Mark 12:14, commentary and pictures

The verse records a deliberate trap set by the most malicious enemies of Jesus, sent by the chief priests and rulers with Herodians privately arranged as witnesses so He could be arrested, tried for His life, and condemned. They came with courteous pretense of confidence and desire to learn, offering hypocritical flattery to throw Him off guard, yet their description of Him as true and fearless in teaching the way of God was itself true and will judge them. The question over paying tribute to Caesar touched a bitter dispute among the Jews, and they demanded a direct yes or no so that denial would let them report Him to Rome as a rebel while approval would let them accuse Him before the people as opposed to God's law. Jesus read their motives and, holding the Roman coin stamped with Caesar's name and image, taught that living under the protection of that power required rendering its claimed support so long as it did not conflict with duty to God, while remaining peaceably subject to the laws of the land. His answer baffled and silenced the spies and left them nothing to say, though the rulers burned to seize Him, and the later charge that He forbade tribute and stirred sedition was false.

The Spies' Flattering Trap

The words record a deliberate trap laid to entangle Jesus in His words so that He would offend either Jewish law or Roman authority and could be arrested, tried for His life, and condemned. The speakers were spies, His most malicious enemies, sent by the chief priests and rulers. Those rulers had privately arranged for Herodians to accompany them to be witnesses against Him when He was arraigned.

The Pharisees joined with the Herodians, whom they hated, to press the hostile question about tribute to Caesar, and it was not honest inquiry but a pretext founded in falsehood by men determined not to abandon their purpose to destroy Him. The question belongs to a series of artful questions from the Pharisees, Herodians, and Sadducees intended to entangle Jesus and turn His answers against Him. They kept plying Him with opposing questions even though the wisdom of His words had again and again confounded and silenced them, because they knew that if He continued His work many would believe on Him and the scribes and Pharisees would lose their power with the people, so they were ready to stoop to any base and contemptible measure to rid the earth of Him.

They came with courteous pretense of interest in His teaching and divine wisdom, desire to profit from His wisdom, great confidence in Him, and assumed candor as if seeking information. Their praise was hypocritical flattery and pious pretense meant to throw Him off guard and make Him speak carelessly. To call Him true and caring for no man and regarding not the person of men and teaching the way of God in truth means that He follows a straightforward course irrespective of the favor or frowns of men. Though insincere, what they said was true, for they knew He taught rightly, and their own testimony will judge them.

The question about whether it is lawful to give tribute to Caesar arose amid dispute over Rome's right to demand taxes, for many denied that right and paying tribute to a foreign ruler was disputed among the Jews. The Pharisees themselves fretted and chafed under Roman taxes and tribute, paid unwillingly, and took the position that paying them was contrary to the law of God. They demanded a direct yes or no in order to make Him offend whichever way He answered. If He said tribute was unlawful, witnesses were ready to report Him at once to the Roman authorities as a rebel creating rebellion to insure His arrest and condemnation, and if He said it was lawful, they designed to accuse Him before the Jewish people as opposed to God's divine law and turn the people against Him.

Christ's Answer and Vindication

The danger lay in the fact that opposition to Roman taxes could easily provoke revolt, and the Roman authorities kept close watch for any sign of uprising, so the tribute question was framed to make Jesus appear seditious and furnish grounds to seize Him. He read the motives of His questioners, and holding the Roman coin stamped with Caesar's name, image, and inscription, He taught that living under the protection of the Roman power required rendering to that power the support it claimed so long as it did not conflict with duty to God. At the same time He taught at all times rendering obedience to God and remaining peaceably subject to the laws of the land. He Himself had always been obedient to the ruling authorities, for He paid tribute to Caesar and taught His disciples to pay it.

The answer baffled and defeated the spies, disarranged their plans, left them nothing further to say, and made them marvel and leave, though the priests and rulers burned with wrath to seize and slay Him. Even after His wisdom had again and again confounded and silenced them, men kept plying Him with opposing questions, yet He answered plainly and intelligently, bringing precious light to the gathered people and sowing seeds of truth. They pressed on because they knew that if He continued His work many would believe on Him and the scribes and Pharisees would lose their power with the people, so they were ready to stoop to any base and contemptible measure to rid the earth of Him.

The later accusation that He forbade paying tribute to Caesar and stirred up sedition was false. The exchanges to which this verse belongs illustrate the consequences of rejecting the Son of God, and their warnings apply to people in every age, with the doom they foreshadow awaiting those who do not repent.