When Mark's gospel, Jesus doesn't avoid what we might consider to be controversial topics. A few weeks ago, when we looked at Mark chapter 9, he went into some vivid description and detail about hell. He talked also about divorce when he was asked that question and told us when it was or when it was not appropriate to divorce one's wife, which is probably not a very popular teaching back then or even today. Tonight, we turn to another potentially hot-button topic, the one of taxes, perhaps particularly hot at this time of the year in our own country. And so I invite you to turn to Mark chapter 12. I'll be reading verses 13 through 17, which you can find on page 848 if you're using a Pew Bible. Mark chapter 12, beginning in verse 13. I invite you to follow along as I read from God's holy word. And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians to trap him in his talk. And they came and 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. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay them or should we not? But knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it. And they brought one. And he said to them, whose likeness and inscription is this? They said to him, Caesar's. Jesus said to them, render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's. And they marveled at him. This is God's holy word. Let's pray and ask for his blessing on it this evening. Father in heaven, we ask that you would cause our hearts to be humble, teachable, and obedient to your word as we study it this evening, and as we apply it in our lives. For we ask this in Jesus' name, amen. Imagine if someone were to ask you this question. Have you always had a hard time getting along with people? Or for those of you who are in school, imagine if they were to ask you this question, have you stopped cheating on tests? These are two examples of what are called loaded questions. They're questions that are founded on unjustified or controversial assumptions. So if someone asks you, have you stopped cheating on tests, and you say yes, You're acknowledging that at one point you did cheat on tests, but now you no longer cheat on tests. However, if you say no, it implies that you do still cheat on tests, perhaps even on that most recent final exam that you just finished. There's a controversial assumption that you, at least at one point, cheated on exams. Likewise, if someone asked you, have you always had trouble getting along with people, and you say yes, you're obviously admitting that you have trouble getting along with people. But if you say no, it could at least imply that you didn't used to have trouble getting along with people, but perhaps as you got older, you got a little more cranky, and now you have trouble getting along with people. There's a controversial assumption that you don't get along well with people. And these questions are particularly dangerous because they're intended to be answered either yes or no, either yes or no and that only. But either answer, either yes or no, will put you in a difficult position, will paint you in a bad light. And in tonight's text, Jesus is asked such a question where he is supposed to answer either yes or no, but no matter what he says, he is going to potentially get himself into some hot water. Now, it's not technically a loaded question in the manner that I've just described, but its intent is the same. Its intent is to paint Jesus into a corner and to find something that they can use as ammunition against him. However, Jesus doesn't fall for the trap as we've just seen. And as we consider his answer, we'll see that tonight's text encourages you to submit to the government while obeying God. Submit to the government while obeying God. But before we consider Jesus's actual teaching that he gives us on the relationship between a citizen and his government, let's first consider more generally his approach to this kind of question. And so as we do so, you too would be wise to be prepared for gotcha questions. That's point one if you're following along on your outline. Be prepared for gotcha questions. Well, in the previous section of Mark's gospel, it's been discussing Jesus's authority, which the religious leaders were questioning. They didn't think he had the right to do some of the things that he was doing. And so in response, Jesus told a parable about bad tenants in a vineyard. These tenants refused to pay the vineyard owner what they owed him. And so he sent some servants to them and they beat some and they killed others. And then finally, the vineyard owner sent his son, who these bad tenants also beat and killed and cast out of the vineyard. And so Jesus says, what will the vineyard owner do? He will come and he will destroy those tenants, and he is going to give the vineyard to others. And the religious leaders see exactly what Jesus is saying. They see that he is talking about them, that he's telling this parable against them. And so they left him, but they left him plotting how they could get him back, how they could get him. And so as a result, they come up with a series of gotcha questions that we're beginning today and we'll continue to read the next couple of weeks. And they want to trap Jesus in his words, trick him into saying something that they can use against him. And so they begin first with the government's authority. It actually seems like a very logical question, a very logical place to begin given what we've just seen. After all, Jesus is the vineyard owner's son. Does the son need to pay taxes to the vineyard owner? If God's children, if Israel is God's people and God owns the vineyard, do they really need to pay taxes to those who are tenants in the vineyard, to the occupying Roman army who don't really own the vineyard? So it seems like a good question. But it's not an honest question. They're not saying it just because they're honestly curious, they're saying it to get Jesus. And this insincerity is obvious from the outset. Look who's coming with this question. The Pharisees and the Herodians. The Pharisees and the Herodians, two people who would not ordinarily be working together. The Pharisees obeyed God's law meticulously. They went so far as to put extra hedges around it. They were really just interested in pleasing men, but they fancied themselves to be religious and God-fearing Jews. The Herodians, in contrast, were more worldly Jews. They were more of a political alliance, a political group that supported the dynasty of the Herods for political reasons. Today, I don't know how to compare it other than perhaps a far-left liberal Democrat and a far-right conservative Republican getting together and working against someone that they really want to kick out of office. You don't really see far-left Democrats and far-right Republicans working together on much of anything. And if they are working together, you must know something is up. And so that's what's happening here. Well, the insincerity is clear in another way, not just who it is who's coming with this question to Jesus, but the manner in which they come. Look at how they come. They come with these flattering tongues. Look at verse 14. 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. Really? Sounds the way the Pharisees talked to Jesus all throughout the Gospel of Mark, right? Not at all. And so this is hardly any more discreet than a child's attempt to, say, butter up their parents. You know, when the child all of a sudden becomes, say, sickeningly sweet and is all of a sudden highly interested in what they can do around the house to help their parents to the point that you know something must be up. There must be a request coming here. Well, this flattery, of course, does not fool Jesus. He sees straight through it. And when they finally get to the question, is it okay, is it appropriate to pay taxes or not? He sees right through this hypocrisy. He knows what they're trying to do. To answer yes, what may alienate the people who just proclaimed him as the coming king, the people who said, uh, Hosanna, Hosanna, blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David, who are hoping for a king who might kick out the Romans. And now if he says, yes, pay taxes to them, he might dash all their hopes and they might turn on Jesus. But if he says, no, don't pay taxes, then they can go immediately to the governor, report him as a rebel and get the Roman government to deal with him and get him out of their hairs. It seems like the perfect gotcha question. What is Jesus going to do? These people hate him and they're determined to trap him. Well today, people may still try to get God's people with these kind of gotcha questions because people still hate Jesus and people therefore hate his people and people hate Christianity. And so we need to be aware that there will be sometimes loaded questions or other type of gotcha questions that are going to be asked to us, that they're gonna ask us for the sole purpose of trying to trap you in your words. And we need to be prepared for that. We need to be prepared for that for several reasons. And first of all, is you're not as wise as Jesus. You're not as wise as Jesus. I marvel at Jesus's answer here. I think I, I don't know what I would have said. I would have just probably said, yes, we have to pay taxes. I would have just walked right into the trap. I wouldn't have known what else to say. But Jesus doesn't simply give a yes or no answer. Instead, he affirms the need to pay taxes while extolling the supremacy of God's kingship above all others at the same time. It's a really wise and brilliant answer. And again, in contrast, if a question is asked in a deceptive enough manner, we may sometimes walk into the trap. For many reasons, our knowledge is often limited. There are questions which we just don't know the answer to, and we may not even be perceptive enough to see that there is a trap there until we've walked straight into it. So we need to be prepared and on guard for this possibility. A second thing that's important for us to know as we consider these kind of tricky questions we may field from time to time is knowing when to say we don't know. Knowing when to say, I don't know, or let me get back to you is a very good way to answer a question when you find yourself stumped, when you think to yourself, Jesus would have a wise and wonderful answer to this, but I don't. then admit it. You can admit it. You're not as wise as Jesus and it's okay to get back to someone. You'll actually gain a lot more credibility than trying to make up some type of ridiculous answer off the cuff just so you don't sound silly. You'll actually make yourself look more silly than you're trying to avoid. A third and perhaps most important way to be prepared for these type of questions is to be a prayerful people. Because if our knowledge is limited, we need to rely on the Holy Spirit giving us the words to say when we are at the end of our own wisdom. Indeed, in Matthew chapter 10, verses 19 to 20, Jesus has this to say, when they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the spirit of your father speaking through you. So as you feel tricky questions, rely on the power of the Holy Spirit. Even pray right then and there if you're asked a question that you don't know how to respond to. Pause, take a moment to think, pray to God, and then answer, relying on the power of the Holy Spirit working through you. So those are just a few general principles on how we can be prepared for these kind of gotcha questions that Jesus fielded and that we may sometimes field. Let's now turn our attention to what Jesus' response was to the Christian's relationship to the government. And the first thing we learn is that we are to submit to the government. That's the second point if you're following along on your outlines. You are to submit to the government. And Jesus gives a wise response again to this question about taxes. Rather than simply answering yes or no, he responds with a question of his own first. He asks them to bring him a denarius and asks them, what is on this coin? Whose image, whose likeness is here? And of course, they're forced to answer Caesar's. The people are using Caesar's currency. They're using money that's printed by the Roman government, whether they like it or not. Many of the Jews did not like it, but they're using his currency, and therefore Jesus tells them to render onto Caesar the things that are Caesar's. And in doing so, Jesus is confronting the zealot theology of the time that would have encouraged revolt against the Roman government, or who would have encouraged Jews to eventually kick out this occupying force. Instead, Jesus says, obey them, specifically here in the case of paying taxes to them. Now, Jesus isn't saying that the Roman government was good. He's not saying the system of government they used was good. He's not saying that the tax revenue was put to good use. He's not saying that the tax burden was distributed fairly. He's simply saying that when the government asks for a certain amount of money, you should pay it as a God-fearing citizen. You should pay what the government asks And I don't think I, it almost goes without saying that there's immediate application in here for you and for me. Jesus commands you to pay your taxes. He commands you to pay your taxes whether you like them or not, whether you would rather eat all those vegetables your mother tried to force you to eat than pay these taxes. You still must do that. Now, the most common objection that will sometimes be levied against this is, what if the government uses the money for something that's immoral? Take the example of funding abortion or an organization that itself provides abortion. Can we withhold a portion of our money for moral objections? There are, of course, other possible objections to our tax system. What if you don't approve of a war we've entered? Or what if you think the social security system's a giant Ponzi scheme and you have moral objections to that? Can you withhold some of your money if you object to what the government's doing with it? Well, the answer here in Mark's gospel is really a clear and resounding no. No, you may not. You must pay it no matter what the government's doing. After all, the government in Jesus' day wasn't any more righteous than our own government is. In a few short days, these people who Jesus told them to pay taxes to would crucify him. They'd crucify him on baseless charges, charges that Pilate knew were false, but he did it anyway for political reasons. And yet Jesus is saying, pay your taxes to these people. And things didn't improve after Jesus's day. When Paul wrote the letter to the Romans, the Roman government wasn't any more righteous under Nero, and yet Paul commands them in Romans 13, which we just read a few moments ago, he commands them to pay taxes to them. He commands the Christians to submit to this government. So, you must pay your taxes, you must submit. There isn't an exception based on how the government uses their money, or how unjust the government is, or how unfair you think the tax code is. You may lament how much money, the more money you make, the more they take away, or you may cynically note that the words, the IRS, the IRS put together spells theirs. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. You have to pay whether you like it or not. You obey their rules. And this is actually practical. Some of you may be thinking, hey, yeah, I get it. I pay my taxes. But there's sometimes situations where you may be tempted not to. Let me pick out two real world examples for you. Let's say that you are offered a job. and you're offered a job under the table. Maybe some of you have been offered this before where a potential employer basically tells you, I will pay you cash and you can do this job for me. And what they mean by pay you cash is now there's no record of it and I won't report it and you won't report it and we won't pay taxes and I can pay you a little more because we can all save on tax money. Another example would be if you're working as a waiter or waitress and people are especially giving you cash tips and you may be tempted to not report the full amount of money you got so that you can save on some tax money. When we read Mark chapter 12, we see that that is not what Jesus would have us do. The clear command is to report the full amount of your wages, to report the full amount of your, so that you can pay the full amount of your taxes, even when there's no chance that you're gonna get caught. There's not much of a chance in most of those cases that you'll get caught, but it doesn't matter. God sees, God knows, and he asks you, he commands you to submit to the governing authorities. Now let me address young people here because perhaps if you're like me when I was in elementary school, my eyes might be glossing over at the idea of taxes. This is actually practical to you. Just tuck this away that you must pay your taxes because someday you'll be offered a job, perhaps you'll be offered a job under the table to avoid paying taxes. or you'll be a waiter or waitress and you'll be tempted not to report the full amount of money. You'll be tempted to lie about how much money you made. Or you may have friends who get this idea of protesting the government's action and they say, we're going to withhold our tax money in protest of the government. When that happens, remember Mark 12. Remember Mark 12 and pay the full amount. Know what God wants you to do. Well, before we move on, let me make one distinguishing comment here. I want to be clear that what I'm saying, or what I'm not saying, is that you can't take advantage of legal tax deductions. Giving to Caesar what is Caesar's does not mean that you must maximize your tax burden. that you must pay the most possible tax you could ever imagine paying. Therefore, it's okay to take tax breaks you're legally entitled to based on our tax rules. So you can take charitable contributions, business mileage, you can claim exemptions for the number of children you have, even the additional child tax credit if you're eligible. It's not wrong to minimize your taxes. In other words, again, you don't need to pay more than the government requires you to pay. There's nothing immoral about following the law and minimizing taxes legally. All right, so you're called to submit to the government. Mark chapter 12 works this principle out as it applies particularly to taxes, but Jesus doesn't stop there. He also teaches you to obey God. Look again with me at verse 17. Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. So above all, you are to obey God. That's point three if you're following along in the outline. Above all, obey God. You see, loyalty to the government and faithfulness to God do not work against each other. You can be proud to be an American and a faithful Christian at the same time. Our Canadian friends can love their home and native land and their God simultaneously. This is true for Christians across the globe. They can be both faithful citizens and faithful Christians. And the reason the two are compatible is because the command to obey the government is rooted in the sovereignty and supremacy of God. This command is rooted in the lordship of Jesus Christ. Romans chapter 13 verses 1 to 2 that we read earlier makes that explicit. Let every person be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment." I think that's actually a very positive view of government. It's a very positive view of government and its right to govern that Paul lays out in Romans 13. God has instituted it. Government is instituted for your own good. Sometimes it really does feel like eating your vegetables as a kid. But God has instituted it for our good and we are called to submit to it out of reverence, not primarily to the government, but out of reverence for God. But while we owe certain things to the government, we owe everything to God. And so while we owe the taxes, our taxes to the state, we owe our very lives to God. Indeed, when Jesus says to give to God what is God, what else does he mean but giving our very lives back to him as our worship? You see, in response to the question, what had Jesus asked for? He asked for them to bring a denarius to him, and he asked them, whose likeness and inscription is this? And they were forced to answer Caesar's. But who was Jesus talking to? He was talking to people. And whose likeness and image were people made in? He was talking to people who were made in the likeness and image of God. And so therefore, to give to God what is God's is to give Him everything we have, to give Him even our entire lives. So we belong to God because He made us, and therefore we owe Him everything. We owe Him our loyalty and our obedience because He created us in His image. But the Christian has a second reason that he or she belongs to God and owes him our obedience. 1 Corinthians chapter 6 verses 19 to 20 puts it this way, you are not your own for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. You see, Jesus Christ came down from heaven to save lost sinners. Jesus had his body beaten and broken and his precious blood spilt so that your sins could be forgiven. He died on the cross to redeem us, to save us from our sins. And therefore, because he has delivered us from our sins, we belong to him. He has bought us with his own blood. You were bought with a price. If you belong to Jesus Christ, if he is your Lord, you were bought with a price. Therefore, you must honor God in all that you do. 1 Corinthians 6 specifically says we are to honor him with our body, particularly in context fleeing from sexual immorality. In Mark 9, Jesus calls us also to take a radical response to that kind of sin and any kind of sin in our lives. So if our eye causes us to sin, tear it out. hand causes us to sin, cut it off. And we considered that in more detail a few weeks ago. But from that principle there we learned that we must take radical steps in our lives to fight sin. And so one implication of belonging to God is that you will take radical steps to obey him. You'll even go as far as to cut off your internet access if that's what you need to do to be obedient to God. But if we're obedient to God, if we belong to Him, we don't merely avoid sin, but we also serve Him and live as He commands us to do in every way. For example, Mark chapter 10 that we considered a few weeks ago, we talked about God's design for marriage and how we can honor God in marriage. If we belong to God, we will be faithful to our partners, to our husbands or to our wives. It also means that for a lifetime of service to Christ and his church, for some of you that will mean perhaps serving as an elder or a deacon, a Sunday school teacher, perhaps organizing fellowship meals or hosting a fellowship group, or just being that person who welcomes visitors and enfolds new people in this church. Knowing that you were bought with a price will mean that you will pour your life out to serve Christ and his church. Well, a final implication of all that we've been saying is that our calling to obey God must come first. Above all, you must obey God, which means sometimes there's gonna be conflicts. You know, I've painted a pretty good picture of the government, and I've said we need to obey them. But sometimes what the government asks you to do, and what God asks you to do, really will come in conflict. One of those cases is not paying taxes, as we've just seen. But sometimes what they really will ask you to do will not square. And in that case, you must obey God rather than man. And many of the early Christians suffered for this. Many of the early Christians put that principle into practice. For example, in Acts chapter 4, Peter and John were arrested and were told not to preach in the name of Jesus. And what did they say? They said, you must judge whether it's right to obey God or man, but we cannot help but speak of what we have seen and heard. And they refused to obey man because man's law directly defied God's command, Jesus' command to go out and tell people about him. And again, many of the early Christians followed in that manner. Many were tortured, many were killed, many were beaten for their faith in Christ, refusing to follow the government's order to worship a false god or to stop speaking in the name of Jesus. Daniel chose to be thrown into a lion's den rather than to not pray to his God. His friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego chose the fiery furnace over bowing down to a golden image. Likewise, there's been courageous men and women throughout the history of the church who've been willing to obey God first. And so, as we close, know that you must submit to the government. God calls you to submit to the government, to pay your taxes. But if you're asked to violate his law, we must always choose God over man. We belong to him. We were bought with a price. He bought you with his own precious blood. Therefore, obey God in all things and honor him no matter the price. Let's pray and ask for his strength to do this. Father in heaven, we do thank you for your wise providence in giving us civil government. We also thank you for the income you give to us, which enables us to pay taxes that the government asks from us. We ask that you would help us to live as good citizens in the country that you have placed us in. Help us to be submissive to all proper authority that you place over us. Help us to do this even joyfully and cheerfully when we don't like the tax rates or we don't like the law of the land. But above all, we ask that you would give us the ability to give to you what is yours, that you would take our very lives and let them be given back to you in service. May you be honored and glorified in all that we say and do, for we belong to you and we were bought at the precious price of your precious blood. For we pray this in Jesus' name, amen.