King Without a Coin

I don’t care much for politics. Maybe I should rephrase: I don’t care much for endless debates, rallies, protests, and corruption. But politics consists of much more than these things. Governments are often to thank for the backbone of good found in the systems of most countries. And so I concede. Jesus likes politics. He said so himself…

It was a common occurrence for the Pharisees and Sadducees to inquire Jesus, looking to ensnare him. They wanted to find gaps in his wit and holes in his reasoning. Good thing the wisdom of Jesus never runs dry.

In Mark 12:14a, some Pharisees and Herodians said to him “Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone’s opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God.”

Sure, these are true statements, but they’re peppered with sarcasm and ill intent. These men were trying to tempt Jesus to just give them answers by complementing him and “buttering him up” so to speak. Their question arose: “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?” At this point they probably thought they had Jesus in a corner. If his answer was “yes”, then Jesus would be denying his heavenly kingship in front of them. Yet if he answered “no”, an entire government would be enraged. By answering to them that they should “render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s”, Jesus answered both “yes” and “no” at the same time, without falling victim to their schemes.

On the one hand, Jesus taught that man should honor their earthly masters and give to them what they have attained. For Caesar this meant an inscription on the Denarius, and so Jesus agreed that those taxes indeed belonged to him. But that’s where it ended. That is all that Jesus attributed to Caesar, because that is all that Caesar had his name on. To “render to God the things that are God’s” means a similar thing, yet God has his name on much, much more. In a sense, Jesus was hinting at the frailty of Caesar’s power, because all that his kingdom would collect were coins. Yet due to his majesty, the Kingdom of God inherits not merely material possessions, but the souls of men.

Everything about Jesus was entirely revolutionary. When asked if men should submit to worldly powers he says yes, because he knows that their leadership has been ordained by his Father under the umbrella of his sovereignty. When asked if men should submit to worldly powers he says no, because he knows that all allegiance belongs to his Father in Heaven. When people wanted responses in black and white, Jesus gave them parables. When people wanted to boast in their flesh, Jesus brought them conviction that drove them to their knees. When people wanted to lure him toward sin and fallacy, he stunned them with his wisdom and truth. The kingdom of Jesus is radically different than the one of this world. It doesn’t make sense here unless we understand the paradoxes that Jesus did.

Before Jesus gave his answer concerning the taxes paid to Caesar, he asked for a Denarius to be brought to him. How interesting. While Caesar had a coin with his name on it, Jesus didn’t even have one of them to his name. Jesus was coinless, and by way of tax, many coins were attributed to Caesar.

Jesus didn’t come to this world in order to inherit riches. He came to this world in the poorest and most humble state that he could, that those who believe in him might gain an inheritance bigger than this world could even imagine. He gave up wealth here, that we might inherit it tenfold in his Father’s Kingdom. He gave up comfort and stability, that we might find Heaven to be our home and resting place. Jesus came to earth and gave up his very self, that all the people of the world might live. Nobody can truly be a revolutionary without understanding this. It seems like those who wanted Jesus crucified knew this too. They released Barabbas, a murderer, because they knew that if he ever started trouble again they could re-imprison him. But they crucified Jesus and put him in a guarded tomb, because he was a revolutionary who they couldn’t predict.

How rich it is that Christ’s followers have the approaching opportunity to celebrate his victory over that tomb! The revolution that man tried to end at the cross had only begun at the cross. It was enriched the day he rose up from that grave.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in Heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”- 1 Peter 1:3-5

Blessings.