Mar 18, 2010
How Covert Idolatry Ruins Our Devotion to God (Mark 12, Part One)
Jesus and the Jewish leaders sparred with one another in Mark 11, and this continues in chapter 12. In the previous chapter the priests, elders, and teachers challenged Jesus, asking him where his authority came from, but Jesus bested them with a question that revealed there unbelief and hypocrisy.
Jesus then transitioned to speaking in parables that undermined the authority of his the Jewish leaders by comparing them to wicked tenants at a vineyard—a vineyard is a common Old Testament metaphor for Israel.
In the story of the wicked farmers the people of Israel are said to be holding back from God the devotion and worship that he is due. Much like Adam and Eve and the people at Babel in Genesis, humanity and God are struggling to determine who’s in charge. The evil farmers forgot their dependence on God, choosing to claim the vineyard as their own without giving God/the owner his rightful share.
God lays claim to our worship, our time, and money because they are all gifts from him. We are tempted to use our lives for ourselves. When we fight God and deny him his place, his patience is not unlimited. He will remove his blessing and give it to others.
In response to the words of Jesus, the Jewish leaders sought a way to kill him. Their legitimacy before the people, whom they feared, rested in part on being different from the failed people of Israel described in the Old Testament. Jesus shattered this carefully crafted image and revealed their true nature. Only a fear of the people prevented them from arresting Jesus.
After discussing the worship and conduct that is due to God in the story of the vineyard, Jesus continued to address what is due to God in terms of worship and of money. Fresh off the humiliating parable of the vineyard, the Pharisees and followers of Herod tried to trap Jesus in a religious or political error.
However, Jesus knew what they had planned. In responding to them, Jesus criticized the Pharisees for not giving God his due in worship and the Herodians for their idolatrous devotion to Caesar. According to Jesus, worship belongs to God, and Caesar can keep his money.
Jesus didn’t much care how they spent their money because it belonged to another kingdom, but he was concerned about their devotion and allegiance to God. In this passage we see how Jesus continued to subvert the authorities of his time and to show them as foolish and even fraudulent without necessarily campaigning to take over their positions. He both challenged the kingdom of this world, while remaining devoted to God’s Kingdom.
When one challenge failed, the Sadducees tried to trap Jesus, but he also criticized them for misunderstanding both the scriptures and the power of God. It was bad enough that they were trying to trap Jesus so they could kill him. But they also didn’t understand how God works, and that included missing the Messiah.
Though the Jewish leaders had fought hard against pagan idols, they had still managed to miss out on devotion to God. A series of covert idols had taken the place of God. These idols were personal gain, religious position, religious practice, political influence, among others. They’re hard to detect, but their effect is the same: they alienate us from God.
Perhaps these covert idols are more dangerous than bowing before a stone or wooden shrine…
