They sent some Pharisees and Herodians to him to ensnare him in his speech. 14 They came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that you are not concerned with anyone’s opinion. You do not regard a person’s status but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or should we not pay?” 15 Knowing their hypocrisy he said to them, “Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius to look at.” 16 They brought one to him and he said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They replied to him, “Caesar’s.” 17 So Jesus said to them, “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” They were utterly amazed at him.
After Jesus tells the parable of the tenants, the conflict between Him and the Jerusalem leaders continues. They have already understood that the parable was directed against them. Now they send others to question Him, hoping to trap Him with His own words.
The Pharisees and Herodians were not natural allies. The Pharisees were deeply concerned with fidelity to God’s law, while the Herodians were connected with the political order supported by Rome. For the Pharisees, God’s law meant the written Law of Moses, together with the inherited traditions by which they interpreted and applied it to daily life (Mark 7:1-13). Yet now they come together in opposition to Jesus. Their unity shows how determined His opponents have become.
Their approach begins with flattery. They call Jesus truthful and say that He teaches the way of God in accordance with the truth (v. 14). Their words are accurate, but their purpose is dishonest. They are not seeking instruction. They want to force Jesus into an answer that can be used against Him.
The question concerns the census tax paid to Caesar. This was a sensitive issue because the tax reminded the Jewish people that they lived under Roman rule. If Jesus said the tax should be paid, many who resented Roman power could see Him as accepting foreign domination, turning some of the people against Him. If He said the tax should not be paid, His opponents could report Him to the Roman authorities as one who opposed Caesar and encouraged resistance to Rome. Such a charge could place Him in danger of arrest and severe punishment. Later, before Pilate, Jesus’ enemies would make that kind of accusation: “He opposes the payment of taxes to Caesar and maintains that he is the Messiah, a king” (Luke 23:2). The question is meant to put Him in danger whichever way He answers.
Jesus sees their hypocrisy and asks, “Why are you testing me?” (v. 15). He then asks them to bring Him a denarius, a Roman coin used for the tax. The coin itself becomes part of His answer. When they produce it, they show that they already use the money of the Roman system.
Jesus asks, “Whose image and inscription is this?” (v. 16). They answer, “Caesar’s” (v. 16). The coin bears Caesar’s image and inscription, so Jesus says, “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God” (v. 17). His answer avoids the trap, but it also does more than escape danger. It directs attention to God’s greater claim.
The coin bears Caesar’s image, but every human person bears the image of God. Genesis says that God created mankind in His image: “in the divine image he created them; male and female he created them” (Gen. 1:27). Caesar may have a claim over the coin that bears his image, but God has a deeper claim over the person who bears His image.
Jesus’ words recognize that earthly responsibilities have their place. Civil order, just laws, and public duties matter in human life. Saint Paul later teaches Christians, “Pay to all their dues, taxes to whom taxes are due, toll to whom toll is due” (Rom. 13:7). Saint Peter also tells believers to “honor the king” while fearing God (1 Pt. 2:17). These duties remain under God’s greater claim over the human person. God is owed worship, faith, obedience, truth, repentance, love, and the good fruit of a whole life turned toward Him.
This is why “they were utterly amazed at him” (v. 17). He does not let His opponents control the question. The coin may belong to Caesar, but the human person belongs to God. To give God what belongs to God is to live as one made in His image, with one’s duties, decisions, and loyalties ordered toward Him.
Father, You created us in Your image and call us to live in truth before You as adopted sons and daughters. Help us fulfill our earthly duties with honesty, and help us give You what belongs to You: our faith, obedience, love, and whole life. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Sources and References
- New American Bible, Revised Edition. Mark 12:13-17; notes on Mark 12:13, Matthew 22:15-22. Washington, DC: Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, 2011.
- Hahn, Scott, and Curtis Mitch. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010, 88.
- José María Casciaro, gen. ed. The Navarre Bible: New Testament, Expanded Edition. Dublin: Four Courts Press; New York: Scepter Publishers, 2008, 208.
- Brown, Raymond E., Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy, eds. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990, 621-622, §77.
- Aguilar Chiu, José Enrique, et al., eds. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. New York: Paulist Press, 2018, 1012.
- Collins, John J., Gina Hens-Piazza, Barbara Reid OP, and Donald Senior CP, eds. The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century, Third Fully Revised Edition, with a Foreword by Pope Francis. London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2022, 1273-1274.
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