Christ Vs. Caesar - Mark 12:14-17 Series

Mark 12:12 Then they looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had spoken the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd; so they left him and went away. 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 you are a man of integrity. You aren't swayed by men, 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 taxes 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 to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's." And they were amazed at him.

Introduction

Two Kingdoms

What happens when you have two kings who claim the same territory at the same time? And what do you do if you happen to live in that territory?

All through his ministry, Jesus has been preaching about the kingdom of God. That’s been his one and only topic. Jesus came to establish that kingdom, and to reign as the king of that kingdom. But if Jesus is king, what about Caesar? Caesar is claiming total authority over you and Jesus is saying things like, “No one can serve two masters.” So what are we supposed to do? In these very crucial last few days of Jesus’ life, he spends his time teaching about the most important issues regarding his kingdom, and this is a big one. Because running afoul of human government can cost you your life. And running afoul of God’s government can cost you your soul. So we need instruction on how to live in two kingdoms.

Context

Let me remind you of the context. The scene couldn’t be more dramatic. Jesus finally arrived in Jerusalem for a showdown with the Jewish authorities. Jesus fired the first shot by ransacking the Temple and calling out the authorities as a den of robbers. They demand to know what authority Jesus has to do all that. Jesus says, “John the Baptist already answered that question. Do you accept him as a true prophet?” And after a quick conference, they come down with a sudden case of agnosticism. They tried to expose Jesus as not having authority, but instead Jesus proves his authority and eviscerates their authority and forces them to admit in front of everyone that they’re hopelessly ignorant.

Then he tells a parable that exposes them as murders of God’s prophets. And, of course, they aren’t big fans of that parable.

Mark 12:12 Then they looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had spoken the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd; so they left him and went away. 13 Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words.

The Trap

So the reader is thinking, Uh oh. Look out Jesus—here comes the trap.

Not So Strange Bedfellows

Herodians were connected with the Roman government. The Pharisees were the opposite—very much anti-Rome, anti-Herod. Yet they join forces against Jesus, which tells you something about how much they hated him. When Nancy Pelosi, Donald Trump, AOC, and Ted Cruz all team up against someone, you know you’re dealing with a really serious enemy.

It’s a reminder that the different parties mankind divides into really aren’t as different as they seem. They seem drastically different at first, but when you confront them with Christ, you find most people are pretty much the same. When Jesus makes demands on their hearts, they reject him. And whether you do that in the liberal Democrat way or the conservative Republican way, or the Communist way or religious way or secular way or academic way or Joe lunch bucket way, it really amounts to the same thing. Jesus has a way of getting under the surface of all our skin-deep differences and showing that most human beings are fundamentally the same. Seven billion peas in a pod.

The Dilemma

So the Pharisees and Herodians had that in common, and bringing the Herodians along was strategic because the trap they set has to do with taxes.

14 …. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? 15 Should we pay or shouldn't we?"

It’s the perfect opportunity for Jesus to deal with this question of how to live in two kingdoms.

Before asking the question, they piled on a bunch of flattery about how courageous Jesus is because they’re hoping he’ll take a strong enough anti-Rome stance that it will get him killed. “You’re not afraid of anyone, right Jesus? So should we defy Caesar and refuse to pay the tax?”