Text: Mark 12:13-17

"Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar's.”

More than likely, the coin brought to Jesus was a Tiberian denarius. On one side was the image of the emperor Tiberius with the superscription: “Tiberius Caesar, Augustus son of the divine Augustus.” The inscription portrays Tiberius as a god being and the son of the divine Augustus. The woman is a priestess or the wife of Augustus, Livia, proclaiming the Pax Romana that places all people in subjection. The offensiveness of this little idol (see Exodus 20:3-4) with its blasphemous claims, compounded by the occupation and taxation of this evil empire, is well was beyond our comprehension.  So how does the Son of the Most High God respond to their trick question, "Should we pay taxes to Rome?"

It appeared to be a well-thought-out trap. The Jewish religious leaders are trying to force Jesus either to support the paying of taxes to Rome, which would alienate the crowds which supported Him or to denounce the tax, in which case they could tell the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, that Jesus was guilty of inciting a revolt, which would have been punishable by death.

Jesus rejects their either/or approach and gives a both/and answer.  He responds, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” Basically, He was saying, "Freely give back to Rome what is obviously theirs and give to God what is rightfully His—the world and everything in it as created by Him." Israel's problem was not Rome, but their need to repent, believe in Jesus and worship the One whose image they bear! They may have been obligated to pay taxes to Caesar, but they (and we too) owe everything, their very being, to God.

Here are some practical takeaways I've gained as I studied this text to preach the sermon:

1. God is not opposed to government. He actually ordained it for our good. Government is a common grace, even an evil government like Rome (see Romans 13). We should pray for our leaders and respect the laws of our land.
2. The authority of a human government is limited. When government goes against God, we must obey God (see Acts 5).
3. Jesus' answer was given in such a winsome waythat The Message paraphrases the response of His opponents in verse 17b "Their mouths hung open, speechless." I'm asking God to make me more like Jesus when speaking to those who disagree with my faith or Biblical convictions.
4. Christians need to be aware of our politic culture and able to articulate our beliefs and disagreements (in a winsome way!).
5. Pastor Tim Keller writes, “The historical Christian positions on social issues do not fit into contemporary political alignments. So Christians are pushed toward two main options. One is to withdraw and try to be apolitical. The second is to assimilate and fully adopt one party’s whole package in order to have your place at the table. Neither of these options is valid.” The gospel is not limited to the results of any one particular election. "...the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. (Daniel 4:32).
6. Christians have the right to contend in the public marketplace for those values that make for a healthy community. John Wesley wrote in 1773, "To vote, without fee or reward, for the person they judged most worthy."
7. Always remember that God's sovereign rule over sinful rulers is not an endorsement of their sinful behavior.