I Want You

Politics and religion have always been controversial topics. If you ever want to spark a heated discussion or start an argument, just bring up God or the government. Some believe these two are like water and oil and avoid discussing either, while others thrive on heated debates and will talk for hours about both. In today’s text, Jesus enters the scene as he tackles the topics of religion and politics head-on. 
           
The passage for today, Mark 12:13–17, like many others we've examined in this series, has been misunderstood by many for a long time. I have heard several sermons that misrepresent Jesus’ point in his response to the religious leaders. Too often, people quickly interpret Jesus’ answer as a call to carefully balance the sacred and secular in our lives. However, the response Jesus gives never fully addresses the question the religious leaders ask because they were trying to trick him. They didn't genuinely care about the answer; they just wanted to catch Jesus responding incorrectly, which, in the eyes of the Pharisees, no answer would have been acceptable. Their question was, “Can one still pay taxes to Caesar and still have allegiance to God?” As we will see shortly, this is a well-crafted and loaded question. So, heated debates over religion and politics are not new; in Jesus’ day, they were also intense, perhaps even more so than today.
 
Background
Before we begin, let's get some context to better understand what’s happening as the Pharisees and Herodians attempt to trap Jesus.
 
To start, paying taxes to Rome was a controversial topic in Jesus’ time. It was controversial because of what the taxes symbolized to the Jewish people. They weren’t opposed to paying taxes in general, since they already paid the Temple tax, local taxes, and taxes to Herod. The idea of paying taxes to Rome, however, was a different matter altogether, as it reminded the Jews of their loss of freedom. It’s easy to imagine how anyone would feel if they had to give a portion of their hard-earned money to a nation that violently and forcibly overthrew their government and country. We pride ourselves on freedom, God, and human rights, and now we’re oppressed by a nation that treats us poorly and imposes taxes to enrich itself. I bet this would be a sore spot for anyone in this room.
 
This tax symbolized Rome’s dominant rule over Israel. Historically, the Jews celebrated that they were God’s chosen people, yet they struggled with the fact that they were not truly living as God’s people. Instead, they suffered under oppression and fear. This is why tax collectors were so despised among the Jews. These were Jews who worked for the Roman government, allowed to collect a large amount of money from the people, keep some for themselves, and give the rest to the Romans. Even worse, they were protected by the Roman authorities, so they could charge whatever they wanted.
 
Not only did the Jews despise what the tax represented, but the coin itself also went against their law against possessing carved or graven images. Possessing the coin would be considered a form of idolatry for the Jews since it featured a carved image of Caesar. N.T. Wright explains, “(I)mages of human beings were out of the question, and here is Tiberius (Caesar), staring coldly out at the world from every small Roman coin. And writing! Around the head, the words say in Latin, ‘August Tiberius, son of the divine Augustus.’ On the other side, it says: ‘High Priest’ (the emperors were mainly high priests of the main Roman cult). If the Romans had gone out of their way to offend the Jews, they could hardly have done it better.”
 
Mark 12:13 -17
 
Before asking Jesus the question, the Pharisees and Herodians decided to flatter Jesus a bit by praising his uprightness and acknowledging that his concerns aligned with God's interests. They commended him for seeking God’s approval rather than men. By presenting him as a moral man of God, they plotted their strategy to set him up with a trick question intended to make him look bad. The Pharisees and Herodians said, “Jesus, you are a religious man, and you have no regard for what men think of you. Certainly, you are a man of great wisdom. Is it right or even okay to pay taxes to Caesar?” This is a trick question because whatever Jesus’ response was, it would get him in trouble. Yet, Jesus is not fooled; he does not fall for their flattery and sees right through them. 
 
His dilemma is how he answers their question. If he tells them it is right to pay taxes, he would clearly go against popular opinion. In fact, a yes answer would call his claims to be the Messiah into question because, according to the Jews, the Messiah was supposed to come and set Israel free from injustice and tyranny. Ultimately, he would be seen as a sympathizer to the Roman government, placing him in the same category as tax collectors and sinners. If he said no to paying taxes, then the Pharisees could go and tell the Roman officials that Jesus was a rebel trying to stir up rebellion. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
 
What I respect about Jesus here is that he does not answer the question because he knows they do not really want to hear what he thinks. He surprises the religious leaders by asking them for a coin. This was a strategic move because Jesus responds to the question by exposing their hypocrisy. When they produce the coin (the one with Caesar’s face on it), they reveal to everyone that they handle and own the same coin that was hated by the Israelites. By possessing the coin, they show their support for Caesar because the coin belonged to Caesar.
 
Then he takes this coin and asks them whose face is on it. They responded, “Caesars.” By their admission, this coin belonged to Caesar since it bears his image, so he could have it back. Thus, Jesus’ response “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and give to God what belongs to Him” takes on a new perspective. His response does not suggest that Jesus divides life into two realms: the sacred and the secular. Many believe Jesus is saying to have earthly leaders for everyday life and God as our leader in spiritual matters, but this could not be farther from the truth. “Giving to Caesar the things belonging to Caesar” does not mean humanity has control or even ownership over the earthly and political sphere, and “Give to God what is His” does not mean God only takes care of the spiritual. God and Caesar are not equals or counterparts. 
 
Jesus says the coin belongs to Caesar because it bears his image. It is in some ways his idol. Jesus was saying to pay the taxes, but not to submit to the Romans as your true authorities.
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 The hypocrisy arises when we see that the Pharisees had no problem doing business with or accepting Caesar's money; therefore, they should pay taxes. Jesus takes it a step further by saying that if the Romans demand their tax money, you should pay them. However, if we adopt that attitude in life, then we must also give to God what belongs to Him. We bear the image of God, so we belong to Him. Because we bear His image as children of God, we owe Him our very lives and our whole being.
 
People often see life as divided into two parts: the sacred and the secular. They may set aside Sundays, and maybe another day, for God, since that’s when they go to church or attend Bible study. However, the rest of the days, they choose to live for themselves. Jesus doesn’t promote this double life. He isn’t saying, "I want to be your God only when you face death, tragedy, difficulty, or spiritual issues," and then let you fend for yourself during the good and prosperous times. He doesn’t suggest that spiritual matters belong solely to him while everything else, like governments, financial institutions, or us, belongs to humanity.
 
 The Bible reminds us that when absolute faith and trust are placed in anything other than Him, it is idolatry. We are not meant to put our trust and happiness in government, wealth, or social status. The point that many often miss in this passage is Jesus saying, “God does not want you for a few hours just on Sundays and Wednesdays. He wants what is rightfully his… YOU! All of you all the time!”  
 
I believe this passage indicates that God wants to be the Lord of our finances, marriages, work, security, and every part of our lives. However, I also want to clarify that I do not think Jesus is telling us to avoid involvement with government or secular institutions. We are citizens of this world; therefore, we must not reject the world or the responsibilities we have toward it. As Christians, we are free from the spiritual law, but we are not exempt from civil law that aims to maintain order. Yes, we do owe the government money if we choose to use roads, sewers, Social Security, Medicare, public services, etc. We are obligated to contribute to or render to the government what bears its image.
 
 However, we do not owe allegiance to governments, and we are not to submit to them when asked to do something that contradicts God’s command. As followers of Christ, our allegiance belongs to God. We are children of God who bear His likeness. We are created in His image, and we belong to Him and Him alone.
 
Conclusion
Every day, we are asked to dedicate our loyalty to something. Sometimes it is our work. Sometimes it is money. Sometimes it is politics, comfort, or even ourselves. None of those things are worthy of the place that belongs to God alone.
The question Jesus asks us is simple: Have I given God all of me in every area of life?
You bear His image. Your life is His. Your worship is His. Your future is His. He is not asking for a part of your life or your attention only when it’s convenient. He calls us to trust Him and follow Him with our whole selves.
May we leave here today remembering that our greatest identity is not in our nationality, our political views, or our accomplishments. It is in the God whose image we bear and the Savior who has redeemed us. Let us gladly give Him what has always belonged to Him—our hearts, our lives, and our loyalty.

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