Breaking the Word

 Some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him and put this question to him, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us, 'If someone's brother dies, leaving a wife but no child, his brother must take the wife and raise up descendants for his brother.'  Now there were seven brothers. The first married a woman and died, leaving no descendants…

For all seven had been married to her." Jesus said to them, "Are you not misled because you do not know the scriptures or the power of God? When they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but they are like the angels in heaven… (Mk 12:18-27)

Earthly practices and human rules are in no way models for heavenly realities. Heavenly realities may propose models for earthly living. Sadducees were trying to argue against heavenly situation using earthly models. They were only giving excuses to prove their argument of saying that there is no resurrection. But life after death is a heavenly reality and no one has seen it to argue about it.

Jesus answer to them is that they are misled because they did not know the scriptures and the power of God. Jesus reads scriptures to know who God is and how God works. Scriptures are to reveal God to the people. God is God of the living and not of the dead. This is the revelation we have from the Scriptures. Even when we read some historical passages in the Scriptures we need to keep in mind that they are written to reveal God in history as God of the history.

The events of the future and the happening of the life after death are not to be compared with the present realities. Often we falter when we compare. Scriptures are given to us to read God in life and see His power acting in our lives. 

They sent some Pharisees and Herodians to him to ensnare him in his speech. They came and said to him, "Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that you are not concerned with anyone's opinion. You do not regard a person's status but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or should we not pay?" Knowing their hypocrisy he said to them, "Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius to look at." They brought one to him and he said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?" They replied to him, "Caesar's." So Jesus said to them, "Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.' They were utterly amazed at him. (Mk 12:13-17)

The discussion is between Jesus and the Pharisees and Herodians. Jesus is presented as a person who is truthful, who is not concerned with anyone’s opinion, who does not regard person’s status, and teaches the way of God in accordance with the truth. This is a beautiful description of the character of Jesus. And the other group is presented as hypocrites (insincere; double standard). Jesus replies these characters as well.

Though Jesus came to preach the Kingdom, and preach God in truth; yet he argues with hypocrites and tries to prove them wrong. The Pharisees were trying to put the religion against to the state. Yet their ultimate aim was to test Jesus and put him into difficulties in speech.

The teaching of Jesus in this passage is that the state and the religion are not opposed to each other. Each has its role to play. Religion and society are the two sides of the same coin. Religion should purify the society and the society should allow the religion to present God experience to the people.