There was a day in my world when a high school diploma carried a lot of weight. These days, at the minimum, it’s more likely to be a Bachelor’s Degree (BA). Some people have earned several degrees, and that’s worthy of respect.
As the world turns, however, every culture and generation has classes of well-educated people. In Jesus’ time, it might have been the Pharisees and Herodians. I mention it because of Mark 12:13-17.
These two groups were asked to go together to test Jesus. Instead of saying, “We have a question for you,” they went on and on about what they knew about Him.
They said: 1) We know that You are honest, 2) You seek favor from no one, 3) You are impartial, and 4) You teach the way of God truthfully. Then, after their wordy introduction, they asked their pre-planned question: “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? (Mark 12:14)
As citizens under Roman rule, they knew not paying taxes was never an option! But Jesus saw through their hypocrisy and knew they were testing Him. He asked for a denarius, then, holding the coin, He asked, “Whose image is this?” (Mark 12:15-16) “Caesar’s,” they said.
Jesus said, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” That was an unexpected answer, and they marveled at Him (Mark 12:17).
Knowledge about Jesus is not enough. Why not?
l. It must be mixed with faith in Him (Hebrews 4:2, 12:2)
2. Faith in Jesus gives us salvation and eternal life (John 3:16-18; Romans 10:13,)
3. After that, knowledge becomes important to our spiritual growth (2 Peter 1:3-10)
Faith, Salvation, and Spiritual Growth . . . where do you stand on this spiritual spectrum?
Just remember, your answer has eternal consequences (Hebrews 9:27-28).
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