Mark 12 - Why A Strict and Legalistic Teaching on Tithing Fails!

The Parable of the Tenants

In this parable the owner of a vineyard rented his vineyard out to some tenants. When he sent his servants to collect the fruit, which is similar to the rent a renter would pay today, they beat his servants and even killed some. Although they completely disrespected him greatly, he thought if he sent his son, they would treat him kindly. But in similar fashion they not only beat the son but killed him. 

So what does this mean? 

The fairly obvious interpretation is the owner of the vineyard is God. The vineyard represents the promised land God gave to Israel. The tenants were the Israelites, more specifically the teachers of the Law, elders, and the Pharisees. The servants he sent represent the prophets, who came as messengers of God. The religious leaders beat and killed the prophets symbolic of their disregard for the Lord. Finally, the Son, the One whom He loved, represents Jesus. And we all know what happened to him. 

The owner was very patient. He sent messenger after messenger, even though they were all abused and mistreated. Because the owner of the vineyard was not present at the time, the vinedressers doubted and mocked his authority. They soon found out that even though they couldn’t see the owner, his authority was still real. - Guzik

So how did the owner/God respond? 

He took the vineyard from the tenants (the Jews) and gave it to others, the Gentiles. Then Jesus quotes Psalm 118 again, 

“‘The stone the builders rejected

    has become the cornerstone;

11 the Lord has done this,

    and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”

The cornerstone held the building up. Take out the cornerstone and the building collapses. Similarly Jesus is the cornerstone of the church. When Jesus is taken out of the church, the church collapses. 

Once again the chief priests, teachers of the law, and the elders knew it was a parable spoken against them. They were the evil tenants. It reinforced the idea that they needed to get rid of Jesus and soon!

Paying the Imperial Tax to Caesar

These three groups sent the Pharisees and the Herodians to try and trap Jesus. It hadn't worked before, so I am not sure why they thought it would work now. They tried to trap Jesus by asking him if they should pay taxes to Caesar, the Roman Emperor. If Jesus said "yes", he was supporting the evil Roman Empire, who the Jews hated. If he said, "no", he was advocating breaking the law. It might appear as if Jesus is stuck between a "rock and a hard place". So how did he respond?

He responded brilliantly of course. After all He was the Son of God. The smartest man in the world. So he took the coin and said, 

They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. 17 Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”

Once again he had confounded them and this time it says, "And they were amazed at him." Paul says something similar in his letter to the Romans, in chapter 13, when he advocates Christians should be good citizens by obeying those in authority. For those in authority have been given their authority by God. They have been given the "power of the sword" to keep evil at bay in the world. 99% of time we are called to obey our government's laws, unless they force us to do something God has clearly forbidden in his Word. 

This is why there has been the ability for people to be a "conscientious objector", when they were drafted to serve in the military based on their religious beliefs. But in the days ahead we know what the government will ask Christians to do. 

We also know the rights of Christians are constantly being challenged by the world today whether it be in government or the media.  

I saw recently on the news a law that was trying to be passed that if a parent would not let their child have a sex change operation they could be charged criminally. These are the types of things happening in our society. Pretty scary!

Marriage at the Resurrection

Then a certain group of teachers from the sect called the "Sadducees" came to Jesus with a question about what marriage would be like in the resurrection. The Sadducees would be like our modern day liberal, protestant church, as they didn't believe in the resurrection. This happened to a segment of the church during the period of the enlightenment, where they threw out stories like the resurrection because it was irrational. They only believed in the natural not the supernatural. You can see where that would be a problem. It is hard to say you are a Christian if you don't believe in the literal, physical, and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. If you don't believe in miracles you take out almost every important story in the bible. In some ways the liberal side of the church has never recovered from the change in worldview.  

The Sadducees again tried to trick Jesus with the question of who would be a person's spouse in heaven if they married multiple times on earth, as result of a spouse dying. How did Jesus respond?

“Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven." 

Basically what Jesus is saying is that no mind has conceived, eye has seen, ear has heard, what God has prepared for us in heaven. (1 Corinthians 2:9)

When we try to place our limited mind and constructs from earth on heaven, we fall woefully short. I kind of like it that way! 

The Greatest Commandment

A teacher of the Law on his own asked Jesus what the greatest commandment was. When Jesus quoted the Shema of Deuteronomy 6:4-5, he couldn't go wrong, as this was one of the most revered passages in the Hebrew bible. It is actually quite simple, "Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind. And love your neighbor as yourself."

Can you imagine what our world would be like if everyone did their best to obey the Great Commandment. We know we are sinners and fall short of the glory of God, but if that was at least the common of definition of what was true and good, we would be in a lot better shape than we currently find ourselves in. The Ten Commandments are the best guide to what is right and what is wrong. The Judeo-Christian values and worldview is based upon it, though many deny this with revisionist history.  

When the teacher heard this and agreed Jesus said, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." There was at least one teacher of the law who hadn't outright rejected Jesus and had a chance in the kingdom Jesus brought. 

Whose Son Is the Messiah?

Jesus addresses the issue of people thinking he was the son of David. The son of David in physical terms. We know that the Messiah would come from the house and the line of David, but David called him "my Lord". So what gives? 

Jesus was truly human and therefore had an earthly lineage which connected him to King David, who lived some 1,000 years before Jesus. But Jesus was truly God, which is why David 1,000 years ago would call him, "Lord". 

Warning Against the Teachers of the Law

Jesus then issued a warning about the teachers of the law. Basically they were "full of themselves". It was all about them. In everything from their flowing robes to their expectation that everybody pay homage to them in the marketplace. They sat in the honored places pridefully in the synagogues and at important banquets. They prayed long, windy prayers showing off how smart they were. The worst indictment is that they tricked widows into the giving them money in obedience to God but used it for their own gain.  Jesus has a very ominous prediction about their fate, 

These men will be punished most severely.

This is a good warning to anyone who wants to go into the ministry, or will be representing God publicly as a minister, pastor, or priest. We will be held to a higher level of accountability because we are teachers of God's Word. 

James 3:1 says, 

"Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. "

The Widow’s Offering

Speaking of widows, as Jesus is sitting watching people give an offering in the temple courts, he notes the widow's gift. Though she gave only a few small coins, which we might call "loose change", Jesus says she had given more than all the others who piously put other amounts into the offering box. 

This is why a strictly literal tithing test for generosity in the church falls short. A very poor person may put in less than 1% of their income into the offering plate. But a rich person might put in 10%. On the surface one might say the rich person is generous. He even tithes! But maybe the rich person could easily give 20% and the poor person will barely be able to get groceries after what they give their pittance. 

This is why in 1 Samuel, the prophet writes, 

For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.

Only God knows a human heart. Only God can be the judge of true generosity whether it be with money or any other gift He has given us! 

Does your giving more closely resemble the poor widow or the rich man?