Render to Caesar

By: Gino Casternovia

“Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” Matt 22:15-

I believe that this is one of the most misunderstood quotes.

The standard modern interpretation is; “Obey those in authority for they are there by God’s decree. Pay your taxes, Jesus says so.”

Hmmm. 🤔 Does that mean to turn over Jews to the Nazis? Pay for Abortions? Clearly no.
Cognitive dissonance. 😵‍💫

Think about it!

Almost every Hero or Heroine in the Bible, in fact, everyone named by name in both the old and new Testament, is a person who said “NO”. to the dominant authority of their day. They defied entire populations to live into their God-given life’s purpose. So surely Render unto Cesar does not mean one should abdicate Biblically principled values in favor of the Despot of the day. Right???

The Geneva Bible, (GNV), the first English language Bible was the most widely read and influential English language Bible of the 16th and 17th centuries. Again, the first English language Bible, the first one that did not require learning Latin or an Ordained Priest to read.

It was one of the Bibles carried to America on the Mayflower. And a primary inspiration of the Founders of The United States.

One could lose their eyes for reading it, or their tongue for reading aloud, or their life for even having it. The ruling elites of the day were fearful of the idea that one could read the Bible for oneself and make one’s own determination as to its meaning. This notion, “I will decide for myself.” Was a primary catalyst of the Protestant Reformation.

Ownership of this book was punishable by death because it said in the margin notes that the Followers of Christ should ‘obey’ only so long as doing so does not violate any other part of Biblical principles.

Contrast this with the prevailing Catholic view that the Pope and his crew must be obeyed as though they speak with the voice of God.

Remember, it was the Church that moved the Crown from one Royal head to another, the power behind the Power, the Elite. “How dare you question us?!”

Back to Jesus;

In His day, the purveyors of Orthodoxy, The Pharisees, the Jewish Lawyers, were those who believed they were guardians of the Law. The ones who could have you stoned to death for violation of the Law, had come to “catch him in his words.” They wanted to show him up as a false teacher. They ask;

“Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

These exact words are used in all four accounts.

So, I asked, as a 16-year-old, “Who’s Law? Of Moses or of Rome?”

We must remember who is asking. The Religious Lawyers. It is the Jewish Law they are talking about. The first five books. Mosaic Law. And their interpretation of it.

If Jesus said, “No, we should not pay tax,” he would be accused of rebellion against Rome.

If he said, “Yes, we should pay tax,” he would appear a traitor to his Jewish roots, and unsympathetic toward his own people, who resented paying tax to their Roman conquerors. After all there had been a number of Tax Revolts at the time of Jesus. There were Tax Resistors hanging on Crosses outside the gates at that very moment. Remember, the Jews are fond of saying, since they walked out of Egypt, “We are slaves of no one.” They regarded the Roman Occupiers as enslaving them.

Jesus says, “Show me the Tribute Money” (used for paying the tax.) Holding it up, Jesus asks, “And he said unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?”

They said unto him, Caesar’s.

Give therefore to Caesar, the things which are Caesar’s, and give unto God, those things which are God’s.”

Back to the Law.

After all, the Law is the crux of the matter.

¿Is it Lawful (under the Law of Moses) to pay Tribute to our conquerors?

The ‘image and superscription’ on the coin say, in essence, “Cesar, God on earth, Source of peace.”
This statement, Claiming to be God, to the Religious Lawyers, is the ultimate Blasphemy. This coin is so reviled by the Jews that it is not even allowed inside the Temple. So, when Jesus says Give Cesar what he deserves under the Law, he is saying, “By your law, you must Stone him to death.”

“When they had heard these words, they marveled and left Him and went their way.”

And ‘give to God what is God’s means complete surrender to God’s Divine Will. “Thy will be done, oh Lord, on earth as it is in heaven.”

We are all familiar with this story. However, its meaning dovetails into the other stories of the Money Changers.

What were the money changers doing in the Temple?

Why did they need to “Change” money? It was all silver.

The Religious Rulers had made a rule; “You can not buy a sanctified sacrifice with money that has a Blasphemy on it. You can not even bring it into the Temple. Therefore you must “Change” your Blasphemous Roman money, the Denarius, that says “Caesar is God and the source of peace.” for the non-offensive Shekel. Note that it was punishable by death under Roman law to bring the Emperors coin into a bathroom or a Brothel. (Coins were the major instrument of imperial propaganda)

The Emperor was a bit insecure eh?

Each time you visit the Money Changers out in the Court of the Gentiles and ‘change’ money, you lose some value in the transaction. Talk about a Racket.

So, the Jew comes into town for the temple festival. He must first go to the money changer, out in the Court of the Gentiles, to get some “non-offensive” coin. Then he can go to the “Sellers of lambs and doves.” Where you can buy a sacrificial animal at inflated prices, kind of like water at the airport. You bring your sanctified sacrificial Lamb to the priest who, for a small fee, slaughters the animal for you. You say your prayers, do penance. Then go out to the market for lunch, your sins forgiven.

“I’ll have the lamb chops.”

Hmmm. You bought the lamb with inflated money at an inflated price and paid the priest twice. Once for the commission on “Changing” the Blasphemes coins and again on the inflated lamb, which is now Kosher Meat. Sold to the vendors out the back door of the Temple. And, Re-sold as your lunch.

Now we understand what Jesus meant by “For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear,”

Matthew 23:4 NKJV, For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

The priests also told the people that God wants it this way, and you must be sure to follow the other 619 laws we, the priests, have added to Gods. “Or, we’ll kick your ass.”

(Side note; These extra “Laws” are the meaning of the commandment; “Do not take God’s Name in vain.” The direct translation is, “Do not carry God’s name in vain.” Carrying God’s name means to attribute to God what you yourself think.

Yes, the Bible is the Word of God, but that does not necessarily mean that your interpretation is true or accurate.

(An example of Carrying God’s name in vain is; The anti-abortionist who murders an abortion doctor saying that God told him to murder. Or the priest who told me that “Our boys are over there, Killing Communists for Christ.”)

JKV Matt: 22:

15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk. 16 And they sent to Him their disciples with the *Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not [c]regard the person of men. 17 Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”
18 But Jesus [d]perceived their wickedness, and said, “Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? 19 Show Me the tax money.”
So they brought Him a denarius.
20 And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?”
21 They said to Him, “Caesar’s.”
And He said to them, “Render[e] therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22 When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.

GNV Matt: 22:
15 Then went the Pharisees and took counsel how they might tangle him in talk.
16 And they sent unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God truly, neither carest for any man: for thou considerest not* the person of men.
(*you are not swayed by the wealth or station of people)
17 Tell us therefore, how thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?
18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?
19 Show me the tribute money. And they brought him a penny.
20 And he said unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? (whose blasphemy is this?)
21 They said unto him, Caesar’s. Then said he unto them, Give therefore to Caesar, the things which are Caesar’s, and give unto God, those things which are God’s.
22 And when they heard it, they marveled, and left him, and went their way.

The liner notes next to ‘Render” in the Geneva Bible says;

“The Christians must obey their Magistrates, although they be wicked and extortioners, but so far forth as the authority that God hath over us may remain safe unto him, and his honor be not diminished.”

Matthew 23:4 New King James Version (NKJV)
4 For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

*Herodians

The Herodians were a sect of Hellenistic Jews mentioned in the New Testament on two occasions — first in Galilee, and later in Jerusalem — being hostile to Jesus. In each of these cases their name is coupled with that of the Pharisees. According to many interpreters, the courtiers or soldiers of Herod Antipas were intended; others argue that the Herodians were probably a public political party, who distinguished themselves from the two great historical parties of post-exilic Judaism by the fact that they were and had been sincerely friendly to Herod the Great, the King of the Jews, and to his dynasty. The Herodians are often mentioned in the gospels at the same time as the Pharisees. Like the Pharisees, the Herodians wanted political independence for the Jewish people. Unlike the Pharisees, who sought to restore the kingdom of David, the Herodians wished to restore a member of the Herodian dynasty to the throne in Judea.Wikipedia <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herodians>

Pharisee

A member of an ancient Jewish sect, distinguished by strict observance of the traditional and written law, and commonly held to have pretensions to superior sanctity.
Unlike the Sadducees, who tried to apply Mosaic law strictly, the Pharisees allowed some freedom of interpretation. Although in the Gospels they are represented as the chief opponents of Jesus, they seem to have been less hostile than the Sadducees to the nascent Church, with which they shared belief in the Resurrection

Pharisee

1.1A self-righteous person;
Origin;
Old English fariseus, via ecclesiastical Latin from Greek Pharisaios, from Aramaic prīšayyā ‘separated ones’ (related to Hebrew pārūš ‘separated’).
(“Holier than thou”)

Some references for various other sources,

Tribute Episode does not stand for the proposition that it is morally obligatory to pay taxes.

The story of “Tribute Episode” was well-known to the early Christian community. The Gospels of Matthew , Mark, and Luke recount this story nearly verbatim in each of the tellings. As well 100 of non-canonical tellings record the same exact words. All agree that Jesus never meant for His answer to be interpreted as an endorsement of Caesar’s tribute or any taxes.

In 6 A.D., Roman occupiers of what the Romans had re-named, “Palestine” imposed a census, or ‘Head Tax’ on the Jewish people. The tribute was not well-received, and by 17 A.D., Tacitus reports in Book II.42 of the Annals, “The provinces, felt exhausted by the tax burdens, implored a reduction of tribute.” A tax-revolt, soon ensued. The rhetoric was that “taxation was no better than an introduction to slavery ,” and Jews have “an inviolable attachment to liberty ,” recognizing God, alone, as king and ruler of Israel.
The Romans brutally combated the uprisings for decades. The tax revolters were crucified. The payment of the tribute encapsulated the deeper philosophical, political, and theological issue: Either God and His divine laws were supreme, or the Roman emperor and his pagan laws were supreme.

The “Tribute Episode” takes place immediately after Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem in which throngs of people proclaimed him ‘King of The Jews’,

This scene takes place near the celebration of the Passover. The Passover celebration commemorates God’s deliverance of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery

Because of the mass of pilgrims in Jerusalem, the Roman procurator of, Pontius Pilate, had temporarily taken up residence in Jerusalem along with a multitude of troops so as to suppress any religious violence.
The Biography of Pilate, who was the emperor’s chief soldier, chief magistrate, head of the judicial system, and the chief tax collector, depicted him as “cruel,” “exceedingly angry,” and “a man of most ferocious passions,” with a “habit of insulting people” and murdering them “untried and un-condemned” with the “most grievous inhumanity.”

Just a few years prior to Jesus’ ministry, the image of Caesar nearly precipitated an insurrection in Jerusalem when Pilate, by cover of night, erected effigies of the emperor on the fortress Antonia, adjoining the Jewish Temple. Since Jewish law forbids both the creation of graven images and their introduction into holy city of Jerusalem. The Jews were so incensed that Pilate averted a bloodbath only by removing the images.

In short, Jerusalem was a hot-bed of political and religious fervor, and it is against this background that the Tribute Episode unfolded.

A ‘Halakhic’ Question.

The questioners begin with, false flattery followed by a challenge to Jesus’ rabbinic authority; In the form of a ‘Halakhic’ Question.

The Pharisees believed that they, alone, were the authoritative interpreters of Jewish law. And they were testing Jesus scriptural knowledge and hoping to discredit Him

They ask “is it Lawful (under Torah) to pay taxes to the Romans?”

Their repudiation of the Roman occupation is taken for granted,

The request to see the coin suggests that they all believe that there is something meaningful about the coin itself.

Tiberius issued the coin from his personal mint for twenty years. The denarius was truly the emperor’s property: he used it to pay his soldiers, officials, and suppliers; it bore the imperial seal

Tiberius even made it a crime punished by death to carry any coin stamped with his image into a bathroom or a brothel. In short, the denarius was a tangible representation of the emperor’s deity, power, wealth, and subjugation.

Having the coin in the Temple, reveals their religious hypocrisy – they had brought a profane item, into the sacred space of the Temple. The coin of a pagan claiming on its face that Cesar is God on Earth, source of Peace The divine,

In the ancient world, Coins were the major instrument of imperial propaganda, promoting agendas and promulgating the deeds of their issuers, in particular the Primacy of the emperor. And, used to indoctrinate the people of the empire as to the deity of the emperor, coins excelled all other media. All of Tiberius’ denarii pronounced his divinity

After seeing the coin, Jesus then poses a counter-question, “Whose image and inscription is this?” It is again noteworthy that this counter-question and its answer are not necessary to answer the original question of whether it is legal to pay tribute to Caesar. That Jesus asks the counter-question suggests that it and its answer are significantly damning.

The counter-question is significant for two reasons.

The counter-question follows a pattern of formal rhetoric common in first century rabbinic literature in which (1) an outsider poses a hostile question to a rabbi; (2) the rabbi responds with a counter-question; (3) by answering the counter-question, the outsider’s position becomes vulnerable to attack; and (4) the rabbi then uses the answer to the counter-question to refute the hostile question.

Jesus’ use of this rhetorical form like a modern lawyer who uses formal, legal rhetoric in the courtroom. The point of the rhetorical exchange is ultimately to refute the hostile question.

The hostile question of the Jewish Lawyers was a direct challenge to Jesus’ authority as a rabbi on a point of Jewish law, His interrogators would have expected a counter-question grounded in scripture, in particular, based upon Torah.

Two words, “image” and “inscription,” in the counter-question point to two central provisions in the Torah, the First word, “Image” references The Second Commandment and the other word, “Inscription” references the Shema. Referencing these two words provide the scriptural basis for this question of law.
God Prohibits False Images. The Second Commandment prohibits worship of anyone or anything except God, and it also forbids crafting any image of a false god for adoration, “I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt not hold any other gods before me. Thou shalt not make to thyself a graven thing, nor the likeness [image] of god….” God demands the exclusive allegiance of His people.

Jesus’ use of the word, “image,” in the counter-question reminds His questioners of the Second Commandment’s requirement to venerate God only, and also its prohibition against creating images of false gods.

The word “inscription” alludes to the Shema, a Jewish prayer based upon Deuteronomy 6:4–9 , 11:13–21 and Numbers 15:37–41 and it is the most important prayer a pious Jew can say. It commences with the words, “Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad,”, Translated, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God — the Lord alone.”

Jesus quoting the Shema just a few verses after the Tribute Episode (Matt 22:37) further reinforces the reference to the Shema in the Tribute Episode. By using the word “inscription” in the counter-question He is invoking scriptural authority for His response.

The front of the denarius shows a profiled bust of Tiberius crowned with the laurels of victory and divinity. Even a modern viewer would immediately recognize that the person depicted on the coin is a Roman emperor. Circumscribed around Tiberius is an abbreviation, “TI CAESAR DIVI AUG F AUGUSTUS,” which translates, “Tiberius Caesar, Worshipful Son of the God, Augustus.”

On the obverse sits the Roman goddess of peace, Pax, and circumscribed around her is the abbreviation, “Pontif Maxim,” which stands for “Pontifex Maximus,” which means, “High Priest.”

The coin of the Tribute Episode is a fine specimen of Roman propaganda. It imposes the cult of emperor worship and asserts Caesar’s sovereignty upon all who transact with it.

The Gospels depict the irony of the Son of God and the High Priest of Peace, newly-proclaimed by the people to be a King of the Jews’ (Palm Sunday), holding the tiny silver coin of a king who claims to be the son of a god and the high priest of Roman peace.

Following the pattern of rabbinic rhetoric, Jesus’ answer exposes the hostile questioner, and refutes the opponent’s original question.

In the Hebrew tradition, everything rightfully belonged to God. By using the words, “image and inscription,” Jesus has already reminded His interrogators that God was owed exclusive allegiance and total love and worship. Similarly, everything economically belonged to God as well. For example, the physical land of Israel was God’s, as He instructed in Leviticus 25:23, “The land [of Israel] shall not be sold in perpetuity; for the land is Mine, and you [the Israelites] are but aliens who have become my tenants.” In addition, the Jewish people were to dedicate the first fruits, that first portion of every harvest and the first-born of any animal, to God.” By giving God the first fruits, the Jewish people acknowledged that all good things come from God and that all things, in turn, belong to God . God even declares, “Mine is the silver and mine the gold.”

The emperor, on the other hand, claimed that all people and things in the empire rightfully belonged to Rome. The denarius notified everyone who transacted with it that the emperor demanded exclusive allegiance and, worship — Tiberius claimed to be the worshipful son of a god. Taxes were to be paid first.

Subtle sedition.

The emperor’s bread and circuses maintained political order. The propaganda on the coin attributed peace and tranquility to the emperor.

The Gospels are replete with instances of subtle sedition. [Read Jesus Is an Anarchist for an example]

Roman emperors, masters of the known world, tenuously maintained political power by way of “panem et circenses,” or “bread and circuses,” a reference to the ancient practice of pandering to Roman citizens by providing free wheat and costly circus spectacles

Jesus performs a miracle and feeds 5,000 people from five loaves of bread; He then refuses to be crowned a king. (Of bread and circuses).

Jesus walking on a body of water in the middle of a storm. That body of water was the Sea of Galilee, which, St. John reminds his readers, was re-named by the conquering Romans as the Sea of Tiberias.

Jesus literally treads upon the emperor’s seas, showing that even the emperor’s waters have no dominion over Him. Treading on the emperor’s seas is an additional instance of subtle sedition.

On another occasion, the demon replied, “Legion is my name. There are many of us.” Jesus then expels the demons and casts them into a herd of swine, who promptly run into the Sea and drown. An imperial legion was roughly 6,000 soldiers. Thus, the demon “Legion,” as an agent of the devil, was a thinly-veiled reference to the Roman occupiers of Judaea. Swine are considered unclean animals under Jewish law. Yet another example of subtle sedition.