Luk 20:22-24 | KingComments | STEP | The third topic of the Lord’s temple teaching is about the relationship to the government. We are not only members of the church, but also subject to authorities of the world ( ). The leaders do everything in their power to eliminate the Lord. Now that they have been silenced themselves, they are looking for new ways to obtain information that will give them material to carry out their plan. They don’t risk having to suffer defeat again. Blind and foolish as they are, they send spies toward Him as if they could deceive Him with them. What follies does a man indeed come to if he wants to accuse God! The fact that these spies are also people of low quality is evident from the remark that they pretend to be righteous. In addition to spying, they are also excellent actors. They are instructed to catch Him in some statement. It is about having something for which they can deliver Him to the rule and the authority of the governor. Hypocrites are good in using flattery. They approach the Lord with the insincerely used title “Teacher”. Then they say flattering things about His speaking. They mean it as flattering and even say they “know” it, but inwardly they reject Him and have corrupt intentions. Yet they unintentionally give a wonderful testimony of His speaking and teaching. They themselves are luring him into the trap via a sneaky, crooked way, but at the same time they testify of Him that He speaks without detours. They themselves seek the honor of men, but from Him they testify that He teaches the way of God in truth, without regarding the person before whom He stands. Following on their flattery, they ask Him a trick question about paying taxes. They want to know from Him whether or not according to Him it is lawful for them to pay taxes to Caesar, or not. With this question they think they can catch Him. If He said ‘yes’, they could discredit Him among the people as one who accepts Roman rule and thus cannot be the Messiah. The Messiah would come after all to deliver them from the rulers and establish His kingdom. If he would say ‘no’, they could accuse Him to the Roman government as an insurgent and agitator. Of course the Lord sees through their cunning. He knows their true intentions. The whole inner thinking of man has no secrets for Him, but is open and laid bare to His eyes ( ). He will discover them to themselves and make them go away ashamed. He – Who Himself had no money! – commands them to show Him a denarius, a Roman payment currency. They take one from their purse, put it on their hand and show it to the Lord. Then the Lord asks whose likeness and inscription it does have. Their answer is correct: “Caesar’s.” Both likeness and inscription on the money in circulation in Israel, the likeness and what is written on it, indicate that Israel is under strange dominion. This is the result of the people’s unfaithfulness to God ( ). When the spies have given the correct answer, the Lord Jesus does not so much give an answer to their earlier question but a command. This command is twofold. On the one hand they have to render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s. This also applies to us ( ). By using the money of the occupier, they acknowledge that a stranger rules over them. If they are honest, they know that this is so as punishment for their deviation from God. On the other hand, they have to render to God the things that are God’s. And God stands before them. In this way He places them in the light of God, which always happens to everyone who comes to Him. It is also important to see that the Lord does not sacrifice one duty for another. They do. They set one duty against the other, but they do not fulfill either as it should be because they seek themselves and not the honor of God. The plans of these cunning people and those who had sent them are exposed, reversed and directed against themselves. If the answer gets through to them, they are amazed. They must have been clever people who have reviewed all kinds of plans and questions before they came up with their ultimate question. Spies are resourceful. The question they asked gave them, they were convinced, a guarantee that they could catch Him. How sobered they are now, completely knocked out by it. The spies have not been able with their cunning approach to catch Him in a statement that would have made it possible for them to take Him out of favor with the people or deliver Him to the rule and the authority of the governor.

‏ Luke 20:22-24

Question About Paying Taxes to Caesar

The third topic of the Lord’s temple teaching is about the relationship to the government. We are not only members of the church, but also subject to authorities of the world (Rom 13:1).

The leaders do everything in their power to eliminate the Lord. Now that they have been silenced themselves, they are looking for new ways to obtain information that will give them material to carry out their plan. They don’t risk having to suffer defeat again. Blind and foolish as they are, they send spies toward Him as if they could deceive Him with them. What follies does a man indeed come to if he wants to accuse God!

The fact that these spies are also people of low quality is evident from the remark that they pretend to be righteous. In addition to spying, they are also excellent actors. They are instructed to catch Him in some statement. It is about having something for which they can deliver Him to the rule and the authority of the governor.

Hypocrites are good in using flattery. They approach the Lord with the insincerely used title “Teacher”. Then they say flattering things about His speaking. They mean it as flattering and even say they “know” it, but inwardly they reject Him and have corrupt intentions. Yet they unintentionally give a wonderful testimony of His speaking and teaching. They themselves are luring him into the trap via a sneaky, crooked way, but at the same time they testify of Him that He speaks without detours. They themselves seek the honor of men, but from Him they testify that He teaches the way of God in truth, without regarding the person before whom He stands.

Following on their flattery, they ask Him a trick question about paying taxes. They want to know from Him whether or not according to Him it is lawful for them to pay taxes to Caesar, or not. With this question they think they can catch Him. If He said ‘yes’, they could discredit Him among the people as one who accepts Roman rule and thus cannot be the Messiah. The Messiah would come after all to deliver them from the rulers and establish His kingdom. If he would say ‘no’, they could accuse Him to the Roman government as an insurgent and agitator.

Of course the Lord sees through their cunning. He knows their true intentions. The whole inner thinking of man has no secrets for Him, but is open and laid bare to His eyes (Heb 4:13). He will discover them to themselves and make them go away ashamed. He – Who Himself had no money! – commands them to show Him a denarius, a Roman payment currency. They take one from their purse, put it on their hand and show it to the Lord.

Then the Lord asks whose likeness and inscription it does have. Their answer is correct: “Caesar’s.” Both likeness and inscription on the money in circulation in Israel, the likeness and what is written on it, indicate that Israel is under strange dominion. This is the result of the people’s unfaithfulness to God (Neh 9:34-36).

When the spies have given the correct answer, the Lord Jesus does not so much give an answer to their earlier question but a command. This command is twofold. On the one hand they have to render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s. This also applies to us (Rom 13:7). By using the money of the occupier, they acknowledge that a stranger rules over them. If they are honest, they know that this is so as punishment for their deviation from God. On the other hand, they have to render to God the things that are God’s. And God stands before them. In this way He places them in the light of God, which always happens to everyone who comes to Him.

It is also important to see that the Lord does not sacrifice one duty for another. They do. They set one duty against the other, but they do not fulfill either as it should be because they seek themselves and not the honor of God. The plans of these cunning people and those who had sent them are exposed, reversed and directed against themselves.

If the answer gets through to them, they are amazed. They must have been clever people who have reviewed all kinds of plans and questions before they came up with their ultimate question. Spies are resourceful. The question they asked gave them, they were convinced, a guarantee that they could catch Him. How sobered they are now, completely knocked out by it. The spies have not been able with their cunning approach to catch Him in a statement that would have made it possible for them to take Him out of favor with the people or deliver Him to the rule and the authority of the governor.