Mark 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 that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, 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 the imperial tax 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 image is this? And whose inscription?”
“Caesar’s,” they replied.
17 Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”
And they were amazed at him.
Give back to Caesar what is Caesar's and give what back to God? What is God's?
The Greek word Mark uses for "inscription", he uses only twice in the entire Gospel. The only other time, it is used to describe the words written by the Romans on the cross of Jesus:
Mark 15:25 It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. 26 The inscription of the charge against him read:
THE KING OF THE JEWS.
Surely Pontius Pilate, a Roman prefect, would give back to Caesar what is Caesar's wouldn't he? Maybe so, but I think if we connect the dots, we can safely say that Pilate unintentionally has given back to God what is God's - namely:
JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
AND isn't it ironic that, while Jesus could not be swayed by others, Pilate was swayed:
Mark 15:2 “Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate.
“You have said so,” Jesus replied.
3 The chief priests accused him of many things. 4 So again Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.”
5 But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed. (compare Mark 12:17 above)
6 Now it was the custom at the festival to release a prisoner whom the people requested. 7 A man called Barabbas (Barabbas means "son of the father") was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. 8 The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.
9 “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate, 10 knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead. 12 “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them.
13 “Crucify him!” they (the crowd) shouted.
14 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.
But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”
15 Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.
Pilate, being swayed by others, has unwittingly offered up to God what is God's.
Amazing!
Thanks for reading!
-matt
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