1 00:00:00,840 --> 00:00:04,080 These days, it seems like almost everyone has a hot take about 2 00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:07,120 something. You know it's going to be a hot 3 00:00:07,120 --> 00:00:10,040 take when they start off by saying this is kind of a hot 4 00:00:10,040 --> 00:00:14,640 take, but that preface is a warning. 5 00:00:15,640 --> 00:00:18,800 They're letting you know that what I'm about to say isn't 6 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:22,280 meant to offend you, but it might. 7 00:00:24,520 --> 00:00:27,320 Hot takes could be about anything in sports. 8 00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:35,160 It might be about a new coach, a new player, a new rule in music. 9 00:00:35,480 --> 00:00:39,160 It might be who's underrated or overrated. 10 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:43,480 In politics or culture, it often takes the form what's really 11 00:00:43,480 --> 00:00:47,600 wrong with our country is this or those people. 12 00:00:49,720 --> 00:00:53,800 The subjects of hot takes can range from totally 13 00:00:53,800 --> 00:00:57,560 inconsequential to some of the most serious issues you could 14 00:00:57,560 --> 00:01:01,480 think of. When someone offers a hot take, 15 00:01:01,920 --> 00:01:08,200 they are sometimes trying to stir up controversy in order to 16 00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:12,240 draw attention to themselves. They want more likes and reposts 17 00:01:12,240 --> 00:01:15,480 on social media. They want more eyes and ears 18 00:01:15,480 --> 00:01:20,880 pointing in their direction. Such a person is a conflict 19 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:25,840 merchant. They are trying to profit from 20 00:01:25,840 --> 00:01:30,640 dividing people. I'm not a huge fan of hot takes. 21 00:01:31,360 --> 00:01:34,560 Whether giving or receiving, I prefer my takes nice and cool, 22 00:01:34,920 --> 00:01:38,240 even cooler than cool, perhaps even ice cold. 23 00:01:39,480 --> 00:01:44,640 Hot takes are often offered on whatever is the current hot 24 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:48,440 button issue that's driving the news cycle or dominating social 25 00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:52,040 media. Even when people don't volunteer 26 00:01:52,040 --> 00:01:57,960 their take, there's often pressure on a person or an 27 00:01:57,960 --> 00:02:03,280 institution to weigh in on every issue, to speak out, to make a 28 00:02:03,280 --> 00:02:06,240 statement, to let everyone know where you stand. 29 00:02:07,600 --> 00:02:10,880 If your pastor doesn't say something about blank current 30 00:02:10,880 --> 00:02:14,560 event this Sunday, then you need to find a new church. 31 00:02:14,560 --> 00:02:18,440 Ever heard that one before? I have. 32 00:02:21,080 --> 00:02:26,480 There's a massive cultural trend that we've seen rise and Crest 33 00:02:26,480 --> 00:02:30,760 like a wave and break and even start receding back out to sea, 34 00:02:30,760 --> 00:02:36,040 all in the last few years. It's the trend to demand that 35 00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:40,440 institutions like universities and companies and even churches 36 00:02:40,960 --> 00:02:44,520 make official public statements about current events. 37 00:02:45,440 --> 00:02:48,760 That wave grew especially powerful in the past few years 38 00:02:48,760 --> 00:02:51,840 and sort of reached its crazy height during the COVID years, 39 00:02:52,600 --> 00:02:55,680 but now it's already retreating back out to sea. 40 00:02:56,600 --> 00:03:00,040 You can take Harvard University as an example. 41 00:03:00,840 --> 00:03:04,680 After a series of scandals and protests, after their president 42 00:03:04,680 --> 00:03:07,600 resigned under all sorts of pressures, Harvard officially 43 00:03:07,600 --> 00:03:11,800 decided in May of 2024 that they would no longer make any 44 00:03:11,800 --> 00:03:15,200 official statements on public issues. 45 00:03:16,240 --> 00:03:21,360 They stood to lose too much. If you're a political activist 46 00:03:21,720 --> 00:03:24,320 trying to put pressure on an institution like Harvard, you 47 00:03:24,320 --> 00:03:26,320 only have your job and your reputation to lose. 48 00:03:26,800 --> 00:03:30,160 And going after Harvard might earn you headlines like Joe 49 00:03:30,160 --> 00:03:33,240 Smith takes on Harvard, a David and Goliath story. 50 00:03:34,520 --> 00:03:36,920 You stand to gain a lot and lose little. 51 00:03:37,840 --> 00:03:41,240 But Harvard has a multibillion dollar endowment to protect. 52 00:03:42,840 --> 00:03:50,160 Sometimes people pressure a leader or institution to weigh 53 00:03:50,160 --> 00:03:55,480 in on an issue only because they're trying to get that 54 00:03:55,480 --> 00:03:58,200 leader or institution into trouble. 55 00:03:59,600 --> 00:04:01,800 They're trying to get that leader to say something on 56 00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:05,280 record that will discredit them. They're trying to get them to 57 00:04:05,280 --> 00:04:09,480 say something out in public that they can use to take that person 58 00:04:10,040 --> 00:04:14,120 down. This morning we continue our 59 00:04:14,120 --> 00:04:17,560 series in Mark's gospel with chapter 12, verses 13 to 34. 60 00:04:17,560 --> 00:04:19,079 If you don't have a Bible, you can raise your hand. 61 00:04:19,079 --> 00:04:21,040 Someone will bring you on. If you do have a Bible, please 62 00:04:21,040 --> 00:04:26,000 turn there. Our passage is a series of three 63 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:29,280 interactions between Jesus and religious leaders in the temple 64 00:04:29,280 --> 00:04:32,560 in Jerusalem. And in the first two of those 65 00:04:32,560 --> 00:04:36,760 interactions, the religious authorities are trying to 66 00:04:36,760 --> 00:04:42,200 pressure Jesus into offering a hot take that will get him into 67 00:04:42,200 --> 00:04:44,840 trouble. As one of my kids put it this 68 00:04:44,840 --> 00:04:48,600 week, they're trying to cancel Jesus. 69 00:04:50,360 --> 00:04:53,520 They're trying to trap him. They want him to say something 70 00:04:53,520 --> 00:04:55,800 on record they can use to take him all the way down. 71 00:04:57,440 --> 00:05:02,320 And though the questions they ask might initially seem 72 00:05:02,320 --> 00:05:06,560 obscure, they actually get it. Some of the most fundamental 73 00:05:06,560 --> 00:05:09,400 issues we could possibly consider. 74 00:05:10,040 --> 00:05:13,720 In other words, the religious authorities are asking for Jesus 75 00:05:13,720 --> 00:05:17,680 hot takes on the highest stakes questions. 76 00:05:18,040 --> 00:05:20,920 So here's the question our passage confronts us with this 77 00:05:20,920 --> 00:05:25,560 morning. What are Jesus's answers to the 78 00:05:25,560 --> 00:05:30,360 highest stakes questions that you could ask him? 79 00:05:31,560 --> 00:05:38,240 What are Jesus's answers to the highest stakes questions that 80 00:05:38,240 --> 00:05:48,520 you could ask Him .1 Question one, Who's in charge? 81 00:05:50,160 --> 00:05:52,840 Who's in charge? That's the question at the heart 82 00:05:52,840 --> 00:05:56,880 of verses 13 to 17. Mark 1213 to 17. 83 00:05:56,880 --> 00:05:58,880 Please follow along as I read those verses. 84 00:06:01,280 --> 00:06:04,080 And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the 85 00:06:04,080 --> 00:06:06,120 Herodians to trap him in his talk. 86 00:06:06,880 --> 00:06:09,280 And they came and said to him, Teacher, we know that you are 87 00:06:09,280 --> 00:06:12,920 true, and do not care about anyone's opinion, for you are 88 00:06:12,920 --> 00:06:16,600 not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. 89 00:06:17,400 --> 00:06:20,480 Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? 90 00:06:21,040 --> 00:06:23,160 Should we pay them or should we not? 91 00:06:24,080 --> 00:06:27,400 But knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, Why put me to the 92 00:06:27,400 --> 00:06:29,960 test? Bring me a denarius and let me 93 00:06:29,960 --> 00:06:32,160 look at it. And they brought one. 94 00:06:33,120 --> 00:06:36,760 And he said to them, whose likeness and inscription is 95 00:06:36,760 --> 00:06:40,680 this? They said to him, Caesar's. 96 00:06:42,320 --> 00:06:46,680 Jesus said to them, render to Caesar the things that are 97 00:06:46,680 --> 00:06:51,360 Caesar's, and to God the things that are gods. 98 00:06:52,840 --> 00:06:59,000 And they marveled at him, looking at a verse 13 they sent 99 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:00,400 to him. Who's they? 100 00:07:01,520 --> 00:07:04,040 Just like we've seen in our last couple of passages, it's the 101 00:07:04,040 --> 00:07:07,240 Sanhedrin. It's the full council of 102 00:07:07,240 --> 00:07:10,520 Israel's religious leaders. We've seen Jesus confronting 103 00:07:10,520 --> 00:07:13,080 ever since he entered Jerusalem and cleared out the temple. 104 00:07:13,720 --> 00:07:18,120 We've known since Chapter 11, verse 18, that the Sanhedrin is 105 00:07:18,120 --> 00:07:20,720 looking for a way to destroy Jesus. 106 00:07:21,400 --> 00:07:24,840 And so here they send a delegation composed of an 107 00:07:24,840 --> 00:07:29,760 unlikely alliance. The Pharisees are strict law 108 00:07:29,760 --> 00:07:32,080 keepers. They're zealous for Israel's 109 00:07:32,080 --> 00:07:34,480 ancestral traditions. They're eager to restore 110 00:07:34,480 --> 00:07:40,200 Israel's glory and independence. The Herodians are loyal 111 00:07:40,200 --> 00:07:43,680 supporters of Herod, the tetrarch of Galilee, who is the 112 00:07:43,680 --> 00:07:47,680 ruler appointed by the Romans to govern Jesus home territory up 113 00:07:47,680 --> 00:07:50,120 in the north. And if they're that much in 114 00:07:50,120 --> 00:07:53,840 keeping with the kind of local political rulers, it's likely 115 00:07:53,840 --> 00:07:57,320 they're more worldly, more assimilated to Rome, more 116 00:07:57,720 --> 00:08:02,360 compromised. So this delegation aims to trap 117 00:08:02,360 --> 00:08:05,200 him. The Greek word for trap in verse 118 00:08:05,200 --> 00:08:08,880 13 is the word you would use for trying to trap an animal that 119 00:08:08,880 --> 00:08:12,760 you want to eat for dinner. Their motive is pure hostility. 120 00:08:13,520 --> 00:08:17,800 They're trying to trap Jesus and politically speaking, eat him 121 00:08:17,800 --> 00:08:21,920 for dinner. So their hypocrisy is blatant in 122 00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:24,160 what they say next. They flatter him. 123 00:08:24,600 --> 00:08:27,680 We know that you are true and do not care about anyone's opinion, 124 00:08:27,960 --> 00:08:30,600 for you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the 125 00:08:30,600 --> 00:08:32,960 way of God. Now of course they don't really 126 00:08:32,960 --> 00:08:35,200 think this. If they did, they wouldn't be 127 00:08:35,200 --> 00:08:41,039 trying to trap him and kill him. But by flattering him, they 128 00:08:41,039 --> 00:08:43,039 unintentionally declare the truth. 129 00:08:43,799 --> 00:08:46,680 Jesus really isn't swayed by human opinions. 130 00:08:47,040 --> 00:08:50,160 He will not sacrifice God's truth to any special interest 131 00:08:50,160 --> 00:08:52,680 group. He will not adjust His message 132 00:08:52,960 --> 00:08:57,120 to win people's favor or avoid people's disapproval. 133 00:08:58,360 --> 00:09:01,600 Now they set their trap in their question in verse 14. 134 00:09:02,360 --> 00:09:05,440 Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? 135 00:09:05,560 --> 00:09:08,040 Should we pay them or should we not? 136 00:09:08,800 --> 00:09:11,600 Now the word taxes in verse 14, the Greek word that's translated 137 00:09:11,600 --> 00:09:14,160 there is actually a word for a specific tax. 138 00:09:14,520 --> 00:09:18,160 It's the Greek word kensos from the Latin census. 139 00:09:18,720 --> 00:09:22,240 It refers to a poll tax. It's something that every single 140 00:09:22,240 --> 00:09:28,680 resident had to pay. Now in Judea, in Jesus day, all 141 00:09:28,680 --> 00:09:32,000 taxes were unpopular. There's nothing new under the 142 00:09:32,000 --> 00:09:35,360 sun. But this tax, because it got 143 00:09:35,360 --> 00:09:38,920 added just a generation before in six AD, was especially 144 00:09:38,920 --> 00:09:41,240 unpopular. It was just a new added tax on 145 00:09:41,240 --> 00:09:42,880 top of all the other taxes they had to pay. 146 00:09:43,080 --> 00:09:46,480 And in the very year in which it was added, there was a popular 147 00:09:46,480 --> 00:09:51,520 revolt, an uprising like a military, you know, effort led 148 00:09:51,520 --> 00:09:54,240 by a guy named Judas the Galilean, that was over this 149 00:09:54,240 --> 00:09:57,200 very tax. It was so inflammatory, There's 150 00:09:57,200 --> 00:09:59,760 so much popular resentment against it that it led to a 151 00:09:59,760 --> 00:10:02,400 revolt. Within a year, that revolt was 152 00:10:02,400 --> 00:10:05,760 stamped out, but the resentment continued to simmer. 153 00:10:05,920 --> 00:10:08,440 This is only 25 or so years later. 154 00:10:08,720 --> 00:10:13,280 People hate this tax. Not only that, having to pay 155 00:10:13,280 --> 00:10:16,440 this tax, it's kind of a straw that broke the camel's back was 156 00:10:16,440 --> 00:10:19,800 one of the one of the features, one of the factors that led to 157 00:10:19,800 --> 00:10:23,000 the eventual rebellion by the group called the Zealots against 158 00:10:23,000 --> 00:10:27,720 Rome in 66 AD, which led to Rome stamping out that rebellion and 159 00:10:27,720 --> 00:10:30,840 destroying Jerusalem and the Temple in 70AD. 160 00:10:31,720 --> 00:10:36,680 So to ask Jesus about this tax was to ask about the hottest of 161 00:10:36,680 --> 00:10:40,360 hot button political issues. It's a way of trying to test 162 00:10:40,360 --> 00:10:44,000 Jesus's whole political stance by kind of 1 litmus test. 163 00:10:44,400 --> 00:10:48,360 One question. It aimed to expose Jesus's 164 00:10:48,360 --> 00:10:51,240 stance with regard to this emerging Zealot movement that 165 00:10:51,240 --> 00:10:54,160 advocated armed resistance against Rome. 166 00:10:55,000 --> 00:11:00,840 The question is fundamentally whether loyalty to God required 167 00:11:01,480 --> 00:11:06,080 armed resistance to Rome. The question was framed in a way 168 00:11:06,080 --> 00:11:09,640 that allowed only two options. Either he says the tax is 169 00:11:09,640 --> 00:11:15,200 legitimate or illegitimate. If he says the tax is 170 00:11:15,200 --> 00:11:19,320 legitimate, the Pharisees can denounce him as a compromiser. 171 00:11:19,640 --> 00:11:23,120 They can say, oh, for all his talk about the Kingdom of God, 172 00:11:23,200 --> 00:11:25,600 he's just fine being ruled by Rome. 173 00:11:25,760 --> 00:11:29,080 He supports his blasphemous, idolatrous empire. 174 00:11:29,080 --> 00:11:34,200 What kind of Messiah is that? If he endorses the tax, the 175 00:11:34,200 --> 00:11:36,400 Pharisees can try to turn public opinion against him. 176 00:11:37,880 --> 00:11:41,680 On the other hand, if he declares the tax illegitimate, 177 00:11:41,680 --> 00:11:43,880 then the Herodians, the ones who are in cahoots with the 178 00:11:43,880 --> 00:11:46,960 government, can denounce him to the Roman authorities. 179 00:11:47,240 --> 00:11:50,400 This guy says Jews shouldn't pay taxes. 180 00:11:50,720 --> 00:11:53,040 What do you think about that? Roman authorities? 181 00:11:53,160 --> 00:11:55,040 He's a rebel. He's a threat to public order. 182 00:11:55,040 --> 00:12:00,400 He's seditious sedition. Any active uprising against 183 00:12:00,400 --> 00:12:03,760 Roman authority was a crime punishable by death. 184 00:12:04,400 --> 00:12:07,520 There's not be one quick way to get rid of Jesus, he says don't 185 00:12:07,520 --> 00:12:09,680 pay tax, They say. He's seditious. 186 00:12:09,880 --> 00:12:13,200 Rome takes him out. Be a nice tidy solution. 187 00:12:14,800 --> 00:12:18,680 This is a high stakes question because it implies a potential 188 00:12:18,680 --> 00:12:23,840 conflict between what God demands and what Rome demands. 189 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:28,800 Who's in charge and what do you owe them? 190 00:12:29,760 --> 00:12:32,280 Even in very different circumstances 2000 years later, 191 00:12:32,280 --> 00:12:36,960 those are fundamental questions. Who's in charge and what do you 192 00:12:36,960 --> 00:12:40,040 owe them? So to all appearances, Jesus has 193 00:12:40,040 --> 00:12:42,640 his back against the wall. There's no room for him to 194 00:12:42,640 --> 00:12:44,720 maneuver. How does he respond? 195 00:12:45,800 --> 00:12:50,800 Verses 15 and 16? But knowing their hypocrisy, he 196 00:12:50,800 --> 00:12:55,080 said to them, why put me to the test, bring me a denarius and 197 00:12:55,080 --> 00:12:57,200 let me look at it. And they brought one. 198 00:12:57,920 --> 00:13:00,920 And he said to them, whose likeness and inscription is 199 00:13:00,920 --> 00:13:05,720 this? They said to him, Caesars, a 200 00:13:05,720 --> 00:13:09,000 denarius is the coin that the tax had to be paid in. 201 00:13:09,240 --> 00:13:11,880 And many of them survived. Today we, we know from 202 00:13:11,880 --> 00:13:14,000 historical records kind of when they began to be made. 203 00:13:14,160 --> 00:13:16,520 So we can be confident about what kind of coin this was. 204 00:13:17,160 --> 00:13:21,680 On one side, it was stamped with the image like the face of 205 00:13:21,680 --> 00:13:25,120 Tiberius Caesar. And just like Jesus asks about 206 00:13:25,120 --> 00:13:27,200 it, it had an inscription and had writing on it. 207 00:13:27,800 --> 00:13:33,000 The inscription read the blessed Tiberius Caesar, son of the 208 00:13:33,000 --> 00:13:37,080 divine Augustus. In other words, on one side of 209 00:13:37,080 --> 00:13:38,840 this coin they're supposed to pay the tax with. 210 00:13:38,840 --> 00:13:44,240 He calls the emperor's father a God, and by saying he's the son 211 00:13:44,240 --> 00:13:48,360 of a God, it's implying the emperor also is divine. 212 00:13:49,240 --> 00:13:52,080 Flip over the coin. There's another Latin 213 00:13:52,080 --> 00:13:55,880 inscription that read punt effects Maximus declaring Caesar 214 00:13:55,880 --> 00:13:59,320 to be high priest among the Roman rulers. 215 00:14:00,080 --> 00:14:05,040 Now 1st century Jews understood all this emperor worship to be 216 00:14:05,040 --> 00:14:09,200 idolatry and blasphemy, and that's one thing that raised 217 00:14:09,200 --> 00:14:12,200 serious questions for them about whether it was legitimate to use 218 00:14:12,200 --> 00:14:14,880 that money or participate in that system at all. 219 00:14:15,320 --> 00:14:17,960 If you were trying to go out of your way to offend the Jewish 220 00:14:17,960 --> 00:14:21,240 people, you could hardly do better than to call a ruler the 221 00:14:21,240 --> 00:14:24,200 son of the divine emperor and high priest and then to make 222 00:14:24,200 --> 00:14:26,880 them pay a coin with that written on it and his image 223 00:14:26,880 --> 00:14:29,680 stamped on it. Here's a little idle coin for 224 00:14:29,680 --> 00:14:32,080 you to pay the tax. And thanks guys, have fun. 225 00:14:34,240 --> 00:14:38,680 Many Jews in Jesus day refuse to use these coins as a protest 226 00:14:38,680 --> 00:14:43,520 against that idolatry. So it's interesting that Jesus 227 00:14:43,520 --> 00:14:46,760 asks them to bring him one of those coins. 228 00:14:46,920 --> 00:14:49,880 He doesn't have one, but it turns out someone in their party 229 00:14:49,880 --> 00:14:51,960 does. If they're so opposed to the 230 00:14:51,960 --> 00:14:55,920 tax, then why do they have those coins jingling in their pockets 231 00:14:55,920 --> 00:14:58,880 right now? Jesus doesn't have one. 232 00:14:58,920 --> 00:15:01,560 They do. It's a little bit of beginning 233 00:15:01,560 --> 00:15:06,040 to undermine their credibility, but then Jesus gives them his 234 00:15:06,040 --> 00:15:09,440 substantive answer. In verse 17, after looking at 235 00:15:09,440 --> 00:15:13,320 the coin, Jesus says to them, render to Caesar the things that 236 00:15:13,320 --> 00:15:15,680 are Caesar's, and to God the things that are gods. 237 00:15:15,880 --> 00:15:20,000 And they marveled at him. What does this have to do with 238 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:23,040 the fact that the coin bears Caesar's image and likeness, 239 00:15:23,040 --> 00:15:24,160 right? He says, bring it to me. 240 00:15:24,280 --> 00:15:26,160 He asked them, whose image and likeness does it have? 241 00:15:26,400 --> 00:15:27,640 How do those things fit together? 242 00:15:28,520 --> 00:15:31,600 For one thing, the Roman emperor is the one who minted the coin. 243 00:15:32,080 --> 00:15:36,600 It's his money and there are civil benefits that Roman rule 244 00:15:36,600 --> 00:15:40,400 provided in Judea, like order and law and transportation. 245 00:15:41,320 --> 00:15:43,760 Jesus is saying that the coin belongs to Caesar. 246 00:15:43,760 --> 00:15:47,720 To pay it back in the form of a tax is to discharge a debt. 247 00:15:48,280 --> 00:15:52,280 It's giving back what you owe. The payment is not only 248 00:15:52,280 --> 00:15:55,800 permitted, but is in fact due to Caesar. 249 00:15:56,520 --> 00:15:59,920 To withhold it would be to defraud the governing authority. 250 00:16:01,040 --> 00:16:06,160 So they owe to Caesar tax in exchange for services rendered. 251 00:16:07,000 --> 00:16:11,760 Jesus deems the tax legitimate, but that's only half of his 252 00:16:11,760 --> 00:16:14,720 answer, and it's not the most important half. 253 00:16:16,640 --> 00:16:18,520 The most important half, you'll hear it. 254 00:16:19,200 --> 00:16:23,720 Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the 255 00:16:23,720 --> 00:16:27,800 things that are gods. By reminding his hearers of what 256 00:16:27,800 --> 00:16:32,840 they owe to God, Jesus implicitly denies Caesar's claim 257 00:16:32,840 --> 00:16:35,640 to be God. There is only one God, and 258 00:16:35,640 --> 00:16:39,920 Caesar ain't it. So he fundamentally rejects the 259 00:16:39,920 --> 00:16:44,200 whole premise of Roman religion. The coin belongs to Caesar, but 260 00:16:44,200 --> 00:16:50,160 the propaganda on it is a lie. Jesus grants the state a limited 261 00:16:50,320 --> 00:16:55,840 legitimacy while affirming God's absolute supremacy. 262 00:16:56,360 --> 00:16:59,840 Caesar has authority delegated from God, and he will answer to 263 00:16:59,920 --> 00:17:03,600 God like all of us. Caesar lives under God's rule. 264 00:17:04,119 --> 00:17:08,720 Caesar can claim tax. God claims our all. 265 00:17:09,359 --> 00:17:11,760 Jesus doesn't put Caesar in God side by side. 266 00:17:11,760 --> 00:17:13,800 They're not on a level playing field. 267 00:17:13,800 --> 00:17:16,359 Caesar has a partial provisional authority. 268 00:17:17,280 --> 00:17:22,040 God has absolute, total authority, and so Jesus commends 269 00:17:22,040 --> 00:17:28,480 to his hearers and to us a critical loyalty toward earthly 270 00:17:28,480 --> 00:17:30,800 government. The governing authorities 271 00:17:30,800 --> 00:17:37,920 deserve our respect and support and obedience as long as they do 272 00:17:37,920 --> 00:17:42,840 not compete or conflict with God's claims on us. 273 00:17:44,240 --> 00:17:47,320 Jesus teaches that submission to God and submission to government 274 00:17:47,320 --> 00:17:52,160 are not inherently opposed. He implicitly acknowledges that 275 00:17:52,160 --> 00:17:55,240 their claims can conflict, and where they do, God's claims must 276 00:17:55,240 --> 00:17:58,520 win. But wherever their claims do not 277 00:17:58,520 --> 00:18:03,560 conflict, we are to honor and obey earthly governments. 278 00:18:03,920 --> 00:18:06,920 This exact teaching is fleshed out in several places in the New 279 00:18:06,920 --> 00:18:11,160 Testament that teach us how to relate to governing authorities. 280 00:18:11,560 --> 00:18:15,360 On the one hand, we are to submit to them and seek their 281 00:18:15,360 --> 00:18:18,040 good. Romans 13 One. 282 00:18:18,800 --> 00:18:21,440 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities, for 283 00:18:21,440 --> 00:18:24,240 there is no authority except from God, and those that exist 284 00:18:24,240 --> 00:18:27,240 have been instituted by God. Romans 13 seven. 285 00:18:27,640 --> 00:18:30,920 Pay to all what is owed to them, taxes to whom taxes are owed, 286 00:18:30,920 --> 00:18:34,480 revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect, to whom respect is 287 00:18:34,480 --> 00:18:36,440 owed, honor to whom honor is owed. 288 00:18:37,480 --> 00:18:44,080 First Timothy 21 to two. First of all, then, I urge that 289 00:18:44,080 --> 00:18:46,960 supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings 290 00:18:46,960 --> 00:18:50,080 be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high 291 00:18:50,080 --> 00:18:53,880 positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly 292 00:18:53,880 --> 00:18:57,880 and dignified in every way. You can also look at First Peter 293 00:18:57,880 --> 00:19:00,840 213 to 17 for a very similar statement. 294 00:19:02,120 --> 00:19:05,400 On the one hand, we honor and obey earthly governments. 295 00:19:05,960 --> 00:19:12,440 On the other hand, there are times when we must obey God 296 00:19:12,440 --> 00:19:15,240 rather than man. Here's your rule of thumb for 297 00:19:15,240 --> 00:19:18,320 it. Whenever an earthly authority 298 00:19:18,320 --> 00:19:24,480 commands what God forbids, or forbids what God commands, we 299 00:19:24,480 --> 00:19:29,080 must obey God rather than man. We must disobey the authority in 300 00:19:29,080 --> 00:19:32,640 order to obey God. In Acts 529, when the Jerusalem 301 00:19:32,640 --> 00:19:34,960 authorities commanded the apostles not to preach about 302 00:19:35,040 --> 00:19:39,600 Jesus, Peter and the apostles answered We must obey God rather 303 00:19:39,600 --> 00:19:42,720 than man. The balance of those two streams 304 00:19:42,720 --> 00:19:45,720 of biblical teaching is articulated in our church's 305 00:19:45,720 --> 00:19:49,960 Statement of Faith, Article 15. We also believe God appointed 306 00:19:49,960 --> 00:19:53,040 civil government for the benefit and good order of human society. 307 00:19:53,440 --> 00:19:56,680 Christians should pray for, honor and obey public officials 308 00:19:56,680 --> 00:20:00,440 except in things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, 309 00:20:00,680 --> 00:20:02,680 who is the Prince of the kings of the earth. 310 00:20:03,960 --> 00:20:08,400 So this is Jesus first answer to a high stakes question, the kind 311 00:20:08,400 --> 00:20:11,400 of question you don't ask at Thanksgiving dinner unless 312 00:20:11,400 --> 00:20:12,720 you're trying to blow the whole thing up. 313 00:20:13,160 --> 00:20:16,800 Who's in charge? His answer? 314 00:20:16,800 --> 00:20:21,440 Ultimately, God is. God is absolutely supreme. 315 00:20:22,080 --> 00:20:25,840 God is in charge of you and of every human authority. 316 00:20:26,360 --> 00:20:30,040 God has, in his wisdom, appointed civil authorities to 317 00:20:30,040 --> 00:20:33,720 govern and order human society, but those authorities should 318 00:20:33,720 --> 00:20:37,920 never act like they have final or supreme authority. 319 00:20:38,480 --> 00:20:42,280 They will answer to God, and so will you. 320 00:20:44,440 --> 00:20:48,000 Time for round two. Another group, another high 321 00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:52,640 stakes question, another effort to get a hot take from Jesus on 322 00:20:52,640 --> 00:20:59,440 record. Point to what happens when we 323 00:20:59,440 --> 00:21:05,880 die, What happens when we die? That's the question at the heart 324 00:21:06,360 --> 00:21:09,880 of verses 18 to 27. I'll read the whole section. 325 00:21:12,080 --> 00:21:14,560 And Sadducees came to him who say that there is no 326 00:21:14,560 --> 00:21:17,800 resurrection. And they asked him a question, 327 00:21:17,800 --> 00:21:22,280 saying, Teacher Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies 328 00:21:22,280 --> 00:21:24,440 and leaves a wife that leaves no child. 329 00:21:25,120 --> 00:21:27,640 The man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his 330 00:21:27,640 --> 00:21:30,320 brother. There were seven brothers. 331 00:21:30,920 --> 00:21:33,400 The first took a wife and when he died left no offspring. 332 00:21:34,120 --> 00:21:38,040 And the second took her and died leaving no offspring, and the 333 00:21:38,040 --> 00:21:43,000 third likewise, and the seven left no offspring. 334 00:21:43,600 --> 00:21:47,480 Last of all, the woman also died in the resurrection. 335 00:21:48,040 --> 00:21:51,640 When they rise again, whose wife will she be? 336 00:21:52,760 --> 00:21:59,640 For the seven had her his wife. Jesus said to them, Is this not 337 00:21:59,640 --> 00:22:03,720 the reason you are wrong? Because you know neither the 338 00:22:03,720 --> 00:22:07,720 scriptures nor the power of God. For when they rise from the 339 00:22:07,720 --> 00:22:11,400 dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like 340 00:22:11,400 --> 00:22:14,680 angels in heaven. And As for the dead being 341 00:22:14,680 --> 00:22:17,880 raised, have you not read in the book of Moses in the passage 342 00:22:17,880 --> 00:22:21,680 about the Bush how God spoke to him, saying I am the God of 343 00:22:21,680 --> 00:22:24,240 Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob? 344 00:22:25,360 --> 00:22:28,480 He is not God of the dead but of the living. 345 00:22:29,120 --> 00:22:36,880 You are quite wrong. The Sadducees were wealthy a 346 00:22:36,880 --> 00:22:40,640 high status Jewish leaders. Many of them belong to priestly 347 00:22:40,640 --> 00:22:43,080 families. They probably represented the 348 00:22:43,080 --> 00:22:46,600 strongest power block within the Sanhedrin, and they only 349 00:22:46,600 --> 00:22:49,760 recognize the five books of Moses is fully authoritative. 350 00:22:50,720 --> 00:22:55,160 They also rejected any belief in an afterlife. 351 00:22:55,680 --> 00:22:58,000 It's kind of strange, hard to make sense of in modern terms. 352 00:22:58,000 --> 00:23:00,240 Do you want to call them liberals because they deny 353 00:23:00,240 --> 00:23:01,680 resurrection? Well, OK, kind of. 354 00:23:01,680 --> 00:23:03,440 Do you want to call them conservatives because, well, 355 00:23:03,440 --> 00:23:05,760 they only hold to the five books of Moses, which are the oldest. 356 00:23:06,560 --> 00:23:08,840 It's it's weird to try to make sense of their views. 357 00:23:09,720 --> 00:23:14,400 But Acts 23/8 tells us the Sadducees say there is no 358 00:23:14,400 --> 00:23:18,320 resurrection, nor Angel, nor spirits. 359 00:23:19,760 --> 00:23:22,240 Now Scripture teaches all those things in the five books of 360 00:23:22,240 --> 00:23:24,760 Moses and beyond. The Pharisees, the kind of 361 00:23:24,760 --> 00:23:27,800 contrasting party here, believed in all those things, and so does 362 00:23:27,840 --> 00:23:31,240 Jesus. So the Sadducees come to Jesus 363 00:23:31,240 --> 00:23:34,720 with a trap of their own. He believes in a coming 364 00:23:34,720 --> 00:23:37,640 resurrection of all people. They don't. 365 00:23:38,680 --> 00:23:40,720 They try to make his belief look ridiculous. 366 00:23:41,680 --> 00:23:45,160 The hypothetical story they tell takes its point of departure 367 00:23:45,160 --> 00:23:48,920 from a law in Deuteronomy chapter 25 verses 5 to 10. 368 00:23:49,960 --> 00:23:52,920 That law established a custom that came to be called Leverett 369 00:23:52,920 --> 00:23:55,800 marriage. If a married man died childless 370 00:23:55,800 --> 00:23:59,960 in ancient Israel, the man's nearest surviving male relative 371 00:24:00,240 --> 00:24:02,840 was obligated to marry the man's wife, and then the first son 372 00:24:02,840 --> 00:24:06,360 from that union would carry on the family name and inheritance 373 00:24:06,560 --> 00:24:09,440 and line. And so the saddesties try to 374 00:24:09,440 --> 00:24:12,800 draw an absurd conclusion from their made-up scenario. 375 00:24:13,320 --> 00:24:18,040 One woman, 7 husbands, who's she going to be married to in the 376 00:24:18,040 --> 00:24:20,160 resurrection? It's a gotcha question. 377 00:24:20,960 --> 00:24:25,760 It's another trap, but it's also got a very serious issue. 378 00:24:26,440 --> 00:24:28,360 It gets out one of the highest stakes questions you could ever 379 00:24:28,360 --> 00:24:30,880 ask. What happens when we die? 380 00:24:31,600 --> 00:24:35,600 What happens to us in the end? What is our final destiny? 381 00:24:36,080 --> 00:24:39,160 If you're not a believer in Jesus, what is your answer to 382 00:24:39,200 --> 00:24:42,720 that question? I'd be glad to talk about it 383 00:24:42,720 --> 00:24:44,600 afterward at the door. I'd love to hear it. 384 00:24:45,160 --> 00:24:49,120 What do you think happens to us when we die? 385 00:24:51,120 --> 00:24:53,920 In verse 24 we begin to hear Jesus's answer. 386 00:24:55,280 --> 00:25:00,800 Jesus said to them, is this not the reason you are wrong because 387 00:25:00,800 --> 00:25:03,280 you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God. 388 00:25:03,800 --> 00:25:07,160 He accuses these religious leaders of ignorance on 2 389 00:25:07,160 --> 00:25:11,000 fronts. They don't know the Scriptures, 390 00:25:11,560 --> 00:25:15,680 and they don't know God's power. Jesus is about to announce to 391 00:25:15,680 --> 00:25:19,520 them that God's power and God's promise really do give us a hope 392 00:25:19,520 --> 00:25:22,320 stronger than the grave. But before we get there, it's 393 00:25:22,320 --> 00:25:27,280 worth meditating on the pitfall of being ignorant of God's Word 394 00:25:28,040 --> 00:25:32,640 and ignorant of God's power. If you don't know God's Word, 395 00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:38,320 what hope can you have? Where will that hope come from? 396 00:25:39,080 --> 00:25:42,480 What will it be grounded in your own power? 397 00:25:43,840 --> 00:25:45,400 Confidence that the world will get better? 398 00:25:46,560 --> 00:25:49,360 A hope that science will somehow come up with an answer to defeat 399 00:25:49,360 --> 00:25:51,360 death just in time to rescue you from it? 400 00:25:53,120 --> 00:25:59,000 Real hope comes not from your optimism, but from God's 401 00:25:59,000 --> 00:26:01,640 promise. If you don't know the Scripture, 402 00:26:01,640 --> 00:26:05,600 you'll be like the Sadducees and have no real hope. 403 00:26:06,040 --> 00:26:08,960 Hope is grounded not in your power, but in God's power. 404 00:26:09,520 --> 00:26:14,520 God's promise brings something into this world that is far 405 00:26:14,520 --> 00:26:17,360 beyond anything this world could do for itself. 406 00:26:17,640 --> 00:26:22,080 And the only way you receive that promise is by faith in his 407 00:26:22,240 --> 00:26:25,600 word. So Jesus prologue, that's his 408 00:26:25,600 --> 00:26:27,920 setup. Here comes the substance of his 409 00:26:27,920 --> 00:26:31,120 answer. He addresses first the manner of 410 00:26:31,120 --> 00:26:33,040 the resurrection. What is it like? 411 00:26:33,720 --> 00:26:36,120 And then he addresses the facts of the resurrection that it's 412 00:26:36,120 --> 00:26:40,120 really going to happen. In verse 25 he addresses the 413 00:26:40,120 --> 00:26:46,840 manner for when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor 414 00:26:46,840 --> 00:26:49,920 are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 415 00:26:50,360 --> 00:26:54,280 In what sense will those will we be like angels in heaven and the 416 00:26:54,280 --> 00:26:57,400 resurrection? Not that we'll be immaterial, 417 00:26:58,720 --> 00:27:02,960 but that will be immortal, will be deathless, which means we 418 00:27:02,960 --> 00:27:06,080 won't need to procreate to keep the human race going. 419 00:27:06,840 --> 00:27:12,200 And as much as modern culture has tried to ignore and erase 420 00:27:12,200 --> 00:27:17,680 it, procreation is a primary purpose of sexual union. 421 00:27:18,320 --> 00:27:24,040 Marriage and sex are for bringing children into the 422 00:27:24,040 --> 00:27:26,280 world. In the world to come. 423 00:27:27,080 --> 00:27:30,240 We won't need to procreate, which means we won't be married. 424 00:27:31,360 --> 00:27:34,640 As Article Three of our Church's statement of faith says, 425 00:27:35,080 --> 00:27:38,720 marriage and its sexual expression are temporary gifts 426 00:27:39,200 --> 00:27:43,960 that point to the fuller joy of our eternal union with Christ. 427 00:27:45,240 --> 00:27:48,360 So the Sadducee's problem is that they're thinking of 428 00:27:48,360 --> 00:27:51,640 resurrection as if it's just like this life endlessly 429 00:27:51,640 --> 00:27:53,480 extended. The resurrection is more than 430 00:27:53,480 --> 00:27:54,720 that. It's better. 431 00:27:54,880 --> 00:27:58,360 It's the goodness of this life raised into a whole new key. 432 00:27:58,960 --> 00:28:02,840 Jesus teaches that in the resurrection God has something 433 00:28:02,840 --> 00:28:07,280 infinitely better than sex in store for all the redeemed. 434 00:28:08,560 --> 00:28:11,840 So here in verse 25, Jesus appeals to God's power. 435 00:28:12,440 --> 00:28:16,280 God will in the resurrection elevate us into a new mode of 436 00:28:16,280 --> 00:28:18,200 existence beyond anything we can imagine. 437 00:28:18,200 --> 00:28:23,960 Now then, in verses 26 and 27, Jesus appeals to the Scriptures, 438 00:28:24,640 --> 00:28:28,040 and he quotes from Exodus to beat the Sadducees on their own 439 00:28:28,040 --> 00:28:29,760 turf. Oh, you only accept the five 440 00:28:29,760 --> 00:28:32,240 books of Moses? Well then, let's appeal to 441 00:28:32,240 --> 00:28:35,040 Moses. He quotes Exodus 36 from the 442 00:28:35,040 --> 00:28:36,880 passage that I read a little bit earlier. 443 00:28:38,280 --> 00:28:40,680 Here's Jesus. And As for the dead being 444 00:28:40,680 --> 00:28:43,160 raised, have you not read in the book of Moses in the passage 445 00:28:43,160 --> 00:28:46,320 about the Bush, how God spoke to him, saying, I am the God of 446 00:28:46,320 --> 00:28:49,120 Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob? 447 00:28:49,560 --> 00:28:52,040 He is not God of the dead but of the living. 448 00:28:52,280 --> 00:28:56,680 You are quite wrong. Now, if you've read this passage 449 00:28:56,680 --> 00:29:00,040 ahead of time in your devotions or family worship and you've 450 00:29:00,040 --> 00:29:05,000 wondered what's the connection, what's the link, I'll confess 451 00:29:05,000 --> 00:29:07,040 it's been a sort of lingering question of mine kind of for 452 00:29:07,040 --> 00:29:09,360 years. I've sort of had an idea, but I 453 00:29:09,360 --> 00:29:12,720 wouldn't say that I was super confident until I immersed 454 00:29:12,720 --> 00:29:15,400 myself in the question to study for the sermon this week. 455 00:29:15,880 --> 00:29:18,520 So if you're wondering what's going on here, while I'm with 456 00:29:18,520 --> 00:29:22,160 you, I think there's a clear answer, but just to say we have 457 00:29:22,160 --> 00:29:25,280 to get at the logic of Jesus appeal to this passage. 458 00:29:25,680 --> 00:29:27,880 It doesn't explicitly mention resurrection. 459 00:29:29,080 --> 00:29:31,720 Jesus says God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. 460 00:29:32,280 --> 00:29:35,400 That has to apply and imply that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are 461 00:29:35,400 --> 00:29:39,760 somehow alive. But in Jesus time and still 462 00:29:39,760 --> 00:29:43,640 today, those patriarchs have not yet risen from the dead. 463 00:29:44,240 --> 00:29:47,480 In whatever sense they're alive, they've not been resurrected. 464 00:29:48,560 --> 00:29:53,600 So what is Jesus's logic? What does he see in Exodus 36 465 00:29:54,400 --> 00:29:57,440 that establishes the resurrection? 466 00:29:58,880 --> 00:30:03,640 The crucial key is God's covenant. 467 00:30:04,720 --> 00:30:12,440 In Exodus 36, God identifies himself by naming the family 468 00:30:12,440 --> 00:30:17,080 that he has freely bound himself to by his covenant of promise. 469 00:30:17,560 --> 00:30:21,880 By that covenant, by that promise, God became the God of 470 00:30:21,880 --> 00:30:26,600 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He pledged himself to them, and 471 00:30:26,600 --> 00:30:28,640 it was in keeping that pledge that he brought their 472 00:30:28,640 --> 00:30:31,560 descendants out of Egypt. God promised them a land. 473 00:30:31,720 --> 00:30:34,160 He promised them an inheritance. And if you think about the 474 00:30:34,160 --> 00:30:38,160 context of Genesis, against the backdrop of the universal spread 475 00:30:38,160 --> 00:30:42,880 of sin and death in Genesis 1 to 11, then in Genesis 12, God 476 00:30:42,880 --> 00:30:46,840 promises Abraham a blessing and a blessing that'll spread to 477 00:30:46,840 --> 00:30:49,400 every family, every nation of the earth. 478 00:30:50,880 --> 00:30:57,240 Even these three names, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, proclaim God's 479 00:30:57,240 --> 00:31:02,320 power to bring life from death. God promised Abraham that a 480 00:31:02,320 --> 00:31:05,800 child would come from his wife's barren womb. 481 00:31:06,160 --> 00:31:11,000 That's Isaac. God brought Isaac into life from 482 00:31:11,000 --> 00:31:14,560 where there was only death, and the same held for Jacob, whose 483 00:31:14,560 --> 00:31:19,320 mother Rebecca had been barren. From the very first act by which 484 00:31:19,320 --> 00:31:23,560 God fulfilled this covenant, he spoke life into existence 485 00:31:23,720 --> 00:31:30,920 against the backdrop of death. So Jesus is saying if God's 486 00:31:31,000 --> 00:31:37,200 covenant is cancelable by death, then it is worthless. 487 00:31:38,160 --> 00:31:41,400 If death could overcome God's covenant, then God isn't God. 488 00:31:41,920 --> 00:31:44,680 If God is the one who gives life, if he's the maker and the 489 00:31:44,680 --> 00:31:47,800 Lord of all, then there's no way death couldn't all his covenant. 490 00:31:48,280 --> 00:31:53,080 God's character and power and promise mean that death will 491 00:31:53,080 --> 00:31:55,680 never get the last word on God and his covenant. 492 00:31:55,680 --> 00:32:00,480 Instead, God will defeat death. God's covenant will conquer and 493 00:32:00,480 --> 00:32:03,720 Vanquish all opposition, including death itself. 494 00:32:04,320 --> 00:32:10,000 The last enemy. What good is a God whose 495 00:32:10,000 --> 00:32:16,040 covenant expires at death? What good is a salvation that 496 00:32:16,040 --> 00:32:18,880 lasts a couple of decades and then you're snuffed out of 497 00:32:18,880 --> 00:32:23,280 existence forever? Jesus asking you what's 498 00:32:23,280 --> 00:32:28,040 stronger, death or God's promise? 499 00:32:28,560 --> 00:32:32,640 What's more powerful? Death, or God's covenant keeping 500 00:32:32,640 --> 00:32:37,440 steadfast love. God has promised his people a 501 00:32:37,440 --> 00:32:42,800 home with him and a life with him that death itself can't 502 00:32:42,800 --> 00:32:46,680 touch. Nothing else measures up to the 503 00:32:46,680 --> 00:32:50,160 depth of our problem. Nothing else would reach all the 504 00:32:50,160 --> 00:32:52,920 way down to the depth of our misery. 505 00:32:53,200 --> 00:32:54,880 But God's love reaches all the way down. 506 00:32:55,240 --> 00:32:58,360 God's power and promise reach all the way down deep enough to 507 00:32:58,400 --> 00:33:01,280 pull up all of our deepest problems by their roots. 508 00:33:01,560 --> 00:33:04,840 That is what God promises to do. That is what he will one day do 509 00:33:04,840 --> 00:33:06,760 to death. He will find its last little 510 00:33:06,760 --> 00:33:10,080 tentacles and tendrils in the soil of this universe and uproot 511 00:33:10,080 --> 00:33:13,520 it and cast it away forever. That's God's promise. 512 00:33:13,800 --> 00:33:18,400 That's God's power. If you don't know that and you 513 00:33:18,400 --> 00:33:27,680 don't know God, and you have no real hope, God's covenant is all 514 00:33:27,840 --> 00:33:31,680 conquering. That's what Jesus sees in Exodus 515 00:33:31,680 --> 00:33:34,400 36. God's covenant will conquer all. 516 00:33:34,920 --> 00:33:37,320 He's not going to give up on Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 517 00:33:37,720 --> 00:33:39,400 He's not going to leave them in the grave. 518 00:33:39,560 --> 00:33:41,960 What kind of a worthless God? What kind of a worthless 519 00:33:41,960 --> 00:33:45,040 covenant is that? So the question is how? 520 00:33:46,520 --> 00:33:50,320 How does God's covenant conquer all that? 521 00:33:50,320 --> 00:33:54,120 The narrative of Mark's gospel tells us through the death and 522 00:33:54,120 --> 00:33:56,160 through the resurrection of Jesus. 523 00:33:56,680 --> 00:34:00,640 Death came into the world as punishment for sin. 524 00:34:01,640 --> 00:34:05,640 Sin is what, excuse me, death is what we deserve for our sin. 525 00:34:06,320 --> 00:34:10,320 Jesus bore that penalty. Jesus died that death. 526 00:34:11,080 --> 00:34:14,040 Jesus suffered that curse. And then when he rose from the 527 00:34:14,040 --> 00:34:17,199 grave, he broke it. He ended it. 528 00:34:17,520 --> 00:34:20,560 He triumphed over it. His resurrection is not like an 529 00:34:20,560 --> 00:34:22,239 add on kind of tacked onto the good news. 530 00:34:22,239 --> 00:34:24,120 If you OK, well, something cool had to happen next. 531 00:34:24,880 --> 00:34:28,960 His resurrection is how God's covenant conquers death. 532 00:34:29,560 --> 00:34:33,120 And if you believe in him, God's covenant will conquer your 533 00:34:33,120 --> 00:34:35,520 death. If you turn from sin and trust 534 00:34:35,520 --> 00:34:38,120 in Him, this fate will become yours. 535 00:34:38,440 --> 00:34:40,840 Resurrection is good news. Resurrection is the best news. 536 00:34:41,159 --> 00:34:44,880 Resurrection is only good news for you if you turn from sin and 537 00:34:44,880 --> 00:34:46,560 trust in Christ. What happens when we die? 538 00:34:47,719 --> 00:34:51,120 Scripture teaches those who trust in Jesus depart 539 00:34:51,120 --> 00:34:52,679 immediately into God's presence in heaven. 540 00:34:53,600 --> 00:34:55,960 Those who don't depart immediately for judgment in 541 00:34:55,960 --> 00:34:59,160 hell. Jesus himself teaches explicitly 542 00:34:59,520 --> 00:35:02,040 that all people will be raised. There's a resurrection of the 543 00:35:02,040 --> 00:35:05,080 just and the unjust. But that resurrection is only 544 00:35:05,080 --> 00:35:09,200 good news if you're coming to God's judgment, clothed in 545 00:35:09,200 --> 00:35:14,280 Christ by faith. So turn from sin and trust in 546 00:35:14,280 --> 00:35:16,600 him. Brothers of brothers and 547 00:35:16,600 --> 00:35:20,320 sisters, members of TBC, Trust. I'm sorry. 548 00:35:20,320 --> 00:35:23,960 I lost my lost my mic here. Give me just a moment. 549 00:35:24,720 --> 00:35:26,320 Just going to pause so it doesn't fall out. 550 00:35:31,560 --> 00:35:34,560 What happened here? Well, it's not falling yet. 551 00:35:34,560 --> 00:35:36,720 We're just going to keep going. Sorry about that. 552 00:35:38,280 --> 00:35:40,320 Reboot. Where are we? 553 00:35:41,440 --> 00:35:44,720 It's God's power, it's God's promise. 554 00:35:45,360 --> 00:35:50,080 He made it, He can keep it. So Jesus teaching by putting the 555 00:35:50,080 --> 00:35:53,200 scriptures and the power of God side by side. 556 00:35:53,920 --> 00:35:56,920 You have to know both. So brothers and sisters, trust 557 00:35:57,280 --> 00:35:59,720 in God's promise of resurrection. 558 00:36:01,040 --> 00:36:05,040 On that day of resurrection, nothing will be worse. 559 00:36:06,280 --> 00:36:08,880 Everything will be better on that day. 560 00:36:08,880 --> 00:36:11,120 Whatever you're missing or lacking now will be more than 561 00:36:11,120 --> 00:36:13,560 supplied. Whatever you're suffering now 562 00:36:13,560 --> 00:36:17,560 will be more than made-up for. Whatever good desire is 563 00:36:17,560 --> 00:36:20,800 unsatisfied now will be more than fulfilled, abundantly 564 00:36:20,800 --> 00:36:23,200 fulfilled, overflowingly fulfilled. 565 00:36:23,840 --> 00:36:26,360 On that day, you'll be perfectly satisfied and perfect. 566 00:36:26,360 --> 00:36:28,560 Fellowship with God and His people. 567 00:36:29,760 --> 00:36:33,960 In whatever ways your earthly relationships are lacking now, 568 00:36:33,960 --> 00:36:41,280 in whatever ways you're burdened by grief or loss, know that on 569 00:36:41,280 --> 00:36:46,440 that day you will be perfectly known and loved. 570 00:36:47,600 --> 00:36:54,600 If you trust in Christ, all your best years are ahead of you, and 571 00:36:54,600 --> 00:36:59,440 those years have no number, no limit, no end. 572 00:37:00,720 --> 00:37:05,920 What happens when we die? Jesus final answer, rooted in 573 00:37:05,920 --> 00:37:10,840 his own resurrection is better than anything anyone in this 574 00:37:10,840 --> 00:37:15,680 world can tell you. Our passage is one more story of 575 00:37:15,680 --> 00:37:20,640 someone sparring intellectually with Jesus, one more high stakes 576 00:37:20,800 --> 00:37:24,360 question. The setup's a little different 577 00:37:24,360 --> 00:37:27,480 from the 1st 2:00, but the question is equally important. 578 00:37:28,640 --> 00:37:36,440 Point #3 how should we live? How should we live? 579 00:37:37,440 --> 00:37:40,880 That's the question Jesus answers in verses 28 to 34. 580 00:37:41,320 --> 00:37:45,320 Look with me at those verses. And one of the scribes came up 581 00:37:45,320 --> 00:37:48,360 and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he 582 00:37:48,360 --> 00:37:51,080 answered them well, asked him which commandment is the most 583 00:37:51,080 --> 00:37:54,280 important of all? Jesus answered the most 584 00:37:54,280 --> 00:38:00,320 important is hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is 1 And 585 00:38:00,320 --> 00:38:02,360 you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with 586 00:38:02,360 --> 00:38:04,600 all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your 587 00:38:04,600 --> 00:38:07,800 strength. The second is this, You shall 588 00:38:07,800 --> 00:38:11,000 love your neighbor as yourself. There's no other commandment 589 00:38:11,000 --> 00:38:13,800 greater than these. And the scribe said to him, 590 00:38:13,800 --> 00:38:18,280 You're right, teacher, you've truly said that he is 1 and 591 00:38:18,280 --> 00:38:21,120 there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the 592 00:38:21,120 --> 00:38:23,240 heart and with all the understanding and with all the 593 00:38:23,240 --> 00:38:27,720 strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself is much more 594 00:38:27,720 --> 00:38:31,080 than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. 595 00:38:32,000 --> 00:38:34,480 And when Jesus saw that, he answered wisely. 596 00:38:34,480 --> 00:38:38,040 He said to him, you are not far from the Kingdom of God. 597 00:38:39,160 --> 00:38:41,640 And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions. 598 00:38:43,680 --> 00:38:45,600 Here it's not a group approaching Jesus, but an 599 00:38:45,600 --> 00:38:48,160 individual. Matthew and Luke both tell us 600 00:38:48,160 --> 00:38:51,080 that this scribe came to Jesus to test him. 601 00:38:51,600 --> 00:38:54,120 So apparently he starts off as a skeptic. 602 00:38:54,440 --> 00:38:57,840 But here's the thing. In Mark's gospel so far, and 603 00:38:57,840 --> 00:39:03,080 even in this passage, we've seen a lot of bad faith skeptics, 604 00:39:03,640 --> 00:39:07,360 people who ask Jesus questions what their minds are already 605 00:39:07,360 --> 00:39:10,600 made-up against him. But in this scribe, as we'll 606 00:39:10,600 --> 00:39:14,520 see, we meet someone who's genuinely open to Jesus, answers 607 00:39:14,960 --> 00:39:17,760 What's his question? It's essentially how should we 608 00:39:17,760 --> 00:39:20,320 live? And he asks that question in a 609 00:39:20,320 --> 00:39:23,840 distinctively Jewish form, which commandment is the most 610 00:39:23,840 --> 00:39:26,640 important of all. This is a common question for a 611 00:39:26,640 --> 00:39:28,800 rabbi to be asked in Jesus's day. 612 00:39:29,120 --> 00:39:31,840 There's a story preserved about the Rabbi Hillel from around the 613 00:39:31,840 --> 00:39:35,120 time of Jesus where someone came to him and said teach me the 614 00:39:35,120 --> 00:39:39,600 whole Torah while I stand on one foot, meaning boil it down to 615 00:39:39,600 --> 00:39:44,560 its one sentence essence. What's most important? 616 00:39:44,800 --> 00:39:47,160 What's the commandment that makes sense of all the others 617 00:39:47,760 --> 00:39:49,960 and puts them all in their proper perspective? 618 00:39:51,880 --> 00:39:55,080 You'll notice Jesus gives the scribe more than he asks for in 619 00:39:55,080 --> 00:39:58,200 two ways. Instead of simply responding 620 00:39:58,200 --> 00:40:01,520 with a commandment, he responds with a confession of faith. 621 00:40:02,680 --> 00:40:05,920 Then he says the greatest commandment, and then he gives 622 00:40:05,920 --> 00:40:08,680 him another second great commandment. 623 00:40:09,000 --> 00:40:12,800 Instead of 1 commandment. He gives him 2 verses 29 to 31. 624 00:40:12,800 --> 00:40:17,200 Again Jesus answered, the most important is here, O Israel, the 625 00:40:17,200 --> 00:40:20,920 Lord our God, the Lord is 1 And you shall love the Lord your God 626 00:40:20,920 --> 00:40:23,320 with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your 627 00:40:23,320 --> 00:40:24,920 mind, and with all your strength. 628 00:40:25,480 --> 00:40:28,160 The second is this, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. 629 00:40:28,520 --> 00:40:30,880 There is no other commandment greater than these. 630 00:40:32,000 --> 00:40:35,320 Jesus begins by quoting Deuteronomy 6 verses four and 631 00:40:35,320 --> 00:40:37,840 five. This is known as the Shema from 632 00:40:37,840 --> 00:40:42,680 the Hebrew word, for here it's Israel's essential confession of 633 00:40:42,680 --> 00:40:45,240 faith. It's the most foundational truth 634 00:40:45,240 --> 00:40:48,680 of the Old Testament. There is one and only one living 635 00:40:48,680 --> 00:40:50,880 and true God, whose name is the Lord. 636 00:40:51,840 --> 00:40:53,840 Why does Jesus start with the confession? 637 00:40:55,240 --> 00:40:58,840 It's because the commandment is rooted in the confession. 638 00:40:59,560 --> 00:41:03,840 As God is 1, so must our love for him be. 639 00:41:04,880 --> 00:41:10,440 As God is undivided, so must our souls be in their devotion to 640 00:41:10,440 --> 00:41:13,560 him. If there are multiple competing 641 00:41:13,560 --> 00:41:17,040 gods, you can't afford to give your total devotion to anyone 642 00:41:17,040 --> 00:41:18,200 God. You got to hedge your bets. 643 00:41:18,200 --> 00:41:20,000 You got to keep all these different gods happy. 644 00:41:20,840 --> 00:41:24,240 That's part of the reason modern society is so sick and self 645 00:41:24,240 --> 00:41:27,560 deceived, because we think we are a secular society. 646 00:41:28,240 --> 00:41:35,120 We are in fact a polytheistic society because in reality there 647 00:41:35,120 --> 00:41:38,800 is one and only one God. We must love Him with all that 648 00:41:38,800 --> 00:41:41,840 we are. The terms heart, soul, mind and 649 00:41:41,840 --> 00:41:45,440 strength are essentially overlapping ways of saying all 650 00:41:45,440 --> 00:41:47,720 of you. Everything that you have, your 651 00:41:47,720 --> 00:41:51,080 whole person, every last bit of you, everything God has given to 652 00:41:51,080 --> 00:41:56,120 you, you must give back to Him in glad dedication and joyful 653 00:41:56,120 --> 00:41:58,880 praise. Because there is one God. 654 00:41:59,720 --> 00:42:04,840 The essence of living well is complete devotion and submission 655 00:42:05,120 --> 00:42:09,720 to Him. This one true God is the only 656 00:42:09,720 --> 00:42:14,800 God you can worship and not thereby degrade yourself. 657 00:42:15,600 --> 00:42:20,000 The real God is the only God you can worship without harming 658 00:42:20,000 --> 00:42:23,240 yourself. To worship any other God is to 659 00:42:23,240 --> 00:42:27,280 commit both treason and self harm. 660 00:42:28,880 --> 00:42:33,360 By contrast, to worship God truly is to live life fully. 661 00:42:33,880 --> 00:42:38,960 Anything else, anything less and you've missed the point of your 662 00:42:39,160 --> 00:42:42,000 existence. Talk about a high stakes 663 00:42:42,000 --> 00:42:45,720 question. That's the confession and the 664 00:42:45,720 --> 00:42:48,320 first commandment. By calling it the greatest 665 00:42:48,320 --> 00:42:50,280 commandment, Jesus is saying it's the most important. 666 00:42:50,680 --> 00:42:53,880 It is the gravitational center that puts everything in the 667 00:42:53,880 --> 00:42:56,840 universe of your life into its proper place. 668 00:42:57,920 --> 00:42:59,640 But then Jesus gives one more commandment. 669 00:42:59,960 --> 00:43:04,640 The second is this. You shall love your neighbor as 670 00:43:04,880 --> 00:43:08,040 yourself. There were Jewish teachers in 671 00:43:08,040 --> 00:43:10,760 Jesus time who highlighted the importance of total devotion to 672 00:43:10,760 --> 00:43:12,800 God. It's right there in the Shema. 673 00:43:13,640 --> 00:43:16,480 There were other Jewish teachers in Jesus time who pointed to the 674 00:43:16,480 --> 00:43:19,920 importance of neighbor love. There in Leviticus 1918. 675 00:43:19,920 --> 00:43:24,240 That's what Jesus is quoting. But Jesus is the first Jew to 676 00:43:24,240 --> 00:43:26,960 link these two commandments in this way. 677 00:43:27,680 --> 00:43:30,360 He's pointing out that love of God and love of neighbor form a 678 00:43:30,360 --> 00:43:35,600 unity, and at the same time love of God takes priority. 679 00:43:37,120 --> 00:43:41,840 Jesus is summarizing the 2 tables, the two halves of the 10 680 00:43:41,840 --> 00:43:47,920 commandments, the whole Torah. All 613 commandments boils down 681 00:43:47,920 --> 00:43:49,360 to the 10 commandments as it's summary. 682 00:43:49,360 --> 00:43:55,080 And the 10 commandments boil down to two Love God, love 683 00:43:55,080 --> 00:43:57,040 neighbor. Of course, those two 684 00:43:57,040 --> 00:44:00,200 commandments boil down to one word, love. 685 00:44:01,520 --> 00:44:04,920 Love of God is fulfilled in love of neighbor. 686 00:44:05,920 --> 00:44:09,680 Love of neighbor is rooted in love for God. 687 00:44:10,640 --> 00:44:14,280 You prove your love for God by your love for those who are made 688 00:44:14,280 --> 00:44:17,440 in his image. And only a heart fundamentally 689 00:44:17,440 --> 00:44:21,200 devoted to God can enable you to love your neighbor rightly and 690 00:44:21,200 --> 00:44:24,360 truly. Love for God fuels love for 691 00:44:24,360 --> 00:44:27,040 neighbor. Love of neighbor demonstrates 692 00:44:27,040 --> 00:44:31,480 love for God. These two commandments are the 693 00:44:31,480 --> 00:44:33,320 essence of how we all should live. 694 00:44:33,320 --> 00:44:38,160 They are themselves the path of a good life. 695 00:44:38,920 --> 00:44:40,680 Kids and teens in the congregation. 696 00:44:41,160 --> 00:44:43,280 The whole way the Bible tells us to live is summed up in these 697 00:44:43,280 --> 00:44:46,960 two commandments. Anything you do, anything you 698 00:44:46,960 --> 00:44:51,520 say, anything you are thinking about doing, Jesus gives you a 699 00:44:51,520 --> 00:44:55,880 very simple test to put it to. Does this express love for God 700 00:44:56,160 --> 00:44:59,640 and love for my neighbor? If it fails, one of the two 701 00:44:59,640 --> 00:45:01,800 halves of that test, do not do it. 702 00:45:02,120 --> 00:45:05,160 Don't say it, don't think it, don't do it. 703 00:45:07,120 --> 00:45:11,160 One of the effects of hearing Jesus teaching on this point 704 00:45:11,800 --> 00:45:16,680 should be to convict us of sin. If you're not a believer in 705 00:45:16,760 --> 00:45:20,600 Jesus, you should recognize that this is a standard you have not 706 00:45:20,600 --> 00:45:25,040 kept, cannot keep, and will never keep. 707 00:45:26,000 --> 00:45:30,080 As JC Rile put it, where are the men or women who can say with 708 00:45:30,080 --> 00:45:33,240 truth that they have perfectly loved God and perfectly love 709 00:45:33,240 --> 00:45:35,240 their neighbor? That's none of us. 710 00:45:36,360 --> 00:45:39,920 There's only one person in human history who perfectly loved God 711 00:45:39,920 --> 00:45:43,600 and neighbor, and that's Jesus. The proclamation of his life in 712 00:45:43,600 --> 00:45:47,360 the Gospels shows us that everything Jesus does and says 713 00:45:47,360 --> 00:45:50,640 in all four gospels is an expression of love for God and 714 00:45:50,640 --> 00:45:53,280 love for neighbor. You will find no defect of love 715 00:45:53,280 --> 00:45:57,480 for God and love of neighbor and anything Jesus ever says and 716 00:45:57,800 --> 00:46:00,480 does. Jesus shows us what love for God 717 00:46:00,480 --> 00:46:04,080 and love for others looks like. He lived a fully, truly, 718 00:46:04,160 --> 00:46:09,880 maximally human life. You and I can't, but Jesus did 719 00:46:09,880 --> 00:46:13,200 it for us to redeem us. If you're convicted of how you 720 00:46:13,200 --> 00:46:18,080 fall short of this standard, and you should be, turn from sin and 721 00:46:18,080 --> 00:46:24,120 trust in Jesus. For us as believers, this simple 722 00:46:24,360 --> 00:46:27,200 twofold summary of the law is a mirror we should constantly look 723 00:46:27,200 --> 00:46:28,920 into. That's one reason why 724 00:46:28,920 --> 00:46:31,160 occasionally we do just what we did this morning where we read 725 00:46:31,160 --> 00:46:33,680 this very part of the passage. We use it as a prompt for 726 00:46:33,680 --> 00:46:37,520 confession of sin. We should be looking into this 727 00:46:37,520 --> 00:46:39,880 perfect law as a mirror for our souls. 728 00:46:39,880 --> 00:46:44,600 And what do we do in response? Confess, repent, and experience 729 00:46:44,600 --> 00:46:49,840 assurance of God's forgiveness. That's Jesus answer. 730 00:46:50,800 --> 00:46:53,480 The last bit of the passage shows us the scribes response 731 00:46:54,160 --> 00:46:57,920 verses 32 to 34. And the scribe said to him, 732 00:46:59,000 --> 00:47:04,200 You're right, teacher, you've truly said that he is 1 and 733 00:47:04,200 --> 00:47:07,320 there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the 734 00:47:07,320 --> 00:47:09,440 heart and with all the understanding and with all the 735 00:47:09,440 --> 00:47:13,880 strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself is much more 736 00:47:13,880 --> 00:47:16,520 than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. 737 00:47:17,160 --> 00:47:19,200 And when Jesus saw that, he answered wisely. 738 00:47:19,200 --> 00:47:21,760 He said to him, You are not far from the Kingdom of God. 739 00:47:22,280 --> 00:47:25,840 And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions. 740 00:47:27,240 --> 00:47:31,320 So the scribe agrees with Jesus. Not only that, but he echoes 741 00:47:31,320 --> 00:47:34,240 some more scripture back to Jesus in his reply. 742 00:47:34,440 --> 00:47:40,760 His his wording echoes passages like First Samuel 1522 and Hosea 743 00:47:40,760 --> 00:47:46,600 66 where God teaches that obedience to him and mercy 744 00:47:46,600 --> 00:47:49,560 toward others are more important than sacrifice. 745 00:47:49,560 --> 00:47:51,800 It's as if it's as if he finds a scripture reference for each 746 00:47:51,800 --> 00:47:53,520 half of Jesus teaching. Oh yeah. 747 00:47:53,520 --> 00:47:57,240 First Samuel 1522 says obedience to God is more important than 748 00:47:57,240 --> 00:47:58,440 sacrifice. Love God. 749 00:47:59,240 --> 00:48:02,320 Hosea 66 says mercy is more important than sacrifice. 750 00:48:02,360 --> 00:48:05,160 Love neighbor. So he's seeing the relative 751 00:48:05,160 --> 00:48:08,680 weight God is giving to these things described as saying, oh 752 00:48:08,680 --> 00:48:12,840 right, love for God and love for neighbor is what God wants more. 753 00:48:13,560 --> 00:48:15,800 It's not that God doesn't care about sacrifice. 754 00:48:15,800 --> 00:48:18,560 It's not that he doesn't care about external observance of the 755 00:48:18,560 --> 00:48:21,520 ceremonial law that was inspired by him and given by him too. 756 00:48:21,760 --> 00:48:26,680 What it is, is that God cares infinitely more about our hearts 757 00:48:26,680 --> 00:48:30,280 devotion to him and our loving treatment of others. 758 00:48:30,600 --> 00:48:35,520 If you have sacrifice without worship, your sacrifice is 759 00:48:35,520 --> 00:48:38,880 worthless. If you have religious observance 760 00:48:39,040 --> 00:48:42,440 without love for God and love for others, your religious 761 00:48:42,440 --> 00:48:45,640 observance is worthless. You could have a form of 762 00:48:45,640 --> 00:48:49,120 religion, and if that form of religion is empty of love for 763 00:48:49,120 --> 00:48:52,400 God and does not lead the love of neighbor, that form of 764 00:48:52,400 --> 00:48:54,360 religion is worse than worthless. 765 00:48:54,360 --> 00:48:57,320 It's harmful because it's acting as a religious substitute for 766 00:48:57,320 --> 00:48:59,320 what God cares about. It's that thing is a kind of 767 00:48:59,320 --> 00:49:02,880 religious vaccine against the real religion God is trying to 768 00:49:02,920 --> 00:49:06,960 implant in your heart so that you devote yourself to Him and 769 00:49:06,960 --> 00:49:10,920 to loving service of others. The scribe agrees with Jesus. 770 00:49:11,400 --> 00:49:15,120 The total devotion to God is the essence of what it means to live 771 00:49:15,640 --> 00:49:19,120 rightly. And so Jesus tells him he's not 772 00:49:19,120 --> 00:49:22,720 far from the Kingdom, not that he's in the Kingdom, but that 773 00:49:22,720 --> 00:49:27,800 he's close. It's because he's grasped the 774 00:49:27,840 --> 00:49:32,080 essence of God's law. And grasping the essence of 775 00:49:32,080 --> 00:49:38,480 God's law is a big step toward trusting in God's gospel. 776 00:49:40,080 --> 00:49:42,080 In all three controversies. Zoom out. 777 00:49:42,080 --> 00:49:45,880 Consider the passage as a whole. Jesus appeals to Scripture. 778 00:49:46,440 --> 00:49:51,360 Jesus expounds scripture. Jesus submits to scripture and 779 00:49:51,360 --> 00:49:55,240 gives the true sense of Scripture. 2 quick applications 780 00:49:55,320 --> 00:49:58,920 for us from that pattern. Jesus teaching number one, 781 00:49:59,680 --> 00:50:03,840 submit to Scripture. Recognize Scriptures authority 782 00:50:03,840 --> 00:50:08,320 over every area of your life. Recognize that scripture is God 783 00:50:08,320 --> 00:50:13,400 himself speaking to you in the infinite fullness of His divine 784 00:50:13,720 --> 00:50:19,000 authority. Second, when dealing with 785 00:50:19,000 --> 00:50:23,520 controversial matters, especially issues that Bible 786 00:50:23,520 --> 00:50:27,760 believing Christians disagree on, one good question to ask 787 00:50:27,760 --> 00:50:34,640 yourself is how explicitly does Scripture speak to this? 788 00:50:36,000 --> 00:50:38,280 Is this a plain teaching of Scripture like the resurrection 789 00:50:38,280 --> 00:50:43,240 of Jesus, or is this a more distant implication or inference 790 00:50:43,240 --> 00:50:47,800 from biblical principles? One part of maturing is a 791 00:50:47,800 --> 00:50:51,760 Christian is developing a sense of the relative weight or 792 00:50:51,760 --> 00:50:55,360 gravity of an issue. Some matters are heavier than 793 00:50:55,360 --> 00:50:57,520 others. That's why Jesus can say there's 794 00:50:57,520 --> 00:51:03,600 a greatest commandments. Another aspect of maturing is a 795 00:51:03,600 --> 00:51:05,880 believer. Another way to put it is 796 00:51:05,880 --> 00:51:09,440 developing a sense of how tightly or loosely you should 797 00:51:09,440 --> 00:51:12,200 hold your opinion on any given issue. 798 00:51:13,200 --> 00:51:17,200 That should depend in part on how directly Scripture addresses 799 00:51:17,200 --> 00:51:20,760 the issue and also on what the practical consequences of the 800 00:51:20,760 --> 00:51:23,560 issue are. How should we live? 801 00:51:24,880 --> 00:51:28,000 Love is the essence, love of God, love of neighbor. 802 00:51:28,520 --> 00:51:32,760 And the key to being able to do both is knowing the God who has 803 00:51:32,760 --> 00:51:37,240 first loved you. Note the result of this whole 804 00:51:37,240 --> 00:51:39,800 exchange at the very end, verse 34. 805 00:51:40,160 --> 00:51:44,120 And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions. 806 00:51:45,120 --> 00:51:49,880 They failed to cancel Jesus. They failed to get the hot take 807 00:51:49,920 --> 00:51:53,480 on record they would use to try to take him down. 808 00:51:54,360 --> 00:51:56,200 They've pressed him with the highest stakes questions they 809 00:51:56,200 --> 00:51:59,120 can come up with, and He's answered them with untouchable 810 00:51:59,120 --> 00:52:03,800 wisdom. What Jesus offers here is far 811 00:52:03,800 --> 00:52:09,880 more than hot takes. He shows us who deserves our 812 00:52:09,880 --> 00:52:16,080 ultimate loyalty. He illumines our ultimate 813 00:52:16,080 --> 00:52:20,120 destiny. He reveals the ultimate essence 814 00:52:20,120 --> 00:52:25,800 of morality. But it's important to see that 815 00:52:25,880 --> 00:52:30,240 Jesus most important answer to these questions is not just his 816 00:52:30,240 --> 00:52:35,440 teaching, but his life. Not just his life, but his 817 00:52:35,440 --> 00:52:41,000 death, and not just his death but his resurrection. 818 00:52:42,320 --> 00:52:48,320 Who has an answer like that? Let's pray. 819 00:52:53,000 --> 00:52:58,920 Heavenly Father, we thank you for the wisdom you have revealed 820 00:52:58,920 --> 00:53:02,520 to us by this inspired record of these controversies. 821 00:53:03,080 --> 00:53:07,760 We thank You that Christ sealed His wisdom in His own blood and 822 00:53:07,760 --> 00:53:11,400 confirmed it by Himself, becoming the source of eternal 823 00:53:11,400 --> 00:53:13,440 life and resurrection for all who trust in Him. 824 00:53:14,040 --> 00:53:15,960 Father, we pray that we would submit ourselves to You 825 00:53:15,960 --> 00:53:19,160 absolutely. We pray that we would trust in 826 00:53:19,160 --> 00:53:20,840 Your promise of resurrection hope. 827 00:53:21,680 --> 00:53:24,200 We pray that by Your grace and the work of Your Spirit, we 828 00:53:24,200 --> 00:53:27,200 would devote ourselves completely to living for You and 829 00:53:27,200 --> 00:53:30,880 loving others. We pray in Jesus name, Amen.