“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?”
Mark 12:14

The Pharisees and the Herodians teamed up in presenting this question to Jesus.
They were an interesting mix,with the Pharisees being strongly opposed to Roman rule
and the Herodians being Jews that supported Roman rule through the Herods.
They acknowledged, in their greeting,
that Jesus' teachings were not influenced by people and that He spoke truth.
Then they asked the question: “Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
They were looking for an answer
that would have supported one of their two opposing positions.
Jesus, who knows the heart of all, exposed their motivation,
then answered with truth that provided a directive they had not considered:
“Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's.”
Now they had another issue to address: What is rightfully God's?

Twila Charles Leichty – L7