I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here.
     The Old Testament reading continues with Joshua and the leaders of the tribes of Israel giving towns from among the lands of each of the other tribes to the Levites. This is followed by Joshua sending the tribes whose land was east of the Jordan home (Moses had granted lands east of the Jordan to the tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh on the condition that they send their fighting men over the Jordan with the rest of Israel). Joshua sent them home with a large quantity of plunder from the conquest of Canaan and with instructions to share that wealth with those who had remained east of the Jordan protecting the families of those who went to fight. As they crossed the Jordan, these tribes built a large and imposing altar. The rest of the tribes of Israel were concerned because they were afraid that the tribes from the east of the Jordan were going to set up their own, separate worship system outside of that prescribed by God in the Law.
     The New Testament reading is about Jesus’ teaching in the Temple during the week between the Triumphal Entry and his arrest. The Jewish leaders begin a series of challenges to Jesus to get Him to say something to either offend the people or cause the Romans to arrest Him for fomenting insurrection. The first challenge is to ask Him by what authority He does what He does. Jesus’ response reminds me of something someone said about what to do when someone asks you for proof that God exists. When someone asks for proof (or evidence) that God exists, you need to ask them what they would accept as proof before you attempt to offer them any. In this passage, Jesus asks them whether John baptized by God’s authority or merely that of a human. They were unwilling to answer the question because to say that John’s baptism was merely human would have revealed to the crowds that they did not share the crowd’s beliefs, but to say that it was from God would have opened them up to charges of knowingly rejecting teachings from God. In particular, John had taught against the very practices that Jesus had so recently forcibly acted against when He drove the merchants out of the Temple.
     Jesus follows this up by telling the parable of the evil tenant farmers who refuse to pay their rent and kill the owner’s son when he is sent to collect. The Jewish leaders knew that this story was directed against them and it strengthened their resolve to kill Jesus, but they were still afraid of the people. This passage reminds us that there are times when we must call out those who are sinning (especially when they are doing it in the name of the Lord).
     The final part of this section of today’s passage is where the Jewish leaders challenge Jesus on paying taxes to the Romans. They sent men who “pretended to be honest men”. This is a complicated issue because paying the Roman taxes was unpopular and there was a strong teaching that doing so was against the Law. The Roman tax in question had to be paid in a particular coin that had been minted by the current Emperor (not by the Roman government at the Emperor’s instruction, but by the Emperor from his private estates). This was not a coin that was used widely in Palestine at that time, the average person would be unlikely to be carrying one of these coins. More importantly, it was minted with the image of the Emperor as a god. When Jesus’ questioners produced one of these coins, they revealed who they were and their real agenda. Additionally, when Jesus asked them whose picture was on it, He used the same word as in the Commandment against graven images thus pointing out that having one of these coins was tantamount to idolatry. Jesus’ answer is twofold. The first part of the answer is to say that if you are carrying Caesar’s coins (and these were Caesar’s coins, not Rome’s) then you should return them to him when he asks for them. The second part is that even having these coins is a violation of the Commandments. In this manner Jesus both supported the popular feeling about Roman taxes (that they were wrong), while saying nothing that the Jewish leaders could take to the Roman authorities to use against Him. This passage is not really about the issue of taxes, it has more to do with being fully committed to worshiping God and not having divided loyalties. The issue of taxation is addressed elsewhere by Paul.
     The Psalm is a psalm of praise. “I will sing of the Lord’s unfailing love forever.” This morning this Psalm just fills me with joy at the thought of all that the Lord has done for me. He is mighty and powerful and all works according to His plans. We have a choice in this life, we can willingly order our lives to fulfill the will of God, we can have our lives ordered by God to fulfill His will. In either case, the will of God will be followed.
     There are two proverbs in today’s reading. In many ways they go together. The first says that a person of good sense will be respected. The second says that a wise person thinks before they act. The second tells us what defines a person of good sense and how people recognize them. A person of good sense thinks before they act. Both proverbs have a second part. The first one tells us that a treacherous person is headed for destruction. Look around you and think how often those who betray the trust put in them end up suffering for it. It sometimes takes time, but I cannot think of any exceptions. It often happens when those they put their trust in betray them. The second proverb tells us that not only do fools not think before they act, but they often brag about it.