Rev. Rob Jones
October 17, 2026
Matthew 22:15-22
Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. 16So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. 17Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” 18But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? 19Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” 21They answered, “The emperor’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.
In May 1934, representatives of several German Protestant churches gathered in the city of Barmen. Adolf Hitler had been chancellor for a little over a year, and the Nazi government was attempting to bring Germany’s churches under its control. A movement known as the “German Christians” wanted the church to conform its teaching and organization to National Socialist ideology.
The question confronting the church was larger than politics. The question was about ownership and stewardship. To whom does the church ultimately belong? And what is the role of the church in society?
The gathering produced what became known as the Barmen Declaration. Its second article proclaimed that Jesus Christ is God’s claim upon our whole life. It rejected the idea that there might be areas of life in which we do not belong to Jesus Christ but to other lords. The declaration also affirmed that government has a legitimate responsibility to preserve justice and peace, while rejecting the idea that the state could become the “single and totalitarian order of human life.”
Those Christians understood that civil government has a proper place, but it cannot occupy God’s place. The state may make legitimate claims upon us, but it cannot claim our souls, consciences, worship, or ultimate allegiance.
That same question lies at the heart of the trap set for Jesus in Matthew 22: Whose claim is ultimate?
The Pharisees and the Herodians approach Jesus together. This is already an unusual alliance. The Pharisees were deeply concerned with religious faithfulness, while the Herodians were associated with the political establishment that cooperated with Rome. Ordinarily, these groups had little reason to trust one another. Yet opposition to Jesus brought them together.
They begin with flattery: “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one” (Matt. 22:16 NRSVue).
Their words are insincere, even if what they say about Jesus is true. Jesus does teach the way of God in truth. He does not adjust the truth according to the wealth, status, or influence of the person standing before him. He is not intimidated by political power, and he is not controlled by public opinion.
Then comes the trap: “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” (Matt. 22:17 NRSVue).
If Jesus says yes, he risks appearing to support Roman oppression. Many of his fellow Jews resented being taxed because it financed the empire occupying their land. But if Jesus says no, his enemies can report him to the Roman authorities as a revolutionary encouraging defiance against Caesar.
They believe they have crafted a question Jesus cannot escape. Either answer can be used against him.
But Jesus sees through them. “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites?” he asks. Then he says, “Show me the coin used for the tax” (Matt. 22:18–19 NRSVue).
They produce a denarius.
The coin likely bore the image of the emperor Tiberius and an inscription identifying him as the son of the divine Augustus. On its other side, the coin referred to Caesar as the high priest. This was more than ordinary currency. It carried religious claims about the emperor’s identity and authority.
Jesus asks, “Whose head is this and whose title?”
“Caesar’s,” they answer.
Then Jesus gives the reply that amazes them: “Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s” (Matt. 22:20–21 NRSVue).
This is sometimes interpreted as though Jesus were dividing life into two separate compartments. Caesar receives our public life, while God receives our private religious life. Government gets one portion, and God gets another.
But Jesus is doing something far more profound. He is not placing Caesar and God beside one another as equal authorities with neighboring territories. His acknowledgment of Caesar is simply that the coin was his, meaning he had only a limited claim. God’s claim, however, is absolute.
The coin bears Caesar’s image, so, Jesus says, give the coin back to Caesar. But that raises another question: What bears God’s image?
We do. (Gen. 1:26a)
From the beginning, Scripture declares that humanity was created in the image and likeness of God. Caesar’s image is stamped upon a piece of silver, but God’s image is stamped upon every human life. The coin may belong to Caesar, but your soul belongs to God.
That is the main point of this passage: Give Caesar what bears Caesar’s image, but give God what bears God’s image.
As biblical scholar Lance Pape observes, Jesus is not dividing our allegiance into separate domains. We may divide our budgets, but we cannot divide our fundamental allegiance. One commitment must govern and place every other commitment in its proper order: we belong entirely to God.
This does not mean that Christians should withdraw from civic life. Jesus does not tell his disciples to ignore their neighbors, avoid public responsibility, or refuse every obligation imposed by civil government. Government has been permitted under God’s providence. Good Christians pay taxes, obey laws, vote, serve their communities, and work for the common good.
But Caesar’s authority has boundaries.
Caesar may place his image on the currency, but he did not place his image upon you.
That truth also changes the way we regard other people. Every person we encounter bears the image of God. The poor bear God’s image. The immigrant bears God’s image. The political opponent bears God’s image. The person who irritates us, disappoints us, or disagrees with us bears God’s image.
The image of God may be distorted by sin, but it has not been erased. Therefore, another person must never be treated merely as an obstacle, a vote, a customer, a category, or a means to an end. Human beings belong to God and must be treated with the dignity, mercy, and justice appropriate to those who carry the image of their Creator.
The Pharisees and Herodians wanted Jesus to choose between two political positions. Jesus instead confronted them with a spiritual question: What do you see when you look at the other? Do you give that person as much value as you give the denarius?
The coin could be returned to Caesar because Caesar’s image was stamped upon it. We return ourselves to God because we bear God’s image and have been redeemed by God’s Son.
So, when we hear Jesus say, “Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s,” we should not ask only, “What do I owe the government?” We should ask, “What belongs to God?”
Our time belongs to God.
Our possessions belong to God.
Our bodies and minds belong to God.
Our work, relationships, citizenship, and future belong to God.
Even our next breath belongs to God.
At Barmen, the church confessed that there is no corner of human life over which Jesus Christ cannot say, “This is mine.” That confession remains necessary because Caesar still appears in many forms. Lesser powers still seek our unquestioning loyalty. Fear still tempts us to surrender our conscience, and ambition still tempts us to exchange faithfulness for influence.
But Jesus stands before every earthly power with a freedom Caesar cannot give and an authority Caesar cannot take away.
Throughout his ministry, Jesus gave himself completely to the Father’s will. He welcomed those society rejected, spoke truth before rulers, healed the suffering, forgave sinners, and announced God’s kingdom. When the powers of empire placed him upon a cross, Jesus appeared to possess nothing—not even the coin about which his enemies had questioned him. Yet in offering himself for us, he revealed that his life belonged wholly to the Father. The violence imposed by those who valued Caesar’s money, and not even death itself could overturn God’s sovereign purpose.
As we look upon Jesus, we are left with a quiet and searching question: If the coin bearing Caesar’s image was returned to Caesar, what would it mean today for this life—bearing God’s image and redeemed through Christ’s ministry—to be returned, wholly and gratefully, to God? What does it mean to you to be made in the image of God?
Works Cited
Evangelical Church in Germany. “The Barmen Declaration.” Adopted May 31, 1934. Accessed October 13, 2026. https://www.ekd.de/en/the-barmen-declaration-303.htm.
Evangelical Church in Germany. “The Barmen Declaration: Historical Introduction.” Accessed October 13, 2026. https://www.ekd.de/en/the-barmen-declaration-133.htm.
The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2021. Matthew 22:15–22. https://www.zondervan.com/p/nrsvuebible/ Passage text available at https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2022%3A15-22&version=NRSVUE.
Pape, Lance. “Commentary on Matthew 22:15–22.” Working Preacher. October 19, 2014. https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-29/commentary-on-matthew-2215-22-5.
