We must be aware of Satan’s “tests” (temptations).

We must be aware of Satan’s “tests” (temptations).

 

  

 

 

 

The chief priests, the scribes, and the elders, who thought that the parable of the wicked vineyard farmers referred to them, wanted to arrest Jesus.  However, they were afraid of the crowd, so they couldn’t arrest Him and left.  They then sought any excuse to catch Jesus and sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to ask Him this question: 'Teacher, we know that You are truthful, and that You do not show favoritism but teach the way of God in truth.  Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?  Should we pay, or should we not pay?'  But knowing their hypocrisy, Jesus said to them, 'Why do you test Me?  Bring Me a denarius, and let Me see it.'  When they brought it, He said to them, 'Whose image and inscription is this?'  They said to Him, 'Caesar’s.'  Jesus answered, 'Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.'  And they marveled at Him and were silent (Mark 12:12-17, Modern Korean Bible).  As I reflect on this passage in relation to Matthew 22:15-22 and Luke 20:19-26 in the Modern Korean Bible, today I want to meditate on the words from Mark 12:15, “But knowing their hypocrisy, Jesus said to them, ‘Why do you test Me?  Bring Me a denarius, and let Me see it.’"

 

(1)   Jesus not only knew the hypocrisy of some of the Pharisees and Herodians, but He also knew that they were 'testing' Him (Mark 12:15, Modern Korean Bible).  The question they asked to test Him was, 'Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?  Should we pay, or should we not pay?' (v. 14, Modern Korean Bible).

 

(a)   I would like to reflect on the meaning of the Greek word for 'test' here.  This word is a verb used in the New Testament to describe the act of testing or attempting something or someone.  It can refer to both a positive test that examines a person’s quality or faithfulness, and a negative test that tempts someone to commit evil.  The meaning is often determined by the context in which the verb is used.  In the positive sense, it can refer to God testing the faith of believers to strengthen them.  In the negative sense, it can refer to Satan or evil forces tempting people to sin (Internet).

 

(i)                 Cultural and Historical Background: In the Greco-Roman world, testing was a common concept in the contexts of education, military, and philosophy.  Testing was seen as a means of proving an individual’s worth or ability.  In Jewish tradition, testing by God was understood as a way to refine and purify faith, as seen in the stories of Abraham and Job.  The New Testament reflects testing as a dual concept: both a divine tool for growth and a potential trap for sin (Internet).

 

·         For example, the positive meaning of 'test' is seen in God 'testing' Abraham (Genesis 22:1).  The test was, 'Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah; sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about' (v. 2).  'When Abraham was tested, he offered Isaac by faith.  Even though he had received God’s promise that he would see many descendants, he gave up his only son' (Hebrews 11:17, Modern Korean Bible).  In other words, Abraham obeyed God’s test with faith.  The writer of Hebrews speaks about his faith in this way: 'Abraham believed that God could even raise the dead' (Hebrews 11:19a, Modern Korean Bible).

 

·         For example, the negative meaning of 'test' is seen when Jesus was 'tested' by the devil (Matthew 4:1).  Jesus overcame this temptation by saying, 'It is written' (in the Modern Korean Bible, 'The Bible says') (vv. 4, 7, 10).  Before beginning His public ministry, Jesus was tested by the devil, and even when He was crucified, He was tested by the devil’s followers: (1) the 'passersby,' (2) the 'chief priests,' 'scribes and elders,' and (3) the two 'thieves' crucified with Him (22:39, 41, 44). If we summarize this test in one sentence, it was, 'Save yourself, if you are the Son of God' (see: Matthew 27:40, Modern Korean Bible: 'You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, if you are the Son of God, save yourself and come down from the cross'; Matthew 27:42, Modern Korean Bible: 'He saved others, but He cannot save Himself.  He is the King of Israel!  Let Him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in Him').  In other words, they were testing Jesus to see if He would come down from the cross and save Himself, instead of dying on it.

 

(b)   Looking at the context of today’s passage, Mark 12:12-17, the word 'test' is used not in a positive sense, but in a negative sense.  It refers to the evil forces of Satan and the hypocrisy of some of the Pharisees and Herodians, who set traps to politically and religiously corner Jesus and try to capture Him.  Therefore, they asked Jesus, 'Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?  Should we pay, or should we not pay?' (v. 14, Modern Korean Bible) [Note: Jesus had already been tested by the Pharisees before. Once, they demanded a 'miracle from heaven' (8:11, Modern Korean Bible), and another time, they asked, 'Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?' (10:2, Modern Korean Bible)].  In response to this question, Hokma says, '... Now Jesus was in a dilemma.  If He supported paying taxes, He would be rejected by the Zealots, the Pharisees, and the general populace, making it impossible for Him to be the Messiah they welcomed.  But if He opposed paying taxes, He would be labeled a political criminal by the Herodians, the Sadducees, the Roman governor, and King Herod' (Hokma).

 

(1)   We must also be aware of the traps and snares of Satan and his forces.  In other words, we need to recognize Satan's 'test' (temptation) for what it is.  Satan tempts us by distorting our knowledge of God.   He twists our understanding of biblical truth about God. Satan makes us distrust the truth about God and believe lies.  The lie is that when we are undergoing trials, God is the one who is tempting us.  What should we do?  When we are tested (tried) by God, we must not fall into Satan's temptations.  To do so, we must, like Abraham, obey God's command with faith when we are tested by Him.  Clearly, Satan will try to make us doubt God and lead us into disobedience to His word.  We must overcome this temptation of Satan with faith.  Furthermore, when we face Satan's temptation allowed under God's sovereignty, like Job in the Bible, we must not sin or foolishly complain against God (Job 1:22).  Instead, like Job, we must endure the trials we face with the faith, 'He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold' (23:10).  By doing so, we will experience the blessing that Job did: 'My ears had heard of You, but now my eyes have seen You' (42:5).