Scripture
“Then the Pharisees went and plotted together how they might trap Him in what He said. And they sent their disciples to Him, along with the Herodians, saying, ‘Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any… Tell us then, what do You think? Is it lawful to give a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?’
But Jesus perceived their malice, and said, ‘Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites?’ (roasted)
‘Show Me the coin used for the poll tax.’ And they brought Him the denarius. And He said to them, ‘Whose likeness and inscription is this?’ They said to Him, ‘Caesar’s.’ Then He said to them, ‘Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.’ And hearing this, they were amazed and leaving Him, they went away.”
MATTHEW 22:15-21
Context
As a certified public accountant in the state of Texas this is a pretty exciting Scripture. Jesus talking tax code – can’t get much better.
This passage is fun because it shows Jesus accomplishing a lot in a sticky situation. One of my favorite passages. The Pharisees (boooo) and the Herodians (also booooo), normally enemies of one another, were working together here hand in hand to try to take down Jesus. The Pharisees opposed Roman rule strongly, while the Herodians, as their name indicates, supported the rule of Herod (a Roman ruler). But they were willing to lock arms for their common hatred of Jesus to try to trap Him with what they thought was a perfect question…
“Is is lawful to give a poll-tax to Caesar or not?”
This seemed to be a catch-22 with the both the Pharisees and the Herodians present.
Herodian Perspective
If Jesus said, “Read my lips, no new taxes”… The Roman loving Herodians would have reported Jesus to the Roman authorities and he would have been executed for treason. He was teaching not to follow Roman law, what other choice would they have?
Pharisee Perspective
If Jesus said, “Sure, Prop C is great”… The Pharisees would be able to denounce him as disloyal to the Jewish Party and hold that against Him. Bow to the Roman government and prioritize it over your faith? Can’t have that.
Heads I win, tails you lose. Or so they thought… But Jesus didn’t say either of those things. Jesus gave His response:
“Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s. And to God the things that are God’s.”
Having sufficiently broken the ankles of the Pharisees and the Herodians in one fell swoop… They left defeated.
Application
I love Jesus’ response here for a few reasons.
Christians Cannot Completely Detach from the World – I.e. “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s”
His response shows the Christian that they cannot completely detach from the world that they live in. Things would look awfully different today if Jesus had said, “Don’t pay the government, they’re a bunch of bums,” wouldn’t it? While that may or may not be true, the Christian isn’t supposed to respond this way.
They are supposed to “pay their taxes.” In other words… Be a model citizen within an imperfect system.
BUT… What wins in a tie? A bit of Money (a coin) or a Human Life?
But that is not all… Money isn’t everything and Jesus knows that.
I picture Jesus looking at the Pharisees and Herodians before His statement with a look that says, “Is money all you are concerned about? Money isn’t everything. There are things that are far more valuable.”
And following it up with his statement, paraphrased:
“Listen, if money is all you’re concerned about… sure, pay the tax. Give Caesar what is stamped in his image. But more than that… More importantly… Give God what is stamped in His image.”
Which begs the question, what is stamped in God’s image?
Stamped in God’s Image
Coins are stamped in rulers’ images. Caesar on the face of the coins in this story. Similarly, former presidents and founding fathers are on the face of coins and dollar bills in our lives.
So then, what is stamped in God’s image?
Genesis 1:27 says this:
“God created man (stamped him) in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female he created them.”
Coins are stamped in the image of rulers → Should be given rulers accordingly (taxes 🙁)
Human Lives (which hold a incomparably higher value) are stamped in the image of God → Should be lived for God accordingly
Your money is one thing. Pay your taxes. It is the law. But there is something that is stamped in God’s image that is far more important, and should rightfully be offered to God with an open hand…
Your life!
This passage teaches us more than to pay our taxes (unfortunately). It reminds us that like a coin is stamped in the image of it’s ruler, we are stamped in the image of God. And accordingly we should offer our lives to be lived for Him, who has given us so much.
Something to Chew On:
- You are stamped in God’s image. Have you considered what offering God what is stamped in His image (your life) looks like?
GreatValue Proverb:
You are stamped in God’s image. Don’t forget to be openhanded and offer back what is His.