Mar 12:13-17 | KingComments | STEP | It is becoming more and more serious for the Pharisees to eliminate the Lord. In order to find a reason to do so, they associate themselves even with the Herodians they otherwise hated. They find each other in their hatred of Christ. Together they ask a question about paying taxes, but from a totally different background. The Pharisees resist the emperor’s yoke because it stands in the way of the fulfillment of God’s promises, while they are blind to the fact that their own sins hinder this fulfillment. The Herodians, on the other hand, cooperate with the occupiers because of the benefits it brings. How foolish it is to try to trap Him Who is the truth on a statement. It shows the utter blindness to Who Christ is and the proud pride of man. The result is that they themselves are eliminated. We also see this in the following sections, where other groups of people come to Him with the plan to judge Him. The result is that they themselves are judged. They begin to flatter the Lord. What they say of Him is true, but their intentions behind it are false. The fact that He “defers to no one” means that He does nothing for the appreciation of people. Now they have a question to which they would like an answer from Him. They mean this question as a trick question. In their opinion, He can only give two answers: yes or no. In both cases they have caught Him. If He will say that they have to pay, the Pharisees will discredit Him among the people. After all, He cannot be the Messiah, for He surrenders Israel to the rulers just like that. If He will say that they must not pay, the Herodians can denounce Him to the rulers as a troublemaker resisting the authority of Caesar. They forget, however, that they are opposed to the wisdom of God, and do not even in the slightest think that they themselves will be put in the light. The Lord first reveals their hypocrisy, which He knows, by asking why they are asking Him. Then He responds to their question. To do so, He commands them first to bring Him a denarius to look at, and to let them also look at it. By the way, this is a proof of the Lord’s poverty. He does not take a denarius out of His own pocket. Apparently the purse carried by Judas is empty. They bring Him a denarius. The denarius was a means of payment among the people. By using it, they proved they had long since accepted domination. He shows them the denarius and shows them the likeness and the inscription. Then He asks who it is about on this piece of money. There is only one answer they can give, the correct answer: the likeness of Caesar and his inscription are on this coin. If they had their hearts in the right place, they would have been ashamed of the fact that the money in circulation in their land is Roman money. He makes them feel that their own guilt and sin have brought them under the authority of Rome and kept them so far. They fall into the pit they dug for the Other. His answer is to render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. They do neither. They’re not honest subjects to Caesar and even less loyal to God. If they were to follow the Lord’s counsel, they would acknowledge that they are subject to Caesar through their own fault, because of their own sins, and are therefore obliged to pay him taxes. They would also realize that God never ceases to be God and that they are therefore obliged to give Him what is due to Him. For us, giving to God what is due to Him means giving ourselves to God ( ), because there is also a likeness and inscription on us that is God’s likeness and inscription. The Lord Jesus has a right on us. The believers are a letter of Christ, read by all people ( ). This is the positive teaching of the temple. It is about giving the sacrifice of ourselves to God. As far as the enemies are concerned, it is also about facing Him Who is God, but not knowing Him. Because they do not know the Lord Jesus, they do not know God and because they do not honor Him, they do not give God what is due to Him ( ). Their only reaction is that they are amazed at Him. They are perplexed and remain silent.

‏ Mark 12:13-17

Question About a Poll-Tax to Caesar

It is becoming more and more serious for the Pharisees to eliminate the Lord. In order to find a reason to do so, they associate themselves even with the Herodians they otherwise hated. They find each other in their hatred of Christ. Together they ask a question about paying taxes, but from a totally different background. The Pharisees resist the emperor’s yoke because it stands in the way of the fulfillment of God’s promises, while they are blind to the fact that their own sins hinder this fulfillment. The Herodians, on the other hand, cooperate with the occupiers because of the benefits it brings.

How foolish it is to try to trap Him Who is the truth on a statement. It shows the utter blindness to Who Christ is and the proud pride of man. The result is that they themselves are eliminated. We also see this in the following sections, where other groups of people come to Him with the plan to judge Him. The result is that they themselves are judged.

They begin to flatter the Lord. What they say of Him is true, but their intentions behind it are false. The fact that He “defers to no one” means that He does nothing for the appreciation of people. Now they have a question to which they would like an answer from Him. They mean this question as a trick question. In their opinion, He can only give two answers: yes or no. In both cases they have caught Him.

If He will say that they have to pay, the Pharisees will discredit Him among the people. After all, He cannot be the Messiah, for He surrenders Israel to the rulers just like that. If He will say that they must not pay, the Herodians can denounce Him to the rulers as a troublemaker resisting the authority of Caesar. They forget, however, that they are opposed to the wisdom of God, and do not even in the slightest think that they themselves will be put in the light.

The Lord first reveals their hypocrisy, which He knows, by asking why they are asking Him. Then He responds to their question. To do so, He commands them first to bring Him a denarius to look at, and to let them also look at it. By the way, this is a proof of the Lord’s poverty. He does not take a denarius out of His own pocket. Apparently the purse carried by Judas is empty.

They bring Him a denarius. The denarius was a means of payment among the people. By using it, they proved they had long since accepted domination. He shows them the denarius and shows them the likeness and the inscription. Then He asks who it is about on this piece of money. There is only one answer they can give, the correct answer: the likeness of Caesar and his inscription are on this coin. If they had their hearts in the right place, they would have been ashamed of the fact that the money in circulation in their land is Roman money. He makes them feel that their own guilt and sin have brought them under the authority of Rome and kept them so far.

They fall into the pit they dug for the Other. His answer is to render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. They do neither. They’re not honest subjects to Caesar and even less loyal to God. If they were to follow the Lord’s counsel, they would acknowledge that they are subject to Caesar through their own fault, because of their own sins, and are therefore obliged to pay him taxes. They would also realize that God never ceases to be God and that they are therefore obliged to give Him what is due to Him.

For us, giving to God what is due to Him means giving ourselves to God (Rom 12:1), because there is also a likeness and inscription on us that is God’s likeness and inscription. The Lord Jesus has a right on us. The believers are a letter of Christ, read by all people (2Cor 3:2). This is the positive teaching of the temple. It is about giving the sacrifice of ourselves to God.

As far as the enemies are concerned, it is also about facing Him Who is God, but not knowing Him. Because they do not know the Lord Jesus, they do not know God and because they do not honor Him, they do not give God what is due to Him (Jn 5:23). Their only reaction is that they are amazed at Him. They are perplexed and remain silent.