Matthew 22:22 - Printer Friendly

ESV: When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.

NIV: When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.

NASB: And hearing this, they were amazed; and they left Him and went away.

CSB: When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.

NLT: His reply amazed them, and they went away.

KJV: When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.

NKJV: When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.

Jesus' profound and brilliant answer to a challenge about paying taxes (Matthew 22:15–21) left His questioners speechless. They marveled. They started out lying about how impressed they were with Him, attempting to use flattery to manipulate Jesus. Their actual intent was to trick Him into making a statement they could use against Him. They ended up truly being impressed with Jesus and marveling at His wise and profound answer to their mean-spirited question.

Normally, an exchange between potential debaters would have seen back-and-forth responses go on for a while. Instead, Jesus' testers recognize they lost this skirmish and simply walk away.

Matthew 22:15–22 is a famous event, containing Jesus' response to the issue of taxes. This moment is also depicted in Mark 12:13–17 and Luke 20:20–26. In that context, Jewish people resented being forced to pay those fees to Rome. This makes the challenge a trap: the Pharisees want Jesus to make an unpopular statement or open Himself to arrest for rebellion against the Roman Empire. Instead, Jesus points out that the Roman denarius has Caesar's image on it. He then tells the people to give Caesar what is his and give God what is God's. This subtly implies that we should give ourselves to God, since we bear His image (Genesis 1:27; Matthew 22:37).

Continuing a dialogue with hostile religious leaders, Jesus tells a parable comparing the kingdom of heaven to a wedding feast which ends up being attended by those not initially invited. He answers trick questions about taxes, marriage, resurrection, and the Law of Moses. These responses are the source of common English idioms such as "render to Caesar…" and "many are called but few are chosen." Finally, Jesus asks how the Messiah can be both the son of David and the Lord of David. None can answer Him, so they stop challenging Him in public.

This chapter extends an exchange between Jesus and several groups of religious leaders in the temple. The previous chapter concluded with two parables about the failures of the religious leaders. This chapter begins with a third parable, about chosen guests who refuse to attend a wedding feast. Jesus then fields questions from several religious groups, who fail in their attempts to trip Him up. His wise and profound answers silence all of them. At this point, Jesus launches into a full-throated condemnation of the Pharisees in chapter 23.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.

Accessed 11/21/2024 10:17:20 AM