Matthew 22:15-22; Mark 12:13-17; Luke 20:20-22
The Pharisees sent their disciples and some Herodians to try and trap Jesus. Herodians are members of a Jewish sect that were associated with both the Pharisees and King Herod. (Herod was king of the Jews, but his power was subordinate to the Roman emperor, Caesar.) They come to Jesus with all kinds of flattery, praising His teaching and fairness. They ask if they should pay taxes, which were considered to be especially oppressive to the Jewish people. Jesus sees right through their facade, and asks them to bring Him a denarius, a roman coin. (A day's wage for a laborer, worth about $3.60 today) Jesus leads them to say that it's Caesar's image and inscription, so of course, they should return a portion to him. And also give to God what is God's. That answer left the crowd speechless with surprise.
The Pharisees have sent in their second string, since they can't seem to accomplish their goals themselves. They are getting desperate. They can't trip Jesus up with their religious questions, so they are going to get Him to bash their government. Then their problem with Jesus will be solved, because the Caesar dynasty will swoop in and get rid of Him. But Jesus knows they aren't sincere in their flattery. He knows it won't be the Roman government that ultimately kills Him, but His own people. He's not afraid to speak the truth about taxes. If the government requires the Jewish people to pay a tax to the emperor pictured on the very coin they work for and use, then they should pay it. And in the same way, give to God what belongs to God.
This section of scripture changes me, not only in what Jesus says but what He implies. To answer their questions, Jesus invites them to look at the coin and see the image imprinted on it. The coin is made in the image of Caesar, so it belongs to Caesar. In exactly the same way, the statement "And give to God what is God's" invites us to look and see what bears God's image. From Genesis 1:26-28 to Romans 8:29 to James 3:9, we are called the image bearers of God. So if the civic duty of paying taxes to the government that issues the money we earn and use is important, how much more important is it that we give our selves, our lives, back to the One who made us in His image? Our worth is found in Him alone That should make us marvel ❤️❤️❤️
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