The Things That Are God's

This sermon explores Jesus’ confrontation with the Pharisees and Herodians in Mark 12, where rival religious and political enemies unite in an attempt to trap Him with a question about paying taxes to Caesar. Through their hypocritical flattery and calculated question, they seek either to discredit Jesus with the people or to condemn Him before Rome. Instead, Jesus exposes their hypocrisy and answers with divine wisdom, affirming the legitimacy of earthly authority while clearly subordinating it to the ultimate authority of God. The sermon presses the enduring lesson that Christians are called to submit to governing authorities—even wicked ones—in matters God has entrusted to them, while giving God alone what belongs to Him: our worship, allegiance, and lives. In a world of corrupt power, Jesus’ words clarify both faithful submission and faithful resistance, anchoring the believer’s ultimate loyalty in the kingdom of God.