Church Fathers Commentary Luke 20:19-26

"And the scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him in that very hour; and they feared the people: for they perceived that he spake this parable against them. And they watched him, and sent forth spies, who feigned themselves to be righteous, that they might take hold of his speech, so as to deliver him up to the rule and to the authority of the governor. And they asked him, saying, Teacher, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, and acceptest not the person [of any], but of a truth teachest the way of God: Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or not? But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Show me a denarius. Whose image and superscription hath it? And they said, Caesar`s. And he said unto them, Then render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar`s, and unto God the things that are God`s. And they were not able to take hold of the saying before the people: and they marvelled at his answer, and held their peace." — Luke 20:19-26 (ASV)

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Realizing the parable was spoken about them, it would have been fitting for the rulers of the Jews to turn from evil, since they had been warned about the future. But paying little attention to this, they instead found a new opportunity for their crimes. The commandment of the Law, which says, You shall not kill the innocent and righteous, did not restrain them; instead, the fear of the people held back their wicked plan. For they placed the fear of man before reverence for God. The reason for their plan is given: they realized that He spoke this parable against them.

The Venerable Bede: And so, by seeking to kill Him, they proved the truth of what He had said in the parable. For He Himself is the Heir, whose unjust death He said would be punished. They are the wicked husbandmen who sought to kill the Son of God.

This same sin is also committed daily in the Church. It happens whenever someone who is a brother in name only is ashamed or afraid to violate the unity of the Church's faith and peace, which he secretly detests, because of the many good people with whom he lives. And because the chief priests wanted to seize our Lord but could not do it themselves, they tried to accomplish it through the governor, as the text continues.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: They seemed to be joking, but they were serious, forgetful of God, who asks, Who is this that hides his counsel from me? For they came to Christ, the Savior of all, as if He were an ordinary man, so that they might trap Him in His speech.

Theophylact of Ohrid: They laid snares for our Lord, but got their own feet entangled in them. Listen to their cunning: And they asked Him, saying, “Master, we know that you speak and teach rightly.”

The Venerable Bede: This smooth and clever question was intended to trick the one answering into saying that he fears God more than Caesar, as the next part of their flattery shows: “Neither do you show partiality to anyone, but you teach the way of God in truth.” They said this to trick Him into saying that they should not pay the tribute. This was so that the governor's guards (who, according to the other Evangelists, were present) could immediately seize Him as a leader of rebellion against the Romans upon hearing it.

And so they proceeded to ask, “Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?” There was a great division among the people on this issue. Some argued that for the sake of security and peace, they ought to pay the tribute, seeing that the Romans fought for everyone's protection. The Pharisees, on the other hand, declared that the people of God, who already gave tithes and first fruits, should not be subject to human law.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Their plan was that if He said they should give tribute to Caesar, He would be accused by the people of placing the nation under the yoke of slavery. But if He forbade them to pay the tax, they would denounce Him to the governor as one who stirs up rebellion. But He escaped their snares, as the text continues: Perceiving their craftiness, he said to them, “Why do you test me? Show me a penny. Whose image and inscription does it have?”

St. Ambrose of Milan: Our Lord teaches us here how cautious we ought to be in our answers to heretics or Jews, as He said elsewhere, “Be wise as serpents.”

The Venerable Bede: Let those who attribute our Savior's question to ignorance learn from this passage that Jesus was perfectly able to know whose image was on the coin. He asks the question so that He might give a fitting answer to their words, as the text continues: They answered and said, “Caesar’s.” We must not suppose this means Augustus, but rather Tiberius, for all the Roman emperors were called Caesar after the first one, Gaius Caesar.

From their answer, our Lord easily resolves the question, as it follows: And he said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

Titus of Bostra: It is as if He said, “You test me with your words; now obey me with your actions. You bear Caesar's image and you have accepted his rule; therefore, give tribute to him, and give fear to God.” For God does not require money, but faith.

The Venerable Bede: Likewise, render to God the things that are God's: that is, tithes, first fruits, offerings, and sacrifices.

Theophylact of Ohrid: And observe that He did not say, “give,” but “render.” For it is a debt. Your ruler protects you from enemies and makes your life peaceful. Surely then you are obligated to pay him tribute. In fact, this very coin that you carry you have received from him. Return, then, the king's money to the king. God has also given you understanding and reason; return these to Him, so that you may not be compared to the beasts but may walk wisely in all things.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Therefore, if you do not want to offend Caesar, be unwilling to possess worldly goods. And you rightly teach that we must first render the things that are Caesar's. For no one can belong to the Lord unless he has first renounced the world. Oh, what a painful chain it is to make a promise to God and not to pay! The contract of faith is far greater than one of money.

Origen of Alexandria: Now, this passage contains a mystery. For there are two images in a person: one that he received from God, as it is written, Let us make man in our own image; and another from the enemy, which he has taken on through disobedience and sin, having been lured and won over by the enticing bait of the prince of this world.

For just as the coin has the image of the worldly emperor, so the one who does the works of the power of darkness bears the image of the one whose works he does. He says, then, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s,” which means to cast away the earthly image. This enables you, by putting on the heavenly image, to render to God the things that are God's—namely, to love God. These are the things Moses says God requires of us. But God makes this demand of us not because He needs us to give Him anything, but so that when we have given it, He might grant us this very same gift for our salvation.

The Venerable Bede: Now, those who should have believed in such great wisdom were instead amazed that in all their cunning they had found no opportunity to trap Him. As the text continues: And they could not trap him in his words before the people. And they marveled at his answer and were silent.

Theophylact of Ohrid: This was their main objective—to rebuke Him before the people—but they were unable to do so because of the wonderful wisdom of His answer.