QUESTION #29 Whose image and superscription is this (on coin)?

QUESTIONS JESUS ASKED BIBLE STUDY 

    Read Matthew 17: 24- 27, 22:15-22 KJV: 

 

  Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? (Matthew 22:18)

  Whose image and superscription is this? (Matthew 22:20)

  What thinkest thou, Simon? Of whom do the kings of the earth take custom (indirect tax on goods) or tribute (a tax)? From their own children, or of strangers? (Matthew 17:25)

 

THE QUESTION OF PAYING TRIBUTE OR TAXES

Reference: Matthew 17:24-27, 22:15-22; Mark 12:12-17

 

The Pharisees raise the issue of church and state, of the Christian’s relationship to the state in connection to his relationship to God. And yes, this can involve our taxes and we are obligated as Christians to pay our taxes, but the dangerous thing is to get so caught up about what and how you pay retribution to the government that you forget to give to God at all. We must render, meaning give, first, to God, what is God’s. In this, as in most things, the priority is to seek first the Kingdom of Heaven.

Jesus has just told a parable about “The Wicked Tenants of the Vineyard”, where Jesus makes the Pharisees lack of obedience personal. The Pharisees perceive that Jesus has spoken the parable against them. They understood the analogy of the son and that Jesus was referring to Himself. This would be blasphemous to them, and they would now seek to kill Jesus. So, they send men of the Pharisees and Herodians aiming to entangle Jesus in a trap with His words. 

They intend to hang him on the horns of a dilemma. So, they come and they say, “Master, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances”. This is called buttering up. But, Jesus calls it hypocrisy, because He knows they don’t really care what He thinks. They mean to entangle him, to trap him. How? “Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”

The Pharisees and Herodians are there, which makes it a politically super-charged situation. Pharisees have a high-powered allegiance to the Old Testament and to the people of Israel. The Herodians are, by name, Herod supporters. Herod is a lackey governor of the Roman Empire, the occupiers of Israel -- not popular people among the Jews. And so, their question to Jesus is a kind of set up. 

The question will hang Jesus either way, because if He says, “Yes, pay them,” then He is a traitor to the Jewish cause. He would be answering in favor of the Roman overlords, which would infuriate the Jews. They hate being occupied by a foreign government. Therefore, supporting these taxes would be betraying His own people. On the other hand, if He says, “No, don’t pay,” then He becomes a revolutionary against Roman rule. He’s in trouble either way, and that is what they wanted. They wanted to ruin Jesus’ reputation one way or another. 

What will Jesus do? Jesus says, “Why do you tempt me, ye hypocrites? Bring me a penny, that I may see it.” So, they give him a coin. He says, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They say, “Caesar’s.” And Jesus says, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s...”. 

Now, if He had stopped right there, that would have communicated: Pay. And He would have been out of sorts with the Jews. But, He adds, “And to God the things that are God’s”. Matthew says they were amazed and walked away. 

What just happened? A lot of people might say: Well, he just cleverly dodged the question. It was a politically shrewd thing to do to just escape from the dilemma. Is that what that was? I don’t think so. It is true that Jesus didn’t give us the answer about the relationship between Caesar and God on a platter, like, “Here are three steps for how to relate to the state.” He did not define the scope of things that belong to Caesar. He didn’t define the scope of things that belong to God. He left it open. He didn’t define the relationship. He only says, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesars and give to God the things that are God’s.” 

Let’s think for a moment about His answer. What belongs to God? Everything belongs to God. Caesar belongs to God. All the things that belong to Caesar belong to God. All the rights that Caesar has belong to God. I think Jesus wanted us to linger here over the implications of everything belongs to God and Caesar is part of everything. 

The first implication is that everything Caesar has and all the authority that he rightfully claims is obtained from what God has and what God claims. Remember Pilate and Jesus in John 19:11. Jesus is on trial for his life. He looks at Pilate, not saying anything, and Pilate says to him, “Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” Do you remember what Jesus said? “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above”. Caesar and all of his lackeys -- the entire state of every nation on the planet -- has the authority it has only under the sovereignty of God. 

The next implication is that all of our submission to Caesar is shaped by the fact that God owns everything. We still do render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s. Romans 13 is all about submitting to government. But our submission to any government is shaped by the fact that God owns everything. We submit for the Lord’s sake. We Christians should be a humble, submissive people. We should pay our taxes and our bills. We should obey the laws of the land. If we are children, we should obey our parents. If we are church members, we should submit to our leaders. If we are wives, we should submit to our husbands. If we are employees, we should get in on time, and leave on time, and not slack on what the employer expects of us. We are a people who submit. 

But we do not submit because any human authority claims us. They don’t. We do it for the Lord’s sake. But we never render to any authority under God absolute allegiance. We never give unlimited, unconditional obedience. We never say, “I submit to you because you are my final authority.” We always do it for Christ’s sake, which turns our obedience to human authorities into worship to God.

The last implication is tithing… The Pharisees were teachers of the Law, they knew the scriptures taught to give a tenth of their earnings to the priest (tithes), and offerings to the house of God. There is much information in the Bible about tithing and offerings, please see insert at the end of this lesson.

So, we are to render to Caesar (government), what is Caesar’s, and unto God (tithes and offerings), what is God’s.

Did Jesus pay taxes? The answer to this question is found in Matthew 17:24-27.

When Jesus and the disciples came into Capernaum, those that collected tax money came to Peter and asked if his Master paid taxes. Peter said, “yes”. When Peter went into the house Jesus stopped him and asked, “What do you think Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take taxes? From their own children or from strangers?”

Peter replied, “From strangers”. Jesus told him, “Then the children are free (exempt).” I’m assuming that Jesus makes this statement to prove that Peter was telling the tax collector’s the truth. They were the children of the temple so they were exempt from paying the tax.

But, Jesus told Peter, unless they should offend the tax collectors, go catch some fish, and in the first fish that he catches, there in the fish’s mouth he will find some money. Jesus said take that money and give it to them for my tax and yours.

Jesus paid taxes. Not because He had to, but to serve as a good example. The Temple belonged to His Father. Yet, he had Peter pay the tax for the both of them.

See insert: Tithes and Offerings

Notes: