God and Caesar
Text: Mark 12:13-17
Core Idea: As image bearers of God, we are called to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice knowing that we are His. So, let us give back every moment of our lives to God. Let us give Him the worship that He deserves knowing that He is worthy.
INTRODUCTION
Good afternoon, Lighthouse. It is good to see all of you here. If you’re here for the very first time, we are grateful to have you. I pray that you would experience the fullness of His love for you today. I’m also very thankful for our Anchor students. Thank you for patiently journeying with us – know that you’re always in my prayers. I’ll be addressing you later in the message so stay focused. Well, we are going through the Gospel of Mark – exploring the life of Jesus. Last Sunday, we looked at the parable of the tenants which was a way for Jesus to remind the religious leaders of God’s patient love and God’s righteous judgment. It was really an invitation for them to repent and submit to Jesus. But the story ended with the religious leaders hardening their hearts and seeking other ways to arrest Jesus. In fact, from this point onward, the conflict between the religious leaders and Jesus will only escalate and intensify. Then with this in mind, please turn your Bibles to Mark 12:13-17. Let me read this for us.
13 Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch Him in His words. 14 They came to Him and said, “Teacher, we know that You are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because You pay no attention to who they are; but You teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not? 15 Should we pay or shouldn’t we?” But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap Me?” He asked. “Bring Me a denarius and let Me look at it.” 16 They brought the coin, and He asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. 17 Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” And they were amazed at Him.
Amen. This is the Word of God for you today.
I divided the story into three sections:
· THE TRAP
· THE RESPONSE
· THE IRONY
1) THE TRAP
Verse 13. Mark tells us that they (meaning the religious leaders) sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to catch Jesus in His words. Now, this alliance between the Pharisees and Herodians was first formed in Mark 3:6 when Jesus healed a man with a shriveled hand on Sabbath. If you remember, the Pharisees concluded that this healing was a violation of the fourth commandment – and Mark noted that “the Pharisees went out [probably in anger and envy] and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.” But this was a strange alliance because the Pharisees and Herodians were on the other end of the spectrum on many issues. The Pharisees were intensely religious; the Herodians, intensely political. The Pharisees were greatly concerned with the law of God; the Herodians, with the law of Rome. The Pharisees were most devoted to Israel; the Herodians, to Caesar. No wonder they passionately disliked each other. But they had one thing in common: they both found Jesus to be deeply troubling – Jesus was a threat to both groups. It’s interesting that Jesus brings unlikely people together to become brothers and sisters, but He can also bring the most unlikely people together to oppose Him – right? We see that even today. So, we have this union between religious and political leaders with one wicked purpose: “catch [Jesus] in His words” (v. 13). Now, this particular word for “catch” in Greek is the same word for setting up a trap to hunt an animal. As you know, when you’re setting up an animal trap, what you don’t do is just put the trap in the middle of the field – exposed. No, you keep it hidden by covering it with some leaves, but you might put something that will lure the animal in like berries, nuts, or meat depending on what you’re trying to catch. Why would you do that? Because you want to create an environment where the animal may feel comfortable so that they’ll have their guard down. That’s exactly what they did with Jesus. Verse 14, “They came to Him and said, ‘Teacher, we know that You are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because You pay no attention to who they are; but You teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.’” They approached Him with the aim to provoke Him to say something wrong so that He’ll get in trouble with the Roman authorities. But they came with words that were just dripping with flattery – to keep Jesus off guard, to lure Him in so that they might catch Him in His words. They were insincere in their words but ironically, they were accurate in their assessment of Him. They spoke more truthfully than they had realized, and they were about to see that Jesus really was the person they described Him to be.
But before we get there, let’s take a closer look at the question they asked Jesus, verse 14, “Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we?” Now, this is a legitimate question but it’s also a potentially explosive question, a fatal question depending on Jesus’ answer. Let me explain. In 6 A.D. which was around 25 years earlier, Judea was invaded by Rome and forcefully became a Roman province. And in order to control and make revenue from them, Caesar instituted what was called the imperial tax which was something that was imposed on every Jew (not on Roman citizens). The tax was equivalent to a day’s wage for a working man in Judea. So, for example, if your annual income was $50,000, the imperial tax would’ve been around $137 per year. It wasn’t a huge amount but it’s what the tax represented that made it so controversial. It was described as a special tax for the “privilege” of being a subject of Caesar (living under Roman authority) but for the Jews, it was just a constant reminder of their defeat, their downfall. The tax was a symbol of foreign domination – which is why when the tax was first introduced, there was an armed revolt led by a man named Judas the Galilean. He led a band of Jewish patriots as he called all Jews to fight against Caesar. They wanted to bring the Kingdom of God by force. And even though this revolt was eventually suppressed, and Judas executed, the result was that it led to the formation of zealots who continued to oppose Rome until the city was completely demolished in 70 A.D. In fact, one of Jesus’ disciples (Simon) was a former zealot. All this to say, you can imagine how sensitive the topic of the imperial tax was to many of the Jews in Jesus’ days.
Then with this in mind, think about the dilemma Jesus must have been in. This was a carefully crafted question designed to trap Jesus: “Jesus, is it God’s will for us to pay the tax to Caesar? Yes, or no? Are you loyal to Israel or Rome – God or Caesar?” If Jesus supported paying the tax, He would immediately lose the support of the people because they were looking for a Messiah who would bring liberation from Roman rule. But if He opposed the tax, He would immediately be identified as the enemy of Rome because He would be seen as calling for an armed revolt like Judas the Galilean. And because the Roman authorities didn’t tolerate rebellion, Jesus would’ve been captured and executed right away. Then the Pharisees and Herodians must have thought, “We’ve finally got Him. It’s over. Either way, He’ll no longer be a threat to us.” He was trapped – or so they thought. What they were looking for was a yes-or-no answer. They were waiting for Jesus to declare His allegiance to one group or the other. But what they got was something much more complex and brilliantly framed – an answer that left them completely amazed.
It’s amazing how God works. Even though these religious leaders meant it for evil, God used this question for good. Here’s what I mean. Because this issue was very controversial, I wonder if many of the Jews were confused as to what to do with this tax. Paying felt like they were compromising (being a traitor to their country) but not paying would mark them as a rebel. Then even though the religious leaders meant this question to entrap Jesus, God meant this question to be answered for the good of His people – to guide them, to instruct them. In the same way, this is how God works in our lives. As we go into the world, we may be met with circumstances that can lead us to confusion, humiliation, discouragement, and rejection. People may ask questions that feel more like a trap than anything else – they’re not really curious, they just want to see us make a fool of ourselves, to ostracize us. Brothers and sisters, if you ever find yourself in this situation, trust God that even though they meant it for evil, God could use it for good. Who knows – God may use that situation to minister to them (humble them, enlighten them), minister to others around them (arouse their interest in Christ), or minister to you (sanctify you). Be confident in the Lord because He will give you the wisdom to navigate through it.
2) THE RESPONSE
Verse 15, Jesus said to them, “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” Now, a denarius was the coin used to pay the imperial tax and it was worth around 18 cents – so, think of it as a quarter. When they gave it to Him, I wonder if Jesus took some time to quietly observe the coin – heightening the tension in this place. The crowd must have waited with anticipation as to how Jesus would respond. Finally, He broke the silence and asked in verse 16, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” They responded, “Caesar’s.” Then as if He was confirming what they said about Him in verse 14, as a man of integrity, without being swayed by others, He taught the way of God in accordance with the truth by responding this way, verse 17, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” We know His answer was remarkable by looking at their response. Think about it. When a politician refuses to answer a hot question, how do we feel? Frustrated, cynical, angry. Were these people mad? Were they frustrated? No, Mark tells us that they were amazed because His answer was outside the categories. Then let’s look closely at this two-part answer to see why it caused these religious leaders to marvel.
First, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s.” So, to the surprise of all and particularly to His enemies, Jesus told them to pay the tax. Instead of opposing Roman rule, Jesus acknowledged the legitimacy of this state and commanded His followers to obey civil laws. They were to be good citizens. If the obligation is to pay the tax, they should do so with humility. But notice the slight change in the way He answered. Remember, the question was, “Should we pay?” They used the Greek word, dounai, which means to give. But Jesus used the Greek word, apodote, which means to give back, render, or return. In other words, He wasn’t just calling them to give, they were to give back – the things that rightfully belonged to Caesar. Jesus was basically saying, “When you pay that tax, you’re not giving a gift to Caesar – no, Caesar has already built you roads, he has given you justice courts, he has set up military protection for you, he has provided many other civil benefits. So, you ought to give back to Caesar what you owe him. Anything with his image on it, give it back to him.” By saying this, Jesus was opposing two groups that weren’t paying their taxes. On the one hand, the Essenes, who literally abandoned Jerusalem. In protest to the Romans, they fled to the desert. Have you heard of the Dead Sea Scrolls? They’re these ancient manuscripts of the Bible that were discovered in 1946 in the desert because the Essenes took them out to the desert. They were basically saying, “We’re not going to watch injustice being done to our people. We don’t want anything to do with them. In fact, we’re going to be on our own. We’re going to move out.” And Jesus said to them, “Don’t. You must give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s.” But at the same time, the other group that refused to pay their taxes was the zealots. They said, “Let's revolt. Let’s fight the Romans.” And Jesus wasn’t condoning them either. He wanted the people to honor Caesar.
Now, before we move to the second portion of Jesus’ answer, what does this mean for us? The implication is very clear: we too are called to be good citizens of our country. We ought to be thankful for our government. Paul develops this more fully in Romans 13:1, where he writes, “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” So, as Christians, we should have an appropriate appreciation for our government and obey its laws accordingly knowing that it has been instituted by God for the purpose of restraining evil and promoting good in our society. What Jesus said is remarkable because we’re talking about the Roman empire with its history of oppression and persecution. In fact, a few days after this incident, the Romans will kill Jesus. When Paul penned those words to the church in Rome, Nero was the emperor – and under his reign, the church was severely persecuted. So, if they were to be good citizens of the Roman empire, how much more are we to be good citizens in our country? Now, let’s be careful about specifying what this looks like for each and every Christian because there are faithful, mature Christians that belong to each of the major political parties and those who may belong to neither. So, as we think of what it means to be a good citizen, just remember that our obligation to the state should always be governed by our ultimate allegiance to God. One practical way of doing this could be guarding our hearts against complaining about our taxes. I’m not saying we shouldn’t fight to reduce and eliminate certain taxes. I’m just saying that we should pay our taxes as an expression of our love for the nation and our allegiance to God – as a way to please and glorify Him. I pray that this passage would make a difference in the way we prepare our taxes next year – that we would give back with humility and joy.
Now, He wasn’t done surprising them as He continued in verse 17, “And to God what is God’s.” The religious leaders brought an important issue to Jesus’ attention – paying taxes. But Jesus saw this moment as an opportunity to bring to their attention the most important issue – giving back to God what belonged to Him. Suddenly, the conversation changed – all of a sudden, what seemed to be an important issue became relatively a trivial issue. They wanted to talk about taxes, but Jesus intentionally made it about God. Jesus shifted the focus of this conversation from the temporary emperor of Rome to the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Sinclair Ferguson writes, “Jesus says, ‘I see another coin bearing a different image – I see men, the image of God stamped on your lives. So, I conclude, you must give to God what belongs to Him – the whole of your lives.’” These religious leaders didn’t see this coming. They wanted to corner Jesus by talking about what is owed to the state, but Jesus turned the table to talk about what they owed to God. Suddenly, it was about them – their relationship with God, their submission to God, their worship to God. Jesus was saying, “What are the things that belong to Caesar? Taxes – it’s his, so, give it back to him. But don’t give him more than he deserves – in fact, you shouldn’t give him what belongs to God. What’s that you ask? You – don’t give your life to him because you are created in the image of God. You belong to God.” At that moment, they should’ve fallen down and worshiped God, submitting themselves to Jesus – but they didn’t. They were amazed at His wisdom, but they didn’t humble themselves. They didn’t give back the worship He deserved.
Friends, you are created in the image of God. Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.” Without exception, God’s image is engraved in all of us – you and I are fearfully and wonderfully made in His image. Then Jesus is telling you, “You belong to God.” Your bodies belong to Him – your time, your resources, your possessions, your talents – everything about you belongs to Him. Then if you’re not a Christian, first of all, thank you so much for spending your time with us today. I want you to know that it’s not a coincidence that you’re here today. I believe with certainty that God wanted you to hear this truth: that you are beautifully created in the image of God – therefore, you belong to Him. In our passage today, these religious leaders heard the same truth – but it just says that “they were amazed at Him.” In fact, they will go on to find other ways to confront Jesus, trap Jesus until they succeed in crucifying Him on the cross. Friends, it’s not enough to be amazed at Jesus. Jesus is not satisfied with your amazement – He desires your whole life. He wants a relationship with you. He wants your submission. He wants you to live under His authority because He loves you, because He wants to give you life and life to the full. I pray that God will open your eyes to see that Jesus is the King of kings, the Lord of lords who deserves your whole life. Worship Him for who He is. Give your life to Jesus today. Everything you need and desire is found in Him. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to talk to me after and I would love to spend more time with you.
Well, Christians, here’s our application: we must offer ourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God (Rom. 12:1) – as instruments in the advancement of the gospel and the building of the church, all for the glory of God. He is worthy to receive your life. Then Jesus’ words should prompt us to ask ourselves, “How can I give back to Him what belongs to Him – at home, at church, at school, at work, in every moment of our lives?” Brothers and sisters, it matters how you spend your mornings and evenings; it matters how you study or work; it matters how you view your spouse, your children, your parents, your friends, your co-workers, strangers; it matters how you spend your money; it matters how you rest; it matters what you watch, what you listen to – everything about your life matters because we belong to Him. Brothers and sisters, I pray that this truth will inspire us to live each and every moment of our lives for His glory. Let’s not waste away what God has given to us. Paul describes it this way in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” So, I invite you to take some time this week to examine your life in light of Jesus’ words – “Give back to God what is God’s.” I’m not saying you must change everything about yourself. Think of just one area where you can redeem for the Lord. Anchor students, you could do this too. Maybe it means that you’re studying with purpose – as you read, as you write an essay, as you do your homework, don’t do it mindlessly, don’t do it just because you have to, because you don’t want to get in trouble. Study hard to the best of your ability because you want to honor God. Spend your downtime intentionally – I’m not saying you have to read the Bible and pray all the time (though that is always good). Maybe use that time to serve someone at home. Write a meaningful card to your parents, your friends just because. Surprise them by expressing your love and gratitude to them. Whatever it is, there must be something you can change to offer yourself to honor God in your daily life – just one thing. So, meditate on this passage and consider one area of your life you can offer to God this week.
3) THE IRONY
Let’s go back to verse 15. Jesus said, “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” Do you see the irony in that? Let me explain. To understand this point, it’s important to know what was written on a denarius. The inscription was (translated) “Tiberius Caesar (King) Son of God, High Priest.” Then we see two people here: Caesar and Jesus. Both said, “I am the King of kings, the High Priest, the Son of God.” But look at the contrast we see in this passage. It seems like Caesar has all the wealth and power in the world – yet Jesus didn’t even have a denarius to Himself. Here was a king with everything and another King with nothing. Then we can’t help but ask, “Why is this King so poor? How can anyone trust Him when He has nothing to offer?” Let me answer that with Paul’s words from Philippians 2:6-8, “[Jesus] being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage; rather, He made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross!” Why was this King poor? Because He gave it all up for us. Then do you see that the One commanding us to give back all things to Himself is the very One who has given us His life first? Jesus willingly, joyfully died for us on the cross to pay the penalty of our sins so that you and I can be forgiven, be adopted as His children, and be in the presence of the Father forever. Jesus took the poverty we deserved so that you and I could enjoy the incredible wealth of God’s love for us. So, to clarify – our giving back to God isn’t a form of earning His love for us. No, we’re able to give back because Jesus first gave His life as a ransom for our sins – He first rescued us, revived us so that it would be possible for us to give back. Brothers and sisters, the gospel is the only thing that makes us possible to live as good citizens and live every moment of our lives for the glory of God. Without the gospel transforming us, empowering us every day, it’s impossible for us to do this – in fact, without it, Jesus’ words will only be a weight that crushes us with guilt and shame. So, immerse yourself in the gospel once again. Reflect on what Christ has done for us on the cross. And allow the gospel to inform you, move you, and change you so that it will be a joy to give back to God what belongs to Him.
CONCLUSION
Lighthouse family, as image bearers of God, we’re called to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice knowing that we are His. So, let us give back every moment of our lives to God; let us give Him the worship that He deserves knowing that He is worthy.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1) When it comes to the topic of politics, it takes wisdom to know when to be silent and when to speak. What are some dangers of silence? What are some dangers of speaking? How can we figure out when to speak about an issue and when to be silent?
2) What does it mean for us to be good citizens today – to obey and submit to our government? How can you be a better citizen today?
3) What is one area of your life that you can give back to God – to offer yourself to honor Him and love others knowing that everything about you belongs to God?