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A Not-A-Funeral Eucharist

Communion is not a funeral or a memorial.

There is a sense in which we do memorialize the death of Jesus Christ. But a true memorial recounts a person’s life, not the details of his death. When we eat and drink, we are remembering the way Jesus died. He was tortured, starved, humiliated, abused and murdered. Communion is a physical reminder of that.

But again, this is not a funeral or a memorial. It is a celebration.

God is the God of the living because he is alive. Only an omnipotent and living creator can bring people to life. That’s why the resurrection is so important. That’s why, three days later, Jesus rose again from the dead. He rose again so that we could live. He rose again so that we could also be resurrected with him.

No friend, this is not Jesus’ funeral. Nor is it ours. This is a celebration of life.

Loyalty

[Devotional based on the sermon: God's]

“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (Mark 12:17)

Caesar’s coins belong to Caesar. They don’t have God’s face on them. They have Caesar’s face on them. It is for this reason Jesus says, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s.”

That doesn’t mean that God does not have a claim on money. As the creator of everything, everything belongs to him. But that is not Jesus’ point. Caesar fashioned his own coins for his own purposes. Giving Caesar what he wants does not mean one is aligning themselves to his purposes. Our loyalties lie in who we purpose ourselves to, not necessarily in who we give money to.

True loyalty to God is manifested when one desires God.

1. How are you being loyal, or not loyal, to God?
2. Pray about your answer.

Deity

[Devotional based on the sermon: God's]

“Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” (Mark 12:14)

A denarius, a Roman silver coin, was the amount one must pay to satisfy the poll tax requirement. It was equivalent to a day’s wage for an ordinary soldier. On the face of it was Tiberius, the son of Caesar Augustus. The inscription on the coin was “TIBERIUS CAESAR DIVI AUG. FILIUS,” which means “Caesar Tiberius, son of the divine Augustus.”

Now this coin was greatly offensive to religiously devout Jews because of Exodus 20:4. To some Jews, having a denarius in one’s possession would have been tantamount to idolatry. It’s primarily because of the inscription “son of the divine Augustus.” This is a declaration that Augustus was a deity. This was unacceptable to certain Jews.

If Jesus answered, “It is lawful to pay taxes to Caesar,” he could have been accused of compromising his loyalty to God.

1. Read Colossians 2:9. What does Paul mean?
2. Take some time now to worship him.

Poll Tax

[Devotional based on the sermon: God's]

“Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” (Mark 12:14)

The Greek word for “taxes” is “kenson” (κῆνσον). It is transliterated from latin, meaning “census.” It can also be translated as “poll tax.” The poll tax was introduced when Judea officially became a Roman province In A.D. 6. It was at that time that a census was declared. To fund this census, a poll tax was created.

For obvious reasons, this was incredibly unpopular amongst the Jews. The Zealots, in particular, were the most violently opposed to this Roman imposition. Led by Judas of Galilee, the Zealots revolted. Unfortunately for them, they were no match for their Roman occupiers and the revolt was quickly stamped out. As a result, for some Jews the poll tax became associated with this rebellion.

So, the question the Pharisees ask Jesus was not just a matter of civil obedience. This question was an attempt at forcing Jesus to admit that he is the leader of the new rebellion. That’s what would have been implied if Jesus told them to not pay the tax.

1. Jesus is much more than a rebel leader. Read Colossians 1:15-19.
2. What does this mean for you? Pray about your answer.