God and Caesar
Matthew 22:15-22
In this section of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus has just rebuked the religious leaders in Jerusalem for their unbelief through a series of three parables. And Matthew 21:45-46 tells us their attitude when Jesus taught these parables:
Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them. But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet. (Matthew 21:45-46).
Now they retaliate by trying to ensnare Jesus with trick questions. They plot together to confront our Lord—all with the intention of trapping Him in His words. They bring three challenges to Him in here in Matthew 22. They first ask about paying taxes to Caesar, then about the resurrection, and thirdly about the greatest commandment. Each of these question were calculated to damage the popularity of Jesus and to find a reason to condemn Him. In all three attempts, Jesus answers them in such a way as to make them marvel, and to leave them with nothing more they can say.
The first thing we see in our text today is…
1. The Ensnaring Question (Matt. 22:15-17)
Matthew tells us, “Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk” (Matt. 22:15). This was a calculated attack. Matthew says they “went and plotted.” We have heard that word before, all the way back in Matthew 12:14 when “… the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.” We will hear it again when they plot to put Jesus to death in Matthew 27:1 and when they plot to cover up the resurrection by paying off the guards in Matthew 28:12.
Their plot this time was to “entangle” Jesus in His words. They intended to trap Jesus, to ensnare by what He said. They had huddled together in order to set the trap by asking the perfect question that would catch Jesus saying something that would discredit Him before the people or accuse Him before the Roman authorities.
When Luke tells this same story in his Gospel, he gives us more details about their evil intent; “So they watched Him and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor” (Luke 20:20). Their intention was to “catch Him in His words in the presence of the people” (Luke 20:26). That was their motive.
Notice, then, who they sent to ask the question. The Pharisees didn’t go themselves. They sent their ‘students’, whom, as Luke tells us, they had put to work as “spies”. Matthew 22:16 says, “And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians“.
It’s hard to imagine two political groups more opposed to one another than the Pharisees and the Herodians. The Pharisees were devoted students of the laws and instructions of Judaism. They were proud of their Jewish heritage and deeply resented the rule of the Roman Empire over them. They expected the Messiah to come and rid them of their Roman oppressors.
The Herodians, on the other hand, were Jews who were sympathetic with Roman occupancy through the rule of the successors of Herod. The Herodians sought to fit in with Roman government because their cooperation brought them money and power. They encouraged the people to pay taxes to the Romans. I believe that the Pharisees invited the Herodians to be there in case Jesus sided with the Jews in the matter of this poll tax. These Herodians could then go back to Pilate and testify that Jesus was a traitor to Rome.
What could bring such opposite political and religious groups together? It was their opposition to a common enemy—the Lord Jesus Christ. They came to the Lord—these students of the Pharisees, and these Herodians, together—under the pretense of seeking His wisdom and advice concerning a matter of debate between them. But their purpose was to trap Jesus.
So, they bait the trap with flattery. They say things to Him that are accurate in and of themselves, but that they didn’t really believe: “Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men” (Matt. 22:16).
If they had really believed that Jesus was “true“, and that He taught “the way of God in truth“, and that He didn’t “regard the person of men”, then they would have bowed down to Him and received Him as Lord—because that’s who Jesus taught that He was. But they had no intention of bowing to Him. They were seeking to destroy Him!
Let me stop here for a moment and make a point of application. Be on your guard against flattery. It’s one of the devil’s greatest tools. Proverbs says, “A man who flatters his neighbor Spreads a net for his feet” (Pro. 29:5). It says, “24 He who hates, disguises it with his lips, And lays up deceit within himself; 25 When he speaks kindly, do not believe him, For there are seven abominations in his heart; … 28 A lying tongue hates those who are crushed by it, And a flattering mouth works ruin.” (Pro. 26:24-25, 28). Don’t use empty flattery and beware of those who bait their trap with flattery.
The words of praise that they spoke to Jesus were just a set-up. These phonies hoped that they could lull the Lord into a place where He’d relax His guard, so that they could trap Him with His own words. That’s the bait.
Now, notice the trap they set for Him. It’s a question about taxes. They said, “Tell us, therefore, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” (Matt. 22:17).
Obviously, the Pharisees would have answered “no”. They deeply resented paying taxes to the Gentile overlords. Every time they paid the required tax to the Roman government, it was a vivid reminder that they were not a free people or their own sovereign nation. They believed that they were God’s special people. But here they were, under the thumb pagan rulers.
On the other hand, the Herodians would have answered “yes” to the question about paying taxes. By paying the tax to the Romans, they continued to enjoy the benefits of their rule.
The Pharisees crafted this clever question and enlisted the Herodians to discredit Jesus before all the people. If He said yes—that it was legal to pay taxes to Caesar—then the Pharisees could accuse Him before the people, and say that He was not the conquering Messiah they expected. And if He said no—that it was not legal to pay taxes to Caesar—then the Herodians could immediately reported Him to the Roman governor. Either way Jesus answers, He loses.
But as we’ve read about our Lord in the Gospel, one of the things we have seen about the Him is that He rarely gave “yes” and “no” answers. And so, look next at . . .
2. The Exposing Response (Matt. 22:18-22)
Matthew 22:18 says, “But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, ‘Why do you test Me, you hypocrites?’” The Lord blew the cover right off their plot. He saw right through their flattery and trickery. They had put forth the false appearance of virtue, but their hearts were full of wickedness. In Matthew 23 Jesus will repeatedly condemn their hypocrisy.
I love how Jesus puts the question back to them. He says, “Show Me the tax money” (Matt. 22:19). So, someone “brought Him a denarius.” The denarius was a Roman coin that bore the graven image of Emperor Tiberius. At the time of Jesus, most coins would have had the following inscription: “Tiberius Caesar, son of the divine Augustus” and “Pontifux maximus”, meaning highest priest. No wonder the Pharisees hated paying it! And Jesus held it up and asked, “Whose image and inscription is this?” (Matt. 22:20).
Jesus masterfully causes them to answer their own question by answering his. When they said the obvious—that the image and inscription on the coin were “Caesar’s”, then Jesus simply replied, “Render, therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s . . .” It’s Caesar’s coin. Give it back to him.
And that brings us to our final point. In Matthew 22:21, Jesus gives us …
3. The Enlightening Principle (Matt. 22:21)
Jesus didn’t fall into their trap of saying yes or no to the question of paying taxes. Instead, by using a brilliant but simple illustration, He helps us understand the right relationship between God and government. We often struggle to find the right relationship between religion and politics, between God and government.
Jesus’ enlightening principle regarding God and government is: “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Matt. 22:21). The principle is straight forward. The word “render” literally means to “give back” or return. It is the verb for paying a bill or settling a debt. In their question, the Pharisees asked if they should “give” the tax to Caesar. Jesus says to give it back, implying a debt that is owed. By admitting that it was Caesar’s coin, they acknowledged their subjection to his government and their obligation to pay what they owed.
The Bible consistently teaches the rightful domain of government and our obligation to it. Romans 13:1-7, for example, says;
Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing. Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor (Romans 13:1-7).
Fulfilling our God-appointed obligations to the government, as good citizens, is a matter of obedience to our Lord Himself. I am, first, a citizen of My Father’s kingdom. And because I am a citizen of His eternal kingdom first, I am therefore obligated to be a good and faithful citizen of the temporal kingdom in which He has placed me. This is why I pay my taxes, obey the laws, and fulfill my duty to vote.
But I believe the greatest emphasis in Jesus’ principle is not on that first part of our Lord’s answer, it is on the second part. We are to render “to God the things that are God’s” (Matt. 22:21).
That second obligation, it seems to me, is what really brought the conviction down on those who were seeking to trap Him with their question. Matthew tells us “When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.” Luke tells us, that “they could not catch Him in His words in the presence of the people” (Luke 20:26). If they had given to God what first belonged to God, they would not only render to Caesar what was Caesar’s, but they would have also bowed down before the Lord Jesus Christ and pledged their first allegiance to Him.
Jesus’ statement implies that just as the Roman coin had Caesar’s image stamped on it and thus rightfully fell under his jurisdiction, so every person has God’s image stamped on him or her and thus rightfully belongs to God. Genesis 1 declares that God made mankind, male and female, in His own image. We owe God our very existence. We rightfully belong to Him. Everything we have belongs to Him.
If we are not yielding ourselves completely to God’s sovereign lordship, we are disobeying the supreme authority of the universe! By challenging Jesus, these Pharisees and Herodians were guilty of not rendering to God the things that are God’s. They came to Jesus, not to obey Him, but to trap Him. They acted as if they were sincerely interested in His opinion about a moral issue, but they had no intention of obeying what He said.
Listen, the only way you can come to Christ is to come honestly, repenting of your sins, believing in Him, being willing to obey Him. If you come to contend with the Lord in order to get your own way, beware! He knows the secret motives of your heart! One day every knee will bow before Him. So the overarching principle is that we must submit all of our lives to the absolute sovereignty of God, the supreme ruler of the universe.[i]
How careful are we to render to God the things that we owe to Him? This is a greater obligation than all others. How are we doing in terms of keeping it?
Do you make the worship of God a priority? Spend time reading God’s word and praying. Worship God in your homes with your families. Be faithful in your attendance at church. It’s rendering to God the things that are God’s. You owe your worship to the Lord because He is worthy. Jesus died for you that you might live for Him. Therefore, you owe Him your life. You owe Him your love and your worship. You Him your loyalty and your obedience. You owe Him your humble confession of sin and your desire to please and glorify and honor Him first in your life. Everything you have comes from God. Therefore, you owe God everything.
Hymnwriter Frances Havergal wrote:
Take my life, and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my silver and my gold,
Not a mite would I withhold;
Take my intellect and use
Every power as Thou shalt choose.
Dear brothers and sisters, it’s our duty to render to Caesar what is Caesar’s. But let’s be even more sure that we do the greater duty—to faithfully render to God what is God’s.
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[i] Steven Cole, Lesson 92: Guile, Government, and God (Luke 20:20-26), https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-92-guile-government-and-god-luke-2020-26
