Where this command is found:
“Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.”
While the thought of taxes is very unpleasant for most people, did you know that taxation played a key role in the greatest gift ever being given to mankind? Yes, as odd as it sounds, this is true. We find the account in Luke 2.
Jesus’ parents, Joseph and Mary, were required by Roman law to return to Joseph’s hometown in order to pay taxes. Not only was this edict a reminder to them of the oppressive Roman government that they were controlled by, but the trip to Bethlehem would be a very difficult journey due to Mary being in the final stage of pregnancy. With this in mind, it seemed like all their circumstances had stacked up against them and nothing was going as planned…or was it?
In the book of Matthew, we find that God was up to something so much greater! In chapter 2, verses 3-6, we learn that it was the divine plan of God that Jesus was to be born in Bethlehem! God used Joseph’s obedience to pay taxes to accomplish one of the greatest prophecies ever found in scripture…the coming of the Messiah! Understanding this simple but profound truth can help us immensely as we consider the command of Christ, Render to Caesar.
In Matthew 22:15-22, when Jesus was challenged by the Pharisees and Herodians on whether or not it was lawful to pay tribute to Caesar, He chose to highlight a significant spiritual truth. Instead of siding with those who hated the Romans and choosing to go against their oppressive mandates, Jesus took a higher approach…one that focused on the eternal vs. the temporal.
After asking for a coin to be brought to Him, Jesus questioned what was the image and superscription on it; they replied that it was Caesars. Then Jesus made the following eye opening statement, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.” The “greater truth” that Jesus was emphasizing is that all humanity has been made in the image of God and therefore belongs to God (Genesis 1:26-27).
Realizing this truth and surrendering our lives to Jesus in accordance with it frees us from being enslaved to the temporal things of the world. While paying taxes can be uncomfortable to deal with, we can allow this earthly mandate to remind us that we as believers are citizens of a much greater kingdom and owe all of our lives to live for Jesus Christ who is the King of Kings and Lord of Lord’s!
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“Should we pay the tax to Caesar?” was a politically & religiously charged question — and it was asked intentionally to trap Jesus. Would He openly defy Rome? or would He speak against His people, the Jews? In profound wisdom, He cut right to their hearts.
The “double command” in this command is eye-opening! Truly everything we have is from the Lord and is to be used for the Lord. If we gain a vision for “rendering to God the things that are God’s” it will have a profound impact on every aspect of our lives.
Have you ever considered that Jesus was born in Bethlehem (fulfilling Old Testament prophecy) because Joseph and Mary were traveling to Bethlehem to pay taxes?
