Mark - Lesson 12B

• Last week, we went over what is known in Mark’s gospel as the Parable of the Tenants.

  • This Parable painted a vivid picture of Israel’s seemingly unchanged leadership from the Old Testament up to Jesus’ very day.

    • That where the leaders of that day should have led the people of God to dependence upon God and His word, instead they led Israel into further disobedience.

    • The religious leaders should have been shepherds to the people rather than shepherds feeding themselves.

  • Therefore, where Israel should have been a people/nation of great spiritual blessing and prosperity, they became anemic and in need of their true shepherd – Messiah.

    • Time and again the prophets of old would send message after message for the people and their leadership to repent and turn to Yahweh.

    • Unfortunately, that message would go in one ear and out the other – causing self-righteousness to increase and truth to be dismissed.

  • It would be because of Israel’s lack of turning back to Yahweh that a final attempt would be given and that would be through the sending of the Son of God.

    • Yet as we have been seeing, time and again, the religious leaders continue to dismiss and deny Jesus as their Messiah.

  • And the point that continues to arise is the reality that truth, constantly suppressed, will lead to divine judgement.

    • In one way, that judgement was to be seen in AD 70 with the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple.

    • And another means of God’s justice at work was when Jesus made the point that the “vineyard” would be given to “others”.

  • This “transference of leadership” for spiritual fruitfulness was given to the Apostles and continues through the shepherds of today.

    • Ultimately, the “others” mentioned in the Parable become the Gentiles who will have the opportunity to become “fruit producers” in the Church Age.

  • However, there will be a future in which Israel nationally, would respond positively and accept Jesus as Messiah which will usher in the Coming Kingdom.

    • And as we clarified, this “transferring of leadership” does not replace Israel with the church.

    • For Israel will forever remain God’s chosen people whom He has promised to bless with a Kingdom. (Davidic Covenant)

  • In other words, God’s choice to favor Gentiles and the Church within the Church Age is not a permanent substitution for Israel.

    • For more information on how God brings in the Gentiles in His plan, check out our parallel teaching in Matthew 22A/22B.

  • So, where Israel rejected Messiah in His first coming, that rejection became our (Gentiles’) opportunity to become recipients of the Kingdom.

    • And the icing on the cake is that this plan was not God’s “Plan B”, this was always a part of His plan.

• Tonight, we find ourselves a few days before Christ is crucified and raised from the dead. (Still Tuesday)

  • The intensity of questioning between the religious leaders and Jesus continues to increase.

    • And as we approach tonight’s text, do not let the length of our text fool you. There is more than meets the eye!

  • If I were to put a tag on tonight’s text it would simply be: “Give God What is God’s.”

    • With that being said, go ahead a meet me in Mark 12:13-17 for the reading of the word.

Mark 12:13  Then they *sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Him in order to trap Him in a statement. 
Mark 12:14 They came and *said to Him, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and do not care what anyone thinks; for You are not partial to anyone, but You teach the way of God in truth. Is it permissible to pay a poll-tax to Caesar, or not? 
Mark 12:15 Are we to pay, or not pay?” But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, “Why are you testing Me? Bring Me a denarius to look at.” 
Mark 12:16 And they brought one. And He *said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” And they said to Him, “Caesar’s.” 
Mark 12:17 And Jesus said to them, “Pay to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were utterly amazed at Him.

• Let’s Pray.

• One of the most amazing things to witness as a parent is how your children seek to make independent decisions apart from you.

  • Recently, my kids asked about going to a game park where they could race go-carts and play endless arcade games.

    • While they tried convincing my wife and I as to why we should go, my son precedes to say, “If you guys let us go, I’ll pay for all of us.”

    • Looking at my son with much intrigue I tell him, “Really…. you’re going to pay for us…and with what money?”

    • To which he responds, “The money that you give me.”

  • And as I thought about his statement, I couldn’t help but think about tonight’s text.

    • That where these religious leaders stood and with the weight and authority by which the Roman government had over Israel, that authority was given to them by a Supreme authority.

  • There is no authority that exists outside of what God permits.

    • So, in the same way my son came to realize that he needed dad’s authority to access what he wanted, we find this lack of recognition of Jesus’ authority from the religious leaders.

  • That where there should be recognition of Jesus’ authority and submission to it, there is a blatant rejection and self-righteous presuppositions that are made.

    • And as you will see, our text will provide us with the means by which all of humanity should approach Holy God.

    • And that is in full obedience and submission to His word and will.

• Tonight, our teaching picks back up on part 2 of a conversation had in the Temple with another set of religious leaders.

  • You would think after the religious leaders suffered public humiliation and embarrassment by Jesus’ response to their trite question prior, that they would have hung up their attempts and tucked tail and ran.

    • However, this was not the case for the Sanhedrin group members because they couldn’t afford their pride to be crushed.

  • So, in response to their embarrassment, the text tells us in verse 13, that they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to try and “trap” Jesus in a statement.

    • The word for “trap” in Greek is agreuo (a-grevo) which means to catch something that is unaware, like that of a wild animal.

    • So, the intent of these leaders was to trap Jesus as if He were some type of wild animal that was unaware that needed to be overtaken.

  • Where Mark’s gospel tells us who was sent by this group of Sanhedrin officials, Matthew’s account mentions that the Pharisees sent “their disciples”, and Luke’s account mentions “spies were sent”.

    • With these varied accounts, it shows us the intent of the religious leaders’ hearts.

    • That by providing “unfamiliar faces” they assumed their line of questioning would be able to trip up Jesus on His statements.

    • And what we find is that those in whom they send have been well coached in an effort to poke holes in Jesus’ ministry, authority, and teaching.

  • But before we get there, we must acknowledge the two groups that have been sent to entrap Jesus: They are the “disciples of the Pharisees” and the Herodians.

    • If there were two groups of people who despised being in the same space with one another, it would be these two groups respectively.

    • Calling them friends would be an understatement.

    • But in this case, the old adage “The enemy of my enemy is my friend” is a perfect way to describe this unlikely pairing.

  • The reason being is that the Herodians were a minor non-religious political party composed of supporters of Herod and Rome.

    • Whereas the Pharisees desired complete independence and autonomy for Israel from gentile oppressors. (i.e. Roman government)

  • So, for these two parties to have found common ground on their shared opposition of Jesus, speaks to the fact that prior conversations were had and compromises made to gain each party’s self-interest.

    • And indeed, a thorough plan was developed because the question that is asked of the groups, in unity, was one that included the interest of both parties in a way.

    • The question we are going to examine, speaks to both the religious and political implications of that day.

    • And Jesus will have to address both while at the same time refrain from causing civil uproar and religious unrest amongst the crowds.

  • Notice how these two opposing groups approach Jesus.

    • They begin by lavishing Jesus with these true theological compliments of who He is, despite their true intent of sarcasm and hypocrisy.

    • I can only imagine how much saying those very words to Jesus pained them.

    • Let’s re-read it again, in verse 14.

Mark 12:14 They came and *said to Him, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and do not care what anyone thinks; for You are not partial to anyone, but You teach the way of God in truth. Is it permissible to pay a poll-tax to Caesar, or not? 

• • This attempt to appeal to Jesus’s moral/ethical uprightness as a means of flattery was a far reach. I mean they milked this introduction!

    • It almost reminds you of when your kids try to tell you that you are the best parent they ever had all for the sake of getting a new toy or present of sorts. This is the scene before us.

  • If you aren’t picking up what they are trying to put down, you might be able to see it fully exposed in the question they asked after the false flattery:

    • They ask Jesus, “Is it lawful to pay a toll tax to Caesar, or not?”

  • This question drips of red flags when you truly consider who is asking the question.

    • As we mentioned earlier, the two groups posing the question are the Pharisees’ disciples and the Herodians.

  • I mention this because the Pharisees objected to the poll tax (tribute taxes) placed upon them by Rome due to their desire to be independent from them.

    • The Pharisees had no desire to pay the tribute tax to Rome, yet by default they grudgingly submitted.

    • Yet all the while they submit to this line of questioning all for the sake of justifying their end goal – entrapping Jesus.

  • Similarly, the Herodians supported foreign rule through the means of taxation since the house of Herod was dependent on the Romans.

    • So, what we have up to this point, according to the religious leaders’ point of view, is a no-win situation for Jesus.

    • The question becomes: “How would their line of questioning be deemed as a lose-lose situation for Jesus?”

  • If Jesus tells the Pharisees, “Yes, it is lawful to pay Caesar a toll tax”, it will raise issue amongst the following crowds causing Him to lose popularity with the people and therefore, in their eyes, discredits him as King.

    • For even the Pharisees despised the idea of having to pay taxes to a foreign and Godless government.

  • And if He says, “No it’s not lawful to pay Caesar his tax”, it would unleash retaliation against the government of Rome.

    • And in response to the opposition the Herodians would arrest Jesus for His rebellion against the State.

    • However, this false flattery mixed with a question of entrapment was not hidden from the sights of Jesus.

    • For Jesus knew of their hidden agenda and darkened hearts and He calls out their hypocrisy in verse 15.

  • The word in Greek for hypocrisy in verse 15 is hypokrisis which speaks to one’s ability to act or be two-faced.

    • They come across as one way, as seeming to be with the best of intentions, yet underneath their “mask” of pleasantries, is deceit and evil intent.

  • The way in which Jesus calls out their hypocrisy was by asking the rhetorical question: “Why are you testing me?”

    • This sense of “testing” is closely related to what Satan attempted to do in Mark 1:13 by putting Jesus to the test regarding the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life.

    • But in all three instances, Christ demonstrated why He was perfect in all rights, and this wouldn’t be any different.

    • So, Jesus presses this moment even further by requesting that they bring Him a denarius to look at, and He will do this as a means of an illustration.

  • A denarius was a Roman coin which was equivalent to a day’s wage, and it so happened that the denarius was the only coin acceptable for imperial tax payments.

    • Within Palestine, this coin embossed with “the image of the Roman emperor” was deemed offensive to the Jewish people.

    • It was so offensive that, within the Galilee, Herod Antipas avoided its use.

    • However, the leaders, more than likely the Herodians, brought out a denarius with Caesar’s appearance on it for Jesus to inspect – quite possibly from the table of a money changer.

  • And as one could image, Jesus holds up this coin in the crowd with the Pharisees and Herodians in plain view and says, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?”

    • And potentially with an anticipatory lean in, in hopes of tripping Jesus up, they tell him Caesar’s likeness is upon the coin.

    • Here would be their opportunity of entrapping Jesus with “an image of Caesar” as King upon the coin.

    • The question for the leaders becomes: “How will He respond?”

  • What makes this moment even more daunting is the inscription upon the coin itself.

    • On the front it read: “Tiberius Caesar, son of divine Augustus, supreme commander (imperator) for the eight time”

    • And on the reverse side read: Pontifex Maximus, which renders “High Priest”.

  • The emperor was deemed both the superior political ruler of the Roman Empire, as well as its supreme religious leader – he was seen as a god.

    • To further press the point of idolatry and arrogance of Rome, Tiberius’ adopted father (Octavius) Augustus, was not a name, but simply a title.

    • The title “August One” was a religious title meaning one who possessed transcendent majesty.

  • Therefore, the Pharisees and Herodians were anticipating that Jesus would pronounce Himself as the Divine One.

    • For that response would have triggered the Pharisees deeming that statement to be an act of idolatry.

    • Yet Jesus responds in an unexpected way.

• Jesus answers them, in the first half of His answer, by saying “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s.”

  • The word for “render” in the Greek is apodidomi which means to pay back, give back, or return, in the sense of obligation or rightful duty.

    • The taxes in which were to be paid was a debt owed to the State (Rome) because of the provision of the state.

    • So Jesus, without hesitation, says, “give to Caesar what belongs to him”.

  • Here, Jesus makes known that the institution of human government is one that is to be obeyed and submitted to accordingly, but ultimately because it has been established by God, Himself.

    • Check out what Paul tells us in Romans 13:7.

Romans 13:7 Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.

• And in the same way, as believers today we are to obey our governing leaders for God has established them for His purposes.

  • Understand that at the end of the day, those in whom are placed in office, whether if you voted for them or not, are ultimately under the Sovereign control of God.

  • Whether the politician’s motives are pure or not, there is nothing that is outside of God’s providential reach and Sovereign control.

  • So as Jesus establishes the legitimization of human government, at the very same time, He disassociates Himself with any means of political or social anarchy, such as the Zealots.

    • And in a very coded way, establishes His Divine authority in the latter half of His response.

    • And the way in which He does this is through an interesting word play, off of the very coin He is holding.

  • Remember the question He asked regarding the denarius? He asked, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?”

    • So, the way in which Caesar’s image on the coin revealed who owned it, Jesus makes a jaw-dropping statement that will captivate the attention of the crowd including the spies who had come to trip Him up.

  • It’s at the end of Jesus' prior statement “Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s” that He continues by saying, “…and give to God the things that are God’s.”

    • The question becomes: “What was Jesus’ point in mentioning that last half of the statement?

    • In the same way that Caesar’s image was embedded on that coin and the people were obligated to pay what is rightfully due to Caesar in a governmental sense, how much more should those created in God’s image give themselves and their very being to God in full surrender.

    • We will expound on this a little later.

  • You must consider how clever and how precise Jesus’ answers were.

    • Where these men came to trip Him up to kill Him, Jesus retorts with perfect responses.

• As mentioned earlier, Jesus doesn’t speak partially, but truthfully, just as the “disciples of the Pharisees” and the Herodians noted in their sarcastic sentiments in their introduction to Him.

  • Therefore, this answer satisfies the Herodians because the tax would be paid according to the State requirement for the tribute tax since the Jewish people were under Roman rule.

    • And the answer would also satisfy the Pharisees because no sacrifice was given to Caesar other than what belonged to him.

• So, Jesus makes it clear: “Give to Caesar what is his and give to God what is God’s.”

  • How was this accomplished practically within the context of our text tonight?

    • Where the religious leaders are asking questions regarding their obligation to the State, Jesus raises the bar by speaking to the fact that they are withholding their obligations from God.

    • Friends, our lives are not our own!

    • The very breath in our bodies have been graciously given to us and yet many walk around as if they are their own source of life.

  • Rather than submitting ourselves and surrendering to God and His truth, we highjack the grace that has been freely given in exchange for further judgement that will be piled upon us through His wrath.

    • Selfishness and self-righteousness only lead to greater suffering in the end.

    • For in the same way that the full weight of the State is held against us in disobedience to paying taxes, so will the full weight of the wrath of God be unleashed upon those who constantly reject God’s truth.

  • This becomes the point of Jesus’ response to these men.

    • They would rather debate and argue about what they were grudgingly obligated to, in the sense of that temporary rule, than benefit from the One who offers the blessing of the Kingdom to come.

  • Here is yet another opportunity disregarded by these leaders because of unbelief in their hearts.

    • These were matters of things eternal versus temporal – these are weighty matters!

    • For Caesar’s empire has a beginning point and an ending point, but God’s Kingdom has no end for it is eternal.

  • If I were to boil Jesus’ point down to one sentence, it would be:  Obey God’s word and His truth and prioritize it above all.

• Where the Pharisees had presented the poll-tax as an either/or situation, Jesus presents it as a both/and.

  • That although believers are citizens of a coming Kingdom, we still hold residence within an existing kingdom, and we are to abide by those laws that have been placed over us in a righteous way.

    • Paul tells us this in Romans 13:1-2:

Romans 13:1 Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. 
Romans 13:2 Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. 

• As Christians we can find ourselves wanting to push against the demands of government, yet we find here in the text that our Lord and Savior teaches against that.

  • Instead, we are to willingly submit and obey the governing authorities for they have been established by God.

  • The only exception to this rule is when the government’s demands come into direct opposition of God’s word.

    • It is then that we are positioned to go against the government.

    • However, we do not purposefully seek opportunities to do so, for if we do, it is there that we too become like the Pharisees – self-righteous.

  • I believe what we see here is the importance of submission versus the lack of it.

    • That when we are submitted to the true and living King, our ability to willingly submit is motivated from our submission to Him, because we know who holds true authority.

    • As the Apostle Paul points out in Romans 12:1, our dutiful obligation is to God and our priority is set to obey His word, worship Him well, and live acceptably and pleasing in His sight by daily dying to ourselves.

  • As we see how the culture is informing the State and the Laws more and more, it may feel as though our ability to speak out on these matters gets more restricted.

    • Whatever the case, we serve a God who sees all and knows all, and none of this surprises Him.

    • Therefore, may we all live in a way that points a dying world to a living hope so that they may know the truth.

    • And in them coming to know the Person of truth, that truth will set them free.

    • Let’s Pray.