The first twelve verses of Mark 12 are a parable. I encourage you to read Mark 12:1-12 yourself, and see where Jesus was talking about God the Father, God the Son, and those who persecuted God’s messengers to Israel. I think that the metaphor was pretty clear, and apparently the religious leaders got it, too. Let’s read (or re-read) verse 12 as an introduction to the next passage, though.
Then the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had spoken the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd; so they left him and went away.
Mark 12:12 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/mrk.12.12.NIV
These religious leaders are looking for a way to get revenge on Jesus. I don’t think that we always mention that when studying the next passage. Jesus had also asked a question to religious leaders in Mark 11:29-30, which they chose not to answer (because either reply had implications they didn’t want to deal with). This past question from Jesus might have been their inspiration for how they were trying to “get back” at Jesus here (see below), but in the end, it didn’t work. [Black, p.211, made a similar observation]
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?
Mark 12:13-14 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/mrk.12.13-14.NIV
In light of verse 12, Jesus had spoken out against those who rejected, abused, and sometimes killed God’s prophets. The offending (and offended) group included religious leaders of Jesus’ day, many of whom rejected Jesus as the Messiah (at least before His death; see also John 12:42-43), and apparently they weren’t content to just sit and stew about it. This time, they were actively trying to trap Jesus.
Like many scams, the conversation started out by flattering their intended target. These guys were trying to trap Jesus, but they started out by talking about how impartial Jesus was. I think that you can see the trap that they were baiting, here:
- If Jesus said that Caesar’s tax should be paid, He would risk alienating those of His followers who hated the Roman Empire and resented having to pay tribute.
- If Jesus said that Caesar’s tax should not be paid, He would be guilty of sedition – rebellion – against the Roman Empire, and could probably be arrested – or worse – for doing so.
By the way, do you wonder what Matthew, who was formerly a tax collector himself, was thinking when he heard this question? In any case, before getting into Jesus’ reply (which you’re certainly welcome to read in Mark 12:15-17), let’s acknowledge a couple of things:
- The teaching of Jesus offends some, especially those who need to be rebuked for going off of the correct path. If you are going to follow Jesus, some people will be offended by the truth: whether through what you say or how you live out your walk with Him.
- There are questions that don’t necessarily need to be answered. When someone is trying to trap you with a multiple choice question, sometimes the answer is “none of the above”, or there is no good answer. While Jesus had an insightful answer to this one, His followers don’t have to have a snappy comeback to every question that His opponents come up with.
It is fruitless to try and please everyone, so the best we can do is to please God. And, if God chooses not to answer every question on this earth that His followers have (of which there are multitudes), not every question from those who have set themselves against Him needs to be answered, either. Of course, there are all kinds of great answers from God on the most important topics; still, He sometimes chooses to leave things unanswered in this life for a reason.
From Sunday School lesson prepared for November 23, 2025
References:
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – Mark, by Allen Black. © 1995 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 