As we journey together through the desert of Lent, we arrive at one of the most intellectually beguiling, emotionally captivating, and spiritually subversive moments in the Gospel of Mark. It is a scene of high drama, a trap contrived by adversaries, a snare set by strange bedfellows, and a response from Jesus Christ that triggers “trembling and awe” — the reaction Mark describes at the empty tomb (Mark 16:8).
But leading up to that empty tomb, we undertake a lectio divina (spiritual reading) of Mark 12:13-17. The process involves reading, reflecting upon, praying about, and resting in the Scripture passage.
I. Lectio (Read)
Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. 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? 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.” They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied.
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.
II. Meditatio (Reflect)
Here, you have Pharisees (nationalists hating Roman occupation) and Herodians (collaborators profiting from it) joining forces. They share a fear of the radical novelty of Jesus. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, so they try to pin Jesus on the horns of a dilemma: reject the tax and be a revolutionary, or accept it and be a sellout.
But Jesus, with supreme wisdom and sovereign freedom, calls for a coin: “Whose image —whose eikon — is this?” They answer, “Caesar’s.”
Jesus says, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s.” Fine, the coin bears the emperor’s likeness; let him have it.
Then Jesus makes a profound point: “… and [give] to God what is God’s.”
If the coin belongs to Caesar because of Caesar’s image, what (or who) belongs to God? Genesis recounts that humans bear the imago Dei, the image of God. The early Christian Tertullian wrote: “Render to Caesar Caesar’s image, which is the money; and to God God’s image, which is man.” And by “man” Tertullian means humankind.
This is not a clever debate contention to score points; nor is it a safe compromise; rather, it is a totalizing claim. Jesus is saying that while Caesar may demand your taxes, Caesar cannot demand your fidelity, your soul. For to God alone belong your allegiance, your ultimate loyalty, your very being.
We finite creatures belong entirely to the Infinite; we mere mortals are claimed by the Immortal Lover that tolerates no rivals, countenances no competitors. We should, therefore, tremble with the awe of the followers at the empty tomb.
III. Oratio (Pray)
Lord, I sometimes let the “Caesars” of my life — contemporary culture, the news cycle, group think, social media, career, reputation — stamp their image upon my heart. But You, O Lord, are the Sovereign. In this Lenten season, remove the false inscriptions I have allowed to cover Your image within me. Let me, as C.S. Lewis said, experience The Weight of Glory, feel the gravity of Your pull on my being. I want to render unto You the totality of my life.
IV. Contemplatio (Rest)
Visualize the coin in one hand, and your own heart in the other. Return the coin to the world. Give your heart to God. Rest in “trembling and awe,” for thus all is set aright. We belong to God.
The Coin and the King
The silver disc, a shiny, cold weight,
bears the profile of the man who rules the state.
Let him take it back, the metal and the rust,
For all his empires shall return to dust.
But turn the coin of spirit, turn the soul,
And see the Divine Image that commands the whole.
No Caesar’s stamp can claim this sacred part,
Only the King of Kings and Lord of Lords may hold my heart.
David A. Pendleton, La Sierra University (B.A., 1989), is a retired workers’ compensation judge, former Hawaii state legislator, and attorney in private practice in Southern California, where he and his wife Noemi spend their spring and autumn seasons.