Mark 12:13-17 – We are God’s

In this account in Mark 12:13-17, we see two opposing groups, with different outlooks in life, united by their common animosity toward the Lord.  As diverse and fragmented as their point of views might be, yet they seemed to work harmoniously to oppose the Lord.

The Pharisees were nationalistic Jews. The Herodians would align themselves with the Romans and were literally, their stooges. The Pharisees were the conservatives, whereas the Herodians were the ones with the liberal convictions. One group resisted the Romans while the other accommodated them. Here we see these two groups worked in cahoots with the Jewish authority. Verse 13 suggests that they were sent by the Sanhedrin with the motive to trap Jesus. They came to the Lord asking Him: “Teacher, we know you are truthful and defer to no one; for you are not partial to any, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay poll-tax to Caesar or not?”

Notice how they put it! It was sheer flattery. It was designed to put the Lord off guard and deceive Him into making a self-indicting statement against the Roman authority. While they were all awaiting a yes or no answer, the Lord surprised them. He saw through their hypocrisy and said to them, “Why are you trying to test me?” And then to their amazement, He asked for a denarius, the currency that they commonly used. And like any coin of any nation today, that denarius also carry the inscription of the head of the nation. The denarius bore the insignia of Caesar. So Jesus asked them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” He wanted them to tell Him whose insignia was on the coin. And when they answered Him saying “Caesar’s.” His wise response to them was “Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” With that, they stood dumbfounded. He still amazes us today by His extra-ordinary wisdom.     

The answer that Jesus gave, settles the long standing dispute whether God or state should have our allegiance. In His answer, the Lord validated the rights of human government. But more importantly, He calls for our total allegiance. Remember we are essentially a permanent citizen of God’s eternal Kingdom, holding a temporary PR status here on earth. We have to abide by the ruling of the nation we reside in but we must never forget that we are made in the image of God. Our first obligation is to live out that image which we bear. We belong to Christ and through the work of the Holy Spirit we are being transformed to bear a sharper image of Christ. Let’s not be afraid to tell the Lord, “All that I am and potentially can become are yours, Lord. I bear Your image and I belong to You, I am Yours forever!”