Care to Talk Politics and Religion? Mark 12

Have you ever heard of the Chaplet of Saint Michael? Whether you’re in a small group discussing the Gospel of Mark or doing this Bible study on your own, the Chaplet of Saint Michael (Click HERE for Link to the Chaplet) can be a great way to start your time of fellowship and study. The prayer draws upon nine choirs of angels and asks them to intercede for you. Each choir of angel carries a specific responsibility in the kingdom of God. The work of angels fills the Scriptures. God loves to work with His angels and saints and, I think, many times our angelic helpers are waiting for us to ask them for help. Prayer before Bible Study helps us open our hearts to the work of the Holy Spirit who ministers to us through the Word of God. Study of Scripture is more than an intellectual pursuit, it’s about discipleship and putting on the mind of Christ. The angels (with Mary’s intercession) can be a great help during our read and study of the Sacred Page.  Try praying the chaplet before you start Bible Study this go around.  

 Reflection Questions: 
1.) The opening parable of Mark 12:1-11 concludes with Mark letting us know that the parable was about “them” in verse 12. Who is the “them” in the parable? What does the parable reveal about God’s persistent love for us?  
2.) After reflection on the importance of marriage in Mark 10, we come across a passage in which Jesus states that in heaven “they neither marry nor are given in marriage” (v. 25). In Heaven the Sacrament of Marriage gives way to the reality of our total union with God through Christ, and our perfect communion with one another through Christ. When you think of heaven, what biblical images come to mind? Where in the Bible do you find those images of heaven?  
3.) What do you think Jesus meant by his reply to the scribe in verse 34? What would make him “not far” from the kingdom instead of “in” the kingdom of God? 
4.)  What does verse 40 have to do with verses 41-44? Jesus might be delighted by the faithfulness of the widow in verses 41-44, but is he pleased by such a system that, perhaps, preys upon the piety of the destitute?  

Food for Thought: 

It’s always interesting when religion and politics intersect. It used to be the case that people would not bring up politics and religion in polite society. People understood the personal nature of both and thought better of treading upon the sensitivities of others. Jesus’ understanding of taxes in Mark 12:13-17 needs a little backstory for us today. The Roman Tax was a sign of Jerusalem’s subjugation. Galileans were an outpost of the Empire and did not have to pay the Roman Tax. At the same time, several factions disagreed about how to handle taxation as devout Jews. The Herodians represented the more practical argument about the tax: just pay it to survive but cross your fingers while you do it. The Herodians also represented a family lineage that traditionally held power within the domain of Jerusalem. The Herodians served as intermediaries between the Roman authorities and the Jewish citizenry. For some this seemed like betrayal, for others it seemed like the sanest approach to a bad situation. The Pharisees tended to think in terms of ritual purity rather than political expediency. For them, the tax represented worship of the Roman Emperor whose visage donned the coins used for the Roman Tax. This wasn’t too out of left field either, because emperor worship was a real aspect of Roman life; temples dedicated to the emperor dotted the empire with fixed days for citizens to offer a sacrifice to the emperor’s statue as to a deity. The Pharisees wanted none of this idolatry, nor even the smell of its incense near their nostrils. In short, the Pharisees did not want to pay the Roman Tax for religious reason.  

We know that this was a sore spot for the people of Jerusalem because revolutionary revolts regularly occurred throughout Israel against Roman Rome up to and after Jesus’ day. One such revolt by a Zealot named Judas took place in 66-70AD and ended with the massacre of the revolutionaries and the destruction of the Second Temple. Many of the revolutionaries and zealots opposing Roman rule historically came from Galilee. This perhaps ties into the historical reasons why Pilate might have more readily handed over Jesus for crucifixion. Pilate knew Jesus came from Galilee and that Galilee remained a hotbed of sedition in his day. So, maybe Pilate thought “better safe than sorry” even if he wasn’t convinced by Jesus’ accusers. The Roman Tax became a symbol of all this political upheaval and Jesus is brought right into the thick of it in Mark 12:13-17. 

This episode about the Roman Tax highlights a few perennial aspects of the religious and political debates: 

1.) We see Herodians and Pharisees joining together to entrap Jesus over this contentious issue. These political and religious foes found a common enemy and became “friends.” One of the reasons we need to keep our animosities away from our political outlook is because hatred can end up blinding us to the “friends” we’re making. If all we care about is stopping so-and-so at all costs, we might end up befriending someone whose ideology, practices, and intentions are opposed to our own. Jesus became the scapegoat for the Herodians and Pharisees because “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” Well, that friendship didn’t bring peace, but, as Jesus predicted, eventually led to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple itself.  
2.) Although the US no longer anchors its politics, laws, or cultural outlook in Christianity, that tradition of claiming to be on Jesus’ side remains a strong undercurrent. Those on the Left will claim that they’re the merciful ones who “love like Jesus.” Those on the Right will claim that they’re the devout ones who “follow Jesus’ teachings.” Yet those on the Left will often support abortion and neither biblical nor Catholic policies regarding the dignity of marriage and the family. Those on the Right often allow their ideology to shade their outlook on others dissimilar to themselves and will sometimes tiptoe into a hawkish footing that sees war as a necessity rather than diplomatic approaches whereby the US would need to give ground (which is not a Gospel nor a Catholic understanding of war). Both sides might claim Jesus as their mascot because of the residue of Christianity still hovering around the political landscape, but Jesus doesn’t like being cornered. If you think Jesus’ statement in verse 17 meant we are to pay the Roman Tax, then you’re simply reading it as a good Herodian. If you think Jesus’ statement in verse 17 meant we don’t render anything to Caesar (not even taxes) because everything belongs to God, then you’re a good Pharisee. Either way, you’re just using your own perspective to interpret Jesus’ words the way you want to read them. That was the case in first century Israel and our own day and age. If we want Jesus to shape our hearts, then we need to let him shape everything, including our politics. We don’t go to Jesus to get him on “our side,” we go to Jesus with a humble heart to be on HIS side.  
3.)  Politics and religion both need to be in dialogue, because both touch upon some of the deepest aspects of our humanity. The idea that we can separate our politics from our religion flies in the face of the reality that we live from our deepest convictions. If someone is anti-religious in their outlook, they will vote for and favor policies that line up with that outlook. If someone has a strong inclination to preserve the environment, or they’re a farmer raising corn, or a coal miner, or a Catholic, that person’s deepest beliefs will shape how they vote and the policies they espouse. Jesus did not deny the seriousness of the debate by sidestepping the trap of the Herodians and Pharisees. Religion and politics need to be in dialogue with one another and Catholics need to vote from a conscience shaped by the Gospels and the Teachings of the Church (that is, if they actually want to vote as a Catholic). This will mean that a political party – no matter what lip service they give to juice up our voting stride – will not be the arbiter of our deepest convictions about, well, anything. Political parties want to do one thing, and we see it on display with Jesus in Mark 12:13-17: they want to trap you into their corner. I’m sorry if that upsets you, but it’s true whether you’re a Herodian or Pharisee; both of those factions wanted to force Jesus into one camp, not for Jesus’ gain, but for theirs. They will scapegoat someone or something else, they will use fear, they will attempt to convince you that their outlook is even the truly Catholic one. But all they want is your vote for their power, that’s it. You represent a vote, and your vote represents their level of influence. We need to be very sober eyed when it comes to politics. Don’t let liberal or conservative news become your Gospel. Don’t let your hatreds shape your outlook on life and politics. We need to put on the mind of Christ, especially now! We need to do the hard work of keeping the Gospels center stage in our heart. The theater of the world will try to convince us that that is impractical, naive, and that if we don’t take one side then it means we’re taking the enemy’s side. Hogwash! If we allow Jesus to shape our outlook, behaviors, heart and mind, then we will look like Jesus in the world. We need more Catholics voting, and fewer Democrat-Catholics and Republican-Catholics voting, we need just straight up disciples of Jesus engaged in the local, state, and federal politics. That won’t be easy. And, odds are, it won’t be very “successful” according to the world. But if we would take “success” at the cost of our soul, choosing worldly gain in the place of living in the mind of Christ...well...good luck with that.  

 And that, my friends, is some food for thought.