Conflicts arise in the temple.
· Mark 12:13-17
The leading priests, Pharisees, and teachers of religious law, and Herodians – supporters of King Herod, the puppet king put in power by Rome – could not suppress Jesus’ ever-increasing popularity. Since they felt harming Him in any way during Passover would lead to a riot among the people, they tried to embarrass Him. Get Him to say something blasphemous or in direct opposition to Rome.
So, Mark tells us in Mark 12:13-15:
Later the leaders sent some Pharisees and supporters of Herod to trap Jesus into saying something for which he could be arrested.
“Teacher,” they said, “we know how honest you are. You are impartial and don’t play favorites.
You teach the way of God truthfully. Now tell us—is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?
Should we pay them, or shouldn’t we?”
As we know, Jesus had just returned to Jerusalem for a final time. He drove out the money changers and then taught using several parables with the crowd. Jesus’ enemies saw an opportunity to put Jesus on the spot in front of His followers with a trick question. If Jesus answers, “No,” the Herodians would readily charge Him with treason against Rome. If He said, “Yes,” however, the Pharisees would then accuse Him of disloyalty to the Jewish nation, and He would lose the support of the crowds. Should one pay taxes to Rome or not? The question was designed to be a Catch-22.
Aware of their agenda, Jesus’ response in Mark 12:16-17 was brilliant:
When they handed it to him, he asked, “Whose picture and title are stamped on it?” “Caesar’s,” they replied.
“Well, then,” Jesus said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.”
His reply completely amazed them.
The Bible is clear when it comes to government…Romans 13:1 says, “Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.” That may be a hard pill for us to swallow when our candidate does not win. Nonetheless, God approves of government, because without it there is chaos. Without it, as Samuel lamented, “In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes” (Judges 21:25).
When that happens. When we choose to do whatever, we think is right and moral. We end up with the days of Noah. “The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil” (Genesis 6:5).
For all its faults, government is meant to be a stabilizing influence for society, and we are supposed to submit to it. Until it asks us to do anything that contradicts the will or the Word of God. That is what Peter said when told not to preach in Jesus’ name anymore. “We must obey God rather than any human authority” (Acts 5:29).
Nothing comes before God. Jesus said, “If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine. If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it” (Matthew 10:37-39).
Nothing and no one should come before our love and obedience to the LORD. For, when we truly put God first in our lives, we become the best husband, wife, father, mother, son, daughter, friend we could ever be.
On Tuesday, Jesus silenced His critics with an answer we still quote today.
“Render unto Caesar, what is Caesar’s, and unto God what is Gods.”