Gospel of Mark: Praying for Our Government (Mark 12)

Each Sunday we’ve been going through chapters in the book of Mark, and this week we landed in chapter 12. We hoped to find something to teach on that would be nice and easy and wouldn’t cause any controversy. Or maybe instead we could talk about one of the most controversial issue our culture today! This Sunday we tried to unpack a biblical perspective on government and politics.

In Mark 12, the religious leaders tried to trap Jesus with a trick question. In verse 14 they asked him, ““Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we?” Nobody wants to pay taxes; especially not to the evil Roman Empire! So how would Jesus respond?

Verse 15-17 says, “Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”“Caesar’s,” they replied. Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” And they were amazed at him.”

So how do we do that? How do we give to the government what is government’s and give to God what is God’s?

Later the Apostle Paul tried to bring some clarity to the issue. In Romans 13:1-4 he wrote, “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good.”

The New Testament seems to set up the question of God and government as a two-way street. Government has a responsibility to us and we have a responsibility to government. 

Please don’t miss the teaching from this past Sunday. Joel walked us through a number of amazing Scripture passages that provided fairly clear guidance on how a Christian should view the role of government. And he also pointed out some ways that many Christians in America today seem to have gotten off track, following the political patterns of our culture more than the clear path taught by Jesus and the Apostle Paul in the Bible.