Paying Taxes to Caesar

19 The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on Him at that very hour, for they perceived that He had told this parable against them, but they feared the people.

20 So they watched Him and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, that they might catch Him in something He said, so as to deliver Him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor.

21 So they asked Him, “Teacher, we know that You speak and teach rightly, and show no partiality, but truly teach the way of God.

22 Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?”

23 But He perceived their craftiness and said to them,

24 “Show Me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar’s.”

25 He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

26 And they were not able, in the presence of the people, to catch Him in what He said, but, marveling at His answer, they became silent.

Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection

27 There came to Him some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection,

28 and they asked Him a question, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.

29 Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife and died without children.

30 And the second

31 and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died.

32 Afterward the woman also died.

33 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife.”

34 And Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage,

35 but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage,

36 for they cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

37 But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.

38 Now He is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to Him.”

39 Then some of the scribes answered, “Teacher, You have spoken well.”

40 For they no longer dared to ask Him any questions.

Whose Son Is the Christ?

41 But He said to them, “How can they say that the Christ is David’s son?

42 For David himself says in the Book of Psalms, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand,

43 until I make Your enemies Your footstool.”’

44 David thus calls Him Lord, so how is He his son?”

Beware of the Scribes

45 And in the hearing of all the people, He said to His disciples,

46 “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts,

47 who devour widows’ houses and, for a pretense, make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

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Introduction

Hello everyone, I am Kiki. The Chinese name of the second phase of our program is “读经大讲堂”. The English name is “Bible Study”.

We will adopt a relaxed and enjoyable learning approach to take you into a new world of learning. Each time, I will prepare a personal summary and analysis from the perspective of a learner. Then Sister Ingrid will help me explore the topics in greater depth and discuss related questions with everyone.

I hope that this interesting and interactive process will bring new knowledge and experiences to all of you.

The following is my interview with Sister Ingrid on related topics. Today is our 58th lecture on the Gospel of Luke.

Everyone is welcome to leave a message in the comment section for discussion!

2. My Summary of the 58th Bible Study on Luke

Well, everybody! First of all, here is my personal summary of today’s Bible study.

In today’s passage, the religious leaders try to trap Jesus with difficult questions, but Jesus answers them wisely.

First, they ask Jesus whether people should pay taxes to Caesar. Jesus tells them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” He teaches us that we should respect our responsibilities to the government, but God deserves our hearts and worship.

Next, they ask Jesus about a woman who had seven husbands. They want to challenge the idea of the resurrection.

Jesus explains that life after the resurrection is different from life on earth. People will no longer marry or die.

He also teaches that God is the God of the living, showing that the resurrection is real.

After that, Jesus explains that the Messiah is greater than an ordinary king. Even King David called Him Lord.

Finally, Jesus warns people about the scribes. They care too much about respect, power, and appearing important. Some even take advantage of poor widows while pretending to be holy.

Now, let’s hear Sister Ingrid’s more in-depth summary.

3. Sister Ingrid’s Comments on My Study Summary

There is not much more to add. The intention of the religious leaders was to catch Jesus as soon as possible by getting Him to say something wrong, so that they could put Him to death immediately.

However, Jesus’ hour had not yet come, and He defended Himself by answering clearly and wisely.

The enemies of Jesus touched on some very difficult topics with their questions: being faithful to Caesar in Rome and whether we really live after death.

Jesus said that since Caesar’s image was on the coin, the tax belonged to Caesar, and we should not question the obligation to pay taxes.

The Sadducees used an extremely unusual example involving seven brothers and one woman who had to marry all seven of them. In this way, they wanted to show how ridiculous the idea of the resurrection was. But Jesus told them that their problem was that they did not know enough.

4. Questions Based on Luke 58

Okay! Based on the Bible study content above, let me now ask Sister Ingrid some related questions.

We hope the following questions will be helpful to our brothers and sisters.

1. Why did the religious leaders want to arrest Jesus? Why were they afraid?

More and more people were believing in Him every day, and the religious leaders were afraid that Jesus might take political and religious power in their land.

2. Why did the religious leaders send people to trick Jesus with questions?

They had already made plans to kill Him and wanted to do so as soon as possible.

3. What did Jesus mean when He said, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s”?

He wanted to tell us that we should submit ourselves to the earthly government while, on the other hand, remaining faithful to God through prayer and worship.

4. What should we give to God in our daily lives?

We should pray and worship God in our daily lives.

5. Why did the Sadducees ask Jesus about the woman who had seven husbands?

They wanted to prove how foolish the teaching about the resurrection was.

6. What did Jesus teach us about life after death?

We will be like angels and will neither marry nor be given in marriage.

7. Why did Jesus say that God is the God of the living, not the dead?

Because God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who are still alive after death.

8. Why did David call the Messiah “Lord” instead of simply calling Him his son?

Because David acknowledged the Messiah as the eternal King, even though He was his descendant.

9. What did the scribes do because they wanted people to respect and admire them?

They wore long robes and prayed in public.

10. What is the difference between looking religious and truly following God?

There is a very big difference. It always depends on what you have in your heart, what your goals are, and whom you want to please.

People who want to appear religious are people-pleasers. They want to receive honor and recognition from the people around them, and in this way, they have already received their reward.

Those who truly follow God are quiet servants. Their right hand does not know what their left hand is doing. But God will reward them when they enter heaven.