“No King but Caesar”

Christianity emerged at a time when Palestine was under Roman domination. We are told that Joseph and Mary went from Nazareth to Bethlehem due to a tax decree from Caesar Augustus (Luke 2:1–5), whose original name was Gaius Octavius (63 BC–ad 14).

After defeating Mark Antony and Cleopatra, Octavius became the first sole ruler over the entire Roman Republic. On January 16, 27 BC, the Roman Senate voted new titles for him, officially making him Imperator Caesar Divi Filius Augustus.

Historians usually refer to him as Caesar Augustus. The Roman emperor was widely treated as a divine figure to whom temples, altars, and priesthoods were dedicated.

He was considered either a god or a son of a god. But “the question of absolute divinity, that is, of divine nature, was not very relevant in pagan antiquity. What was expressed in imperial cults was rather relative divinity, that is, divine status, and the absolute power it entailed in relation to the worshippers.” At Jesus’ trial, Pilate asked, “Shall I crucify your King?” (John 19:15), forcing the crowd to decide whom they would be loyal to.

The chief priests were present—the very ones whose daily ministration foreshadowed Christ’s holy priesthood. They should have been the first to honor and defend Him. Instead, they shouted disgracefully, “We have no king but Caesar!” (verse 15).

Christ was rejected by the apostate priests, but not by God.

Christ was glorified through His deepest humiliation (John 12:23, 24).

Philippians 2:9–11 affirms, “God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” In contrast to those whose loyalty was to Caesar, the Bible refers to our Lord Jesus Christ as “the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords” (1 Timothy 6:15). Revelation 17 says the Lamb will conquer the kings of the earth, “for He is Lord of lords and King of kings” (verse 14).

May we remain loyal to Christ, regardless of what the crowds around us are shouting.