Give to Caesar What Is Caesar’s and to God What Is God’s

Giving to Caesar what is Caesar’s means fulfilling our civil responsibilities while reserving our highest allegiance for God. In Luke 20:19–26, Jesus answers a trap about taxes with a distinction that still challenges us: rulers have real authority, but they are not entitled to the worship and obedience that belong to God.

The parallel accounts are Matthew 22:15–22 and Mark 12:13–17. Jesus’ reply in Luke 20:25 addresses more than money. The coin bears Caesar’s image, while we bear God’s image—and our lives belong to Him.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Follow the podcast: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | RSS

The images on a dollar bill can prompt questions about what using money says about our beliefs. The U.S. Currency Education Program identifies George Washington’s portrait on the front and the Great Seal on the back. The seal includes the eagle, an unfinished pyramid, and the Eye of Providence.

Those symbols have attracted many interpretations. We do not need to settle every claim about them to answer the practical question: does using a government’s currency mean endorsing its beliefs or actions? Jesus’ encounter with the tax question helps us distinguish ordinary civil responsibilities from worship.

Should Christians Use American Currency?

Using currency does not, by itself, give religious allegiance to the government that issues it. Jesus asked to see a Roman coin and told His questioners to pay what they owed to Caesar. He did not treat the coin’s use as an act of worship.

The question arose after the parable of the vineyard owner in Luke 20:9–18. Jesus had warned of judgment on tenants who rejected the owner’s servants and killed his son. The chief priests and scribes recognized that the parable exposed them.

They wanted to arrest Him but feared the people. Their next approach was to send questioners who appeared sincere while looking for a statement they could use against Him.

The Pharisees and Herodians Tried to Trap Jesus

Luke describes both their hostility and the obstacle they faced:

Luke 20:19 The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people.

The religious leaders could have responded to Jesus’ warning with humility and repentance. Instead, they wanted to have Jesus arrested. Fear of the crowd led them to seek a different way to discredit Him:

Luke 20:20 So they watched him and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, that they might catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor.

Their determination to find an accusation against Jesus highlights His blameless life. Despite repeated attempts to trap Him, they eventually relied on false testimony to seek His condemnation. Their accusation when Jesus stood before Pilate illustrates this dishonesty:

Luke 23:2 And they began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.”

The accusation that Jesus forbade paying tribute was the opposite of what He actually taught. His opponents distorted His words to seek the verdict they wanted.

Bitterness Unites People

Earlier in Luke 20:1–8, the religious leaders had questioned Jesus’ authority. This encounter introduces a different tactic: verse 19 names the scribes and chief priests who wanted to arrest Him, while verse 20 identifies the spies sent to question Him.

The parallel accounts in Matthew 22:16 and Mark 12:13 show that the Pharisees and the Herodians worked together. Their cooperation is striking because the groups normally opposed each other. Hostility toward Jesus gave them a common cause.

The Herodians supported the Roman-backed Herodian dynasty. In contrast, the Pharisees hated Roman rule and the Herodians’ influence. Warren Wiersbe wrote, “These two groups were usually fighting each other, but now they had a common enemy, and this brought them together.”¹

The gospel unites people, but so does bitterness. Think of the saying, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” People might hate each other, but if they hate someone else, they are often happy to unite over their hatred. I have watched this in the church. People don’t get along. They leave the church. Then, they unite over their mutual bitterness toward the church:

Hebrews 12:15 See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled

Why does it say that bitterness causes trouble and defiles many? When people are bitter, they love to find others who share their offense and join in their attacks. This defiles many because they share their bitterness with others who become bitter or defiled.

Social media has made this worse. Someone slanders the church on Facebook. Someone who couldn’t stand the person who wrote the post sees it and jumps on it to encourage the person, often providing more slander. Suddenly, they are friends, brought together by their mutual bitterness. The sad part is that when they were in the church, they wouldn’t get along for the sake of Christ. The gospel wasn’t enough to encourage them to be at peace. But their bitterness was strong enough to unite them. We see something similar when the Pharisees and Herodians sent the spies to trap Jesus.

The Pharisees’ and Herodians’ Hypocrisy

Luke 20:20 says the spies pretended to be sincere. Their outward respect concealed an inward desire to trap Jesus. The flattery in their question exposes that hypocrisy:

Luke 20:21 So they asked him, “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and show no partiality, but truly teach the way of God.

They praised Jesus’ truthfulness while looking for words they could use against Him. Their question then brought the trap into focus:

Luke 20:22 Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?”

The question concerns tribute paid to the Roman emperor.

Why the Jews Hated the Poll Tax

The tribute question placed Jesus between religious resentment and political danger. Paying Rome acknowledged the rule of an occupying power. Refusing payment could expose someone to an accusation of rebellion. His opponents hoped that either answer would harm Him.

The denarius also carried Caesar’s likeness and inscription. The British Museum’s example of a Tiberius denarius shows the emperor on the front and a seated female figure on the reverse. Her precise identity is debated.

Coins of this type bear imperial religious titles, illustrating the tension between Roman claims and Jewish devotion to the one true God. The Gospel account itself identifies Caesar’s image and inscription but does not provide enough detail to establish the exact surviving coin type shown to Jesus.

R. T. France discusses the religious offense associated with the coin’s imperial portrait and titles.² John MacArthur similarly explains why some viewed the payment as compromising their worship.³ These concerns help us understand the trap; they do not mean Jesus actually endorsed idolatry by commanding payment.

His answer would affirm a real obligation to civil authority while denying that Caesar could claim everything.

Christians Give to Caesar What Is Caesar’s Because We Have Earthly Citizenship

Jesus recognized the trap and asked to see the coin used for payment:

Luke 20:23 But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them, 24 “Show me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar’s.”

Jesus does not instruct them to discard the coin or pretend Rome has no civil authority. He directs them to fulfill the obligation they owe:

Luke 20:25a He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s,

Jesus told them to pay taxes to Caesar. Caesar’s image and name were on Roman coins, so in that sense, they were his.

Paul (and Peter) Taught that We Should Submit to Government

Romans 13 develops the responsibility to recognize civil authority:

Romans 13:1a Let every person be subject to the governing authorities.

This is similar to what Peter said:

1 Peter 2:13 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.

Paul grounds that responsibility in God’s authority:

Romans 13:1b For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.

Paul grounds the responsibility to submit in God’s gift of authority. This principle includes rulers who misuse that gift. Jesus addressed it directly when speaking to Pilate:

John 19:11 “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had BEEN GIVEN YOU FROM ABOVE.”

Even Pilate’s authority ultimately came from God. Paul wrote Romans during Nero’s reign, not under a Christian emperor. His instruction cannot be dismissed as a response to an unusually virtuous government.

Similarly, it could be argued that we should only pay taxes to moral governments. When Katie and I discussed that possibility, she said, “Good luck finding that.” In Jesus’ day, the Roman government wasn’t good or moral, yet Jesus still said to pay them taxes.

We Can Have Clear Consciences When We Give to Caesar What Is Caesar’s

Recognizing civil authority does not require defending everything a government does. Christians may rightly grieve over the misuse of public money while still fulfilling their obligation to pay taxes. Paul’s teaching helps us distinguish these concerns.

Romans 13:2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.

When Rhea was old enough, we sometimes put her in charge of her younger siblings. We tell the kids, “If you disobey her, it’s like you’re disobeying us.” Why? Because we gave her some of our authority. Similarly, God put governments in charge, and when we resist them, we resist Him because He gave them some of His authority.

Paul’s warning about judgment makes resistance to legitimate authority a serious matter. Recognizing God’s role in establishing authority should shape our response even when submission is difficult.

Romans 13:4 for he (government) is God’s servant for your good.

God established government to restrain wrongdoing and maintain order in a sinful world. Without it, communities are exposed to lawlessness and violence. This is one reason Paul describes governing authority as being for our good.

Governments do not always act for their people’s good. They may serve their own interests or promote evil, including abortion and the rejection of biblical marriage. God’s gift of authority does not make Him responsible for their sins. Rulers can abuse that authority, and He will hold them accountable.

Romans 13:5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience.

We don’t submit to the government only to avoid God’s wrath, although that’s part of it. We also submit to have a clear conscience. We feel guilty when we break the law, and I don’t mean only God’s law but man’s. Our conscience convicts us.

Paul Affirmed We Should Give to Caesar What Is Caesar’s

Paul then applies the principle directly to taxes:

Romans 13:6 For because of this YOU ALSO PAY TAXES, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing.

We pay taxes for the same reason we submit to the government: to avoid God’s wrath and have clear consciences.

Romans 13:7 Pay to all what is owed to them: TAXES TO WHOM TAXES ARE OWED, REVENUE TO WHOM REVENUE IS OWED, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

Paul agrees with Jesus’s teaching and states that we should pay taxes.

Christians Give to God What Is God’s Because We Have Heavenly Citizenship

Jesus also identifies an obligation greater than the one we owe to Caesar:

Luke 20:25 He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

Caesar’s image on the coin points to a civil obligation. God’s image in human beings points to a greater claim: our lives belong to Him. Jesus’ answer recognizes earthly responsibilities without allowing them to replace our obligations to God.

Jesus taught that we have dual citizenship in Heaven and on Earth and responsibilities to both. Paul supported this, too:

Philippians 3:20 Our citizenship is in heaven.

Ephesians 2:19 You are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

The question began with money and Roman rule. Jesus’ answer reaches the whole person. While fulfilling earthly responsibilities such as paying taxes, believers also live as citizens of heaven, accountable to God in everything they do.

Giving to Caesar What Is Caesar’s Is Not Disloyal to God

Luke 20:26 reports that His questioners could not trap Him and fell silent in amazement. Jesus had refused their false choice. Paying a tax did not require giving Caesar the honor that belongs to God.

His answer also places a limit on human authority. Caesar is not God. When a human command requires disobedience to the Lord, the principle expressed in Acts 5:29 applies: obedience to God comes first. That limit does not cancel the ordinary duty to pay what is legitimately owed.

This distinction can give Christians a clear conscience. Paying taxes does not mean approving every use of public money. We can fulfill a civil obligation while opposing wrongdoing, speaking truthfully, and remembering that rulers remain accountable to God.

What It Means to Give to God What Is God’s

Because we bear God’s image, our response must extend beyond a payment. We belong to Him:

Romans 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Because Jesus redeemed or bought us back from sin and death, He owns us. We belong to Him.

Under the Old Covenant, God accepted the sacrifices of dead animals. With Christ’s sacrifice, those are no longer acceptable ways to worship. Now, worship means offering ourselves entirely. Under the Old Covenant, sacrificing something to God meant it was wholly given to Him for His use and pleasure. The same is true with us. After becoming Christians, we belong entirely to the Lord for His use and pleasure.

Jesus meant this when He said, “Give to God what is God’s.”

Questions for Reflection

• Do you ever confuse fulfilling a civil obligation with approving everything a government does?
• Where must your highest allegiance to God shape a difficult decision?
• What would offering your whole life to God look like in an ordinary responsibility this week?

Watch the Sermon

Footnotes

1. Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary – Volume 4, David C. Cook, 2003, Page 257.
2. RT France, Teach the Text Commentary Series, Luke, page 321.
3. John MacArthur, The MacArthur Bible Commentary, page 1322.