22: 15-17. Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one, for you do not regard people with partiality. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
“Then” when? This is right after Jesus told three parables that completely destroyed self-important assumptions of the temple leadership. A closer look shows us that this incident is part of a larger series that begins in Chapter 21. Here is the whole series.
Text | Religious and Political Leaders Who Challenge Jesus |
21: 15 | The chief priests and scribes |
21: 23 | The chief priests and elders of the people |
21: 45 | The chief priests and the Pharisees |
22: 15 | The Pharisees and their disciples |
22: 16 | The Herodians |
22: 23 | Some Sadducees |
22: 34 | The Pharisees again |
22: 46 | “No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.” |
This shows us that from the time of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem (21: 1-14) the leaders of the temple and the city tried their best to discredit the attribution of kingship in the symbols (riding a donkey) and the songs (“Hosanna to the son of David”). Matthew has shaped the events in these two chapters to show the hostility of the leadership and their inability to stand up to the wisdom and authority of Jesus. Notice above how Matthew draws these two chapters to a close.
We have met the Pharisees, but here for the first time they are portrayed as having disciples, just as Jesus had disciples. This reflects the apprentice nature of education as well as the degree to which Jewish society was divided into opposing groups.
Who are the Herodians? By their name, we can tell that they are members of or supporters of the family of Herod. The rule of this family began with Herod the Great (ruled 37 BC--4 BC) who appears in the gospel story at Jesus’ birth (Matthew Chapter 2). His son Archelaus ruled in his place for about 10 years (ruled 4 BC--6 AD). Another son, Herod Antipas had a longer reign over most of the Jewish territory (ruled 4 BC–37 AD) before he too, like Archelaus, was exiled. It is Herod Antipas who has John beheaded (Chapter 14) and rules yet (Luke Chapter 23).
The Herodians are not mentioned much in the New Testament, nor in extra-Biblical literature. H. H. Rowley concludes that “they were men of standing and influence, whose outlook was known to Jesus and His disciples, and their name would suggest that it was an outlook of friendliness to the Herodian rule, and consequently to the Roman rule on which it is rested” (“The Herodians in the Gospels,” The Journal of Theological Studies, January 1940, Vol. 41, No. 161. Pages 14-17; quote from page 27).
The question that the disciples of the Pharisees and the Herodians ask seems like a political question, and it is, but it is also theological. W. J. Bennett, Jr. notes the close proximity of the question to the three parables, particularly to the Parable of the Wicked Tenants where the messengers are beaten and one is killed (“The Herodians of Mark’s Gospel,” Novum Testamentum, Vol. xvii, fasc. 1. Pages 9-14.) This might remind people too much of Herod’s killing the messenger in the wilderness, that is, John the Baptizer. This suggestion is supported as well by Jesus’ question in Chapter 21 about whose authorized John to preach (Matthew 21: 23-27). Politics is in the air.
The disciples of the Pharisees and the Herodians pose as innocent truth-seekers, first flattering Jesus and then posing a question for philosophical consideration. But Jesus sees the trap that has been set for him.
22: 18-22. But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. Then he said to them, “Whose head is this and whose title?” They answered, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.” When they heard this, they were amazed, and they left him and went away.
Here is the malice in their attempt at entrapment. The question is one of the famous double bind questions. The familiar joke question is one: “Have you stopped beating your wife yet?” There is no way to answer this question that does not get you into trouble. “Yes, I have stopped beating my wife.” “No, I haven’t stopped beating my wife.” Either way seems like an admission of guilt.
In this case, the political situation is that Rome occupies the Jewish lands and no one likes it, but some hate it and others accommodate it. On one end of the continuum are the Zealots, revolutionaries who are willing to use violence to force the Romans out. If Jesus answers, “Yes, it is right to pay the tax to the Emperor,” then many people will be disappointed. On the other end of the continuum are the Herodians, men of wealth who are willing to tolerate foreign rule because they hold a strong position in society, second only to the Romans. If Jesus answers, “No, it is not right to pay the tax to the Emperor,” then word will certainly be passed along to the Romans that they must arrest this rebel. In the middle were most of the people and the Pharisees who did not like Roman rule but tended to resist with lives of quiet desperation. Neither a yes nor a no will satisfy them.
That is why this is one of the wisest sayings of Jesus; reminiscent of King Solomon’s handling of the two mothers who both claim one baby. The question is: “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” Lawful according to what? The phrase and the context means “Is it permitted by the Torah?” What taxes? Emperor Augustus introduced a ‘poll tax’ for certain constituencies, like the Jews, in 6 AD. The tax was to be paid with the currency of the Empire: the denarius, a silver coin like our quarter, but with the image of the emperor where we have George Washington.
Assuming that the denarius was minted by the current emperor and not Augustus or Julius, the writing said: TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVSTVS, ‘Tiberius Caesar son of the divine Augustus’. On the other side of the coin, the words PONTIF MAXIM are found, meaning, ‘Head Priest’ (https://biblereadingarchaeology.com/2017/08/23/whose-image-is-on-the-coin/. See also Ben Witherington III, Matthew, 2006, pages 411-413 for a fuller discussion).
This then is the context of the exchange between Jesus and the disciples of the Pharisees and the Herodians. The essence of Jesus’ answer is not to pretend that there are separate realms, also called the ‘two worlds’ perspective of daily life. After all, even the Jews would have agreed that the earth is the Lord’s, period. This undercuts any argument that a different set of ethics applies in politics, war, or business.
Then why did Jesus say to go ahead and give to Caesar what is due to him? There is a legitimate function of government, as claimed by Paul (Romans 13: 1-7). On the other hand, no government is perfect, and many abuse and persecute innocent people (Matthew 5: 10-14). In the end, however, it does not make much difference. Where is Tiberias, the Roman Empire, and the poll tax today? They are footnotes in history; the denarii circulating in Jesus’ time can be had for $400 on Ebay. Where will our government, our president, and our dollar be in the year 3000 AD? Barely a memory.
Ben Witherington suggests that Jesus was saying something like: “Give Caesar back these worthless pieces of metal he claims” (Witherington, Matthew, page 413). In the end, it does not make a difference. Our actions do not hurry or hinder the arrival of the Kingdom of God; “the wrong shall fail, the right prevail, with peace on earth, good will to men” (from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, written in 1863. Longfellow’s first wife died after 4 years of marriage in 1835; his second wife died in a fire in 1861 after 18 years of marriage; his son served in the United States Army during the Civil War and was severely wounded in 1863…then he wrote the hymn “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”).
Jesus’ wise saying puts Christian Nationalists, and there are many in the United States, out on a limb because they want a Christian nation to whom people would owe their allegiance. If they deem the current government not to be Christian, then they believe that resistance, even armed resistance, if permitted for Christians. If they deem the current government to be Christian, they expect all citizens to follow the rules which are their perception of loyalty, citizenship, ethnic relations, and gender roles.
We have only one primary loyalty, and that is to God through Jesus Christ. All others are secondary and cannot command our ultimate loyalty. We follow the Jesus of the Bible.