TRANSLATION MATTHEW 22:15

Then the Pharisees went off and discussed with each other how to trap him in his teaching. So they sent their own pupils to him along with the Herodians, “Teacher,” they said, ” we know that you are not deceitful and teach the way of God openly. You have no care for anyone’s opinion for you have no favourite faces. So tell us what you think: is it lawful to pay the poll tax to Caesar? “

Spotting their evil design Jesus said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you play-actors? Show me a poll tax coin.” They fetched him a denarius. And he asks them, “Whose is the image and superscription?”

“Caesar’s” they say.

“Then give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God!”

When they heard this they were amazed, and left him and went away.

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We should remember that the question in this Jerusalem section of the gospel is whether Jesus’ “magic” so successful in Galilee, can exist in the harsh climate of official distrust. So far, Jesus has delalt strongly with everything. But here comes a googly: if he says it is not lawful to pay tax, he may be popular, but the Romans will get him for political agitation. If however he says it is lawful, he will lose credibility as a man of the people. The Herodians are doubtless present as an overtly political grouping who can report his answer. We can admire their flattery of Jesus which does no more than tell the truth. Indeed they play with the meanings of the Greek “aletheia” usually translated “truth” which is in fact a negative word, non- concealment, un-veiling. I have tried to represent this in my translation.

Jesus’ responsive speed is impressive. He asks to be shown a coin with which the tax could be paid, and is provided with a denarius, showing that although strict keepers of the Law might not handle anything with a graven image upon it, (see the Ten Commandments) , they are not really so strict. Jesus insists on the offensive nature of the coin, forcing them to admit that they know it bears Caesar’s image and superscription. The crowd must have loved this robust argument of Jesus. Then he detonates his explosive wisdom: yes, by all means give to Caesar the money that bears his image and his name, but give to God what bears his image and name: the human being. Every listening Jew will understand this reply, which rests on the first chapter of the book of Genesis. It comprehensively shreds the prepared nets of the legalists and nationalists.

It is by no means as Martin Luther thought, a doctrine of the two kingdoms, Caesar’s and God’s, both of which have legitimacy; it allows a meagre legitimacy to the power of empire, but gives over every human being into the rule of God. Jesus believed that those who accepted the rule of God would find Caesar irrelevant and would not cause him trouble unless he chose to trouble them.

We should begin to see where Matthew is leading us: the more Jesus succeeds in revealing his authority even in Jerusalem, the more certain it is that his opponents will have to kill him. The word ‘superscription’ will come back to us in retrospect when we are told of the superscription of Jesus’ execution stake, at a time when his enemies will have violently given to Caesar a human being who belongs to God.