Command 38 : Render Unto Caesar | Day 260

Render Unto Caesar!

No question could have captured greater attention. It was cunningly planned by religious leaders who desperately wanted to trap Jesus with His own words. After plotting together, they presented their "verbal snare" to Him. It began with flattery: “Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men.”

Then came the fiery missile, “Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?” (Matthew 22:16-17). The implications behind this question are both deep and profound, and the answer had potential political, economic, and spiritual ramifications. The taxes that the pagan Roman government forced upon their Jewish subjects were grudgingly tolerated by some, rejected by zealots, and despised by all.

Beyond the political and economic issues, there was a much deeper and perplexing spiritual issue. The Roman Emperor Tiberius was in power at the time. He had coins minted with his face portrayed on one side and a picture of his throne on the other side. The inscription on the coin identified him as the high priest. To many Jewish people, this meant that if they paid taxes, they were in essence giving worship to the Emperor, who in fact demanded worship from his subjects since he thought of himself as a god.

The scheme of these religious leaders was cleverly devised. If Jesus said, "No, do not pay taxes," the Herodians, who were faithful to the Emperor and were brought along by the Pharisees, would report Jesus as an insurrectionist and have Him imprisoned or killed. If He said, "Yes, pay taxes," He would be denounced by the Jewish nation as a traitor to their cause.

The answer Jesus gave was both unexpected and profound:

Command Thirty-Eight: “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's” (Matthew 22:21).

Notice that Jesus did not use the words "give to Caesar," but rather "render unto Caesar." The word *give* that the Pharisees used in their question is the Greek word didomi, which means "to give." They considered their payments to Rome as a gift that they could choose to give or not give. The word Jesus used in His response was render, which in Greek is apodidomi. It means to "pay back or to give back" and is used to describe a debt or obligation that is owed and must be repaid.

In essence, Jesus was saying, "You owe a debt to Caesar because of the public benefits that he provides for you, and you must pay the debt that you owe him regardless of his character or personal motives." Paul affirmed this perspective on taxes when he wrote to the believers in Rome, “Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom ... . Owe no man any thing, but to love one another ...” (Romans 13:7-8).

Just as there were zealots in the days of Jesus who were eager to throw off the yoke of Roman bondage, so there are well-meaning people today who feel that it is wrong to pay taxes to a government that does not support their values. Let's recognize our responsibility to pay taxes and make sure we fully repay this debt.