Mark 12:13-17
Religious
Leaders Question Jesus
about
Paying Taxes
12:13
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 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?
-
- 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
portrait is this? And whose inscription?"
-
- "Caesar's," they
replied.
-
- 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.
-
This
is the Word of the Lord ... It is meant to
change the way that we think, and the way that
we live.
Commentary
by Bob Pardue
What Christ Says about
Paying Taxes
Rome was ruling over Judea at
this time so paying taxes to Caesar was not
optional.
And, the taxes went to things
that the Jewish community loathed such as a high
& decadent lifestyle.
Also, a portion of the taxes
paid by Jews went to support the pagan
temples.
Jesus knew what the taxes
paid to Rome were financing but he would be trapped
by either a "yes" or "no" answer. He could either
be loyal to Rome or to the people of Judea, but not
both.
Caesar's picture was on the
denarius (about a day's wage) so Jesus said that
this money belonged to Rome.
God's picture is on the
hearts of people which means that our lives belong
to Him.
Our pastor at church says
every Sunday; "Let's give back to God now." and I
have a feeling he is not just talking about our
Sunday offering.
Let's give back to God with
our hearts and souls and hands and feet. Doesn't
God deserve our very best?
-
Love in Christ
- Bob
If you have never made the
commitment to receive the love and life-changing
experience of Jesus Christ, please take a moment to
go
here and take the
first
steps to salvation.
Bob
Pardue is a
member of First Baptist Church in Lancaster, SC. He
is ordained from Rich Hill Baptist in Lancaster.
The website is at http://www.makingchristknown.com
Want
to place this passage and commentary on your
website or e-zine for content?
This article about what
Christ says about paying tax may be freely
reprinted or distributed in its entirety in any
e-zine, newsletter, blog, or website. The author's
name, bio, and website links must remain intact
and be included with every reproduction of
this report.
Bob
Verses are from Life Application Study
Bible: New International Version
Comments are welcome. Please email
me with any questions or comments you
may have.
|
