The Pharisees' Question

Mark 12:13-17

There were three important groups who were against Jesus. They were called the Pharisees, the Herodians and the Sadducees.

The Pharisees believed that the Jews should obey all God‘s laws. And they wanted the Jews to obey other rules too, which the Pharisees‘ leaders had made.

The Herodians seem to be friends of King Herod. The Jews did not rule their own country. Instead, the king of Rome (called Caesar) ruled. But Rome is a long way from Israel. So Caesar had asked Herod to rule Israel on his behalf. But for a few years, Caesar had chosen a man called Pilate to rule there.

The Sadducees were against the Pharisees. We shall read about the Sadducees in Mark 12:18-27. The most important priests were all Sadducees.

Jesus always taught people that they must obey God. So the Pharisees came to Jesus with the Herodians. And they asked him whether he was against the government. Caesar demanded that people pay him money. The Pharisees wanted to know whether people should pay that money.

The men who asked the question did not really want to know the answer. They were against Jesus. And they wanted the crowds to be against Jesus too. The crowds did not like Caesar. They thought that his government was cruel. But if Jesus told the people not to pay Caesar, then the Herodians would be against Jesus. And they could put Jesus in the prison.

Jesus did not have any money. So he asked the leaders to lend him a coin. And he looked at it. There was a picture of Caesar on the coin. And Caesar‘s name was on the coin.

So Jesus told them that, clearly, the coin was Caesar‘s. If he demanded his coin, then they should give it to him.

But our lives are God‘s. He made us. He causes us to be alive. He gives us the things that we need. And he tells us that we must obey him.

So we should give our lives to God.

In the end, many priests believed Jesus (Acts 6:7). Several Pharisees believed him too (John 19:38-39; Acts 23:6).