Sally A. Brown, Professor Emerita, Princeton Theological Seminary
A good place to begin work on Mt 22:15-22, a debate between Jesus and a strange coalition of Pharisee disciples and Herodians, is to take careful note of its historical and cultural context. This helps us to avoid pursuing an anachronistic interpretation of the text. Understanding the socio-political dynamics that Jesus and his interlocutors would have taken for granted is a first step toward interpreting the text’s modern relevance.
The coin the Herodians present to Jesus was the only acceptable currency to pay Rome’s “head-tax.” It bore not only Caesar’s image, but also a reminder that Caesar was to be worshiped: “Tiberius Caesar . . .son of the divine Augustus, high priest.” Because this claim was blasphemous to law-observing Jews, they flinched at even handling the coin (see Exodus 12:4; Dt 4:16). The Herodians and Pharisees are hoping to trap Jesus in an impasse: pay Rome and handle a “graven image,” or rule that the tax is not to be paid, and reap the anger of Rome.
Ironically, in their transparently insincere, flattering preamble, Jesus’ interlocutors say, literally, “we know that you do not regard the face of [trans.: show partiality to] anyone.” Jesus’ response to his critics’ question is skillful. Asking for the coin, Jesus points directly to the face on it, then asks, “Whose image is this?” “Caesar’s!” they reply. Jesus declares: “Render to Caesar’s what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” They are mute.
Implicitly invoking the theological anthropology of Gn 1:26 (“let us make [humanity] in our own image and likeness”), Jesus avoids their trap. Yes, this specific coin—the one every Jew, rich or poor, must use annually to pay the tax—belongs to Caesar. Give it to Caesar. What belongs to God and only to God? Our worship.
There is subtle irony in Jesus’ reply. Caesar himself, like every human being, bears God’s image. To bear the image of God is not an invitation to act like God. It is an ineradicable sign that our existence is utterly dependent upon our Creator and Sustainer. Caesar’s altogether human face reveals that he is a mere mortal, dependent upon and accountable to his Creator. Jesus says, “Give to Caesar what is due to Caesar, but give only to God what is due to God: your worship.”
Down the centuries, and into our own time, politicians have used the strategy of enlisting religious tradition to lend the appearance of divine sanction to their ambitions and policies. Invoking the name of God, the “Caesars” of the world claim to be God’s agents to “purify” the world. All too often, modern “Caesars” have singled out a particular population and labelled them as “threats” to the integrity of the nation. Claiming that these “dangerous” persons threaten the safety, economic stability, or “purity” of the nation’s dominant group, they launch campaigns to round up, dispossess, deport, imprison, and, in some cases, kill targeted populations.
At times, these strategies have worked. Sadly, efforts to extinguish the languages and cultural customs of indigenous peoples in the US proceeded under Christian leadership. Yet, people of faith have also staunchly resisted the notion that the ambitions or policies of their merely-human political leaders represent the divine will. They have unmasked bad faith, challenged the abuse of power by those in high places, and have sought to protect targeted populations.
May we have the wisdom to expose self-aggrandizing leaders who vilify the most vulnerable among us, especially when they cloak such schemes in pious language. May we find the courage to speak up publicly on behalf of the persecuted and be relentless in seeking to care for the suffering.
