Mark 12:13Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

They exhaled wrath and schemed their plots, all while pretending to be polite.

It has been noted previously that the Herodians emerged as a distinct group during a time when the line of Jewish kings concluded, leading them to proclaim Herod as the Messiah. Some assert that the term "Herodians" refers to Herod's soldiers, whom the Pharisees enlisted as witnesses to observe Christ's statements, intending to capture Him and present Him for trial.

The Sanhedrin, incensed by Jesus Christ for exposing their shortcomings before the public, decided it was wiser to bide their time rather than resort to direct violence against Him. This feigned restraint stemmed from their apprehension regarding the crowd, who held Jesus in high regard. However, the wounded pride of the scribes could not tolerate inactivity for long; within moments, a new scheme was devised against the God-Man, primarily orchestrated by the Pharisees (Matthew 22:15). Upon discovering that Jesus was still engaging with the people in the temple, the hypocrites resolved to send some of their followers to ensnare Him with His own words. The renowned openness with which Jesus communicated His thoughts served as a promising advantage for their plan. They merely needed to concoct a question that was both seemingly innocent and treacherous, presenting it in such a way as to disguise their true intent.

The high priests and Pharisees, embarrassed by the Lord’s teachings among the people, wished to apprehend Jesus Christ and put Him on trial. However, they feared the same crowd that supported Christ, who anticipated His role as the Messiah. Thus, the opponents of Christ sought to entrap Him with His words in front of the people, aiming to diminish their respect for Him and find grounds to condemn Him as a criminal (Luke 20:26).

The humiliated members of the Sanhedrin appeared to be leaving the temple, but as they distanced themselves from Jesus and the gathered crowd, they halted to deliberate on their next steps. Taking action openly was out of the question, as the people would rally to His defense; yet remaining passive was also not an option. Consequently, they resolved to enlist unscrupulous individuals who would feign righteousness to entrap Him with a casual remark against the ruling authorities, enabling them to swiftly turn Him over to Pilate, the agent of Caesar's dominion. There was no shortage of deceitful individuals available; the Pharisees selected some of their most cunning disciples and extended an invitation to the Herodians to join their scheme.

This straightforward parable incited increasing rage among the Jewish leaders and Pharisees. Their anger reached a point where they were on the verge of seizing Him immediately. The only thing preventing them was their concern over the crowd, allowing Him to retreat safely to His refuge. However, that evening or early the following morning, His adversaries convened once more—an assembly that seemed to occur nearly every day—to strategize how they might ensnare Him with His words. Their goal was to elicit a statement that would provide them justification to accuse Him of insurrection and turn Him over to the Roman authorities.

The narrative presented by Mark regarding the challenge posed to the Lord by the Pharisees and Herodians about paying tribute to Caesar aligns closely with Matthew’s account (refer to Matthew 22:16-21). Matthew notes that the Pharisees dispatched “their disciples” (Matt. 22:15-16), while Mark, in addressing those opposing Jesus, does not initially specify the Pharisees (Mk. 11:27). It is only at this juncture that he explicitly references them. The inquiry, “Whether we shall give or not,” elaborates on the broader question concerning the legality of paying taxes to Caesar. This question is framed in a more pointed manner in order to trap the Lord and lay a direct accusation against Him based on His response.

Many had proclaimed Christ as the Messiah, given that no one had ever performed such remarkable signs before Him: He walked on water, cast out evil spirits, restored sight to the blind and mobility to the lame, and raised individuals from the dead. However, the Jewish elders, members of the Sanhedrin, in their resentment, rejected Jesus as the Savior of humanity, and in their spite, conspired to terminate His life, even though He was without sin. To avoid inciting violence against the Savior prematurely and fearing public unrest, Christ’s adversaries devised a cunning scheme to ensnare Him with His own words, intending to hand Him over to the ruling authorities of the governor.