13 And they send unto him certain
of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words. 14 And when they were come, they
say unto him, Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for
thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth: Is
it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not? 15 Shall we give, or shall we not
give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why
tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it. 16 And they brought it. And he
saith unto them, Whose is this image and
superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar's. 17 And Jesus answering said unto
them, Render to Caesar the things that are
Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marvelled at
him. (Mark
12:13-17)
The powers of the world are arrayed against the people of God, no less now than
at the end when all of the world powers, in alliance with Satan, shall gather
for battle against the Remnant of God's people: And (Satan and His forces) shall go out to deceive
the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to
gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the SAND OF THE SEA.
And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the CAMP OF THE
SAINTS about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven,
and devoured them. (Rev
20:8-9) A Camp is
very small compared to the world; yet, in Christ, it is victorious over it.
We see in today's text how the powers of the religious world are allied with
those of the secular world against Christ. We read in the previous chapter
(Mark 11) how Jesus cleansed the Temple. At that point, the religious leaders
began to plan a means of destroying Jesus. They question His authority, but
dare not question His power. And
they come again to Jerusalem: and as he was walking in the temple, there come
to him the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders, And say unto him, By
what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority to do
these things? (Mark
11:27-28) As in all
cases, our Lord turned the tables on these deviant rascals. Now they send
emissaries of mixed allegiance - those of the Pharisees (religious) accompanied
by representatives of the Herodians (those who live off the secular power and
owe fealty thereto). Mind you, the Jewish leaders and those who supported
Rome's occupation of Judaea were not normally allies; but BOTH see in Jesus a common
enemy of far greater danger to their interests and power than either the Roman
yoke or the religious despots.
Did these Pharisees and Herodians seek truth in sincerity, or did they come
with ulterior motive? They were not truth seekers for they came " to
catch him in his words." I am amazed that these cunning foxes
continually made the same mistake of trying to catch Jesus in His words - for
each time, they were vanquished and humiliated. The present occasion is no
different. These fools spent much time deliberating on some question that would
surely be the final snare in which they would catch Jesus in His words. "And
when they were come, they say unto him, Master, we know that thou art true, and
carest for no man: for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the
way of God in truth: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?"
In their words is an example of how truth can be turned on its head by wicked
men. They seem to admit a knowledge that Jesus spoke truly always without
deference to the dignity of class or position. The opinions of men were of no
consequence to Jesus - He only spoke the truth and will of His Father in
Heaven.
Ensconced in their question was the ultimate in hypocrisy: Is it lawful to give tribute to
Caesar, or not? Even as they asked this question, they are in possession of
coinage issued by Caesar. If you will use the protection and commercial
advantages of Rome, you must be willing to pay tribute to the power you
consider sovereign and from whom you gain the privilege of the medium of
exchange. These men had already compromised the principle for which they were
suggesting the question. If it is lawful to use Caesar's currency, it must also
be lawful to pay tribute for that privilege. "Shall we give, or shall
we not give?" Note the malicious intent hidden in this question: If
Jesus answers frankly that we should pay tribute to Caesar, He will be
ascribing power to an ungodly government. If He answers that we should not pay
tribute to Caesar, He will provoke the wrath of the Roman power against Him.
Either way, the malicious intent of the questioners will be achieved.
So how shall Jesus answer these men and, at the same time, avoid the trap they
have skillfully set for Him? But
he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why
tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it. Matthew's Gospel
gives a more detailed response by Jesus:
Shew me the tribute money. (Matt 22:19) In this latter request, Jesus
is calling for the very coinage with which tribute is paid. If these men did
not honor Caesar by using his coinage, they would not have had it in their
possession - but they DID! In both Gospels, Jesus calls their hand in
"tempting Him" showing that He saw the wickedness concealed in their
hearts. And they brought it.
And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and
superscription? Jesus is asking, "Whose money have you brought
me?" The coin - a denarius - was stamped with the likeness of Caesar, and
the superscription provided the name of the current Caesar - Tiberius! This
showed that the coin was issued, and its value guaranteed, by the authority of
Caesar of Rome! The Christian, too, is stamped with a likeness of Christ and
His own superscription "Lord of Lord and King of Kings." We
are the currency of the Kingdom of Heaven, but it is Caesar's that is the
currency of the world.
The question Jesus put to the detractors was simple, direct, and complete! Whose is this image and superscription? They asked Jesus a hypothetical
questions with more than one answer possible. But Jesus asked them a question
with only ONE possible answer, and that answer would settle the issue! "And
they said unto him, Caesar's." So, the coin was issued by authority of
Caesar, was it? If the medium of exchange is Caesar's, should not the medium by
which tribute is paid be by that same authority? And Jesus answering said
unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are
Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. This
was a perfect rebuttal that closed off further discussion of the matter and
placed the inquirers in the bad light that their intentions demanded. They were
flabbergasted and amazed at the trap that had closed on their own heads and not
that of Jesus: And they marvelled at him. This answer of course
comported with a maxim espoused by the Pharisees themselves: "He whose
coin is current is king in the land."
The point is clear that we owe tribute to the secular power as a minister of
God to protect and provide an atmosphere for trade and commerce. But the
greater point in the response of our Lord is our duties and obligations to God.
What do we, as Christians with His image and superscription, owe to God? After
all, we are stamped with His image, are we not? And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our
likeness. (Gen
1:26) It is true God created man in His own
image unmarred by sin; and man later sinned and fell from grace. However, man
still possesses in a marred form that image of God. American coins in
circulation were stamped at the mint with an unblemished quality, but after
many years in circulation, one can still read the words, "In God we
Trust" even if not as crisp and clear as a freshly minted coin. As
Christians, our lives must bear out that testimony - "In God we
TRUST." Though the meager penny is left on the road to be trampled
under-foot of men and automobiles, though it survive the burning home, though
it be washed up from the ocean on lonely beaches, though it pass through many
scheming hands - it is, at last, still a penny and coin of the realm with the
superscription - "In GOD we TRUST." So must Christians bear up
in this world.
When visiting our churches in the beautiful Philippine Islands, I saw one of
their notes of currency - I believe a five peso note. It was inscribed with the
words - "The Filipino is worth dying for." I was deeply impressed by
that principle so clearly stated; for the Filipino is surely worth dying for,
and so is every other nation, kindred, and tongue, for Jesus did the dying in
redemption of our sins for us. Our Duty to God?
1.
We
are sealed with the seal of God. "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies
of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto
God, which is your reasonable service." Romans 12:1 (KJV)
2.
We
are not of this world.
"Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing
of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect,
will of God."Romans 12:2 (KJV)
3.
Our
Time Belongs to God
- not simply a tithe of that time, but all of it, since God has given us all of
our days.
4.
All
of our knowledge and learning belongs to God, for He is our teacher of good and righteous things.
5.
All
of our material possessions and worth both come from God and are owed to God.
We are merely stewards of that wealth.
6. Our influence and means also
belong to God.
We must labor for God in our industry, in our political actions, in our
families, our churches, and our communities.
All of these things belong to God. If I own my home, I must own everything
contained in that home. The
earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell
therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the
floods. (Psalm
24:1-2)
You, Christian, belong to the Lord. Pay TRIBUTE in kind. He has bought you with
a grievous price.
