Clever Words

I inherited a weak stomach from my mother. As such, I’ve had several stomach issues and had to endure endoscopy several times. Once, I hesitated to go through it again and asked the doctor, “Will it be uncomfortable?” He said, “I can tell you this: the tube is no bigger than the previous times.”

The religious leaders who wanted to destroy Jesus heard the parable he said of them and were furious. So, they decided to trap him with his own words, which they could use against him to destroy him. They sent spies who presented to be just and fair, evaluated him, tripped him at his word, and handed him to the leaders (Luke 20:20). They tested Jesus. He gave them a clever answer that they couldn’t seize him at his word, before the people, so they marveled, and remained silent(20:26). The four actions in their intention and results show how they were defeated 100% in their scheme.

Those spies began with flattery,

“Teacher, you do not show partiality but teach truthfully God’s way” (20:21).

Starting a discussion with flattery was a common practice then. For example, Nicodemus started his discussion by saying, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God because no one can do these signs which you do unless God is with him/her” (John 3:2). Acknowledging Jesus’s fairness, the spies asked,

“Is it right for us to give tribute (foron) to Caesar or not?” (20:22)

Foron meant “to take something to someone,” like a gift (coming from fero, meaning “take” or “carry”). In those days, when people visited someone significant, they took gifts for them (like the magi bringing baby Jesus tributes of gold, myrrh, and frankincense). The spies asked if they could respectfully visit Caesar with gifts.

It was a trick question. If Jesus had said “No,” they would have considered him an anti-Roman revolutionary and reported him to Pilate. If he had said “Yes,” they would have considered him an anti-Israel rebel and reported him to the high priests and Sanhedrin, the supreme court. Jesus knew their trickery (20:23). He said,

“Show me a denarius. Whose icon and inscription does it have?” (20:24).

As an orthodox Hebrew, Jesus didn’t touch a coin with Caesar’s image. But many (oi in Greek is plural) said, “Caesar’s,” implying they had Caesar’s coin with his image (icon) with them, which they considered a violation of the 2nd of the Ten Commandments: “You mustn’t have any graven images (icon) to represent me.” They needed those coins because taxes must be paid in Roman denarii (plural of denarius), not Hebrew shekels.

Seeing the coin, Jesus said,

“Give to Caesar things with Caesar’s icon and to God things with God’s icon” (20:25).

The spies were good theologians. They knew the Law:

“God made humanity. He made humanity in God’s image. He made them males and female” (Gen 1:27, in the Greek version).

They knew Jesus was saying they belonged to God and they should submit themselves as gifts to God just as they were giving tributes to Caesar. God didn’t want their denarii; he wanted them. Perhaps a few were convicted, but everyone remained silent and marveled at Jesus’s teaching.

I think of Luke 20:25 every time my church takes an offering. God doesn’t want my money; the church needs it to pay pastors, workers, and missionaries and help the poor. God wants me. I must offer myself as a living sacrifice to him, not my coins or bills with icons.