Week 40 Day 1

August 29, 2022

Jesus Speaks about Paying Taxes

Scripture: Matthew 22:15-22, Mark 12:13-17, Luke 20:20-26(NIV)

Matthew 22:15-22
Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?” But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.

Mark 12:13-17
Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we?” But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” And they were amazed at him.

Luke 20:20-26
Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be sincere. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said, so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor. So the spies questioned him: “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” He saw through their duplicity and said to them, “Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription are on it?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. He said to them, “Then give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public. And astonished by his answer, they became silent.

Devotional

First, some context. Let’s back up a verse to see all the players trying to do away with Jesus. “Then the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders looked for a way to arrest… But they were afraid of the crowd; so they left him and went away. Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words” (Mark 12:12-13).

The chief priests (the in-charge Sadducees) were all about power.
The Herodians (who embraced Greco-Roman culture) were all about pleasure.
The Pharisees (who focused on Jewish Law) were all about purity.

These guys looked at life through completely different perspectives. Actually, they didn’t understand and often couldn’t stand each other. But they had one thing in common: Jesus was a threat to what they embraced. He had to be eliminated. So they set a trap.

“Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” This statement famously extracted Jesus from the trap the Pharisees and Herodians had set. In it, we learn that Jesus said that He would continue to be part of society, even if the government was oppressive and unwelcome. Still, Jesus didn’t advocate being complicit – He called the tax collectors to abandon their post and take up a life of generosity, and He warned us against futilely trying to serve the dual masters of God and money.

To Jesus, money was simply a thing – pay your taxes, buy food, give to the poor. When used properly, it has no greater significance than a rock or a mug or a job. Only God is God. And only God deserves our devotion and dedication, our faith and our hope, our love and our life.