Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch Him in His words. They came to Him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”
But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” He asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” They brought the coin, and He asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”
“Caesar’s,” they replied.
Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”
And they were amazed at Him.
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Notice here that Jesus didn’t choose a political side. He didn’t give in to the politics of the moment. The fact that Pharisees and Herodians were conspiring together is fascinating in and of itself. Jesus quickly points back to God. He says to obey the laws of the land…as long as you’re obeying the laws of God. If you’re not giving back to God…you better get that fixed before you worry about Caesar. Is it important to be a good citizen of the United States? Absolutely. But it’s more important to make sure you’re a citizen of the kingdom of God. The latter has eternal ramifications along with it.
A Journey With Jesus 