Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” Mark 12:17
I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark. Today, I focus on an unassisted review of Mark 12:13-17:, which is the text for the next chapter of the commentary. Observations of the text based on the Sword Bible Study Method:
- What do we learn from the passage about God?: God is the ultimate authority of the universe. At the same time, He places people of authority over us in our churches, workplaces, and in the government. There is no conflict - God created these roles for the orderly function of our lives as He holds all things together (Colossians 1:15-20). We are to follow these earthly authorities and God at the same time - but not when there is conflict and we are asked to follow an earthly command that conflicts with what God calls us to - there are many examples of believers who stood on scripture to follow God instead of man.
- What do we learn from the passage about people?: Once again, we have more of the Jewish elders (and Herodians who presumably benefited from their alliance with the Pharisees and Caesar) who seek to trap Jesus into sharing His allegiance to either His Father (even though they questioned whether He was truly the Son of God) or Caesar - which is not a zero sum game as it is more nuanced as yes we serve God first and foremost (above all else) but we also serve earthly authorities. This is another example of twisting our faith and God for our own benefit - which is what the Pharisees were doing, serving (and preserving) their own status and position. We also see how people recognize Truth. They sought to trap Him but failed and instead were amazed by Him (v17)...of course we know they ultimately reject Him despite being amazed by Him.
- Is there anything from the passage God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid,Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): We are called not to question or put "God to the test" - see also Deuteronomy 6:16, Matthew 4:7. See this post for a good explanation of the sin we are to avoid here. We are to render to God what is God's (v17)....for example, we are to pay taxes to our government while at the same time we are to tithe to our church.
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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves, provides, and saves...thank You Jesus! I am not deserving of such mercy and grace. My sin is great and it continues...daily. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength. Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo. Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior. Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin. Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.
