Day 45: Jesus shows God’s more important than Caesar
In the United Kingdom, the pound coin has a picture of the Queen’s head on it and shortened words in Latin meaning, “Elizabeth the second, by the grace of God, Queen.” The coins used in Jesus’ time and country had a picture of the Roman emperor, Tiberius. In our passage today, people are trying to trap Jesus again. But as usual, Jesus is much smarter than His enemies.
Looking back at verse 12, who sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to try to trap Jesus (v. 13)?
This is the second time in Mark that we’ve seen the Pharisees and the Herodians teaming up together. After Jesus healed a man with a shriveled hand on the Sabbath, “the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus” (Mark 3:6). The Herodians were pro-Roman and the Pharisees were anti-Roman, so they made a weird team. But they agreed on hating Jesus.
What nice things do they say about Jesus in verse 14?
Do you think they really believed that Jesus taught “the way of God,” or were they just trying to set Him up for a fall?
What question did they ask Jesus in verse 14?
The “imperial tax” they are talking about is probably a tax first required in AD 6 (when Jesus was a kid), and which started a revolt against the Romans led by a man named Judas the Galilean. The Jews who joined this rebellion believed that paying tax to the Romans showed that you were following the Roman emperor instead of God. The Romans crushed this rebellion. So now, if Jesus says that people shouldn’t pay the tax, He could be arrested and crucified by the Romans. But if He says they should pay the tax, the Pharisees can claim that Jesus isn’t really teaching the way of God.
What question does Jesus ask back to them (v. 15)?
According to verse 15, why does He ask them that question?
What does He tell them to do (v. 15)?
A denarius was a Roman coin worth about one day’s wages for a laborer. It had a picture of the emperor Tiberius stamped on it and words in Latin that meant, “Tiberius Caesar, son of the divine Augustus.” Caesar was a title that meant emperor. Tiberius’ stepfather, Augustus, who was emperor before him, had been considered a god after he died, which is why the coins said “son of the divine Augustus.”
What question does Jesus ask in verse 16?
How do the Pharisees and Herodians answer (v. 16)?
How does Jesus finally respond to their question (v. 17)?
The first chapter of the Bible tells us that all human beings are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). Just as the coins bore the image of the emperor, all human beings bear the image of God. God doesn’t just own a portion of our money that we might pay in taxes or might give to care for the poor or to support missionary work. God owns us completely!
How did people respond to Jesus’ answer (v. 17)?
Praise Jesus for how completely amazing He is! Ask God to help you recognize that you are made in His image and belong to Him completely. Pray for God’s help to follow Jesus today.