#109: "We Have No King But Caesar"

No. We Have One King, and He is not Caesar.

Jesus lived in a world not too different from ours today, rife with chaos, as Rome aimed to cement its status as the superpower of the time. He was born during Augustus's reign and died under Tiberius. After Herod the Great’s death—he was known for his brutal rule and infamously ordering the murder of children in Bethlehem—Augustus divided the kingdom among his four sons and returned in 6 CE to remove Archelaus and officially colonise Judea, Galilee, and the wider region of Palestine. Under Rome's yoke, people in Palestine lived in extreme fear. Roman governors and prefects were placed in charge, and heavy taxes were levied on the masses while the tax collectors enriched themselves. Roman soldiers were a common sight in Palestine. They had legions in Syria and in Egypt, ready to crush any resistance and insurrections. This happened in 70 CE (only 40 years after Jesus) when Romans, under Titus, ransacked Jerusalem and dispersed most of its population. For decades before then, it was pretty difficult to have hope. The yoke of Rome was not easy.

Yet, when Pilate tried to release Jesus, having found no fault with him, the people screamed, “Crucify him.” Later, he mocked them by offering Jesus as their king. In response, their chief priests declared, “We have no king but Caesar.” Some of them had sung “Hosanna” (which, by the way, means “save us”) only a few days earlier. In twenty-five years since the deposition of Archelaus, they had been colonised deeply enough to believe Caesar had their best interests at heart.

By choosing Caesar over Christ, they rejected their true King—the Messiah—in favour of a worldly ruler. They were so colonised they chose Tiberius, the very person who was in charge of their oppression, to be their “Messiah.” This allegiance to Caesar was not only a political compromise but a tragic spiritual betrayal. They placed their hope in the power of the empire, blind to the eternal kingship of Christ. They chose the exclusive and oppressive might of the Roman Empire and ignored God’s liberation that is so expansive as to include all humans (to the ends of the earth).

How often do we do the same? When we allow comfort, power, or approval to rule our hearts, we echo their cry. When we prioritise success over integrity or security over faithfulness, we, too, declare, “We have no king but Caesar.” But we are called to live differently. Christ is our King—the One who reigns with justice, mercy, and truth. There is no Caesar for us. Christ’s kingdom is not of this world, but it is the only kingdom that endures. Let us not trade eternal glory for fleeting power.

As we celebrate Easter, may we be reminded that our King is Christ. May we boldly declare with our words and lives: “No Caesar for us. We have the only true King there is, Jesus Christ.”