Matthew 22:15-22 (NIV) Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are. Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, “Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?”
“Caesar’s,” they replied.
Then he said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.
The Pharisees were incensed at Jesus’ suggestion that they were going to be excluded from the wedding feast, and their anger spurred them to try to find a way to trap Jesus in His own words. They weren’t yet willing to accuse Jesus falsely, but they figured that if they did it right, they could manipulate Jesus into saying something that could be used against Him. ( The mere fact that they were willing to team up with supporters of the house of Herod shows just how far they were willing to go. Normally those two factions would have nothing to do with each other!)
The began with a couple of compliments, one slyly worded as a slap. The first, that Jesus teachings about God were true, could be taken as a straightforward compliment (despite the motives). But the second, that Jesus wasn’t swayed by men, because He paid no attention to who they were had an edge to it. It subtly poked Jesus for not being more respectful of His elders, His betters, and the religious leaders, like the chief priests, the Pharisees themselves, and the teachers of the law.
Then came the trap disguised as a simple question: was it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? This was a hotly debated and deeply divisive issue in those days. There was a strong faction (ironically including the Pharisees themselves) that believed that paying taxes to Rome was supporting a godless, idolatrous government system, and that truly godly people shouldn’t do it.
The trap lay in the fact that to speak openly about not paying taxes, especially in a manner that could be construed as trying to persuade others, could be interpreted by the Romans as sedition, a death-penalty crime. If Jesus said no, that godly people shouldn’t support Rome, He could be reported to the authorities who would take care of Him once and for all. But if He agreed that paying taxes was the right thing to do, He ran the serious risk of alienating the core of His followers, who were likely anti Rome, bringing all of His plans crashing down on His own head. There seemed to be no way out!
But Jesus saw this trap coming and was ready. The coin used to pay the taxes was a Roman denarius with Caesar’s portrait on it. Jesus’ clear implication was that the image on something proved ownership. Since the denarius belonged by right to Caesar, it should be given to Caesar. But the converse of the argument was also true. Each person bears the image of God, proving ownership by God. Therefore, each person must by right give themselves completely to God.
The trap, clever as it was, failed miserably. Jesus gave them a perfectly reasonable and theologically unassailable answer that put Him at odds with neither Rome nor with His followers. And all that the Pharisees could do was to leave in frustration.
Father, Jesus was far more than clever in His perception and answer; He showed a wisdom from You that was unassailable. That same wisdom is available to us through Your Spirit as well (cf. Matthew 10:19). Thank you for this grace. Amen.