The Coin and Ownership

Matthew 22:15-22

The Pharisees went and plotted to entrap Jesus 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 the emperor, or not?" 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, "The emperor's." Then he said to them, "Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's." When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.

This gospel is no doubt familiar to you. You have probably heard or read it before, or at least know the line "Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's." You may also recognize it from the King James Version (an earlier translation): "Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesars; and unto God the things that are Gods."

But there is a great deal more to this passage than this one line, and to get into it, we have to start at the beginning.

This passage takes place after Jesus has come to Jerusalem, after Palm Sunday, shortly before he is to be Crucified. He is standing at or near the Temple. Jesus has brought many followers with him and is becoming increasingly popular.

Also, the people that are used to being the ones that the people listen to are the Jewish leaders. Though traveling rabbis teach at the Temple, the Temple authorities usually command a certain respect. In other words, Jesus was moving onto their turf.

Take it further by recognizing how the Pharisees probably felt about Jesus in this situation. Since Jesus was proclaiming a vision of God that was compatible with theirs, but would remove their earthly power, you can start to see motive for their actions, right? They have it pretty good, and Jesus is suggesting that these things should all be taken away with His radical pronouncements of love and raising up the poor.

And who are these people? The Pharisees don't work in the temple (those are high priests) and don't work for the temple (the Sadducees) or transcribe the scriptures (the scribes). They might closely resemble the moralists, super-believers that "just can't help it" that other people "don't believe like they do". You know, the people today that make you feel like you aren't "enough of a Christian"? Those are the Pharisees. In this passage, they recruit the Herodians, who we can only assume are followers or supporters of King Herod. So they represent the government.

So these people harrass Jesus, first by giving him complements, but then trying to trap him with a question that can only be answered with a "yes" or a "no": "Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?" If he says yes, he will seem like a hypocrite and if he says no, he could be arrested for sedition (which they end up doing later). But Jesus chooses not to make it easy on them. He not only declines to answer their question, but he sets his own trap--a three-parter that makes them look stupid.

First, he gets one of them to pull out a Roman coin, a denarius, from his pocket. This is a visual signal to the crowd of the Pharisees' hypocricy, since they a) shouldn't have that coin at the Temple, b) they didn't need to even carry that currency, c) the question of taxes is made moot, since they visually demonstrate their loyalties.

Second, Jesus asks them a question about the coin, getting them to announce out loud that they possess a Roman coin, meaning the people that couldn't see the coin, could actually hear about it!

Third, Jesus speaks that favorite phrase: "Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's." A teaching that has sounded like he supports the paying of taxes, except when you pay attention to Jesus's view of "the things that are God's." God is the true owner of our land, our dwellings, and our food. We live in our homes and eat food as a gift of God. These aren't owned by people.

So what does this have to do with taxes? Perhaps Jesus is giving the OK to pay them. Or maybe not. Maybe he is taking the opportunity to talk about the One that is above the Emperor--the One whom the Emperor is exploiting. Maybe he is suggesting that the Emperor is gaining wealth that is neither his to take, nor is it the people's to give.

So how does this affect the way you see your own society, your own government? Should we interpret this literally (asking whether or not we should pay taxes) or metaphorically (asking ourselves about true ownership)?

Jesus humiliates the Pharisees in this passage, exposing them for the bullies they are. What do you make of this vision of Jesus? How does this compare with the vision of Jesus that is kind and compassionate?

Much of the early part of the Older Testament deals with ownership and property. One concept, described in Leviticus 25:9 is the "Jubilee" when all things are to be returned to their original owners because they are really on a sort of "loan" from God. What do you think it would mean to not only praise God for the things God provides in your life, but in removing the things that aren't from God?