Funny Money
| Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch Him in his words. They came to Him and said, "Teacher, we know you are a man of integrity. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?Should we pay or shouldn't we?" But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. "Why are you trying to trap me?" He asked. "Bring me a denarius and let me look at it." They brought the coin, and He asked them, "Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?" "Caesar's," they replied. Then Jesus said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's." And they were amazed at Him. (Mark12:13-17) |
This is one of my favourite accounts of Jesus dealing with those who tried to trap Him.
The irony is thick even before the debate starts because Herodians and Pharisees didn't usually get on with each other. The Herodians supported supported King Herod and Roman rule and they supported taxation which kept the stability of Roman rule. They were not religious but aligned with the ruling elite. The Pharisees were very religious and promoted strict adherence to the Jewish Law (Torah) and oral traditions. They opposed Roman rule but tolerated it for practical reasons but were not in favour of taxes. But they have put aside their differences because they feel so threatened by Jesus.
Their question is a nasty trap. "Should we pay taxes or not?"
This test was to get Jesus into trouble.
It was a lose-lose religious-political test.
- Say "yes" and the crowd will be disappointed that Jesus is siding with the oppressors
- Say "no" and He can be reported to the Romans for treason and sedition.
Jesus' response is brilliant.
- Show me a coin - Jesus has none
- Who's head is on it - The coin had a graven image (an image of Caesar on it.) It would make the carrier unclean. That's why the temple had money changers who swapped Roman Denarius for Tyrian shekels. The coin represented Caesar's dominion and reign. (I kind of hope it was a Pharisee and not a Herodian who pulled it out of his pocket! That would make the irony even thicker...)
- "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's." This is such an elegant solution. It cuts through the false dichotomy the Heroidian-Pharisees had created. (It's also a clear example of the separation of Church and State.)
There are three takeaways here:
- The incredible wisdom of Jesus and how He cuts to the heart of issues.
- The duplicity of evil and the unholy alliances and false dichotomies that often lie at the heart of it's strategies.
- The importance of being faithful to God, but also to do what is required of the state. We see the same thing in Paul's letter to the Romans where he urges obedience to the state in matters of state that do not conflict with the Gospel.
