Taxes and Resurrection

This is the Bible study page for the Thursday Night Bible Study Group meeting December 15 to study Luke 20:20-40. This passage has two challenges/questions posed to Jesus by those seeking to find fault in His teaching.  Luke doesn't tell us when during the week these occur, but is clear that they occur as a direct result of His embarrassment of the leaders when they questioned His authority.

Read through these passages in a few translations (KJV, NIV, ESV, and maybe NLT).  Be looking for differences in word-choice and where the translators seem to explaining something.  Make notes on observations and questions.  At that point consider commentary options you have (Blue Letter Bible, study Bible notes, ones on your shelf, etc.), and revise your notes as needed.

After you have gone through with your own study, go back through with the questions below:

• Why do you think the religious leaders wanted to get Jesus in trouble with the Roman authorities?  If they were trying to prevent a "riot", why involve the Romans?
• The "spies" puff Jesus up a bit, and lower their "boom".  What do you think they hoped to gain by setting Him up this way?  What do you think their introduction had to do with the question?
• Jesus "perceives" their craftiness or trickery.  How do you think this affected Jesus answer?  
• Verse 23 is longer in the King James Version.  This question Jesus asks is found in a few texts dating back to the 4th Century AD, but not very many texts of any period.  So it's not in the earliest texts, but is pretty early, nor is it a common reading, but in a few.  The question does occur in Matthew and Mark.  So, how do you think it might have come to be in a few Luke texts after the 3rd Century?  By the way, it also appears in the Aramaic text, which has early attestation.
• The denarius was a Roman coin used for trade everywhere in the Roman Empire.  Clearly it belonged to Rome.  So what do you think corresponds to "the things that are God's"?
• How do you "give to God the things that are God's"?
• The Sadducees come to test Jesus.  This is possibly a question they have used to test Pharisees and anyone else who claims to believe in any sort of resurrection.  They refer to the Levirate Law (Deuteronomy 25:5-10).  Why do you think they assumed marriage extended to resurrection?
• Jesus says that resurrected ones do not marry.  What clues do you think He could have referenced in the Torah (first 5 books) to support this claim?  (The Sadducees only accepted the Torah)
• But then Jesus supports resurrection in the Torah by citing Moses' claim that Yahweh is the God of the living Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. What do you think might be a problem here? 
• Look at Matthew 22:32 and Mark 12:27, where "for all live to Him" is missing.  If these patriarchs haven't "risen from the dead", how do you think Jesus' point about the resurrection is being made?
• The leaders lack the courage to ask further questions.  Why do you think they were so scared?

That should give us plenty to discuss in the time we have.  Be sure to find those areas where the Holy Spirit is revealing to you an area of your life to change.