"Give to Caesar what is Caesar's" and the binary trap- Matt 22
Matthew 22: 15-22
Our gospel reading begins with the Pharisees plotting how to “entangle [Jesus] in his words”. So, they come up with a very clever trap that forces him into a binary: either he picks option A and there are undesirable consequences, or he picks B and there are undesirable consequences. Picking either A or B is going to be undesirable.
The Pharisees are no friends of the Herodians, but since Jesus is a common enemy to both, they found a way to work together. So representatives of both groups come to Jesus with a trick question.
The Herodians were a faction at the time that was loyal to King Herod, and they wanted to play nice with Rome. King Herod embarked on numerous impressive building projects, which included building cities for the pagan population living in the area. Herod even erected a golden eagle at the entrance of the temple, which was a symbol of Rome’s dominion. He also spent lavishly on gifts for Roman officials. The Herodians embraced this as the practical way to live with Rome. This was a very practical position to hold. To make Rome your enemy was a way to end up dead. To appease Rome meant being able to live in peace.
But King Herod did not impress the faithfully observant Jewish population (which includes the Pharisees). Erecting pagan buildings in the Holy Land, and placing a golden Roman eagle at the entrance of the temple made King Herod look like the many faithless and compromised leaders who tried to appease powerful pagan powers found throughout the Scriptures.
The issue of paying taxes to the Roman Empire was one of those lightning rod issues of the day. If you wanted to start a fight, you started talking about that issue. For us we could mention Trump, or Medical Assistance in Dying (which I think we should call assisted suicide), abortion, the war between Israel and Palestine, or the Alberta referendum, or a number of other issues that push themselves to our attention on social media or on TV. These are controversial issues that come with high emotions, and they divide people into one camp or the other. A or B?
The Herodians would be in favour of paying taxes to Rome to keep Rome happy. They would see this as practical survival: cooperate with Rome or die. And we don't want to hear this lightly. To not cooperate with Rome means extreme violence, which includes violence against vulnerable people. Parents would be killed, and if children are not killed, they are left as orphans. Farms and cities are burned. People are left without the means to support themselves. … When Rome finally did destroy Jerusalem in 70AD, it's estimated that between 60 and 100 thousand people were taken captive and sold into slavery by Roman forces. … Practical survival is not a small thing when dealing with Rome.
The Pharisees and others like the Zealots would be in favour of resisting paying taxes to Rome. The Scriptures warn time after time about trusting cooperation with powerful pagan forces rather than trusting in God. … Their taxes are contributing to paying the wages of the Roman soldiers who are crushing them under their boots. … It'd be a bit like being Jewish in Nazi Germany and paying taxes to the Nazi government. Sure, you're keeping the peace for a time but you're also funding the means of your own oppression.
The Pharisees who are approaching Jesus know they're putting him in a trap. If Jesus says, “No, it is not lawful to pay taxes to Caesar”, then Jesus seems to be siding with the anti-Roman revolutionaries- the violent zealots. … It was precisely this issue that resulted in a revolt by Judas the Galilean when Jesus was a child. The revolt was violently put down, and many were crucified by Roman soldiers. … The fact that Jesus was associated with Galilee would make this connection all the more powerful.
If Jesus rejected paying taxes to Caesar, the Herodians would make sure King Herod heard about it and Jesus would then be seen as dangerous to the stability of the region. … That answer would probably bring Jesus favor with the faithful Jewish population, … though, his life would be in danger.
On the other hand, if Jesus says, “Yes, it is lawful to pay taxes to Caesar”, then Jesus will seem to be a traitor to the people. He is siding with the oppressive Roman forces.
It is a binary trap. Pick A or B. … Either way they get Jesus is in hot water. The Pharisees want Jesus to take a political stance on a lightning rod issue in a way that forces him to endorse or oppose a government policy. Either he’s in trouble with the political powers of the day as a rebel, … or the people reject him as a prophet and teacher. So, what is Jesus going to do?
Here we see the genius of Jesus. … One of the things that I think is important for us to learn is to be careful about thinking in these kinds of binary ways. I know we're not in the United States, but it seems like more and more we are being encouraged to think in these kinds of binary ways, which I think reflects an influence from below the border. Our liberalism seems more American, and our conservatism seems more American. Which means it all seems very binary. Does Jesus agree with Fox or CNN? Does he vote Democrat or Republican? Who are the good guys and who are the bad guys? …
When we're given an option of A or B and it seems like those are the only two options, Jesus sees an option that we don't see. I think one of the things we learn through this passage is to resist the binary and seek other more creative Holy Spirit-inspired alternatives. …
Jesus asks for a coin used to pay the tax, and they give him a denarius. Jesus then asks whose image and inscription is on the coin. They reply that it was Caesar’s image and inscription.
It’s important to note that Jesus doesn’t have one of these coins on him. And it is also important to note that this confrontation is taking place in the temple courts. Caesar Tiberius would have been the face on the coin. A graven image like the face of Caesar would have probably been considered a violation of the law, especially in the Temple courts. Roman coins weren't permitted to be used for paying for the temple tax or for buying sacrificial animals. When Jesus turns over the tables of the money changers, they are the ones changing money from Roman currency into currency that could be used in the Temple.
Looking at the coin, the inscription reads “Tiberius Caesar, son of divine Augustus”, which implied that Tiberius is claiming some kind of divinity, since his father is divine. He is claiming to be the son of a god. …. Another inscription read, “pontifex maximus” and meant that Caesar was the high priest and highest religious figure in the empire.[1]
To have something like that on the grounds of the temple would have sickened most Jewish people. After considering the image and inscription on the coin, it would have looked like a dead rat to them. They would have probably felt uncomfortable having it in their presence on the temple grounds. So having possession of this coin and considering this coin to be valuable would bring them dangerously close to violating the Law.
The implied question back to them is, “why do you have such a thing with you?” “Why do you value such a blasphemous thing?”
Considering this idolatrous object that bears the image of the Caesar, Jesus says, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's”. Give Caesar back that filthy thing. Why would you want to hold onto it? …
The second part of Jesus’ answer is important. “Render to God the things that are God’s”. Caesar’s image was imprinted on the coin. … But, we are made in God’s image. Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” … Like the coin, we bear an image- God’s image.
“Enough about Caesar”, Jesus implies. “What do we owe God?” … Our whole selves. … What does it mean to give God ourselves? It means that there is no part of our life is permitted to be outside of God's kingdom. All areas of my life is submitted to God's loving lordship. There is no part of our life that is off limits to God.
St. Paul says it this way, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers [and sisters] by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom 12:1-2). … The life we are asked to live as Christians looks like a living offering to God.
The world shouts at us to choose A or B: are you for or are you against? It's not that what happens in this world doesn't matter. What happens in this world matters a great deal, but we are ultimately called to be citizens of the kingdom of God. Our allegiance is to our King. Jesus invites us into a different way, and Jesus won't be owned by one side or the other. He asks us to follow him as citizens of his kingdom, and as his disciples learning a different way to be human.
May God grant us the grace and discernment to return Caesar's coin to Caesar and to offer our whole selves to God, whose image we bear
The Pharisees are no friends of the Herodians, but since Jesus is a common enemy to both, they found a way to work together. So representatives of both groups come to Jesus with a trick question.
The Herodians were a faction at the time that was loyal to King Herod, and they wanted to play nice with Rome. King Herod embarked on numerous impressive building projects, which included building cities for the pagan population living in the area. Herod even erected a golden eagle at the entrance of the temple, which was a symbol of Rome’s dominion. He also spent lavishly on gifts for Roman officials. The Herodians embraced this as the practical way to live with Rome. This was a very practical position to hold. To make Rome your enemy was a way to end up dead. To appease Rome meant being able to live in peace.
But King Herod did not impress the faithfully observant Jewish population (which includes the Pharisees). Erecting pagan buildings in the Holy Land, and placing a golden Roman eagle at the entrance of the temple made King Herod look like the many faithless and compromised leaders who tried to appease powerful pagan powers found throughout the Scriptures.
The issue of paying taxes to the Roman Empire was one of those lightning rod issues of the day. If you wanted to start a fight, you started talking about that issue. For us we could mention Trump, or Medical Assistance in Dying (which I think we should call assisted suicide), abortion, the war between Israel and Palestine, or the Alberta referendum, or a number of other issues that push themselves to our attention on social media or on TV. These are controversial issues that come with high emotions, and they divide people into one camp or the other. A or B?
The Herodians would be in favour of paying taxes to Rome to keep Rome happy. They would see this as practical survival: cooperate with Rome or die. And we don't want to hear this lightly. To not cooperate with Rome means extreme violence, which includes violence against vulnerable people. Parents would be killed, and if children are not killed, they are left as orphans. Farms and cities are burned. People are left without the means to support themselves. … When Rome finally did destroy Jerusalem in 70AD, it's estimated that between 60 and 100 thousand people were taken captive and sold into slavery by Roman forces. … Practical survival is not a small thing when dealing with Rome.
The Pharisees and others like the Zealots would be in favour of resisting paying taxes to Rome. The Scriptures warn time after time about trusting cooperation with powerful pagan forces rather than trusting in God. … Their taxes are contributing to paying the wages of the Roman soldiers who are crushing them under their boots. … It'd be a bit like being Jewish in Nazi Germany and paying taxes to the Nazi government. Sure, you're keeping the peace for a time but you're also funding the means of your own oppression.
The Pharisees who are approaching Jesus know they're putting him in a trap. If Jesus says, “No, it is not lawful to pay taxes to Caesar”, then Jesus seems to be siding with the anti-Roman revolutionaries- the violent zealots. … It was precisely this issue that resulted in a revolt by Judas the Galilean when Jesus was a child. The revolt was violently put down, and many were crucified by Roman soldiers. … The fact that Jesus was associated with Galilee would make this connection all the more powerful.
If Jesus rejected paying taxes to Caesar, the Herodians would make sure King Herod heard about it and Jesus would then be seen as dangerous to the stability of the region. … That answer would probably bring Jesus favor with the faithful Jewish population, … though, his life would be in danger.
On the other hand, if Jesus says, “Yes, it is lawful to pay taxes to Caesar”, then Jesus will seem to be a traitor to the people. He is siding with the oppressive Roman forces.
It is a binary trap. Pick A or B. … Either way they get Jesus is in hot water. The Pharisees want Jesus to take a political stance on a lightning rod issue in a way that forces him to endorse or oppose a government policy. Either he’s in trouble with the political powers of the day as a rebel, … or the people reject him as a prophet and teacher. So, what is Jesus going to do?
Here we see the genius of Jesus. … One of the things that I think is important for us to learn is to be careful about thinking in these kinds of binary ways. I know we're not in the United States, but it seems like more and more we are being encouraged to think in these kinds of binary ways, which I think reflects an influence from below the border. Our liberalism seems more American, and our conservatism seems more American. Which means it all seems very binary. Does Jesus agree with Fox or CNN? Does he vote Democrat or Republican? Who are the good guys and who are the bad guys? …
When we're given an option of A or B and it seems like those are the only two options, Jesus sees an option that we don't see. I think one of the things we learn through this passage is to resist the binary and seek other more creative Holy Spirit-inspired alternatives. …
Jesus asks for a coin used to pay the tax, and they give him a denarius. Jesus then asks whose image and inscription is on the coin. They reply that it was Caesar’s image and inscription.
It’s important to note that Jesus doesn’t have one of these coins on him. And it is also important to note that this confrontation is taking place in the temple courts. Caesar Tiberius would have been the face on the coin. A graven image like the face of Caesar would have probably been considered a violation of the law, especially in the Temple courts. Roman coins weren't permitted to be used for paying for the temple tax or for buying sacrificial animals. When Jesus turns over the tables of the money changers, they are the ones changing money from Roman currency into currency that could be used in the Temple.
Looking at the coin, the inscription reads “Tiberius Caesar, son of divine Augustus”, which implied that Tiberius is claiming some kind of divinity, since his father is divine. He is claiming to be the son of a god. …. Another inscription read, “pontifex maximus” and meant that Caesar was the high priest and highest religious figure in the empire.[1]
To have something like that on the grounds of the temple would have sickened most Jewish people. After considering the image and inscription on the coin, it would have looked like a dead rat to them. They would have probably felt uncomfortable having it in their presence on the temple grounds. So having possession of this coin and considering this coin to be valuable would bring them dangerously close to violating the Law.
The implied question back to them is, “why do you have such a thing with you?” “Why do you value such a blasphemous thing?”
Considering this idolatrous object that bears the image of the Caesar, Jesus says, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's”. Give Caesar back that filthy thing. Why would you want to hold onto it? …
The second part of Jesus’ answer is important. “Render to God the things that are God’s”. Caesar’s image was imprinted on the coin. … But, we are made in God’s image. Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” … Like the coin, we bear an image- God’s image.
“Enough about Caesar”, Jesus implies. “What do we owe God?” … Our whole selves. … What does it mean to give God ourselves? It means that there is no part of our life is permitted to be outside of God's kingdom. All areas of my life is submitted to God's loving lordship. There is no part of our life that is off limits to God.
St. Paul says it this way, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers [and sisters] by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom 12:1-2). … The life we are asked to live as Christians looks like a living offering to God.
The world shouts at us to choose A or B: are you for or are you against? It's not that what happens in this world doesn't matter. What happens in this world matters a great deal, but we are ultimately called to be citizens of the kingdom of God. Our allegiance is to our King. Jesus invites us into a different way, and Jesus won't be owned by one side or the other. He asks us to follow him as citizens of his kingdom, and as his disciples learning a different way to be human.
May God grant us the grace and discernment to return Caesar's coin to Caesar and to offer our whole selves to God, whose image we bear
[1] Matthew, Ben Witherington lll, Smyth
& Helwys Bible Commentary, p412
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