Matthew 22:20 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?”

NIV: and he asked them, 'Whose image is this? And whose inscription?'

NASB: And He *said to them, 'Whose image and inscription is this?'

CSB: "Whose image and inscription is this? " he asked them.

NLT: he asked, 'Whose picture and title are stamped on it?'

KJV: And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?

NKJV: And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?”

Jesus is answering a question from some Pharisees and Herodians even though He knows it is a trap (Matthew 22:17–18). The Pharisees assume they will win no matter what Jesus says. If He says it is unlawful to pay the tax, the Herodians may have Him arrested and handed over to the Romans as a rebel. If He tells oppressed Jewish people that paying the despised Roman tax is "lawful," hopeful followers who believe Messiah will overthrow Rome may abandon Him.

Jesus has asked for the only currency that can be used to pay the tax, a Roman silver denarius (Matthew 22:19). He is given one and asks about the image imprinted into it. Everyone there would have been very familiar with this. One side of the denarius had a profile of Tiberius Caesar, with a Latin inscription that read "Tiberius Caesar, son of the divine Augustus." On the other side of the coin was the image of Pax, the Roman goddess of peace with the words "High Priest."

The Jewish people found it offensive that they were made to carry the image of a foreign god around with them everywhere they needed money. An uprising over the issue in AD 6 had been severely crushed by the Romans.

Jesus will use one of the offensive aspects of the coin to make his point in the following verse (Matthew 22:21).

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.