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Paying the Imperial Tax to Caesar 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 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[a] 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 back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” And they were amazed at him. Read full chapter Footnotes Mark 12:14 A special tax levied on subject peoples, not on Roman citizens New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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It’s just like questioning the prime minister in the UK House of Commons. Earlier the opposition quizzed Jesus on a domestic issue, the authority of John the Baptist. Next, an obsequious politician poses a question about relations with the occupying power, the Romans. The motives behind the questions are so similar. The Pharisees and Herodians are attempting to catch Jesus in error (v. 13). The intention is to compromise Jesus. Will he upset Jewish nationalists by endorsing Roman rule? Will he upset the Roman authorities by denying the primacy of their currency?

Spotting the tactic being employed, Jesus drags the debate into the real world. ‘Bring me a denarius’ (v. 15) (let’s get down to the nuts and bolts). The coin is simply a symbol of the machinery of state. It’s no big deal. It’s the way society works (and in many ways Roman rule gave Palestine a significant measure of stability). The big deal is what we give to God.

Paul later explores the same issue.1 A society that is stable politically and economically is to be respected and honored, because God is the source of such stability. Law and order, justice and equality, flow from him. However, what about when we sense injustice and inequality in the decisions of our government? What about when we sense that the government is doing wrong rather than doing right in God’s eyes? Sometimes, unfortunately, that’s the way society works. In the real world that’s when we address the big deal, what we give to God may overrule our political allegiances.

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