Tell us therefore, What think you? Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?
What.
Jeremiah 42:2,3,20 And said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the LORD thy God, even for all this remnant; (for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us:) …
Acts 28:22 But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest: for as concerning this sect, we know that every where it is spoken against.
is.
Deuteronomy 17:14,15 When thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me; …
Ezra 4:13 Be it known now unto the king, that, if this city be builded, and the walls set up again, then will they not pay toll, tribute, and custom, and so thou shalt endamage the revenue of the kings.
Ezra 7:24 Also we certify you, that touching any of the priests and Levites, singers, porters, Nethinims, or ministers of this house of God, it shall not be lawful to impose toll, tribute, or custom, upon them.
Caesar.
Luke 2:1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
John 19:12-15 And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar…
Acts 17:7 Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus.
Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar:
The question of paying taxes to Caesar was a contentious issue among the Jews. The tax in question was the poll tax, a tribute to the Roman Empire, which was seen as a symbol of subjugation. The Pharisees, who resented Roman rule, and the Herodians, who supported it, both had vested interests in Jesus' answer. The term "lawful" refers to the Jewish law, not Roman law, highlighting the tension between religious obligations and political realities. This question also touches on the broader theme of allegiance and the relationship between God's kingdom and earthly authorities.
or not?”
The question is designed to be a binary choice, leaving no room for nuance. If Jesus says "yes," He risks alienating the Jewish populace who despised Roman occupation. If He says "no," He could be accused of sedition against Rome. This reflects the broader strategy of the religious leaders to discredit Jesus and find grounds for His arrest. The question also foreshadows the tension between Jesus' teachings and the political powers of the time, ultimately leading to His crucifixion.
The Pharisees and Herodians approach Jesus with feigned respect, hoping to corner Him publicly (Mark 12:13). Their opening words invite Him to speak, but the motive is entrapment. Psalm 55:21 reminds us, “His speech is smooth as butter, yet war is in his heart.” The challengers want Jesus’ own words as evidence against Him, just as Daniel’s enemies sought a pretext in Daniel 6:4.
They press for His personal judgment, not merely a legal citation. By asking for His “think,” they expect to set His authority against either Moses or Rome. Yet Jesus consistently speaks what the Father gives Him (John 8:28). His thoughts reflect divine truth, echoing Isaiah 55:8-9 where God’s thoughts are higher than man’s. Their request unwittingly invites the revelation of heaven’s perspective.
“Lawful” concerns the Torah. Could a Jew, under covenant law, recognize a pagan emperor’s tax? Deuteronomy 17:14-15 warns Israel about foreign rulers, but Jeremiah 29:7 commands seeking the peace of the city where they live in exile. Jesus will show that honoring God’s law and submitting to governing authorities are not mutually exclusive, a harmony later affirmed in Romans 13:1-2.
The tax in view is the poll-tax, a denarius per adult male. Money is a sensitive symbol: Exodus 30:13 sets a half-shekel temple tax for worship, while this Roman tax funds Gentile governance. The tension mirrors 2 Kings 23:35 where Judah pays tribute to Egypt. Jesus will distinguish between monetary obligation and ultimate allegiance.
Caesar Tiberius claims divine honors; accepting his coin seems to acknowledge his supremacy. Saying “yes” risks alienating nationalist Jews (Acts 5:37), saying “no” invites charges of sedition (John 19:12). The question is a political minefield designed so whichever side Jesus chooses, He appears to deny either God or countrymen. Yet Proverbs 24:21 says, “Fear the LORD and the king,” hinting that both spheres can be rightly honored.
Matthew 22:17 records a calculated trap: religious leaders demand Jesus decide whether paying Rome’s tax violates God’s law. By dissecting their question—invitation, opinion, legality, payment, and Caesar—Scripture shows the duplicity of the challengers and the tension between earthly authority and divine sovereignty. Jesus’ coming answer will uphold both without compromise, teaching that citizens of heaven can submit to earthly rulers while reserving ultimate devotion for God alone.
(17) Is it lawful to give tribute . . .?--The question was obviously framed as a dilemma. If answered in the affirmative, the Pharisees would be able to denounce Him to the people as a traitor to His country, courting the favour of their heathen oppressors. If in the negative, the Herodians (on the assumption which seems the more probable) could accuse Him, as He was eventually accused, of "perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar" (Luke 23:2).Tribute.--The original gives the Latin "census," i.e., the poll-tax of a denarius per head, assessed on the whole population, the publicans being bound to transmit the sum so collected to the Roman treasury. As being a direct personal tax it was looked on by the more zealous Jews as carrying with it a greater humiliation than export or import duties, and was consequently resisted (as by Judas of Galilee and his followers) by many who acquiesced more or less readily in the payment of the customs (Acts 5:37).
Verse 17. - Tell us therefore. Because you are so truthful and impartial, give us your unprejudiced opinion about the following much-disputed question. These people assume to be simple-minded inquirers, who came to Jesus to have a perplexity resolved. St. Luke gives their real character, "They sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words." Is it lawful (ἔξεστι) to give tribute (κῆνσον, censure) unto Caesar, or not? The tribute is the poll tax levied by the Romans. Caesar at this time was Tiberius; the title was now applied to the emperors, though its subsequent use was different. By asking concerning the lawfulness of the payment, they do not inquire whether it was expedient or advisable to make it, but whether it was morally and religiously right, consistent with their obligation as subjects of the theocratic kingdom. Some, as Judas of Galilee (Acts 5:37; Josephus, 'Ant.,' 18:1: 1, 6), had resorted to violence in their opposition to the tax; and indeed, the question here put was much debated between opposite parties. The Pharisees were strongly opposed to foreign domination, and thought it derogatory and sacrilegious for the people of Jehovah to pay impost to a foreign and heathen authority. The Herodians, on the other hand, submitted without reserve to the supremacy of Rome, and, for political reasons, silenced all nationalist and ultra-patriotic feeling. By putting this question, the disputants thought to force Christ into a dilemma, where he must answer directly "Yes" or "No," and where, whichever reply he made, he would equally offend one or other of the parties into which the state was divided. If he affirmed the lawfulness of the tax, he would lose his popularity with the mass of the people, as one who disowned the sovereignty of Jehovah, and would give the death blow to his own claims as Messiah-King. If he garb a negative reply, he would be deemed an enemy of Rome and a promoter of seditious views, and be liable to be handed over to the civil power for the punishment of disaffection and treason (see Luke 20:20). They falsely brought this charge against him before Pilate (Luke 23:2).