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The Jewish leaders formerly questioned Jesus’ authority for his speech and acts. Now, they set a trap for Jesus, “to catch him in his words” (v13). Those who posed the question were “certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians” (v13). They were Jesus’ religious and political enemies. If Jesus’ answer was against the Jewish or Roman law, they could at any time arrest him and become the witnesses in the prosecution. These hypocrites called Jesus “Master”. They started out by announcing two characteristics about Jesus in public that he could in no way deny:
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“thou art true” and “teachest the way of God in truth” (v14)—meaning that Jesus would not lie and speak something against the truth when answering their question.
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“carest for no man” and “thou regardest not the person of men” (v14)—meaning that Jesus would not avoid answering their question due to fear of any man of power (including Caesar the Roman Emperor), nor would he give answer in their favour.
(question)
The question was: “Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not? Shall we give, or shall we not give?” (v14-15) To the Jewish people, this was a simple question. Since Israel at that time was the colony of the Roman Empire, according to the Roman law, the people of Israel were obliged to pay tax to Caesar. But to Jesus, this was a tough question, owing to his special status. His enemies expected him to answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’. By answering ‘no’, his answer would violate the Roman tax law, and then they would have good reason to arrest him for trial. By answering ‘yes’, he would disclose to the public a ‘pro-Rome’ stance and would be considered by his own people as unpatriotic. As such, he might lose popularity among his Jewish people. That would in turn give chance for the Pharisees to stir the crowd’s sentiment against him. This was certainly a temptation for Jesus and he was now in a dilemma.
(answer)
Jesus knew very well that they were tempting him with the question, and said to them straightly, “Why tempt ye me?” (v15) To their surprise, Jesus did not answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Instead, he calmly said, “ ‘Bring me a penny, that I may see it.’ And they brought it. And he saith unto them, ‘Whose is this image and superscription?’ And they said unto him, ‘Caesar's.’ And Jesus answering said unto them, ‘Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ ” (v15-17)
Everyone who heard his answer understood what he meant: tax should be paid to the ruling Roman Government. His explanation was: since the coin belonged to Caesar, Caesar deserved to receive the tax from the people. This was not only a requirement of the tax law but also the obligation of the people to fulfill their social responsibility. So, it was lawful to give tribute to Caesar and not against the truth. When Jesus said “to God the things that are God’s” at the same time, he meant that paying tax to Caesar had no conflict with God’s law at all. Obeying Roman law and obeying God’s law were two different matters that could co-exist. “To Caesar the things that are Caesar’s” was to fulfill their social responsibility whereas “to God the things that are God’s” was to fulfill their godly duties. One can fulfill both social and spiritual duties without any contradiction. Jesus’ answer aptly avoided the temptation set by the enemies. At the same time, he reminded them a spiritual lesson—don’t forget to offer tithe to God.
Actually, it was already enough for Jesus to say “to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s” in answering the tax question. Why did he add the saying “to God the things that are God’s”? As we have mentioned earlier, if Jesus only said ‘yes’ to the question of giving tax to Caesar, the Jews would suspect his love for his own people. In that case, he would have fallen into the temptation. Hence, he had to explain clearly to everyone that paying tax to Caesar had no conflict with God’s truth. Nor was it a performance of not loving God, so long as one knew to offer God what belonged to Him. “And they marveled at him” (v17), because his answer really showed his godly wisdom.
Of course, in Jesus’ answer, offering things to God is more than just offering money. We are supposed to offer to God everything that belongs to Him, including our whole person: “thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.” (Mark 12:30) When you say you belong to God, have you fulfilled your spiritual duties?