Trap (Pakute)

METHODIST CHURCH NIGERIA

DIOCESE OF OSOGBO

PASSION WEEK – TUESDAY, 7^TH APRIL, 2020.

GOD’S WORD TO HIS PEOPLE.

THEME: 

TEXT: Mark 12:12-13

“And they sought to lay hands on Him, but feared the multitude, for they knew He had spoken the parable against them. So they left Him and went away. Then they sent to Him some of the Pharisees and the Herodians, to catch Him in His words.”

The event which took place in the temple yesterday, “cleansing of the temple,” irritated the Jewish leaders who were making cheap gain from the unholy businesses going on in the temple. Thus in the days which followed, beginning from Tuesday, the representatives of the Jewish religious and political leaders pounced on Jesus as he ministered in the temple, trying their best to trap him up with their questions. They asked him questions which he answered, but he asked them just a question which silenced them for good.

The following four (4) questions thrown to Jesus Christ which were traps set to catch him, shall be the focus of our message today:

1.   The first trap: A question of authority (Mk. 11:27, 12:12). It is true that members of the Sanhedrin had both the right and the responsibility to investigate anyone who claimed to be sent by God without an exception. However, they did not come to Jesus with sincere motives or to know the truth. Rather they were looking for evidence to use to trap and destroy him (Mk. 11:18). Jesus knew what they had in their mind and the kind of leaders they were, so he countered their question with another big question in order to expose their hypocrisy. He took them all the way back to the time of John the Baptist whose teaching they had rejected (John 7:17). The Jewish leaders were caught in a dilemma of their own making, because they were not seeking to know the truth or what is right, but what is safe. This is always the approach of the hypocrite and crowd pleasers Before they could run away Jesus told them the parable of the wicked tenants which revealed their sins and where those sins will lead them his condemnation and crucifixion.

2.   The second trap: A question of responsibility (Mk. 12:13-17). “Rikisi pawon po won dore” is a Yoruba saying which is true of the Pharisees and the Herodians, two enemies whose evil plan brought together as one. Their temporary alliance was a subtle trap because no matter how Jesus replied to their question about payment of tax to Caesar, he was in trouble with either Rome or King Herod. But Jesus, in his divine wisdom, moved the discussion from politics to principle and caught the hypocrites in their own trap (Mk. 12:15b-17) Christians have responsibility to perform in the society and the church. We are to be obedient to the government of our land in all good things.

3.   Third trap: A question about eternity (Mk. 12:18-27) This is the only place in the gospel according to Mark where the Sadducees are mentioned. This group would not accept any teaching or doctrine which could not be defended from the law of Moses; the first five books of the Old Testament. They did not believe in resurrection of the dead among other things (Acts 23:8). They also brought hypocritical question to Jesus Christ based on the law of marriage (Deut. 25:7-10). They raised the case of a woman who had married seven husbands in her lifetime and trying to know who shall be her husband out of the seven brothers at resurrection of the dead. To their amazement, Jesus explained that in our resurrection bodies, we would be sexless like the angels; and therefore marriage would no longer exist in the eternal state. He used the scripture (Ex. 3) to tell them that God is not God of the dead but of the living (Ex. 3:15). Let us know that heaven and hell are real.

4.  The fourth trap: A question of priority. (Mk. 12:28-34) The next challenges was a scribe who was also a Pharisee (Mk. 22:34-35) To the scribes, the Jews were obligated to obey 613 in the laws 365 negative precepts and 248 positives. One of their favorite exercise, therefore, was to discuss which of these divine commandments was the greatest. In his reply, Jesus quoted Deut. 6:4-5 (The Shema), the great confession of faith any pious Jew always recite. He also quoted Lev. 19:18 which emphasizes love for one’s neighbor. Jesus Christ made love the most important thing in life, because love is the fulfilling of the law (Rom. 13:8-10). If we love God, we will experience his love within, and will in turn express that love to others. Christians do not live by rules, but by relationships, a loving relationship to God which helps us to have a loving relationship with our fellow human beings. This is the time to show our agape type of love to others around us. Let us share what we have with lease privilege people around us at this period of lockdown and fear of CONVID-19.

Here comes Jesus’ question of identity (Mk. 12:35-37) Now it was Jesus turn to ask question. His question which focused on his identity, is more important than all the Jewish leaders’ questions. He knew that if anyone is wrong about his identity, such person will equally be wrong about Salvation (John 3:16-21, 8:24, 1John 2:18-23). He quoted Psalm 110:1 and requested them to explain how David’s son could also be David’s Lord. This was a puzzle which weakened the Jewish leaders and put them to silence for a while. We must recognize and know that Jesus Christ is the only saviour of the world and only him can proffer solution to our present predicament, and save us at this global trying period.

Traps are set everywhere for people for different reasons. Coronavirus is a big trap which has caught many people today. The only man who could not be trapped by human effort and wisdom or by any pandemic is moving on his last journey to Calvary this week. Come to him and you will never be trapped. Human protection is artificial and insufficient. Come to Jesus Christ, the rejected stone and be saved (Acts. 4:12; Matt. 11:28-30) Come with me to the secret place of the Most High and abide under the shadow of the Almighty, then you and your family will be saved and delivered from all forms of traps in life, and we shall all live eternally with God in heaven. Amen Pakute aye koni mowa la’gbara Edumare.

 

Rt. Rev. A.K.O. Ogunrinde, JP, FICT.

Bishop, Diocese of Osogbo.

Chairman OS-CAN.