Death to Self and Taxes

By Danny Saavedra

“Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. ‘Teacher,’ they said, ‘we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?’ But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, ‘You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax.’ They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, ‘Whose image is this? And whose inscription?’ ‘Caesar’s,’ they replied. Then he said to them, ‘So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.’ When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.”—Matthew 22:15–22 (NIV)

Honestly, as I read this interaction between Jesus and the religious elite, I can picture this group of grown men standing there like trout with their mouths wide open. Of all the ways they pictured that confrontation going down, this was likely the furthest thing from their minds.

Context: For almost 30 years the Jews were forced to pay three different taxes to the Romans—and often the tax collectors would increase the taxes to get a little bonus for themselves. Some of the Jews refused to pay the tax, while almost everyone else paid it begrudgingly or out of fear of their Roman oppressors.

With this in mind, the Pharisees and Herodians came to Jesus not with sincerity to learn from Him what to do and how to honor God with their lives and money, but to trap Jesus. Why try to trap Him in this manner, regarding paying taxes? Because depending on His answer, they could either 1) find cause to accuse Him of insurrection against the Roman Empire or 2) get the people to turn on Him by making it seem like Jesus was a Roman sympathizer against the Jews. And Jesus saw through this question and their flattery, and His response shocked them!

Jesus starts by calling out their hypocrisy but then asks to see a denarius. When they brought it to Him, He asked, "Whose image is this? And whose inscription?" The answer to His question was the face of Tiberius Caesar, the reigning Roman Emperor, and the inscription was “Pontifex Maximus,” which declared him the high priest of the Roman Empire. Now comes the part that left them speechless and amazed: He tells them, "So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s."

Consider that all the Jews used these coins for everyday living and purchases. Therefore, Jesus was saying if they recognized Caesar’s civil authority enough to use and benefit from the coins, they must do so also to pay the taxes imposed. For God’s children, there’s no room for civil disobedience apart from when being personally decreed to do something unbiblical—like Nebuchadnezzar’s decree to bow down before the golden image or Darius’ decree to pray to no one but him for 30 days.

Aside from being commanded to personally do something that goes against the Word, we're commanded “to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient” (Titus 3:1 NIV) and to be “subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established” (Romans 13:1 NIV). Regardless of political opinion, Jesus, who knew He’d be sent to His death by the same governing body that coin represented, still instructed the people to walk in civil obedience.

Now, I want to close by pointing to Jesus’ last words: give back “to God what is God’s.” The coin belonged to Caesar and his kingdom because his image was stamped on it, but our lives belong to God and His kingdom because His image is stamped on us. And thus, as His image bearers who belong fully and solely to Him, we must give everything to God—our complete submission and devotion; we must be willing to die fully to ourselves and surrender our hearts, minds, souls, strength, love, will, ambition, relationships, dreams, and plans! If you’re unwilling to do this, can you truly claim to be His?

Pause: What does Jesus’ response to the religious leaders tell us about how we’re to live today?

Practice: Check your heart today! Consider whether or not there are areas where you’re living in rebellion toward governing authorities and/or in rebellion against the Lord.

Pray: Father, I want to give my all to You. Help me to walk in greater submission to You and to live with respect for whatever governing authorities You have placed over me. Amen.