Charles Spurgeon Commentary Matthew 22:20

"And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?" — Matthew 22:20 (ASV)

He asked another question so that they themselves might contribute to their own answer. He said to them, “Whose is this image and superscription?” Or rather, inscription. The image and inscription of the Roman emperor were on the coin before them, but He would have them say as much, so He asked, “Whose is this?” The Jewish Rabbis taught that “If a king’s coin is current in a country, the people of that country thereby show that they acknowledge him as their lord.”

When we are dealing with ungodly men, it is good if we can make them their own accusers. They said to Him, “Caesar’s.” No other answer was possible. This tribute money was not a shekel of Jewish coinage, but money of the Roman Empire. This was plain proof that, whether they liked it or not, they were Roman subjects and Caesar was their ruler. What then could follow but that they should pay their acknowledged ruler his due?

Then He said to them, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s.” Whatever belongs to Caesar is to be rendered to him. Jesus did not specify what was Caesar’s; the coin itself settled the question of paying tribute. His reply covered all the duties of loyal subjects to the ruler under whose jurisdiction they lived. However, this did not touch the sovereignty of God. Jehovah ruled over consciences and hearts, and they must ensure that, just as Caesar had what was his, the Lord also had what was His.

Render therefore unto God the things that are God’s. This was not an evasive reply on Christ's part. It was full of meaning and very much to the point, and yet it was phrased so skillfully that neither Pharisees nor Herodians could use it for partisan purposes or for their wretched design of entangling Jesus in His words. Neither of the two groups profited from their penny.

For us, the lesson of this incident is, that the State has its sphere, and we must discharge our duties to it. But we must not forget that God has His throne, and we must not allow the earth-kingdom to make us traitors to the heaven-kingdom. Caesar must keep his place and by no means go beyond it, but God must have the spiritual dominion to Himself alone.