the Gospel of Mark: On the road with Jesus (34) “Paying and Giving”

Mark 12:13-17 & 41-44
(Romans 13:1-7; I Timothy 2:1-2; Titus 3:1-2; I Peter 2:13-17)

1. I remember when I got my 1st after-school-job as a sophomore in high school. And my 1st paycheck. And paying taxes for the 1st time – state, federal & social security. I added up how much of my money they took from me! And it’s still happening.

2. once upon a time Jesus was asked a question about paying taxes.

Mark 12:13-17
Pharisees & Herodians
1. the Pharisees were the traditionalists of the day. They were wedded to keeping the law, all of it, down to the minutiae they added to it.

2. the Herodians cared little for the law. They were named after Herod, the puppet King placed in power by the Romans. They didn’t want to rock the boat. Their goal was to keep Herod & Rome happy.

3. they are strange bedfellows but what drew them into the same bed was their opposition to Jesus.

4. they wanted to entrap him so they could discredit his ministry. Look at how they try to butter him up (the Message) – Teacher, we know you have integrity, that you are indifferent to public opinion, don’t pander to your students, and teach the way of God accurately 14).

5. question – is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we? (14-15). The Romans had levied a head tax on the Jewish people in addition to the taxes they already paid on property & goods. Some people refused to pay it.

6. there was a question beneath the question – can one pay taxes to Caesar & still give allegiance to the God of Israel?

7. Jesus was put between a rock & a hard place. If he rejects the head tax he will become a rebel against the Roman government & be subject to arrest. But if he endorses the head tax he will run the risk of calling into question his Messiah-ship – the Messiah was expected to liberate his people from foreign rule.

8. but Jesus knew their hypocrisy. Watch how he evades their ambush! He answers their question with another question – bring me a denarius and let me look at it. Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription? (15-16).

9. the head tax was paid by a sliver denarius. One side carried a portrait of Caesar & the inscription ‘Tiberius Caesar, August Son of the Divine Augustus.’

10. here’s where Jesus gets them. The Pharisees & the Herodians come up with a denarius. More than that, they are carrying these coins bearing an image of Caesar into the temple courts (11:27). Since they have no qualms about doing business with Caesar’s money, they’d better pay Caesar’s taxes.

11. Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s (17) This is one of the only times Jesus says anything about the realm of government & politics. I want to pursue this a bit more by going to Paul in Romans 13:1-7 – a quick ‘the Bible & government 101.’
Romans 13:1-7
1. Paul writes these words in a time when there were no Christian authorities to speak of – global, regional, or local. Both the Roman & Jewish authorities were unfriendly & hostile to the church. The 1st 300 years of the church’s existence was marked by 10 waves of severe persecution.

2. Paul begins by making 2 points. 1st the state’s authority is derived from God:
§ 1b – there is no authority except that which God has established
§ 1c – the authorities that exist have been established by God
§ 2a – rebelling against what God has instituted

3. thus, the State is a divine institution with divine authority! This is why everyone must submit to the governing authorities (1).

4. Paul is stating the divine ideal NOT the human reality. He is not endorsing the Hitlers or Stalins or Ben Ladens of our times.

5. 2nd the state’s ministry is given by God:
§ 4a – he is God’s servant to do you good
§ 4c – he is God’s servant, an angel of wrath, to bring punishment
§ 6 – the authorities are God’s servants

6. in writing about the ministry of the state, Paul uses the same word used elsewhere for pastors or ministers of the church. John Stott – those who serve the state as legislators, civil servants, judges, police, social workers or tax collectors are just as much ministers of God as those who serve the church as pastors, teachers, evangelists or administrators.

7. what are the duties of the state as Paul understands them? 1st to promote good & 2nd to restrain & punish evil:
§ 4a – for he is God’s servant to do you good
§ 4b – bear the sword for nothing
§ 4c – agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer

8. what are the duties of those of us who are citizens:
§ 7 – pay taxes (pay for the services supplied by the state)
§ 7 – pay revenue
§ 7 – pay respect
§ 7 – pay honor
As citizens, but especially as Christ-followers, we are to pay our taxes in full – national, state, local – and give respect & honor to those in office who collect & appropriate them.

9. to sum up, both the state’s authority & ministry are given by God. The state exists for 2 basic purposes – to promote the good of society & to restrain & punish evil. And ours as citizens is to pay our taxes & respect our leaders.

10. and let’s not forget I Timothy 2:1-2. We are called to pray for our political leaders…that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.

11. whether you agree with President Bush or not, agree with the war in Iraq or not, our President needs our prayers.

12. Nationally I try to pray regularly for President Bush, Senators Ron Wyden & Gordon Smith, and House Representative Darlene Hooley. Statewide I pray for our Governor, State Senator Kirk Schrader & House Representative Wayne Scott. Locally I try to remember our mayor & city council. Voting & praying – all of us can do that.


Mark 12:41-44
1. I’ve covered the ‘paying’ part of my sermon title – paying our taxes to Caesar. Now to the ‘giving’ part. At the end of chapter 12 Mark slips in this little story about a big giver.

2. we find Jesus in the temple opposite the temple treasury. Here there were 13 trumpet-shaped chests for collecting offerings. Jesus is watching what people are giving. Wouldn’t that make you nervous? Well, it still happens today. Jesus knows what each of us gives.

3. many rich people threw in large amounts but a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins worth only a fraction of a penny (41-42).

4. Jesus takes advantage of what he’s just observed – another teaching moment! I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more in the treasury than all the others (43). How can this be? She put in a few cents. The others put in large amounts of money.

5. they all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything – all she had to live on (44).

6. I see 2 points that I believe Jesus wants us to get when it comes to giving. 1st it’s not so much what you give that matters; it’s what you have left after you give. The widow had nothing left. The others gave out of their wealth but still walked away wealthy.

7. the way Jesus looks at giving is completely different from the way we look at it. We look at how much we give. Jesus looks at how much we have left after we’re done giving.

8. 2nd giving is a matter of the heart. She put in everything – all she had to live on. God held 1st place in her heart. He towered about everything else. She lived a life of faith – faith in God to provide for her needs.

9. self-centered hearts don’t give like this. Materialistic hearts don’t give like this. Faith-less hearts don’t give like this. Splintered-hearts don’t give like this.

10. this widow, whoever she was, is really one of the greatest saints in all of the Scriptures.

11. and Jesus recognizes her for he wants us to learn from her example. Based on her example, there’s none of us here today who don’t have more to give to the Lover of our souls.

Wrap-up
1. paying & giving. In the political realm we pay our taxes. We pay our respect & honor to those who govern us.

2. in the kingdom realm we give with hearts full of God & faith that trusts in God & God alone for our daily bread.

3. this kind of giving is revolutionary. The world around us would call it crazy, irresponsible, stupid.

4. but the way of God’s kingdom is always counter-intuitive. The kingdom of God swims against the stream. As Jesus himself said, it is better to give than to receive.