Images and Metal

[intricatic]

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 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 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 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.
(Matthew 22)

What does this passage mean?

Hint;

15 “Take careful heed to yourselves, for you saw no form when the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, 16 lest you act corruptly and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of any figure: the likeness of male or female, 17 the likeness of any animal that is on the earth or the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air, 18 the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground or the likeness of any fish that is in the water beneath the earth. 19 And take heed, lest you lift your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun, the moon, and the stars, all the host of heaven, you feel driven to worship them and serve them, which the LORD your God has given to all the peoples under the whole heaven as a heritage.
(Deuteronomy 4)

Who's coin was it that Jesus was referring to? To whom did it belong?

 

[WeBe1]

The coin was a denarius with a picture and the name of Caesar on it, “give to Caesar what is Caesar’s”. So I am assuming that the coin was of the Roman empire, so it would have belonged to Rome.

Or was this a trick question?

 

[daveleau]

The Roman empire was a highly polytheistic culture. Every time they conquered a new people, they incorporated their gods to appease the people, and because they saw gods as being a territorial force. They never incorporated God when they overtook Judea, and looked on the Jewish people with disdain for their strict monotheism. This same problem befell Christians later in the form of severe persecution.

There was no official Roman religion that excluded other religions, but all in Roman territory were required to worship Caesar as god. This was one of the reasons Christians were persecuted as "atheists" in the first few centuries after Christ. We did not worship Caesar and we had no visible gods in physical form. So, they thought we were atheists, which was punishable (at times) by death.

Caesar throughout Jesus' ministry was Tiberius. One of his titles was Pontifex Maximus, which conferred deity upon him. Thus, the graven image was one of a worshipped god on the coin.

The key aspect of the verse was consistent with what Paul wrote in Romans about following governmental leadership. Jesus did not shun the money away because it contained a graven image of a Roman god (Caesar) on it. He simply treated it as what it was- something not to be sought after, and something to be tolerated within the Christian view of the world. We were not to worship Caesar, or wrangle over money. We are to worship God, and get by with what God blesses us with, and not fall into society's religion-of-the-day while doing so.

In Him,
Dave

 

[intricatic]

The Roman empire was a highly polytheistic culture. Every time they conquered a new people, they incorporated their gods to appease the people, and because they saw gods as being a territorial force. They never incorporated God when they overtook Judea, and looked on the Jewish people with disdain for their strict monotheism. This same problem befell Christians later in the form of severe persecution.

There was no official Roman religion that excluded other religions, but all in Roman territory were required to worship Caesar as god. This was one of the reasons Christians were persecuted as "atheists" in the first few centuries after Christ. We did not worship Caesar and we had no visible gods in physical form. So, they thought we were atheists, which was punishable (at times) by death.

Caesar throughout Jesus' ministry was Tiberius. One of his titles was Pontifex Maximus, which conferred deity upon him. Thus, the graven image was one of a worshipped god on the coin.

The key aspect of the verse was consistent with what Paul wrote in Romans about following governmental leadership. Jesus did not shun the money away because it contained a graven image of a Roman god (Caesar) on it. He simply treated it as what it was- something not to be sought after, and something to be tolerated within the Christian view of the world. We were not to worship Caesar, or wrangle over money. We are to worship God, and get by with what God blesses us with, and not fall into society's religion-of-the-day while doing so.

In Him,
Dave

Bingo.

The response Christ gives to the Herodians was an extremely strategic reply which was very "loaded", in that it responded both to the political concept (rend unto Caesar...), and the traditional Hebrew religious concept (...and unto God what is God's), which left a sort of paradoxical message to the people receiving it. Thus, they were amazed. One could take it either way; either saying "God has absolute and universal dominion over creation", or accepting that it's a necessity to return honor to Caesar, but not to worship him or put too high a value on his currency.

 

[intricatic]

Or in other words...

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
(Matthew 6)

 

[WeBe1]

SHucks! (kicks dirt) I knew it was a trick question!

 

[intricatic]

SHucks! (kicks dirt) I knew it was a trick question!

Isn't everything?


I just get tired when people make it out to be a clear passage about a separation of Church and State when that's not what the passage implies.