Sermon Q&R - Render Unto Caesar

3 great questions were submitted in response to my sermon from April 21st, on Mark 12 and 'Render Unto Caesar.'

Is there only 1 Caesar or do we each have our own Caesar?

It can be a bit tricky to answer questions like this, as I may be misunderstanding the premise, but here is my best attempt! It seems to me that this question is getting at the difficulty of "applying" Jesus' teachings to our lives today, when our context is quite different from the context in which he spoke. In this case, Jesus was obviously referring to a single, historical figure known as "Caesar" in his time, but we don't live with a "Caesar" today, so how does this impact us? Is the American President our "Caesar"? Or, since we don't have a single "Caesar," is it  appropriate to individualize the teaching, so that we each have a sort of "Caesar-figure" in our lives that symbolically represents what Jesus was talking about in Mark 12? My inclination is that Jesus' use of the term "Caesar" here can be broadly understood as "the state" or "the governing authority over you." Yes, human governments look radically different over time, and in different parts of the globe. The Roman empire famously ended, some Christians today live in totalitarian autocracies that are even more oppressive than the Roman Empire was, while Americans live in a generally non-oppressive democratic-republic that is extremely pluralistic. But the common thread is that all humans in all places live under some sort of governing authority, and so when Jesus says "Give back to Caesar what is Caesar's...." I believe he is calling all who follow his teachings to prayerfully discern what the governing authorities over you are demanding, how to rightly "give back" those things to them WHILE never forgetting to "give to God what is God's," namely, yourself! All that to say, I suppose I would lean away from jumping to an overly-individualized interpretation that looks for individual "Caesars" in all our lives, as I think an important outworking of this teaching is for the Christian community to work out TOGETHER what it means to "render unto Caesar" in our time and place, and under the governing authority that we all live under with each other.

Did the pharisees believe what they said when the said Jesus "spoke the word of God, truly"?

This question is referring to Mark 12.14, in which the Pharisees and Herodians set up the "trap" for Jesus by first using flattering language. With the important caveat that we can never peer into the hearts of individuals (there may indeed have been some Pharisees in the group who really did have positive opinions of Jesus!), it seems quite clear from the way the text tells the story that there was no sincerity in their language. The next verse (15) uses the word "hypokrisis" (where we get the English 'hypocrisy') to describe their approach to Christ, so I think Mark is making it pretty clear that, at least as a rhetorical device, those who were confronting Jesus in this moment were merely trying to delegitimize him before the crowd for their own ends, and therefore this was all empty flattery. Again, that's not to say that individuals in the group may have come to a trusting view of Christ (this seems to be how Nicodemus, for example is portrayed in John's gospel), but the text of Mark 12 doesn't seem to be making that point. This particular moment is full of hypocrisy and empty compliments.

When we give to Caesar what is Caesars and to God what is His, how do we best do that, what are some ways to best give ourselves to the lord?

This is a wonderful, pastoral question, and gets right to the heart of the teaching, in my opinion. On some level, "giving yourself to the Lord" is going to look different for each person, based on so many factors like stage of life, the way God has created you, etc....but one encouragement I would offer, especially if this question is resonating with you, is to start by considering what towards what your time, your energy, your finances, and your affections are devoted right now. Simple (but convicting!) questions like, "what do I spend most of my money on? What do I spend most of my free time doing?" and "What do I find stirs up my emotions the most?" can all be extremely helpful indicators. One personal example (which is a bit embarrassing!) is that I have found myself in certain phases of my life spending inordinate amounts of time surfing around Amazon, wasting hours looking at things I would like to buy. This is a drain on my energy and affections! In other phases, I've caught myself spending way too much time scrolling through social media, looking for outrageous stories that would fire up my emotions in unhealthy ways. Noticing this opens up an opportunity for God to reveal something to you, and to even begin to redirect those affections and impulses towards him, which would look like time in prayer, or a quiet walk devoted to listening to what God is doing in your life, or reading a Psalm, or calling a friend and asking if you can pray for them, or about a hundred other possibilities! The only other practical note I would offer is to say that these things can best be worked out in the context of trusted community. You don't need to feel like you have to figure this all out alone!

Ultimately, an important aspect of Christ's teaching here is to recognize that is IS possible to "give back to God what is God's!" And that giving back to Caesar what is Caesar's will actually open up more space in your life for deeper, holistic devotion to God.