Meditationen am Gnadenstuhl: Friday Easter VIII - Luke 20:19-26

Friday Easter VII

Daily Lectionary Readings: Numbers 20:1-21; Luke 20:19-44; (Treatise 60-72)

Luke 20:19–26

[19] The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people. [20] So they watched him and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, that they might catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor. [21] So they asked him, “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and show no partiality, but truly teach the way of God. [22] Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?” [23] But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them, [24] “Show me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar’s.” [25] He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” [26] And they were not able in the presence of the people to catch him in what he said, but marveling at his answer they became silent.

Here is another text where Jesus' words are often quoted yet do not mean what many frequently think they mean. In fact, it may be one of the most often quoted sayings of Jesus. We even go all King James on it! “Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s.” People repeat it, saying Jesus wants us to be good citizens and pay our taxes. Which you should, yes, according to the fourth commandment. But as is often the case with Jesus, there is more to it than simply that.

The Chief Priests and Scribes are at it again! Now they are laying a trap for Jesus. They are asking about the tributum capitis, a tax on the people living in Roman provinces who enjoyed the privileges of the Roman legal system but were not Roman citizens themselves. Needless to say, this tax was deeply resented by most. In fact, it led to the Zealot's revolt of AD66, which then led to the sacking of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple in AD70. Rome then doubled the tax on Jews to two denarii a head.

Ironically, those trying to trap Jesus by His words offer Him flattery that He doesn’t care about appearances and truly teaches God’s word. As if Jesus could do otherwise! It is the Pharisees and Herodians that care about appearances and finding loopholes. We don’t know what hypocrisy Jesus sensed in them, but this is the most likely.

Jesus asks them for a denarius. On one side is an image of the emperor Tiberius, “Son of the God Augustus” (who was emperor when Jesus was born). On the other side is inscribed “pontifex maximus" – “highest priest.” Their act of bringing Jesus this coin exposes more of their hypocrisy! If they are so concerned about paying taxes, why do they have a Roman coin? The image of an emperor claiming to be a god would be, to them, idolatry according to the first commandment and the proscription against having graven images. Jesus then tells them to give back to the emperor what belongs to him. In ancient times it was believed that the local currency actually belonged to him; you just got to "use it" for a while (ain’t that the truth today?).

Jesus then says to give to God that which is God's. If the image of Caesar belongs to Caesar, what is the image that belongs to God? That which is made in the image of God. The law of God is inscribed on our hearts, just as Tiberius' image is inscribed on the denarius. We who are baptized into Christ are “of the same form as the image of [God’s] Son.”1 Since we belong to God in this unique way, we ought to obey God rather than men.2 Jesus is encouraging the Pharisees and Herodians (and us) to recall that we bear God's image and inscription imperfectly for now but completely in the life of the world to come because of the death and resurrection of Jesus. And what, exactly, does being made in the image of God mean? God is love, and God is holy. We were created to love God, for Him to love us, and to love one another. We were created to be holy, and by God's grace through faith in Christ, we will be holy again, even as we are being remade to be closer to His image in this life by the power of the Holy Spirit. Give Caesar's image back to him. Worry instead about living as one made in God's image, with the name of Jesus engraved upon your heart.

1Romans 8:29; cf. 2 Corinthians 3:18.

2Acts 5:29.