Luke 20:26Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

They laid snares for our Lord, but got their own feet entangled in them. Listen to their cunning, And they asked Him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly.

It became indeed the rulers of the Jews, perceiving that the parable was spoken of them, to depart from evil, having been thus as it were warned concerning the future. But little mindful of this, they rather gather a fresh occasion for their crimes. The commandment of the Law restrained them not, which says, The innocent and righteous men thou shalt not slay, (Exod. 23:7.) but the fear of the people checked their wicked purpose. For they set the fear of man before the reverence of God. The reason of this purpose is given, for they perceived that he spoke this parable against them.

Be unwilling then, if thou wouldest not offend Cæsar, to possess worldly goods. And thou rightly teachest, first to render the things which be Cæsar’s. For no one can be the Lord’s unless he has first renounced the world. Oh most galling chain! To promise to God, and pay not. Far greater is the contract of faith than that of money.

In the same chapter, all of this is discussed and explained.

Now this place contains a mystery. For there are two images in man, one which he received from God, as it is written, Let us make man in our own image: (Gen. 1:26.) another from the enemy, which he has contracted through disobedience and sin, allured and won by the enticing baits of the prince of this world. For as the penny has the image of the emperor of the world, so he who does the works of the power of darkness, bears the image of Him whose works he doth. He says then, Render unto Cæsar the things which be Cæsar’s, that is, cast away the earthly image, that ye may be able, by putting on the heavenly image, to render unto God the things which be God’s, namely, to love God. Which things Moses says God requires of us. (Deut. 10:12.) But God makes this demand of us, not because He has need that we should give Him any thing, but that, when we have given, He might grant us this very same gift for our salvation.

As if He said, With your words ye tempt me, obey me in works. Ye have indeed Cæsar’s image, ye have undertaken his offices, to him therefore give tribute, to God fear. For God requireth not money, but faith.

And so by seeking to slay Him, they proved the truth of what He had said in the parable. For He Himself is the Heir, whose unjust death He said was to be punished. They are the wicked husbandmen who sought to kill the Son of God. This also is daily committed in the Church when any one, only in name a brother, is ashamed or afraid, because of the many good men with whom he lives, to break into that unity of the Church’s faith and peace which he abhors. And because the chief priests sought to lay hold of our Lord but could not by themselves, they tried to accomplish it by the hands of the governor; as it follows, And they watched him, &c.

The high priests and Pharisees, embarrassed by the Lord’s teachings among the people, sought to arrest Jesus Christ and bring Him to trial; however, they feared the crowd that supported Him, eager to see Him as the Messiah. Consequently, the adversaries of Christ aimed to trap Him with His words in front of the people, intending to undermine their reverence for Him and find grounds to accuse Him as a criminal (Luke 20:26).

Jesus' response to the Sadducees regarding resurrection and eternal life followed the incident with Caesar concerning the tax. The Herodians and the deceitful disciples of the Pharisees left in disgrace, but as had been prearranged, some Sadducees approached Jesus. The Sadducees, a Jewish sect that denied the resurrection of the soul and the existence of eternal life, generally showed little interest in faith matters. This indifference did not hinder them from holding positions as priests, including the high priesthood.

The subtle inquiry they posed was resolved on its own. “Render therefore unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's.” By utilizing Caesar's coin, they acknowledged their loss of political autonomy and their obligation to pay taxes to him. Similarly, since they received their very existence and all possessions from God, they were bound to offer what belonged to God back to Him. In this manner, this notion was reduced to nothing against the divine wisdom of Christ, leaving their companions in questioning without a reply. Yet, despite this profound answer, they later accused Christ with brazen falsehood, claiming that He “forbade to give taxes to Caesar” (Luke 23:2).

The inquiry regarding the tribute to Caesar is presented in the Gospel of Luke, paralleling its depiction in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark. Refer to Matthew 22:15-22 and Mark 12:13-17, noting the phrase "Watching Him," which indicates their intention to find opportunities to undermine Him (Luke 19:47). The "Evil men" referenced here are identified more explicitly in Matthew and Mark as some Pharisees and Herodians, whose malice the Lord immediately perceived and confronted. Their appearance of piety was a façade, presenting themselves as devout legalists to suggest that they approached the Lord from a place of sincere religious concern rather than as agents of His adversaries with a nefarious agenda. The phrase "Caught at the word" aligns with the commentary on Matthew 21:15.