This passage is
full of opposition to Jesus. Jesus reveals Himself as the ultimate overcomer.
Every time Jesus is challenged He uses it as an opportunity to reveal His
character more. First the Pharisees challenged Jesus. Jesus knew that their
question was a trap, so He responded with a question of His own. The Pharisees
were left with two options: give account for why they have not put their faith
in Jesus (which would mean admitting their greed and pride) or upset the masses
(20:5-6). The Pharisees kept quiet (20:7). After this interaction, Jesus gave
the Parable of the Wicked Tenants (20:9-16). It is a clear rebuke to Israel and
its leadership. It also has a prophetic aspect as Jesus revealed what was about
to happen to Him. The Pharisees were infuriated because they knew that Jesus
was speaking against them (20:19). Once again, they used a question to try to
find fault in Jesus. The question was designed to get Jesus in trouble with
Rome (for teaching people to evade taxes) or with the Jews (for promoting a tax
that symbolized their suppression by Rome). Again, Jesus revealed His blameless
wisdom: we must honour both God and government (20:24-25). Next, we see a new
group challenging Jesus. The Sadducees were a Jewish sect that did not believe
in the resurrection. Jesus, again, responds wisely to their questioning (20:34-35).
This montage of opposition to Jesus is concluded with a warning to be on guard
against hypocritical religious leaders (20:46-47). We should seek to follow
only those whose hearts are truly submitted to God and who bear fruit according
to their relationship with Him.
Journaling and Prayer
1. Jesus is full of wisdom. He knows the perfect
solution to every problem. Ask Him to reveal His wisdom for a question you have
or a circumstance you are facing.
2. Jesus taught us that we are to submit to
government as well as to God (v 25). We need to submit to our governing
authorities as long as they don’t ask us to do anything that contradicts the
Bible. Are there any ways that you do not submit to government? For example,
are you honest in your taxes, do you follows the rules of the road? Confess
this to God and repent of it.
3. Pray for our government. Pray that rather than
resisting Jesus’ ways our governors would work diligently to implement God’s
truths in our land. Ask that our leaders would find strength and rest in Jesus.
Ask that God would empower them to love and serve their families. Ask that they
would be steadfast in righteousness, even when under pressure. Pray that God
would place many people in government who would fight for God’s justice in
areas such as abortion, education and human trafficking.
