2019-05-08 Mark 12:13-17
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13 Then they sent some of the Pharisees and the Herodians to Jesus to trap him in his words.
14 When they came, they said to him, “Teacher, we know you are truthful and don’t care what anyone thinks, nor do you show partiality but teach the way of God truthfully. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”
15 But knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius to look at.”
16 They brought a coin. “Whose image and inscription is this?” he asked them. “Caesar’s,” they replied.
17 Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were utterly amazed at him.
I. In God we trust?
I. In God we trust?
I. In God we trust?
I. In God we trust?
13 Then they sent some of the Pharisees and the Herodians to Jesus to trap him in his words.
14 When they came, they said to him, “Teacher, we know you are truthful and don’t care what anyone thinks, nor do you show partiality but teach the way of God truthfully. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”
A. Is our trust in God, or in the government?
A. Is our trust in God, or in the government?
14 When they came, they said to him, “Teacher, we know you are truthful and don’t care what anyone thinks, nor do you show partiality but teach the way of God truthfully. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”
Illus: Think for a monent about the plight of the people of Israel.
1. They were a conquered nation. Throughout their history their identity was that God’s nation and all of a sudden they were the door mat of empire after empire.
2. Not only were they a conquered nation, God had not spoke for four hundred years. Not only did they not hear from God, God’s voice was a distant memory to them.
3. They were crippled by tax. Most Judeans payed around 40% of their income to the Roman authorities. If a tax collector could squeeze more, he would.
4. Even in taxation they were forced to use the denarius, a coin which held Caesar’s picture and stated “Tiberius Caesar Agustus, Son of the Divine Augustus” on one side and on the other Tiberius’ picture stating “Pontifex Maximus” (Chief Priest).
For any good Jew, taxation was abhorrent and in direct opposition to following God. Taxes were paid, but through gritted teeth.
The pharisees brought this question to Jesus while the Herodians (roman loyalists, traitors to the Jews), were in the crowd to attempt to either turn the crowd against Jesus or paint Jesus as a revolutionary destined for trial and death.
Take a moment and think with me about the way we interact with our government. We tend to follow the false dichotomy set up be the pharisees. Depending on who is in office we either say “God’s laws superceed human laws” or “We must honor and respect God’s man”. It really depends on who is in office.
In 2008 when President Obama was elected, it seemed like all hope was taken from many evangelical voters. I heard “Well, we are no longer a christian nation” and a general despair that God was no longer in control of the United States.
In 2016 when President Trump was elected, evangelical voters had the opposite reaction. Christians who never asked to pray for the president turned and said, “we must pray for our president” and “we must support God’s man”.
There is a contradiction in the way we approach government, if we understand Scripture, God places every ruler in his place. God has reigned over America no matter the president and we are called to respect every leader whether we agree with them or not.
Why, because our faith in God needs to be bigger than our political loyalty. God is working through both just and unjust rulers to accomplish a bigger purpose that our small political agendas.
God raised up Nebuchadnezzar, deported and imprisoned the young men of Israel, and then gave Nebuchadnezzar the mind of an animal to show He alone was in charge. Here are Daniel’s words.
17 This word is by decree of the watchers, and the decision is by command from the holy ones. This is so that the living will know that the Most High is ruler over human kingdoms. He gives them to anyone he wants and sets the lowliest of people over them.
B. Does faith end at the ballot box?
B. Does faith end at the ballot box?
13 Then they sent some of the Pharisees and the Herodians to Jesus to trap him in his words.
14 When they came, they said to him, “Teacher, we know you are truthful and don’t care what anyone thinks, nor do you show partiality but teach the way of God truthfully. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”
Illus: Also within the crowd was a group called the Zealots. These were men who often carried a long knife under their robes with the intent to stab any roman soldier they could. The goal of the pharisees and herodians was to push Jesus into the roman loyalist camp or the zealot camp. Either way he would lose.
The Zealots had lost faith that God would work so they saw it as their responsibility to make Israel God’s nation again.
You can be zealous for God and faithless at the same time.
When your political party loses do you feel despair?
In the coming election, do you feel a desperation that if your party does not win, then all hell will break loose?
This shows the idolatry of politics in our lives. When it comes to our nation we do not trust God.
As Jesus placed Tiberius over Rome and placed Rome over Isreal, Jesus knew what he was doing.
Faith in God is not faith to win an election. Faith in God is faith that God is in control and that God’s man can be a pagan Caesar or a wicked president.
1 Remind them to submit to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work,
2 to slander no one, to avoid fighting, and to be kind, always showing gentleness to all people.
3 For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved by various passions and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, detesting one another.
II. In God’s authority we trust?
II. In God’s authority we trust?
15 But knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius to look at.”
16 They brought a coin. “Whose image and inscription is this?” he asked them. “Caesar’s,” they replied.
17 Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were utterly amazed at him.
A. God is in charge, and his hand is over all governments.
A. God is in charge, and his hand is over all governments.
15 But knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius to look at.”
16 They brought a coin. “Whose image and inscription is this?” he asked them. “Caesar’s,” they replied.
17 Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were utterly amazed at him.
Illus: God has created and established governments. Every government is established and runs under God’s authority.
When Jesus says, give to Caesar what is Caesar is is a statement about how God has placed civic authorities above us. Whether we agree with them or not.
The grand governments of this world are pawns in the hands of the almighty God. Jesus confronted the zealots in the crowd (many of whom were his followers) to show that his purpose on this earth was not to lead a political revolution. Instead called people to a submission to the government which taxed them to poverty and oppressed them… because God was doing something far greater than a political coup.
It is easy to speak well of the political representatives we agree with. That is not all the bible calls us to. We are called to give to caesar what is caesar.
Look at how paul apply’s Jesus teaching:
1 Let everyone submit to the governing authorities, since there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are instituted by God.
2 So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing God’s command, and those who oppose it will bring judgment on themselves.
3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have its approval.
4 For it is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because it does not carry the sword for no reason. For it is God’s servant, an avenger that brings wrath on the one who does wrong.
5 Therefore, you must submit, not only because of wrath but also because of your conscience.
6 And for this reason you pay taxes, since the authorities are God’s servants, continually attending to these tasks.
7 Pay your obligations to everyone: taxes to those you owe taxes, tolls to those you owe tolls, respect to those you owe respect, and honor to those you owe honor.
B. Submission and honor to the government is a way we worship.
B. Submission and honor to the government is a way we worship.
15 But knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius to look at.”
16 They brought a coin. “Whose image and inscription is this?” he asked them. “Caesar’s,” they replied.
17 Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were utterly amazed at him.
Illus: Let’s be clear, we do not worship the government, but part of our obedience of God and worship of Him is the way we interact with the government he has placed over us.
When we say give to God the things that are God’s, what does not belong to God? Including governments?
Our respect to the police, taxman, congressmen, aldermen, president and every official God has placed over us is part of the way we give to God what it God.
Respect and honor to politicians that we disagree with show our faith in God.
Respect and honor to politicians that we disagree with is a witness to the world.
There should be no room for political slander in the christian life.
When we resort to slander, hopelessness, sharing foolishness , embracing political gossip, and such we dishonor God and ruin our witness.
13 Submit to every human authority because of the Lord, whether to the emperor as the supreme authority
14 or to governors as those sent out by him to punish those who do what is evil and to praise those who do what is good.
15 For it is God’s will that you silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing good.
16 Submit as free people, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but as God’s slaves.
17 Honor everyone. Love the brothers and sisters. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
B.
B.
III. In God we trust fully?
III. In God we trust fully?
17 Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were utterly amazed at him.
A. Does the way you respond to government show that you genuinely trust God?
A. Does the way you respond to government show that you genuinely trust God?
Illus: God sits on the throne. He will sit on the throne if your political candidate wins, and he will sit on the throne if your political candidate loses.
God sits on the throne when the supreem court rules in your favor, and He sits on the throne when they rule against you.
God sits on the throne over congress, and He sits on the throne the senate.
Is your faith in God great enough to see his dominion over our nation. Is your faith in God great enough to trust in the gospel over politics.
When people look at the way you interact with politics, do they see your faith in God, your faith in the gospel, or do they see a faithless and hopeless idolatry of politics?
20 He exercised this power in Christ by raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens—
21 far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
22 And he subjected everything under his feet and appointed him as head over everything for the church,
23 which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.
Expository Sermon Preparation |
This passage was chosen because it was next in the line of verse by verse through the book of Mark
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I chose to preach the pericope in order to teach the entire story from the text.
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Within the direct context of this story, Jesus had cursed the fig tree, turned over tables in the synagogue, been challenged by the Sanhedrin, and spoken the parable of the vineyard.
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Up unto this point the scribes and pharisees could not trap Jesus in a argument... I.E. the question of John the Baptist. If they could not win on religious grounds, they looked for a way to trap Jesus on governmental grounds.
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Themes: Citizenship: Jesus builds the idea of how a believer can be both citizen of the kingdom of God as well as a citizen in the kingdom of a man. Discernment: Jesus was able to see beyond the arguments of the Herodians to the true questions underneath.
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Preliminary Main Idea: Jesus did not allow himself to be falsly crucified as a political zealut, but instead defined how one might live in respect to a human authority while at the same time obedient to the Eternal Authority.
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Basic Facts:
HERODIANS (Ἡρῳδιανοί, Hērōdianoi). A Jewish political party that sympathized with the rulers of the Herodian dynasty, and therefore Rome. They are depicted as allied with the Pharisees against Jesus, in spite of the parties’ conflicting sympathies (; ; ). Major Contributors and Editors. (2016). Herodians. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, … W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
PHARISEES (Φαρισαῖος, Pharisaios). Members of a Jewish party that exercised strict piety according to Mosaic law. The Pharisees were a sect within early Judaism, becoming active around 150 BC and enduring as a distinct party until being subsumed into the Rabbinic movement around AD 135.
Although the origin of the Pharisees is disputed (they may date as far back as the period of resettlement in Palestine following Babylonian exile), the group appears to have become the primary voice of Judaism following the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in AD 70. The Pharisees developed a tradition of strict interpretation of the Mosaic law, developing an extensive set of oral extensions of the law designed to maintain religious identity and purity.Johnson, B. T. (2016). Pharisees. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, … W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
DENARIUS (δηνάριον, dēnarion). A Roman silver coin. The equivalent of a typical daily wage (e.g., ; ; ; ; ; ; ). Major Contributors and Editors. (2016). Denarius. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, … W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
When the Pharisees asked Jesus if it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, Jesus asked to see a coin for the tax. They gave Him a denarius like this. The motto on this coin proclaims Tiberius to be the son of the divine Caesar who preceded him. Jesus, the true Son of God, would have recognized the irony of Tiberius’ claim (; ; ).
Principle for Bible Reading (John Piper)
Jesus does not always give us every answer explicitly. Sometimes he wants us to think and come to the right answer for ourselves, like when the Pharisees tried to trap him over taxes. In this lab, John Piper helps us understand how we relate to the government by highlighting God’s governing of all things.
Outline
Introduction/Prayer (00:00–00:55)
Is It Lawful to Pay Taxes? (00:55–06:43)
1. The Pharisees and Herodians wanted to entangle Jesus over the issue of taxes. If Jesus says they ought to pay, he betrays the Jews who resented the Romans. If he says do not pay, he would be in trouble with Caesar and the Romans. Either conflict could undo him and his influence.
2. The malice in the question springs from envy. Even Pilate knew the Jews were handing Jesus over out of envy. ()
3. Jesus asks them to bring him a denarius and show him the face on the coin. He answers them by saying they ought to give to Caesar what it Caesar’s, and to God what it God’s.
4. Jesus did not deal with the scope of Caesar’s sphere of power and possession, or God’s. He also does not deal with the relationship between Caesar’s sphere and God’s.
Give to God What Is God’s (06:43–11:56)
1. Everything belongs to God, meaning the things that belong to Caesar do not belong to him ultimately. All of his possession is derivative. (; )
2. Therefore, Caesar’s rights and claims over you are limited. If Caesar calls us to do anything God prohibits, we refuse. ()
3. Caesar’s influence and our allegiance to him are shaped by God’s superior possession and authority. We render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s as an act of worship to God. (; )
Reflections from John Piper's lesson:
If Jesus says pay- he makes himself to be a traitor to the jewish cause. If he says don't pay then he becomes an enemy and traitor against Rome.
Even Roman authorities saw the political games being used against Jesus .
Jesus does not scope of what belongs to Caesar and God, but allows the listener to make the conclusions themselves.
Don’t miss that everything belongs to God. Everything that belongs to Cesar only is there because it is under God's authority and ownership.
We are called to submit to Cesar's authority which sits under God's Authority. Caesar's authority never trumps God's authority, but is limited by God’s. When Caesar’s authority and God's authority do not agree, we submit to God.
Part of our obedience to God is honoring and submitting to those whom have been given authority by God. We submit from God's sake.
The submission you give to an authority (whether govermental, pastoral, family, boss) is not because the person is the authority themselves, but because they have authority given to them from God.
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Genre: The passage begins with the religious leaders asking Jesus an entrapping question, but ends with Jesus speaking almost in proverb.
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This pericope is separated in most translations as a stand alone story from the question about resurrection and questions about God's greatest comand in the following verses. The NASB does not separate the question because it desires to show Mark's intent in the overall section of Jesus' wisdom in the midst of misguided questions.
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The passage must be thought through in the context of the last half of Mark as Jesus is moving forward in his deliberate march to the cross. That said, it is important to see that Jesus was not going to be crucified falsely under the trickary of the scribes. Jesus needed to be crucified as God, not as a political Zealot.
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l. Original Meaning.
a. The verb hypokrínomai first means “to explain,” also, rarely, “to answer.”
b. hypókrisis can mean “answer,” but hypokritḗs means “actor,” probably as one who interprets a poet, depicting by his whole conduct the role assigned.
2. Recitation and Acting. Declamation is essential in acting; hence elocution is an important part of rhetoric. For Aristotle, it is the doctrine of linguistic expression. The art of speaking is a specialized skill both on the stage and in the marketplace. Demosthenes achieves success when he takes lessons from an actor. hypókrisis embraces the delivery of a speech, including mime and gesture.
3. Transferred Meaning. Human life comes to be compared to the stage, and conduct to the task of the actor (cf. Plato, and especially the Stoics). The noble person can play any part assigned with no loss of inner stability. Negatively, the stage is a sham world and actors are deceivers. Hence hypókrisis takes on the sense of “pretense” or “pretext.” But additions are needed to show whether the group has a positive, negative, or neutral sense. Only under Christian influence does the negative sense prevail in the Byzantine period.
Kittel, G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W. (1985). Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (pp. 1235–1236). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans.
A pious appearance and a distortion of proportion conceal the failure to do God’s will. In contrast, the disciples must achieve a greater righteousness (), showing a concern for integrity rather than status (6:2ff.). Sham will result in ruin (6:2ff.; 24:51). It comes to expression in the attempt to entrap Jesus while supposedly raising serious questions (cf. ).
Kittel, G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W. (1985). Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (p. 1236). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans.
The word test is the same rood word as temptation. THe idea is not that the temptation is the luring into evil, but instead that the truth of who you are is tested. The pharisees whom were hypocrites (actors which outwardly looked righteous, but inwardly wicked), sought to test and see if Jesus was truly God's man, or if they could tempt him to be a man of Caesar. They attempted to point out a contradiction in if way of teaching.
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Hypocrisy: Jesus pointed out the hypocrisy of the disciples view by establishing that Caesar and God were not in opposition to one another, but instead that Caesar was only under the authority God had given him. Not only could the pharisees not see the foolishness of their denial of Jesus, they could not see how God was using a pagan ruler for His plan.
Taxation:
The decree of Augustus in was important for the collection of taxes in the first century (Vardaman and Yamauchi, Chronos, Kairos, Christos, 1989). The purpose of this census was to put names with faces so that each family could be taxed
Simmons, W. (2016). Taxation. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, … W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
And as Justinian notes, the Romans taxed just about every commodity imaginable (Justinian, Dig. 39.4.16). The Jews were also suffering under a system of double-taxation (Bruce, “Render unto Caesar,” 249–63), as they had to pay all of the religious taxes as prescribed by the law (; ) as well as the Roman taxes. It has been estimated that a direct sales tax on all produce in Israel may have been as high as 12.5 percent. Furthermore, there is some evidence that the Romans exacted an additional tax from each Jewish household (Josephus, Antiquities 19.299; Safrai and Stern, The Jewish People, 2:698). When one adds to this the various custom taxes required for transporting goods from one region to another, the annual tax burden of the Jews may have been as high as 40 percent of one’s total income (Justinian, Dig. 39.4.16).
Simmons, W. (2016). Taxation. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, … W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
Moreover, for many Jews, a tax collector was simply a traitor because he was giving aid to the enemies of Israel (Borg, Conflict, Holiness, and Politics, 86–87, 120–21). Thus the question of whether people should pay taxes to Caesar (; ; ) had deep political ramifications for the Jews (Josephus, Antiquities 18.3–4; 20.102; Jewish War 7.253–54).
Simmons, W. (2016). Taxation. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, … W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
In response to the question about paying taxes to Rome, Jesus said, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s” (; ; ; Ball, “What Jesus Really Meant,” 14–17). In this way, He recognized the legitimate role of civil government and endorsed its right to collect taxes (Horsley, Jesus and the Spiral of Violence, 310). His followers adopted the same policy toward government and paying taxes. In , Paul states, “This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.”
Simmons, W. (2016). Taxation. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, … W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
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In we see the same language used in regards to the group's intent for Jesus.
helps shape an understanding of the pharisees and Herodians intent in the passage.
is Paul's application of this teaching.
explains how God provides in the midst of an unfair tax
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All Roman taxes (customs, tolls, etc.) were unpopular, but the poll tax (κῆνσος) was a particularly offensive demand for Jewish patriots. First imposed less than a generation earlier by means of Quirinius’s census when Judaea became a Roman province under direct rule in A.D. 6, it was the immediate cause of the revolt led by Judas of Galilee in that year (Josephus, War 2.118; Ant. 18.4–10, 23–25). That revolt had been quickly stamped out, but it remained the inspiration for subsequent patriotic leaders, culminating in the Zealot movement which precipitated the climactic revolt of A.D. 66 and the consequent siege leading to the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. This question was therefore an essentially political one, aimed to elicit Jesus’ stance with regard to ‘Zealot’ ideology. As a Galilean he was not liable to pay the κῆνσος, which applied only to provinces such as Judaea which were under direct Roman rule. They approach him as a ‘foreign’ visitor who might be expected to offer a more ‘objective’ judgment, but his response may be expected to be of interest to the political authorities of Judaea.
France, R. T. (2002). The Gospel of Mark: a commentary on the Greek text (pp. 464–465). Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press.
understood.
The ‘trap’ (ἀγρεύσωσιν) is generally understood to consist in the impossibility of answering the question to everyone’s satisfaction. ‘Yes’ would alienate Jewish patriots, who would see it as a pro-Roman answer; ‘No’ would provide a basis for denouncing Jesus to the provincial authorities as a rebel ( makes this last point explicit). The ‘amazement’ of those who heard his answer suggests that he has succeeded in escaping this dilemma, and interpreters have disagreed ever since as to which side, if either, his pronouncement actually favours. But its cleverness is to be found not only, or even mainly, in a studied compromise, but rather in that he has undermined the questioners’ position in two important ways, one essentially theological, the other more ad hominem.
France, R. T. (2002). The Gospel of Mark: a commentary on the Greek text (p. 465). Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press.
Jesus’ response to this question thus provides a basis for the more developed teaching of and , each of which similarly assumes that it is possible to be loyal to the Roman government and to God at the same time and indeed goes further in grounding this instruction (which in includes specifically the payment of taxes) in the belief that the (pagan) civil authorities are a God-given institution.
France, R. T. (2002). The Gospel of Mark: a commentary on the Greek text (p. 466). Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press.
The logic of Jesus’ pronouncement is indicated by the verb ἀπόδοτε. The question had been about ‘giving’ (δίδωμι, v. 14) the tax to Caesar, but Jesus speaks instead of ‘giving back’, i.e., giving that which already belongs to the receiver, especially paying a debt; for this sense of ἀποδίδωμι see, for instance, ; ; ; . The use of Caesar’s coin symbolises the dependence of the subject people on the benefits of Roman rule, and to use that coin to pay the poll tax is to recognise and discharge that indebtedness. The verb thus suggests that the payment is not only ‘permitted’, but is in fact right in itself, so that to withhold it would be to defraud.
France, R. T. (2002). The Gospel of Mark: a commentary on the Greek text (pp. 468–469). Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press.
What ‘belongs to Caesar’ is in this context primarily the monetary obligation of the poll tax, though Jesus’ words are broad enough to permit a more expansive understanding of civic responsibility as well. But the second member of the pronouncement (καὶ τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ τῷ θεῷ) is entirely open-ended, and must be filled out by the reader’s understanding of God’s claim on his people. It will be that understanding which determines whether the claims of Caesar and of God come into conflict, but the way the pronouncement is formulated suggests that such conflict should be expected to be exceptional rather than normal.40
France, R. T. (2002). The Gospel of Mark: a commentary on the Greek text (p. 469). Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press.
Its object was to force Jesus into a compromising position either theologically or politically. The form of the question (“shall we give, or shall we not give it?”) was skillfully designed to thrust Jesus on the horns of a dilemma. An affirmative answer would discredit him in the eyes of the people, for whom the tax was an odious token of subjection to Rome. A negative reply would invite reprisals from the Roman authorities.
Lane, W. L. (1974). The Gospel of Mark (p. 423). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
The denarius of Tiberius portrayed the emperor as the semi-divine son of the god Augustus and the goddess Livia and bore the (abbreviated) inscription “Tiberius Caesar Augustus, Son of the Divine Augustus” on the obverse and “Pontifex Maximus” on the reverse. Both the representations and the inscriptions were rooted in the imperial cult and constituted a claim to divine honors.
Lane, W. L. (1974). The Gospel of Mark (p. 424). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
By recognizing the relative autonomy of the civil authority in the first part of his response, Jesus showed himself opposed to any belief in an essentially theocratic state and to any expectation of an imminent eschatological consummation of his own mission. But by distinguishing so sharply between Caesar and God he tacitly protested against the idolatrous claims advanced on the coins. There is always inherent in civil authority a tendency to reach beyond its appointed function, a tendency which leads to self-transcendence. The temptation to self-glorification which always accompanies power was particularly clear in the extravagances of the imperial cult, with its deification of the state and its civil head. Jesus emphatically rejected this insolent confusion between man and God; divine honors belong to God alone
Lane, W. L. (1974). The Gospel of Mark (pp. 424–425). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
The second part of his response, seen in the total context of Jesus’ life and teaching, shows that the duties toward God and Caesar, though distinct, are not completely separate, but are united and ruled by the higher principle of accomplishing in all things the will of God. Because men bear the image of God they owe their total allegiance to him.
There is gentle irony in Mark’s closing comment that his adversaries marvelled greatly at Jesus. It is appropriate that men who had come to ensnare Jesus through unguarded statement should sense the devastating effect of the authority displayed in his word.
Lane, W. L. (1974). The Gospel of Mark (p. 425). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
The Herodians do not seem to have been a coherent sect in the sense that Pharisees or Sadducees were, but probably were a political pressure group, cutting across other divisions, made up of those who saw in the support of the unscrupulous but outwardly orthodox Herod the hope of Israel; and that meant acceptance of Rome as overlord. As there is no reference to the Herodians outside the New Testament and dependent literature, however, certainty is impossible. Clearly to Mark and his sources, they were an identifiable group, and equally clearly they were opposed to Jesus: more we cannot say with confidence.
Cole, R. A. (1989). Mark: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 2, p. 267). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
16. The production of a coin as an illustration was a typical rabbinic touch, but the use made of it here was new. It is significant of his poverty that Jesus had no coin himself, but had to ask for one. By the acceptance of the imperial coinage, marked by the head and title of the reigning emperor, the Jews had already shown their acceptance of imperial rule, even if unwillingly. There is a world of bitterness in the terseness of their one-word reply, Caesar’s: not even Pharisees or Herodians would have chosen that position.
Cole, R. A. (1989). Mark: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 2, pp. 267–268). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
To any listening Zealot, the first clause render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s would have been the sting in the answer. But the true sting for the Pharisee was in the tail, and to God the things that are God’s, for none of them would dare to say that they were already giving God his full due. Even those trained lawyers were baffled by such an answer; there was no handle that they could use against Jesus, so they were amazed. And yet it may be that we have here one reason why the Galilean pilgrim crowd made no attempt to rescue their prophet at a later stage; did they perhaps suspect that he was somewhat pro-Roman after all? Cole, R. A. (1989). Mark: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 2, pp. 268–269). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
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Simple Outline:
Background: Pharisees and Herodians (two opposing groups seek to trap Jesus)
I. Jesus faces the question: Is it lawful to pay taxes?
II. Jesus Responds with his own question.
III. Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, give to God what is God's.
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Faith in God is also faith in him while under the lordship of secular governments.
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We struggle between faithfulness without theocracy, and faith in God during a non-Christian Government.
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We still face the struggle of taxation, paying for non-ethical services, a worship of the ruler, and a false dichotomy between God and government.
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In the midst of living under an oppresive governing body, the hope is not to overthrow the government, but instead to trust both in God, and submit to the authority he has placed over us.
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Do we trust in God?
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Exported from Logos Bible Software, 11:20 AM May 8, 2019.