God and Caesar—Luke 20:20-26

(Image courtesy of www.racollection.org.uk)

Today's passage can be read here: Luke 20:20-26

Luke has begun to record how in his last week Jesus repeated warned his opponents and critics of the consequences of their refusal to recognize God's promised Messiah and his Kingdom. But Luke also wishes to show in the coming chapters how in the final week Jesus' enemies were constantly setting traps for him, trying to catch him in some public statement that would give them evidence to charge him with a crime punishable by death. That way they would be rid of him and his interference in their affairs, and at the same time not alienate the general public which had a very favorable opinion of him.

This is the first instance of such a delegation that came to Jesus. It was a mixed group. Luke seems to say that the same group as in the previous passage (i.e., scribes and chief priests, v. 13) also sent spies (v. 20) in the guise of sincere men to question him. Mark 12:13 identifies the group more specifically as Pharisees and Herodians. They came to him with a question about the legitimacy of Roman taxation for pious Jews (tsaddiq's) such as themselves.

One recent commentary claims that: "Luke’s readers would certainly know about the various forms of heavy Roman taxation. These totaled over one-third of a person’s income and included a poll tax, customs, and various indirect taxes." Other scholars show evidence that in Palestine in Jesus' days the Roman imposts amounted to much less than that figure. Still, the very fact that taxes had to be paid to a pagan Roman government grated on many nationalistic-minded Jews. There was not nearly such anger about the taxes that had to be paid to the local Jewish authorities and to the Temple.

Yet Luke gives us the most important bit of background, when he tells us in v. 20 that the delegation which arrived put this question to Jesus in order to trap him in what he replied, "so as to hand him over to the authority and jurisdiction of the [Roman] governor". If they could catch Jesus suggesting that Palestinian Jews had no obligation to pay the Roman tax, this could be construed as treason, a crime for which Jesus could be executed by the Romans.

These "spies" who looked like sincere seekers of moral guidance also flattered Jesus (v. 21), saying that they know he never hides his true feelings but is completely honest, forthright and fearless in expressing his views. This statement was calculated to disarm Jesus and make him feel free to tell them views that he might not readily divulge in public.

Their question was: "Is it permitted for us to pay tax to Caesar or not?" The only ambiguity in the question as it is framed lies in the word "permitted". Permitted by whom? The Greek verb ἔξεστίν is used in various senses in the New Testament, ranging from logical or moral right (a man's right to do what he wishes with his own money, Matthew 20:15) to conformity to Scripture or Jewish law (Old Testament law regarding permissible marriage partners, Matthew 14:4). There was no Old Testament law prohibiting paying taxes to a foreign governing power, because the Mosaic legislation did not presuppose Jews living under a foreign power in their own land. What legal scholars in Jesus' days did was to extract a principle from the Scripture and extend it to cover a new situation not directly anticipated in the original biblical context. Taxes were paid in Roman-minted coins, on the face of which was the image of Caesar. Even to use such coins might according to some strict interpreters be considered a compromise with one of the Ten Commandments: ““You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.” (Exodus 20:4).

This is necessary background for Jesus’ words to the questioner in this passage. For shown a Roman coin with the image of Caesar and his name inscribed upon it and asked if he thought it permissible for a Jew to give tax to Caesar (i.e., to Rome), Jesus asked whose was the face on the coin. And when told it was Caesar’s, he ruled: “Give to Caesar what belongs to him, and to God what belongs to him."

Actually, there was great hypocrisy in the questioners' implication that there might be something impermissible about paying such tribute. For the Romans were not the first pagan empire to rule over the Jews since the giving of the Ten Commandments. For centuries the Jews had paid tribute (tax) to the Persian Empire and after that to the Hellenistic Empire of the successors of Alexander the Great. The Romans were just the latest pagan empire to control Palestine.

With this answer Jesus evaded the trap. It was not an insincere answer: he was actually stating a principle that would be reiterated by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the churches in Rome (Romans 13:1-7). As all interpreters have recognized, without in any way compromising God’s law Jesus was disarming both the Pharisees (who supported paying the Temple tax) and the Herodians (who advocated payment of the Roman tax). They had come to trap Jesus, thinking that he could not possibly satisfy both groups. Jesus—without attempting just to please either group—in speaking of God’s requirement his true worshipers live as dual citizens (of Heaven and of their own nation-state), actually silenced their criticism, and gave them no way to accuse him before Rome or the Sanhedrin.

So also today, Christians should pay those taxes which our government can demonstrate that we properly owe (income tax, etc.). But we should also give to God our worship and obedience, as well as and our time and money. One duty does not obviate or exclude the other. We are citizens of the United States, but also citizens of Heaven.

Jesus' statement also requires our obedience to God’s Word when government’s laws oppose that Word. Millions of Christians down through history have had to face martyrdom because they would not “give to Caesar what belongs to God”. This began already in the days of the Apostles, when refusal to sprinkle a pinch of incense on an altar to the “divine Caesar” (Roman emperor worship) meant death for thousands of early Christians. And this pattern has continued throughout history. The Apostle Peter put it well when facing the Jewish Sanhedrin and commanded no longer to speak or preach in the name of Jesus: "We must obey God rather than men!" American Christians often have to engage in “civil disobedience” in order to protest practices which our government considers lawful, but which are in violation of biblical commandments. But we must be extremely careful that there really is a clear opposition of a governmental requirement to God's Word. Otherwise, we are disobeying our Lord who commands us to "give to Caesar what belongs to him", in this case obedience to a law that does not clearly contradict the Biblical commands.

Jesus' answer "Give to Caesar what belongs to him" and the amplification by St. Paul (Romans 13:7 "Pay to all what is due them—taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due") was exemplified by Jesus' behavior as he stood on trial before the Sanhedrin and subsequently before Pilate: although he was falsely charged, he was at all times respectful and truthful. One of the unfortunate consequences of political competition in the USA today is the exaggerated form taken by criticism of public figures whose policies people do not approve. Targets of such abuse include the person of the President himself. In contrast, both Jesus and the Apostles always showed respect to office-holders by virtue of the honor and respect due to the office itself, even when they disagreed with them. Americans can learn a lesson from this example, not to mock or degrade our presidents or other public officials, even if we may disapprove of their policies. When unbelievers do this, it is ugly enough. But when those known to be disciples of Jesus indulge in it, it brings disgrace to the name of Jesus, their Lord.