This week's Bible Study - October 11, 2009
The Hero Doing Battle
 Background Scripture:
Mark 12:13-17,28-34,38-40
Quote of the Week:
“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle.”
-- Plato
Have you ever felt like you were in a battle? When I was a kid, I remember that I used to play with other kids in the neighborhood. We could make a game out of just about anything. It may have been sport or some other game that we played, but with some of the neighbor kids, it often seemed like a battle. Some of us always wanted to win, there were some others who were not so competitive. Even today, as an adult, I know some people that can make anything into a competitive game. Other people avoid competition at just about any cost. Regardless of whether you consider yourself competitive or not, we all face battles at some point in life.
There are others who are in a physical battle even as you read this. They may be in the Army or some other branch of service. It is very important that they realize that they are in a battle, or they put themselves at risk. There are others who face a battle each day in their line of work. Some policemen never know what situation they will face as they do their jobs. We may not be in area where bullets are flying over our heads or where we seem to face physical danger at every turn, but we are all in a battle.
As in all areas of our live, we are to pattern the way we live based on how Jesus Christ lived. How did he respond to battles? In his three years of ministry, he faced many battles along the way. He had to realize that many people were out to trip him up, so that he would always respond in an appropriate manner.
One of the things that Jesus had to face everywhere he went was the Pharisees and other teachers of the law that followed him around in the attempt to catch him in his words. It may be that politicians know the most about this, but we all know what it is like to have people who are looking to catch us saying the wrong things. When a person starts to rise in the political arena, their speeches or words are often captured and used against them in later years, if they find success. It is not uncommon to hear what someone may have said a couple of decades ago being used against them. Thankfully, most of us don't have this type of scrutiny in our day to day lives. If we did, we'd find ourselves in trouble often. But, Jesus was up to the task.
They came to Jesus and asked a question, as if they were sincere in seeking the truth. From what they knew about him and regardless of what they thought about him personally, he was a man of integrity, not swayed by men. He didn't pay attention to the position that a person held. Many people today act one way in front of some people and another way in front of others. The Pharisees were used to being shown respect by the others, yet Jesus showed often that he cared very little for their position. They also said that Jesus taught the way of God in accordance with the truth. Certainly, they were impressed with what he said, yet they were unmoved to believe in him.
They asked if it was right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? This was certainly a hot topic among the Jewish people. It mattered little what he said, as somebody would be upset. It is similar to one of the trick questions that a person might ask, like 'do you still beat your wife?'
Jesus knew that their purpose was to try and trap him, and he knew of their hypocrisy. Sometimes, the religious leaders of today also have some hypocritical tendencies, but that is a common trait among us all from time to time. Jesus asked them to bring him a denarius so that he could look at it. When he got it, he held it up and asked them whose portrait was on the coin, and whose inscription. They replied that it was Caesar's. Jesus then told them that they were to give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's. While they came to trap him in his words, they left amazed at his wisdom.
The Pharisees continued to ask Jesus questions in order to stump him. Moses had written that a brother had to marry his brother's widow. They raised a situation in which seven brothers married the same woman (and then they all died). It makes me question the behavior of the woman (what would Jerusalem CSI find if they investigated?), but at any rate, she was continually left as a widow. Their question was about the resurrection and marriage in heaven. Jesus answered their questions, but it was apparent that they were trying to go in more and more detail, looking for a way to trap Jesus.
One of the teachers of the law heard the debate and he came over to add a little civility to the conversation. He asked Jesus which of the commandments was the most important. This was likely a question that the teachers talked about often. Jesus told him that the most important commandment was to honor the Lord, the God of Israel. They were to love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, mind and all of their strength. The first thing was to honor the Lord, and the second was to love their neighbor as themselves. These were the greatest commandments.
The teacher replied that Jesus was right in loving God with all one's heart, understanding and strength. He also agreed that it was more important to love one's neighbor as themselves than all burnt offerings and sacrifices. The teacher realized that how one treated others was more important than what many of the other Pharisees and teachers had taught. The issue of following the system of offerings and sacrifices had become the boxes that they had to check off, and that would seem to override the relationships one would have with their neighbors. Lest we spend too much time talking about the Pharisees, let us ask ourselves if our churches are more focused on loving God and loving others, or are they more focused on specific ministries? We also deal with this at times, as individuals. We may be able to say the words, but are we all about loving God and loving others as ourselves?
Jesus saw that the teacher had answered wisely. Jesus told him that he was not far from the kingdom of God. Jesus makes it clear that the first step in getting to the kingdom of God is relationship based and not ritualistic religion based. The other Pharisees and teachers had no reply. They did not dare to ask him any more questions.
As Jesus taught others, he had a lot to say about the Pharisees. I'm sure that this made the Pharisees be set against him all the more. He told others that they needed to watch out for the teachers of the law. They liked to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted in the marketplaces. They were very much about themselves. They took their position and made themselves appear to be of higher esteem than the others. They sought out the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devoured widow's houses and made lengthy prayers. Jesus said that such men will be punished most severely.
Isn't it interesting that the ones that Jesus did battle with the most were the ones who were supposedly most closely associated to God? Jesus encountered demoniacs and those involved in sin, yet he seemed to have little problems with them and sought to help them correct their situation. However, the Pharisees had an idea that they had it all together and didn't need correction. They were the ones who corrected others, and just who did Jesus think he was to come in and assume this position of authority?
Closing
We are all in a battle from time to time. We need to be careful that we don't take the wrong side in the battle. None of us would classify ourselves as a Pharisee, but do we find ourselves on the attack often, as they were? Sometimes, well meaning believers can make life much more difficult for others by taking a 'holier than thou' stand. Don't' carry a critical attitude in your relationships - we have enough to worry about without having other like minded believers that continue to launch battles with other believers.
We need to consider what Jesus told the teacher who asked about the greatest commandment. We are to
love the Lord our God with all that we have, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. However, as I was reading John 13:34, I
realized that Jesus actually intended for his followers to go further than that. In this verse, he says "So now
I am giving you a new commandment; Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other." If we
only loved others as we loved ourselves, we might have an out. At times, we are disappointed with ourselves and
actually feel a lack of love towards ourselves. We can't take this out on others. What example were we given? It
was the love that Jesus showed towards them. Are we holding to this new commandment in our live, or have
we put something else above this? Some of the battles we face in life is because we have wrongly prioritized areas of life.
As we seek God's guidance, we realize that we are to be focused on our relationship with Jesus Christ. We need to share our faith, but we should make sure that we are rightly focused. Battles will come in life, as we try to live as God has called us to live, but let's take care of our own business, living as we've been called.
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