Metaphorical mapping of civic and Christian responsibilities in Mark 12:13-17: Implications for petty traders and revenue collectors in Kumasi, Ghana

Abstract

The article explores the meaning of Mark 12:13-17 in the light of the apparent contention between petty traders and revenue collectors in Kumasi. The philosophy behind the work is that while the meaning of the statement “render to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God” is ambiguous, it was able to challenge and provoke both parties (Herodians and Pharisees) to truly reflect their motives for accepting or rejecting taxation. In this study, the teaching of Jesus is taken as a metaphoric statement with the capacity to generate multiple meanings. The study uses the technique of Lakoff1 to map the attitudes of the Herodians and Pharisees unto revenue collectors and petty traders as supporters and rejecters of taxation respectively, and in dialogue with Jesus. In this way, the statement of Jesus becomes a double-edged sword inducing appropriate responses from each group. The study concludes that honesty in the sight of God should be the attitudes of both petty traders (in declaring their monthly returns) and revenue collectors (in their modus operandi) to avoid corruption so that they may both render what is due to God and to Caesar. The study recommends that revenue collectors and petty traders work as partners with common interest rather than as opponents to be defeated since they are both images of God and citizens of Ghana.