Charles Spurgeon Commentary Matthew 22:17

"Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?" — Matthew 22:17 (ASV)

"Tell us therefore," "because you are true, because you teach the way of God in truth, because you care not for any man’s opinion when you are yourself in the right, and because you regard not the person of men, but dare to speak the truth, whether they will hear or whether they will forbear, tell us therefore, What do you think?" "We are very anxious to have your opinion upon this important point, on which some teach one thing, some another. It is a matter of great public interest; everybody is talking about it. It must have been considered in all its bearings by such a learned teacher as you are, and we should like to know your thoughts upon it. What do you think?"

Dear innocents! Much they wanted instruction from Him! All the while that they were speaking, they were inwardly gloating over the triumph which they felt sure would be theirs, when by any answer that He might give or even by His silence, He must provoke the animosity of one portion of the people or the other.

Here is the question they put to our Lord, "Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar or not?" They referred to the annual capitation tax, imposed by the Romans, which was the cause of great indignation among the Jews and led to frequent insurrections. Judas of Galilee (Acts 5:37), one of the many pretended Messiahs, had taught that it was not lawful to give tribute to Caesar, and he had perished in consequence of his rebellion against Rome. Christ’s questioners may have hoped that some such fate should befall Him.

Their question was a delicate and difficult one in many ways. Any answer whatever would bristle with points by which His enemies hoped to entrap Him. If He said, "It is lawful," then they would denounce Him as in league with the oppressor of His people and a traitor to the Theocracy of which they boasted, even though they had virtually cast off the divine rule over them. If He said, "It is not lawful," they could accuse Him to the Roman governor as exciting the multitude to rebellion.

This was, in fact, one of the false accusations brought against Jesus when He was before Pilate, "We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a king." If He remained silent, they would twit Him with being a coward who did not dare to say what He thought, lest He should offend His hearers. Very cleverly was the net spread, but those who had so cunningly made and laid it little thought that they were only setting a snare in which they themselves would be caught. Thus does it often happen, as David said, "The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands."