Who coming, say to him: Master, we know that thou art a true speaker and carest not for any man; for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar? Or shall we not give it?
οι δε ελθοντες λεγουσιν αυτω διδασκαλε οιδαμεν οτι αληθης ει και ου μελει σοι περι ουδενος ου γαρ βλεπεις εις προσωπον ανθρωπων αλλ επ αληθειας την οδον του θεου διδασκεις εξεστιν κηνσον καισαρι δουναι η ου
7 Church Fathers comment on this verse
They were merely intent on betraying Him and charging Him with defying the highest authority. This is further illustrated by the evangelist Mark, who, in exposing their arrogance and murderous intentions, records their question to the Savior: ‘Shall we pay tribute to Caesar, or shall we not pay tribute?’ In this way, they harbored rage within, consumed by a wish to annihilate Him, all while feigning respect.
Observe their malice, how earnestly they attempt to mislead the Lord! They claim, "We know that You do not regard the outward appearances of people, so You will not fear Caesar." Yet this was merely a ploy to ensnare Him. If He had stated that He was obligated to pay taxes to Caesar, they would have charged Him with subjecting the people to a foreign oppressor; conversely, if He had declared that He would not pay, they could have accused Him of inciting rebellion against Caesar.
We offer our worship solely to God, yet we joyfully serve you, acknowledging your authority as leaders among humanity and praying that, alongside your royal influence, you possess wisdom as well. However, should you choose to act irrationally despite our prayers and our willingness to engage, it will not affect us adversely, for we are firmly persuaded that in the everlasting fire, each individual receives just recompense for their actions, and every person is accountable to God according to the power entrusted to them (cf. Rom. 14:12).
The chief priests and Pharisees, embarrassed by the Lord's teachings in front of the people, sought to arrest Jesus Christ and bring Him to trial; however, they feared the crowd that supported Him, who awaited His revelation as the Messiah. As a result, Christ's adversaries attempted to entrap Him in His words before the people, hoping to diminish their reverence for Him and find grounds to label Him a criminal (Luke 20:26).
They approached Him with a challenging question: "Is it lawful for us (God's chosen people) to give taxes to Cæsar or not?" The difficulty of this question lay in the fact that if Jesus answered no, He would be seen as disrespecting Roman authority; if yes, He would alienate the people, who, under the guidance of the Pharisees, believed they were meant to serve only God and that allegiance to a foreign rulers was incompatible with that duty. Jesus's response clarified that both forms of service are to be harmonized; it is necessary to give back to earthly authorities a portion of what has been earned under their governance, while simultaneously adhering to God’s commandments.
During this gathering, participants deliberated on what inquiries should be posed to Jesus in an attempt to entrap Him in His words. Among the topics discussed was the legality of paying tribute to Caesar, prompting the inclusion of the Herodians, who supported the notion of paying taxes to the Romans. They aimed to leverage such a question to accuse Jesus if He expressed disapproval of this obligation.
At that time, two types of currency circulated in Palestine: secular and sacred. The secular currency was a Roman coin bearing the likeness of Caesar along with an inscription, widely used by the Jewish people in their commerce and for tax payments to Rome. Conversely, the Jewish shekel was regarded as sacred, utilized for the annual temple tax that every Jew was obligated to pay, regardless of their location.
The Jewish population viewed themselves as subjects of God alone, hence they believed that their tax obligations were solely to Him, specifically for the temple in Jerusalem. They considered any other tribute to be illegitimate, as it would imply subjugation to a king other than God, rendering them as captives of Gentile authority. This matter was likely of significant interest to the followers of Jesus, who were loyal to Him.
If He stated that paying taxes to Caesar was lawful, He risked alienating the people, who despised the tax. Conversely, if He declared the tax unlawful, He would provide grounds for His prosecution by Pilate. When the Pharisees approached Jesus regarding the tax, they pretended to be earnest disciples and sought to flatter Him with praise: "Teacher, we recognize your righteousness and your unwavering commitment to truth, regardless of its reception by others, including earthly rulers; you are unafraid to correct those in wrongdoing since you genuinely teach the path of God. Therefore, please tell us your position: Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or is it unlawful? Are we not, by paying this tax, becoming servants to a pagan king? Please enlighten us on whether we should remit this tax or abstain from it."
Veiling their treachery with outward respect and civility, the Pharisees approached the Savior to seek answers to their confusion. “Teacher,” they said with insincere flattery, “we acknowledge that You are righteous, that You truly teach the way of God, and that You are not swayed by anyone; for You are not influenced by appearances.” It was as though they were requesting His unbiased opinion, as if they genuinely required His insight to navigate a morally significant issue, fully convinced that He alone could clarify their dilemma.
The narrative found in Mark's Gospel regarding how the Pharisees and Herodians tested the Lord with a question concerning the payment of tribute to Caesar closely aligns with Matthew's account (refer to Matthew 22:16-21 for details). In Matthew's version, he notes that it was "their disciples" who were sent by the Pharisees (Matt. 22:15-16), whereas Mark, focusing on the adversaries of Jesus, does not specifically mention the Pharisees at this point (Mk. 11:27), but later identifies them explicitly. The inquiry, “Whether we shall give or not,” serves to expand upon the broader issue of the lawfulness of paying taxes to Caesar. This question is framed in a more pointed manner to provide an opportunity to condemn the Lord based on His eventual response.
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 39 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS