Tuesday, April 15, 2014
THE WEEK THAT CHANGED THE WORLD
TUESDAY: DAY OF TEACHING AND QUESTIONS IN THE TEMPLE
- Trying to Trap Jesus with More Questions -
In the morning, Jesus and His disciples arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courts and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders. Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap Him in His words. Keeping a close watch on Him, they sent some of their disciples to Him along with the Herodians who pretended to be honest. They hoped to catch Jesus in something He said so that they might hand Him over to the power and authority of the governor.
So the spies came to Him and said, "Teacher, we know You are a man of integrity. You aren't swayed by men, because You pay no attention to who they are; but You teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Tell us then, what is Your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn't we?"
But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, "You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax." They brought Him a denarius, and He asked them, "Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?" "Caesar's," they replied. Then Jesus said to them, "Give to Caesar's what is Caesar's and to God what is God's."
When they heard this, they were amazed at Him. They were unable to trap Him in what He had said there in public. And astonished by His answer, they became silent. So they left Him and went away.
- Skeptics of the Resurrection Question Jesus -
That same day some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus with a question. "Teacher," they said, "Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and have children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third brother, right on down to the seventh. In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too. Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?"
Jesus replied, "Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are considered worthy of taking part in that age and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God's children, since they are children of the resurrection. Now about the dead rising -- have you not read in the book of Moses, in the account of the bush, how even Moses showed that the dead rise, for God said to him, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?' He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to Him all are alive. You are badly mistaken!" When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at His teaching. Some of the teachers of the law responded, "Well said, teacher!"
And no one dared to ask Him any more questions.
- Jesus Speaks of the Greatest Commandment -
Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he tested Him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"
"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. There is no commandment greater than these."
"Well said, teacher," the man replied. "You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but Him. To love Him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God."
And from then on no one dared ask Him any more questions. Each day Jesus was teaching at the temple, and each evening He went out to spend the night on the hill called the Mount of Olives.
-- Selected and Adapted from Orville Daniel's "A Harmony of the Gospels" (NIV84)
