The Word This Week
Mark 12:13…
The inspection of the perfection of Our Passover Lamb continues…
After fending off the scribes and elders, Jesus is next inspected by the Pharisees and Herodians.
Normally, the Pharisees and Herodians were at odds with each other. The Herodians saw the benefit of submitting to the Roman Empire. As their name suggests, they were in league with king Herod – who had been appointed by Rome. These were descendants of the Hasmonean Empire, which was of Greek origin, supplanted by Rome when Rome overcame Greece in the first century B.C.
The Pharisees, on the other hand, despised Roman rule, and for the most part barely tolerated the Herodians, whom they viewed as being in league with Rome – even though they were Jewish – which the Pharisees saw as appalling.
But under the guise of, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend,” the Pharisees and Herodians came together against Jesus.
Note: no one would confront someone publicly unless they were certain they had contrived a question they were certain no one could answer in a way that would not at least divide His crowd – if not turn His crowd away completely.
They have come up with just such a question. A perfect question.
“Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
Uh oh. If Jesus says yes, the Jews will hate Him because they hate Rome, and they really hate paying taxes to Rome. If Jesus says no, then the Pharisees and Herodians will run right down to the Roman overseers to report a dangerous tax insurrectionist in their midst.
There is no way Jesus can get out of this. They have placed Jesus in a rhetorical vice - between ‘a rock and a hard place.’ They must have been bursting with pride and accomplishment to have placed Jesus in such an inescapable corner.
But it’s hard to corner perfection, isn’t it?
They’re about to find out Jesus has a corner on perfection.
Pastor Bill
The inspection of the perfection of Our Passover Lamb continues…
After fending off the scribes and elders, Jesus is next inspected by the Pharisees and Herodians.
Normally, the Pharisees and Herodians were at odds with each other. The Herodians saw the benefit of submitting to the Roman Empire. As their name suggests, they were in league with king Herod – who had been appointed by Rome. These were descendants of the Hasmonean Empire, which was of Greek origin, supplanted by Rome when Rome overcame Greece in the first century B.C.
The Pharisees, on the other hand, despised Roman rule, and for the most part barely tolerated the Herodians, whom they viewed as being in league with Rome – even though they were Jewish – which the Pharisees saw as appalling.
But under the guise of, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend,” the Pharisees and Herodians came together against Jesus.
Note: no one would confront someone publicly unless they were certain they had contrived a question they were certain no one could answer in a way that would not at least divide His crowd – if not turn His crowd away completely.
They have come up with just such a question. A perfect question.
“Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
Uh oh. If Jesus says yes, the Jews will hate Him because they hate Rome, and they really hate paying taxes to Rome. If Jesus says no, then the Pharisees and Herodians will run right down to the Roman overseers to report a dangerous tax insurrectionist in their midst.
There is no way Jesus can get out of this. They have placed Jesus in a rhetorical vice - between ‘a rock and a hard place.’ They must have been bursting with pride and accomplishment to have placed Jesus in such an inescapable corner.
But it’s hard to corner perfection, isn’t it?
They’re about to find out Jesus has a corner on perfection.
Pastor Bill