Matthew 22: 15-22 A Question About Taxes—Mark 12:13–17; Luke 20:20–26
Then the Pharisees went away and planned to trap Jesus into saying the wrong thing. They sent their disciples to him along with Herod’s followers. They said to him, “Teacher, we know that you tell the truth and that you teach the truth about the way of God. You don’t favor individuals because of who they are. So tell us what you think. Is it right to pay taxes to the emperor or not?”
STOP! What’s the trap here?
What would you do?
Jesus recognized their evil plan, so he asked, “Why do you test me, you hypocrites? Show me a coin used to pay taxes.” They brought him a coin. He said to them, “Whose face and name is this?” They replied, “The emperor’s.” Then he said to them, “Very well, give the emperor what belongs to the emperor, and give God what belongs to God.” They were surprised to hear this. Then they left him alone and went away.
GO! How does Jesus get out of it?
Is he just getting out or making his own point?
What does belong to God?
There’s another power group in Israel – they’ve been losing ground to the Pharisees, but they see their chance. Saducees, enter stage left.
Matthew 22:23-32 The Dead Come Back to Life—Mark 12:18–27; Luke 20:27–40
On that day some Sadducees, who say that people will never come back to life, came to Jesus. They asked him, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies childless, his brother should marry his widow and have children for his brother.’ There were seven brothers among us. The first married and died. Since he had no children, he left his widow to his brother. The second brother also died, as well as the third, and the rest of the seven brothers. At last the woman died. Now, when the dead come back to life, whose wife will she be? All seven brothers had been married to her.”
STOP! What’s the trap here?
What would you do?
Jesus answered, “You’re mistaken because you don’t know the Scriptures or God’s power. When people come back to life, they don’t marry. Rather, they are like the angels in heaven. Haven’t you read what God told you about the dead coming back to life? He said, ‘I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ He’s not the God of the dead but of the living.”
GO! How does Jesus get out of it?
Is he just getting out or making his own point?
What does he mean the God of the living?
What traps do Christians face today?
While Jesus at least was arguing with people who thought they believed in God, while today we could face traps by people completely opposed to the idea of God.
- I’ve seen those Christians on TV and they are ignorant/stupid/judgmental/hypocrites…
- If God is infallible and the bible is the Word of God, how do you explain evolution/Noah/demons & angels…
- How does God go from wiping out whole nations in the Old Testament to being all lovey dovey in the New Testament?
- How can a good God allow famine/war/disease/natural disasters…
Photo credit: Justin Good @ Flickr
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