and money ... so give to him what belongs to him. Jesus did not say we had to love paying our taxes ... he just said pay them. When the two citizenships clash, our primary allegiance is to the kingdom of God. Barclay writes:
"Where the boundaries between the two duties lie, Jesus does not say. that is for our own consciences to test. But real Christians - and this is the permanent truth which Jesus here lays down - are at one and the same time good citizens of their country and good citizens of the kingdom of heaven. They will fail in their duty neither to God nor to society."
And remember what the apostle Peter wrote in 1 Peter 2:17:
Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.
Third ... quit trying to define heaven and eternity by earthly customs and standards. The whole scenario about the 7 brothers and the one wife was absurd. It was using earth to define heaven. Eternity is not going to be an extension of life on earth. It will be different ... at its core ... in its essence. We sing songs about "mansions" in heaven. Maybe we, too, think of heaven as an extension of life on earth. I think perhaps we are better served by the willingness to embrace the mystery of it. There is little reason, in fact there is no reason, to confuse and argue about relationships or housing in heaven - because we do not have a frame of reference for eternity. Bottom line ... TRUST GOD. It will be splendid! And it will be alive!
Our passage today closes with the statement that the "crowds were astonished at his teaching." Are you? Where will you apply these principles in your own life and thinking right now? Do a self-check on
- your speech habits
- your civic habits
- your willingness to embrace the mystery of God
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