One of the more misused sayings from the Gospels is Matthew 22:21’s, “Give to the Emperor the things that are the Emperors”. This verse has largely been used by modern Christians to separate their faith from ‘secular’ politics and justify many unchristian policies. Those who use this verse in that manner have lifted it from its context and have lost its meaning. Here are a few thoughts on how we might understand Matthew 22:15-22 better:
Jesus is not setting an all-time theological precedent. Rather, He needs to respond to a trap that the Pharisees have set. They have asked Him a question that will make Him a targeted rebel or a collaborator to the Roman occupation, both of which would effectively kill His ministry. This is an answer given under duress!
No Israelite was to have an engraved image of a person who claimed to be God (Exodus 20:4). The coin that the Pharisees have had the likeness of Caesar and the words “Tiberius Caesar, Son of the Divine Augustus” and “High Priest”. This would be offensive to any loyal Israelite, and the Pharisees possess it on Temple property! Jesus is shaming them here and setting up His retort and escape.
Jesus can now say that they should return the coin to the Emperor, which can be interpreted in a variety of ways: 1. If you lower yourself to use the idolatrous coins of the Empire you should pay the tax. 2. You should go ahead and give up all your imperial coins (which sounds like a rebel) 3. You should be compliant (collaborator).
Finally, Jesus muddies the water further by saying “Give to God the things that are God’s”. If we take Psalm 24 as a starting place (“the Earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof”), then clearly God has a claim on everything. Essentially, Jesus puts the question then back to the Pharisees, and calls upon them to determine how their loyalty to God affects their political stance. In effect He says, “What does it mean to be loyal Israelites given your status as an occupied state?”, and now they are in the bind they tried to put Him in!
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