Paying the Imperial Tax to Caesar

Mark 12:13-17

¹³ Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. ¹⁴ They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, 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 the imperial tax to Caesar or not? ¹⁵ 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.” ¹⁶ They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”

“Caesar’s,” they replied.

¹⁷ Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”

And they were amazed at him.

In our world of media frenzy that is obsessed with “popularity”, number of “likes”, the latest whim, gossip and slander … you see Jesus and how clearly He would respond.  Here He pays no attention to who they are!  He is so very secure in who He is, He doesn’t need to concern Himself with the “game of popularity”.

Jesus’ focus is on the poor, the most vulnerable, the most unliked, the outcast, the tainted … that who He spent His time with and who He looks for.  He loves the lost.  That is truth – lived out.

What does yours and my truth look like in what we do, where we spend out time, and how we live out the Gospel of Jesus so others can see how much God loves them!!

Jesus, open our eyes to what you see in our Community, our Church and our workplace.  We want to see how you see.  Help us to be your hands and feet in our world that your name would be glorified and your message made real by our responses.  In your name we pray.  Amen.

Written by Ps. Sue Botta