It is set two of the Temple Tennis Tournament between Jesus and the Jewish
leadership (commonly collectively referred to as “the Pharisees and scribes”). We
are in mixed doubles now as the Pharisees have the Herodians as allies. Luke
tells us that there are spies here and that all of these men feign sincerity.
They hope to encourage Jesus to let His guard down so that He will say
something incriminating.
Their opening serve is embarrassing – all net. These men clearly don’t know
Jesus. He is not the type to dissemble in front of strangers. In fact, He will
soon testify that He has said nothing in secret, and no one will contradict that
testimony. It’s also embarrassing because the Herodians sound like a
second-rate amateur drama club. Their flattery of Jesus is not only empty but stilted
and awkward, too.
This is His second confrontation with the Pharisees over authority. This time the question is more complex because it involves two sides of the same coin (to use the
metaphor). On the one side, do the Romans have the authority to tax the Jewish
people? And on the other side, does the Law preclude them from paying “tribute”
to anyone but God?
Jesus returns this second serve with a strong backhand: why do you tempt
Me? Right away, Jesus serves notice that the question is not about Law but politics.
He asks to see a denarius and inquires about the image and superscription. If
this were an American half dollar, they might respond, “John F. Kennedy, In God
We Trust.” But this is a Roman denarius, so the answer is “Tiberius Caesar, son
of the divine Augustus.”
“Give back, therefore, the things of Caesar to Caesar, and the things of God
to God.”
It’s a head-scratcher response – one that at first glance looks like a wild
lob. But Jesus drops the shot just inside the line to knock the Pharisees out
of the game. He has uncovered their hypocrisy and shown that, despite all
their practiced piety and purity, they have defiled themselves and the Temple
by mixing their sacrifices with the things of Caesar.
Originally, Temple worship revolved around the seasons of the year. First fruits
and tithes were given back to God as an act of worship – a simple way of life reliant
upon God for the people’s needs. When the people were right with God, there was
abundance. If they were not, famine, drought or pestilence made that clear.
Now, however, that simplicity no longer exists. The Jews have embraced the
things of Caesar. The Temple now resembles a bank. The Jews have become
Hellenistic (especially the Herodians), and they are looking to Rome for the
things they need rather than to God. In accepting and incorporating Roman
practices and customs into their lives, they have violated their own laws
regarding ritual purity (kashrut). As a result, their hypocrisy is now
painfully obvious.
The Sadducees step up to serve and suggest the Pharisees visit the showers.
“Teacher, we have a riddle for you,” the Sadducees giggle. “We’re sure you’ll
find this amusing – we certainly do – but there was a man who had a wife and
seven brothers. They all had her!” (Like junior high school boys, the
Sadducees can’t help but snicker and guffaw.)
The Sadducees continue to unpack the riddle (“But wait! There’s more!”),
until Jesus delivers a savage backhand that clinches the game: you don’t know
the scriptures.
“People get married all the time,” says Jesus, “but there will come a time
when they will no longer do so. And it won’t matter, because those people will
have been judged worthy to attain the resurrection of the dead. Marriage will
be the last thing on their minds. And by the way, here’s a fun fact for you: Moses
spoke of the resurrection of the dead when he called the Lord the God of Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob. After all He is not the God of the dead but of the living,
correct?”
The crowd – including the Pharisees and scribes who enjoy putting down the
Sadducees – cheer Jesus’ response. They don’t necessarily understand what He
just said, but they can plainly see Jesus has scored another point here.
He opens the last set with a wicked ace serve: “Tell me, how is it that the
Christ is David’s son?”
The Jews never saw it coming, and they have no response. Jesus has asked the
one question they cannot possibly answer because they do not know Him. In fact,
they cannot even speculate about Him.
Clearly, Jesus has won this last, ultimate battle of rhetorical wits. But He
takes no pleasure in it. In fact, He’s a little sad. He even feels sorry for
the Pharisees – but only a little.
“Beware of the Pharisees,” He says in the hearing of all as the Pharisees head off to the locker room. “They like to look
good, to be recognized in public, and to claim the best seats for themselves at all the
best events. They also devour widows’ homes and make a pretense of long
prayers. Theirs will be the greater condemnation.”
The Pharisees stop dead in their tracks and turn. “Not if we condemn you first.”
