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THE BASIC DUTIES TO STATE AND CHURCH

Mark 12:13-17

Key Verse:12:17  “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.”

  Last week we studied the parable of the tenants. Through this parable Jesus taught us the basic relationship between God and men: God is the owner of the world, and men are stewards of his world. This parable also taught us our basic duty as stewards of God’s world. We must honor God as God and give thanks to him in all circumstances. Men are happy when they honor God as God and fulfill their duties as the stewards of all things endowed by God such as life, time, money, health, family and so on.

  Today’s passage is Jesus’ conversation with the Pharisees. In this passage, Jesus teaches us our basic duties to state as citizens and to church as people of God.

First, the hypocritical Pharisees. (13-15) Look at verse 13. “Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words.” As we studied previously, Jesus spoke the parable of the tenants to the Pharisees, who were looking for a way to arrest him. (12)  Jesus told them the parable with God’s compassion so that they might believe in him and be saved. But, the Pharisees did not accept Jesus. Rather they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. Then, who were the Pharisees? The word “Pharisee” means “the separated one”. They were originated from a group called ‘Hasidim’ which means “God’s loyal ones.” The Pharisees thought that they were separated from ordinary people. To them keeping the law of God was everything. It was because they thought that the Babylonian Exile was caused by Israel’s failure to keep the Mosaic Law, which was called “Torah.” So they believed that keeping the law was their individual and national duty as chosen people. Therefore, to the Pharisees, keeping the law was very important.

But their problem was that, as time passed by, they became legalists instead of shepherds for their people. They imposed heavy regulations and traditions on their people and demanded that they keep all of them meticulously, even those that they themselves hardly observed. Then they judged those who did not keep the laws and regulations. They emphasized keeping the law in detail, but in reality they did not keep the spirit of the law, which is love. They did not accept those who sat with sinners and ate with tax collectors. They did not care for the needy and ignored the blind. They served the Lord with their lips, but their hearts were far from the Lord. (Mk 7:6) So Jesus rebuked the Pharisees calling them, “You, hypocrites!” (Mt 15:7)

Herodians were not a religious sect like the Pharisees, but a political group who supported the dynasty of King Herod the Antipas. Herodians appear only three times in the Bible. But they collaborated with the Pharisees in trapping Jesus.

How did the Pharisees and the Herodians catch Jesus in his words? Look at verses 14-15a. “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?” First of all, they praised Jesus by flattering words. Flattery generally deceives people. Proverbs 29:5 says, “Those who flatter their neighbors are spreading nets for their feet.” The Apostle Paul also warns those who did not keep the law of God. saying, “…By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naïve people.” (Ro 16:18)  The Pharisees and the Herodians flattered Jesus in order to deceive his mind. Despite their effort to deceive Jesus, they actually told the truth about him. Indeed Jesus was a man of integrity. Jesus was not swayed by men but always taught the way of God in accordance with the truth. It was because Jesus did fear God, not people.

There was an insidious and vicious scheme behind their flattery. They asked, “Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we?” Why was this question about tax a deadly scheme against Jesus? At that time, whether paying taxes to Caesar or not was very sensitive and controversial issue among the Jews. At Jesus’ time, the world was ruled by the Roman Empire.  Caesar, the Roman Emperor demanded all colonial people to pay taxes to him. But, the Jews who acknowledge God as the only King would not pay the imperial taxes.

On the contrary, the Roman emperor thought that levying taxes from colonial countries was definitely necessary to maintain the peace from Rome called, “Pax Romana”. Indeed, the Romans built extensive roads which linked countries to other countries. They also built aqueducts, which transported water from sea to the land. The Romans posted guards to protect travelers who used these roads. So, the Roman government thought that the colonials should pay taxes to Caesar who provided road safety and convenience for their lives. In modern terms, annually we pay revenue taxes to the county and the city for using schools, parks, bridges, and other public facilities. With the taxes which we pay the city and the county, the governments provide public safety and community service.

Still, the Jews hated paying taxes to Caesar. So they used the tax matter as a bait to trap Jesus. If Jesus said ‘yes, we should pay’, many Jews who followed him would leave him in anger. If he said, ‘no, we shouldn’t’, he would violate the Roman law so that he could be arrested and then executed. How did Jesus answer them?

Second, give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s (15b-17). Look at verse 15b. “But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” Jesus saw their hypocrisy in their hearts.  Here the word, “hypocrisy” originally means ‘to play a part,’ or ‘act a part’. In other words, hypocrisy means pretending to be holy and sacred. Jesus knew their evil intent to trap him. So he asked them to bring a denarius and to let him look at it.

Look at verse 16. “They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s they replied.” Denarius was the common Roman  silver coin which valued a day’s wage for an ordinary laborer. It was mostly the size of dime in the USA. On one side of the coin was the portrait of Emperor Tiberius and on the other the inscription in Latin: “Tiberius Caesar Augustus, son of the divine Augustus.” The coin was issued by Tiberius and was mainly used for paying taxes to him. Then, why did Jesus ask them to bring the coin?

Look at verse 17. “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.” What do Jesus’ words, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s” mean? It means that we should fulfill our basic duties to country as citizens and to God as God’s people.  There were the portrait of Caesar on one side of the coin and on the other his inscription. The portrait and inscription of Caesar symbolized the basic duty as colonial people. Jesus meant that the Jews had to fulfill their duty as colonial people.  In the same way, the Jews had the basic duties as people of God, who had the image of God. They must fulfill these basic duties as people of God.

In America people frequently use these words to endorse ‘Separation of church and state.’ But, what Jesus really meant here was to fulfill our duty to state and to church. While living on this earth, we have obligations to carry out certain duties and responsibilities to have good governments and to become good citizens. As America citizens we have duties of obeying the laws, paying taxes, defending the nation, serving in court, attending school, and of voting. Obeying the traffic rules is also fulfilling one of the basic duties as citizens. We also should pay proper taxes to the governments. Last Thursday missionary Grace Kim and I drove to Chicago to attend the funeral ceremony for missionary Sarah Yoo. In order to arrive at the mortuary on time, we had to use shortcut highways around O’ Hare Airport and passing through several toll gates which demanded road taxes. Without paying the road taxes, we couldn’t pass.  The taxes which I paid are used for maintaining the highways and hiring the workers. On the way back home, we saw many drivers receive tickets from the highway patrol officers for moving violations. The penalty for the violation may be used for payment for the officers who work for safety and security on highways. We also should encourage our children to attend school to fulfill their basic duty as citizen in this nation.  Besides, we have several responsibilities as citizens such as the responsibilities of participating in government, of respecting other’s rights, of respecting diversity and so on.

Look at verse 17 again. Jesus said, “Give to God what is God’s.” Then, what is God’s?  Everything is God’s, things visible and invisible; nature, nations, people, governments, authorities, buildings, houses, lands, family, children, time, money and all things including your life.  All things came from God and all things belong to him. God owns everything. So we seem to have nothing to give to him since all things belong to him. Still we have something to give to him which is our HEART. In Deuteronomy 6:4,5 God said, “Here, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” Giving our hearts to God by loving him with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our strength is the most important duty as the people of God. Don’t complain thinking that you have nothing to give to God. Give your heart to God.

Then, what is the basic duty to church as people of God? First of all, we must keep the Sabbath holy. God commanded his people to keep the Sabbath holy in the fourth commandment. (Ex 20:8-11) That’s why we should come to church every Sunday to worship God. Second of all, we should offer tithes to God. Tithing is offering a tenth of  our income to God. Tithing started with Abraham who gave a tenth of everything to Melchizedek, the priest of the Most High. (Ge 14:20) By offering tithes we acknowledge that all things came from God and that all things belong to him. With grateful minds we set apart one from ten as God’s. Among our church members there are some who offer a tithe not only from their income, but also time and hours. Offering tithes is not an option, but a duty as people belong to God.

 As people of God we also have the duty to pray for others. We call it intercessory prayer. A good example of intercessory prayer was Abraham’s prayer for his nephew Lot, who lived in the city of Sodom and Gomorah. Abraham knew that God’s impending judgment on the sinful cities was at hand. At that time, he remembered his nephew Lot and earnestly prayed to God to save the city for the sake of Lot. The Bible says that when God destroyed the cities, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe. (Ge 19:29) This is the reason we pray for our Bible students and children day and night.  This is the reason we also pray for the nations and all authorities of the nations. The Apostle Paul said in his first letter to Timothy, his spiritual son, “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior,..” (1 Ti 2:1-3)

As people of God we have duty of sharing the gospel with others. Before his ascension, Jesus gave the great commission to his disciples, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you..” (Mt 28:19,20) Based on these Jesus’ words, sharing the gospel is not an option, but an obligation as people of God and disciples of Jesus Christ.

In today’s passage we learned the basic duty to state and to church. Jesus said, ‘Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s. May God help each of us to acknowledge God as God and give to God what is God’s. May God also help us to fulfill our basic duties as citizens, students, parents, children and so on. May God make America a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Amen.

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