Saturday
Saturday
The Debate over Paying Taxes
Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.
Mark 12:17
The question whether loyal Jews should pay taxes to the emperor or not was a contentious and emotional political issue in those days. At one extreme were the fanatical zealots like Judas the Galilean, who in AD 6 led a revolt against Rome and whose battle cry was, “No tribute to the Romans.” Much more moderate were the Pharisees, who resented but justified payment, while the Herodians supported a policy of payment. A mixed group (divided over payment but united in opposition to Jesus) came to him one day with their trick question: “Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” (v. 14). It put him on the horns of a dilemma. If he said no, he would be in imminent danger of arrest and worse. If he said yes, he would immediately lose popular support.
Jesus asked for a silver denarius and then inquired whose image and superscription it bore. “Caesar’s,” they replied. In fact, the image would have been that of Tiberius, who was emperor at the time, while the superscription would have read in Latin, “Tiberius Caesar, son of the divine Augustus, high priest.”
In enunciating his famous epigram that Caesar’s things belong to Caesar and God’s things to God, Jesus was not saying that there are two self-contained and independent spheres (one Caesar’s and the other God’s), for everything that is Caesar’s is ultimately God’s. He was rather saying that God’s people must give to Caesar (or literally “give back,” as if repaying a debt) the recognition that was due to him. For they could not enjoy the blessings of Roman rule (like peace, justice, education, and roads) and contribute nothing in return. Yet there were limits to what was owed to Caesar. God-fearing Jews could certainly not take part in the cult of the emperor. The deification of the state did not end with the Roman Empire. Still today there are totalitarian régimes of both the left and the right that demand an uncritical allegiance, which Christians cannot possibly give. They still go to prison and torture, labor camp and death rather than compromise their loyalty to God. Christians are loyal citizens, giving to Caesar what is Caesar’s, but they reserve their worship for God alone, giving to God what is God’s.
For further reading: Mark 12:13–17