Trickery

13 Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. 14 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 [b] to Caesar or not? 15 Should we pay or shouldn't we?"
But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. "Why are you trying to trap me?" he asked. "Bring me a denarius and let me look at it." 16 They brought the coin, and he asked them, "Whose image is this? And whose inscription?"
"Caesar's," they replied.
17 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.

Mark 12:17

The Pharisees here tried their best to trick Jesus into making a statement that would make Him very unpopular with the Jews that were indeed listening to His teaching. They even used words of flattery to start in an effort to portray that they actually believed in Him and who He was, when in fact they were only trying to subdue the effectiveness of His ministry by trapping Him into making a statement that would not be popular among the Jews. Jesus, as He always did during His ministry here on earth, completely amazed both the Pharisees and those who were listening by His answer. In essence, a relationship with Jesus Christ involves much more than just being obedient with your money. A relationship with Jesus is a daily walk of Faith whereas you think and act under the control of the Spirit who lives inside the heart of every believer. A relationship with Jesus means that you obey the rules of the land, knowing full well that everything that you have and everything that you are belongs to Jesus as you have been bought with a price, the price of Jesus’ blood on the cross. A relationship with Jesus means that you willingly pay taxes, knowing full well that all of the financial resources that God has blessed you with are His and that you are just a steward and manager of what God has given you. Be a good steward today by staying connected to Christ who lives inside and who is longing for a life that would surrender completely to Him.

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