So they watched him and sent spies who pretended to be honest, in order to trap him by what he said, so as to hand him over to the jurisdiction and authority of the governor. So they asked him, ‘Teacher, we know that you are right in what you say and teach, and you show deference to no one, but teach the way of God in accordance with truth. Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?’ But he perceived their craftiness and said to them, ’Show me a denarius. Whose head and whose title does it bear?’ They said, ‘The emperor’s.’ He said to them, Then give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ And they were not able in the presence of the people to trap him by what he said; and being amazed by his answer, they became silent.
- Luke 20:20-26
For some context, Jesus is in the temple. A few days prior he disrupted the temple by throwing out the money changers and running off the animals. The power of Pharisees and chief priests is being threatened and Jesus is gaining followers. The Jewish leaders are trying to get him in trouble with the Romans who have the power to exercise the death penalty. So they spy on him and try to set a trap so he will be arrested. In a few days Jesus will be crucified.
The Pharisees and chief priests use spies, lies, deceit, and false flattery in an attempt to destroy Jesus. “Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to the emperor or not? If Jesus says, “Yes”, he risks offending and losing his followers and all those for whom Roman taxation is a daily reminder that they are dominated by a foreign power in their own land. If he says ,”No”, he risks being charged with insurrection and treason. Like a skilled teacher, he does not answer the question the way they want him to; he does not offer a simple “Yes” or “No”. He answers the question with a question: “Show me a denarius. Whose head and whose title does it bear?... Then give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s and to God the things that are God’s.”
Jesus turns a trick question into a question of faith and life and perhaps challenges the Jewish leaders (and us) to examine their (our) own statements and their (our) own lives (hence the amazement and the silence). If everything and everybody belongs to God, where and how are we spending our time, talents and treasures? How are we being of service to God and country? Do we really believe and act as if we truly belong to God?
Musical Reflection - Nader My God by U - Stellenbosch University Choir
