Luke 20:23-25

Jesus perceived the malicious intentions of His questioners rather than falling before their flattery. He proceeded to lead them into a trap of His own. He used an object lesson to reinforce and clarify His answer rather than sidestepping the controversial question. He answered by appealing to principle.

The Roman denarius bore the image of Caesar, probably that of Tiberius (A.D. 14-37) at this time. The image indicated that the money ultimately belonged to him and the government that he headed and represented. He had issued it, though, of course, in another sense it belonged to the person who currently possessed it. The fact that the Jews used Roman money indicated that Rome ruled over them. This rule involved providing services for them as well as extracting payment for those services from them. Therefore the demand for taxes was legitimate.

Jesus added that His questioners and all people who bear the image of God should also give Him what is His due, namely, their worship and service (cf. Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-17). Roman coins also bore inscriptions claiming that the emperor was divine. [Note: See Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, s.v. "Coins," by Gleason L. Archer, 1:902-11.] Jesus repudiated that idea by referring to God as the person to whom people owed their primary allegiance.

Jesus was not setting up two parallel and separate realms in which He wanted people to live, namely, the political and the spiritual. Rather He was showing that paying earthly rulers what is their due is only a logical extension of paying the heavenly Ruler what is His due. The earthly political sphere lies within the larger spiritual sphere. When political and spiritual responsibilities conflict, we must give precedence to our larger spiritual responsibility (cf. Acts 5:29).

"Jesus is not a political revolutionary who rails against Rome, nor is he an ardent nationalist. . . .

"This text is the closest to a political statement Jesus makes. . . . In many ways Jesus’ handling of this question shows that he is not interested in the political agenda of changing Rome. He is not a zealot. He is more interested that Israel be a people who honor the God they claim to know than being concerned with their relationship to Rome." [Note: Bock, Luke, p. 512.]