The Gospel of Mark: Render to God the Things that are God’s

Aug 17, 2025 • Chris Nagel

Whose authority are you living under? When confronted with a politically charged trap, Jesus shows Himself to be the wisest person on earth. The Pharisees and Herodians, enemies who unite only because they hate Him more, try to corner Him with a question about taxes. But Jesus doesn’t take the bait. Instead, He exposes the deeper issue—our rebellion against God. “Why put Me to the test?” He asks, cutting straight to the heart. His answer, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s,” challenges our view of ownership and authority. Taxes may belong to Caesar, but our very lives belong to God. To render to Him is not to pay from what we think is ours, but to surrender what has always been His. This call feels costly, but it comes from the One who gave up His own riches, stepped down into poverty, and bore the cost of our rebellion so we could be made rich in Him. The real question is not whose authority Jesus affirms—but whether we have surrendered ourselves fully to God.

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