And they watched him, and sent forth spies, who should pretend themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor.
Read Chapter 20
Ambrose of Milan
AD 397
When they questioned him about the penny, he asks about the image, because there is one image of God and another image of the world. The apostle also admonishes us, “As we have borne the image of the earthly, let us bear also the image of the heavenly.” Christ does not have the image of Caesar, because he is the image of God. Peter does not have the image of Caesar, because he said, “We have left all things, and have followed you.” The image of Caesar is not found in James and John, because they are the Sons of Thunder. It is found in the sea, where there are dragons with crushed heads upon the water. The large dragon itself, with its head broken, is given there as food to the Ethiopian people. If he did not have the image of Caesar, why did he pay the tax? He did not give from his own but gave back to the world what was of the world. If you would not be indebted to Caesar, do not possess what belongs to the world. You have wealth; therefore you are indebted to Caesar. If you want to o...
These same enemies saw the miracles of the Lord, and they said, “Tell us by what authority you are doing these things.” They questioned him with hostile intentions, so that if he admitted what his authority was, they could hold him as guilty of blaspheming. He acted in the same way as over the coin, when they wanted to accuse him falsely. If he said, “Let tribute be paid to Caesar,” it would be as though he had cursed the people of the Jews, making them subject and tributary to a foreign power. If he had said, “It should not be paid,” they could trump up a charge against him before Caesar’s friends and administrators that he was forbidding its payment. He, though, said, “Show me a coin. Whose image and inscription does it carry?” They answered, “Caesar’s.” He said, “So pay to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” That amounts to saying, “If Caesar can require his image in a coin, cannot God require his image in a human being?” Sermon a..
How did Christ overcome their craftiness? “Show me,” he says, “a denarius.” When they showed it to him, he asks, “Whose image and superscription are on it?” They said, “Caesar’s.” What did Christ answer to that? “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” Those who have the office to govern impose a tribute of money on their subjects. God does not require of us anything corruptible and temporary. He rather requires willing obedience, submission, faith, love and the sweet fragrance of good works. Commentary on Luke, Homily
What do they say? “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, nor do you accept persons but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?” O what polluted dishonesty! The God of all certainly wanted Israel to be exempt from human rule. They trampled under foot the divine laws and totally despised the commandment given to them. They committed themselves to their own devices. They therefore fell under the hand of those who at that time ruled over them. They also imposed on them tribute, tax and the yoke of an unaccustomed slavery. The prophet Jeremiah also lamented over Jerusalem as though it had already suffered this fate, saying, “How lonely sits the city that was full of people! How like a widow has she become, she that was great among the nations! She who was a princess among the cities has become a vassal.” It therefore says that their object was to deliver him to the authority of the governor, because they expected that they would hea...
These bold and hardhearted men, being ready for only evil, do not entertain a good purpose, but with their mind full of the craftiness of the devil, they commit themselves to wicked plans. They lay traps for Christ, plan a trap for an accusation against him, and gather pretexts for falsely accusing him. In their bitterness, they are already meditating and plotting the lying words they spoke against him before Pilate…. They pretended to be kind and just. They imagined that they could deceive him who knows secrets. Having one purpose in mind and heart, they speak words totally unlike their wicked dishonesty. Commentary on Luke, Homily
Of the governor Of the governor, Pilate, who in the name of the Romans, exercised absolute authority in the country: for the Jews had lost the power of life and death, which was put into the hands of their presidents. (Calmet)
Since he has instructed us, we, before all others, try everywhere to pay your appointed officials the ordinary and special taxes. In his time some people came to him and asked if it were necessary to pay tribute to Caesar, and he replied, “Tell me, whose likeness does this coin bear?” They said, “Caesar’s.” He again replied, “Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” We worship only God, but in other things, we joyfully obey you. We acknowledge you as the kings and rulers of men. We also pray that you may have good judgment besides royal power. If you do not listen to us although we beg you and clearly explain our position, it will by no means harm us. We believe (rather, we are sure) that everyone will pay the penalty of his misdeeds in the everlasting fire. Everyone will give an account in proportion to the powers that he received from God. Christ made this known to us when he said, “To whom God has given more, of him more shall be ...
