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.
Mark 12:13-17 (NIV) [This event also related by Luke 20:21-26 & Matthew 22:16-22].
Finally, zero hour has arrived. It is time to put that check in the mail and hope that the IRS receives it, marks your taxes paid, then promptly loses it. Well, we can wish anyway.
Do you suppose Jesus got tired of the religious spies? They didn’t have enough integrity to study the Word for themselves and form their own beliefs. They depended upon people of power and position to tell them what they should or should not believe. For money and/or favor, they would attempt to trap Jesus with his own words.
Note, they came with glowing praise and accolades, but Jesus saw through their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. Consider that one of the three cardinal sins from the Garden is pride of life. The pride of life entraps us when we let the flattery of friends and associates swell our ego. Worse still, our adversary intends to trap us through such flattery.
While we know the purpose and intent of these spies, both their praise and question hint at a rebellious spirit and attitude. If Jesus had been a preacher of rebellion against Rome, they and their masters would have urged him on and waited to see what would happen. But they knew his message only destroyed theirs so they laid a trap, but Jesus was wise to it. Since we are sent into a world of wolves, we should “be wise as serpents and as harmless as doves” (Mt. 10:16), because those who oppose truth will abuse us and use us for their own designs, and deliver us to the government and courts when we reject their purposes (Mt. 10:17-18).
So, Jesus exhibits wisdom beyond anything those spies could imagine. They had underestimated him and lost the war of words. They were trapped by their own question: “Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we?” Jesus gave them the answer and they would never again be able to argue against paying taxes. There was only one thing to do . . . pay up.
Dear Father, thank you for paying the price for us on Calvary. Empower us with the spirit and attitude of submission. Grant that we may live a life of integrity both spiritually and physically. This I pray in the name of Jesus. AMEN
Be encouraged today in your integrity,