Paying Taxes to Caesar. Mark 12:13-17.
And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, to trap him in his talk. And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone’s opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not? “But knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it. “And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar’s. “Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they marveled at him.
Dear Royal Priesthood,
Opposition to Jesus has reached its zenith. The Pharisees were some of the most ardent opponents of Roman rule, while the Herodians – a party that supported king Herod, who was in cahoots with the Romans, were in open cooperation with the colonizers. These two opposing sides came together to try and trap Jesus.
Puzzle (v. 13-14). The opponents first shower Jesus with flattery. Everything they say about Jesus is true, yet they have refused to believe him! They present Jesus with a problem that would seem genuine because the Pharisees were against paying taxes to the Roman colonizers, while the Herodians were for it. If Jesus chooses the side of the Pharisees, he can be accused of encouraging people to disobey the government and expose himself to possible arrest and incarceration, or even execution. If he chooses the side of the Herodians, he will set himself against popular public opinion and lose the crowds. They have put Jesus in what they think is a no-win situation.
Picture (v. 15-16). Jesus can see through their hypocrisy and calls it out right away. He then uses a coin to answer their question. The denarius had the image of Caesar and Jesus calls their attention to the fact. Once they have confirmed that the coin bears the image of Caesar, Jesus gives them his solution.
Position (v. 17). Jesus’ answer is simple but insightful. The image of Caesar is on the denarius, so Caesar deserves what is his. Likewise, God should get what belongs to him. The image of God is on each human being, so we all should surrender our lives to him. The detractors were amazed, but they still did not believe. They have chosen to oppose Jesus and their every interaction with him is an attempt to bring him down. These men chose unbelief, they are now slaves to it. Beware. You have a choice, but once the choice is made, you may be on a path of no return.
Your Loving Pastor Chris.