IN confrontation with his critics, Jesus answers the trap-question: “Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?” (Matthew 22:15-21). For those really searching for the truth, honesty is needed to find the balance between the spiritual and social realms.
A deceitful question
The question was put to Jesus with the intention of tripping Him. Two opposite camps united to catch Him in a dilemma and so neutralize Him. The followers of Herod were a faction favorable to the Roman imperial power, while the Pharisees were intransigent against the usurpation of power by the Romans. Jesus is lost whether He answers their question in the affirmative or in the negative. To answer “yes” is to oppose the popular sentiment against the tax as represented by the Pharisees and to side with the detested Roman collaborators, thus confirming His known friendly attitude toward tax collectors. To answer “no” is to invite the denunciation by Herod’s partisans and to be in conflict with the Roman authorities. Jesus’ enemies thought they have him pinned down without escape by the horns of their dilemma.
Apart from the hypocrisy and malice of the critics of Jesus, the question about taxes was a matter of conscience for many. Does the law of God allow us to make compromises with detestable forces or does it order us to refuse obedience to them? Without going as far as armed rebellion, is civil disobedience an open option for believers?
Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s
His enemies’ deceitful cleverness overlooked Jesus’ wisdom. Their readiness in producing the tax coin Jesus asked for indicated their use of it and their own acceptance of the financial advantages of the foreign administration. Holding up the coin Jesus questioned them, “Whose image is this and whose inscription?” To their reply “Caesar’s”, Jesus added: “Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar.” Sidestepping the issue of the lawfulness of the tax, those who use the Roman coin should repay the Roman Caesar in kind. But Jesus raised the matter to another level when he further pointed out that neither to be neglected is giving “to God what belongs to God.” They discussed about tax in relation to God’s law; they should be concerned no less about repaying God with the good deeds they owe Him.
But the trickery and self-deception go on. Some people today have twisted Jesus’ words as stating a law of compromise between duties to God and duties to temporal power, confining the sovereign power of God and Caesar’s temporal power to their respective domains, as in a separation of Church and state. There are those who want the total autonomy of political power, finding as intolerable any interference of religious faith. This would be the stand of politicians who abhor being challenged regarding the morality of their actuations, and for whom religion should have nothing to do with politics, conveniently oblivious of the religious truths essential to our Constitution. Paradoxically, this is so when politics becomes a religion, an ideology that demands total submission from and total control of people: Caesar playing God.
Alálaong bagá, the Church does not begrudge Caesar what is Caesar’s. But we must make sure to give back to God what is God’s. We are all bound to our duties toward God, always and everywhere. He alone can demand that we give back everything to Him, to God alone do we owe everything. Our duties to Caesar are in the light of this absolute: “for the Lord’s sake.” As Saint Peter wrote, “Be subject to every human institution for the Lord’s sake, whether it be to the king…or to the governor…. Give honor to all, love the community, fear God” (1 Peter 2:13-14:17). Saint Augustine later noted that if Caesar can only look for his image on the coin you use, God looks for His image in your very soul, in your deeds of love and fidelity.
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1 comment
You have not understood this incident correctly. It is recorded very similarly in all three synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke). Luke alone explains the purpose of the question and the design of the “trap” they set for Jesus, which Matthew and Mark omit, but only by ellipsis. Luke tells us: “So they watched him and sent spies who pretended to be honest, in order to trap him by what he said, so as to hand him over to the jurisdiction and authority of the governor.”. (Luke 20:20)
The governor was Pilate, who was also the Roman procurator or prefect, and responsible for the collection of Rome’s taxes om Judea. By Luke’s version, there is no question in the minds of his enemies that Jesus will say yes, for that would earn him a good-citizen medal from Pilate rather than a crucifixion. Jesus’ enemies were sure they knew from their previous encounters with Jesus that he would condemn Caesar’s tax as the violently enforced extortion it was. Jesus’ Golden Rule, “Do to others as you would have others do to you,” precludes taxes and tax collectors. And Jesus’ words, “Render (or give back) to Caesar what belongs to Caesar,” does not mean pay him tax nor, even if you use the Roman coin does it mean you should give him your coins with his face on them. Money then as now belonged to the person in possession of it–if it wasn’t stolen. His words meant exactly what they say: If you have anything in your possession belonging to Caesar, you should give it back to him. This is a simple statement on how one is to treeat the property of others. But if you have nothing belonging to Caesar, Jesus would have you give him that, to wit: NOTHING! And to make himself clear to his disciples–though not those duplicitous spies–he added, Give God what belongs to God. This requires knowing what belongs to God and Caesar respectively, or rather what Jesus and his followers believed in that regard. And since Jesus consistently referenced Sacred Jewish Scripture to justify himself and his teaching, we know the answer. For the Hebrew Bible states in at least six places, as in Psalm 24 verse 1, “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it,” which leaves nothing for poor old Caesar, and nothing is what Jesus would have his disciples give Caesar in taxes.
@ “Their readiness in producing the tax coin Jesus asked for indicated their use of it and their own acceptance of the financial advantages of the foreign administration.” This is utter nonsense as regards to the Jewish peasants, although not the Temple hierarchy who were in cahoots with the Romans in oppressing the general population and benefited from a share in Rome’s taxes. Rome provided no financial advantages to the other inhabitants of Israel, who were so heavily taxed that many peasant farmers had lost their precious land to the ravages of the tax collectors and money lenders, becoming paupers and in many cases Jesus’ followers.
Check out these articles for a better understanding of the Man from Galilee. https://jesusontaxes.liberty.me/