Episode Transcript
CONSECRATE
Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.
Jesus, I belong to you.
I lift up my heart to you.
I set my mind on you.
I fix my eyes on you.
I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice.
Jesus, we belong to you.
Praying in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.
HEAR
Mark 12:13–17 (NIV)
Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. 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? 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.” They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”
“Caesar’s,” they replied.
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.
CONSIDER
From the first century to the twenty-first century the saying holds true: the only two certainties in life are death and taxes. Jesus's detractors brought these two verities together in this confrontational question.
This imperial tax evoked great resentment among the Jews. It was a constant reminder of their subjection to Rome. If Jesus says it's right to pay the tax he comes off as a sell-out to Rome, which would have diminished the authority of his word in the eyes of the Sanhedrin. Had he said it's wrong to pay the tax, he would have drawn the fierce ire of Rome for an act of rebellion. The question was political in nature, but it was also theological. Why? Watch how Jesus responds.
But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” "Caesar’s,” they replied.
The kicker comes with the inscription: "Tiberius Caesar Augustus, Son of the Divine Augustus" and on the other, "Pontifex Maximus." Translation: Caesar was divine. The big question was whether paying the tax constituted an act of worship to Caesar; a recognition of his divinity. This is where the Pharisees wanted to trap him. If he said to pay the tax, he implied bowing to Caesar. Jesus's response was pure brilliance.
Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”
The denarius, which bore Caesar's image, did indeed belong to Caesar. The denarius was the coin of the realm. Jesus acknowledged that to live under the governance of a state brought certain responsibilities with it, paying taxes being one of them. It's part of the cost of living. Jesus drew a major line in the sand with the rest of his statement. "Give to God what is God's," meant that paying a tax to Caesar with a coin bearing Caesar's image did not imply agreement with the coin's inscription that Caesar was God. The God of Israel was to Caesar as Jesus was to Caiaphas.
Living under the governance of a sovereign state and observing its appropriate authority in no way constituted worship of the state's sovereign ruler. This was reserved for God alone. Caesar gets the tax. The coins belong to Caesar. The worship belongs to God. Caesar's claim to divinity is another way of trying to bar God from the politics of the state. It can't be done and to the extent a people attempt it they issue a death warrant for the state.
It's a long step from the first century to the twenty-first century. While our form of government isn't analogous to Caesar's, the words of Jesus hold true. A couple of observations: Paying taxes is the cost of living in a civilized state. Patriotism can be an expression of healthy loyalty and support for national sovereignty. But we must be clear. Only the true and living God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is worthy of our worship. The minute the state infringes on the freedom of its people to worship God, it makes the people of God an enemy of the state. It's another conversation, but this gets us close to the context for Jesus's command to "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."
It's one thing to separate church and state, but quite another to separate faith from politics. In fact, it's the separation of church and state that enables the healthy and much-needed exercise of faith in the mix of politics and governance. Jerusalem fell because it put its religious establishment in the place of its God. Rome fell because it put its corrupted leaders in the place of the true God. For those of us in America . . . I'll risk this possibly biting word. We must infuse more faith in our politics. And we must have less politics in our faith.
PRAY
Lord Jesus, awaken me to the utter depths of this title, Lord, I so casually attach to your name. You are my Lord and my God. Awaken me to the meaning of this and all its myriad implications. May your kindness lead to my repentance. Would you show me the way to seek your kingdom first and foremost in my country rather than seeking a political kingdom in your country. For the glory of your name, Jesus. Amen.
