I don’t know about you but I dislike trick questions because they test your thinking process. My thinking process isn’t always up to speed when it comes to trick questions that test my wisdom or wit. It’s like being a witness on the stand with the opposing lawyer asking you a question under oath. You have to think through your response. As you read Mark 12:13-17 you will notice that two opposing groups have joined forces to ask a question in hopes of trapping Jesus in his words. Notice that the religious leaders now send some Pharisees and some Herodians, who were normally at odds with each other to work with each other so that they can discredit Jesus and get him out of the way. Remember when Jesus told the crowd, “This people honors me with their lips but their heart is far from me. They worship me in vain, teaching as doctrines human commands.(Matt. 15:8-9) Case in point as this group gives accolades to Jesus with their lips while their heart is far from him. We must remember that the human heart “is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable – who can understand it? (Jeremiah 17:9) Now here is this group coming and saying to Jesus, “Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone’s opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. It is lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them or not?” (Mark 12:14) Jesus saw right through their false worship and trick question. You know He see right through your false worship as well. When does true worship take place? When you and I obey the revealed will of God as written in his word. Jesus responded to their trick question with the truth and asked for a denarius. On that denarius was an image of Caesar. So he responded, render to Caesar the things that belong to Caesar and to God the things that are God’s. You and I are made in the image of God. God made us in his image- both male and female. (Genesis 1:26-27) Have you presented yourself to God today? You maybe saying to yourself, I am dirty on the inside and need to clean myself up before God will accept me? If you are saying this I have some good news for you. God knows that your heart is dead in trespasses and sins, in fact it is worse that an puss infected bandage on a sore. God loves you so much that he sent his Son, Jesus Christ to die in your place so that he can make you clean on the inside and give you new life in him. Will you present yourself to God today through him?
Categories: Weekly Sermon