Below is
a rough translation of and some initial comments for Matthew 22:15-22, the
Revised Common Lectionary gospel reading for the 20th Sunday after
Pentecost. Your comments are always welcomed.
15 Τότε πορευθέντες οἱ Φαρισαῖοι συμβούλιον ἔλαβον ὅπως αὐτὸν παγιδεύσωσιν ἐν λόγῳ.
Then having
gone the Pharisees took counsel how they might entrap him in a word.
πορευθέντες: APPart npm, πορεύομαι, 1) to lead over,
carry over, transfer 1a) to pursue the journey on which one has entered,
to continue on one's journey
ἔλαβον: AAI 3p, λαμβάνω, 1) to
take 1a) to take with the hand, lay hold of, any person or thing in
order to use it
παγιδεύσωσιν: AASubj 3p, παγιδεύω, 1) to
ensnare, entrap 1a) of birds
1. The context of this pericope is that Jesus
has entered Jerusalem with great fanfare (21:1-11) and having cleansed the
temple (21:12-17) he is back now teaching in the temple. The chief priests and
elders question his authority, which evokes two parables, at the end of which
Matthew says “When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they
realized that he was speaking about them. They wanted to arrest him, but they
feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet” (21:25-26). Again
Jesus gives a parable that is aimed at the leadership, the parable of the
wedding banquet and the addendum of the wrongly-dressed guest (22:1-14).
Today’s pericope is the first of three attempts by various groups allied in
leadership to entrap Jesus. Following that, Jesus goes on the offensive in
challenging them (22:41-46).
2. The word ‘entrap’ (παγιδεύω)
is used here for the only time in the NT. As the definition suggests, it is a
hunting term. I am not clear on whether their hope is to trick Jesus into
saying something actionable, in order to arrest him, or to make him say
something that will turn the tide of his popularity against him.
16 καὶ ἀποστέλλουσιν αὐτῷ τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτῶν μετὰ τῶν Ἡρῳδιανῶν
λέγοντες, Διδάσκαλε, οἴδαμεν ὅτι ἀληθὴς εἶ καὶ τὴν ὁδὸν τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν
ἀληθείᾳ διδάσκεις, καὶ οὐ μέλει σοι περὶ οὐδενός, οὐ γὰρ βλέπεις εἰς
πρόσωπον ἀνθρώπων.
And they
send to him their disciples with the Herodians saying, “Teacher, we have known
that you are true and you teach the way of God in truth, and you do not care
about no one, for you do not look into a face of humans.
ἀποστέλλουσιν: PAI 3p, ἀποστέλλω, 1) to order (one)
to go to a place appointed
λέγοντες: PAPart apm, λέγω, 1)
to say, to speak
οἴδαμεν: PerfAI 1p, εἴδω, ἴδω, to see, the other to know.
εἶ: PAI 2s, εἰμί, 1) to be, to exist, to happen, to be present
διδάσκεις: PAI 2s, διδάσκω, 1)
to teach
μέλει: PAI 3s, μέλω; it is a care: τινί, to one;
βλέπεις: PAI 2s, βλέπω, 1)
to see, discern, of the bodily eye
1. The fact that the Pharisees are in a
position to send, not only some of their disciples but some of the “Herodians”
as well, indicates that they are cooperating with the Herodians. Mark also mentions
the Herodians – twice (3:6 and 12:13), both times as co-conspirators with the
Pharisees. The term does not arise anywhere else in the NT. Beyond the
self-evident name, it does not appear that there is a lot of information about
this group.
2. This is very handsome praise! Of
course, it has already been described by Matthew as the bait in a snare. Still,
it is effusive praise and puts me in mind of the 24th Psalm:
Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
Those who have clean hands and pure hearts,
who do not lift up their souls to what is false,
and do not swear deceitfully.
They will receive blessing from the Lord,
and vindication from the God of their salvation.
Such is the company of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob.
And who shall stand in his holy place?
Those who have clean hands and pure hearts,
who do not lift up their souls to what is false,
and do not swear deceitfully.
They will receive blessing from the Lord,
and vindication from the God of their salvation.
Such is the company of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob.
I mention the 24th Psalm
because, as I will show in my comments after the text, I think the theology
that it reflects is part of the background to the question that will be posed
to Jesus. There may be other psalms that are even more clearly echoed in this
story; the 24th is the just one that comes to my mind most readily.
17 εἰπὲ οὖν ἡμῖν τί σοι δοκεῖ: ἔξεστιν δοῦναι κῆνσον Καίσαρι ἢ οὔ;
Therefore,
say to us what you opine: Is it lawful to give the imperial tax to Caesar or
not?”
εἰπὲ: AAImpv 2s, λέγω, 1)
to say, to speak
δοκεῖ: PAI 3s, δοκέω, 1) to be of opinion, think, suppose 2) to
seem, to be accounted, reputed 3) it seems to me
ἔξεστιν: PAI 3s, ἔξεστι, 1) it is lawful
δοῦναι: AAInf, δίδωμι, 1) to give 2) to
give something to someone
1. The word “lawful” (ἔξεστι)
appears 9x in Matthew, as well as in the other gospels, Acts, and Paul’s
letters to the Corinthians. It does not refer strictly to religious laws, like
the law of Moses. In Acts 22, for example, Paul asks a Centurion whether it is
lawful for him to flog an un-condemned Roman citizen, making reference to Roman
laws and not the law of Moses.
2. The ambiguity of the word “lawful” may be part of the trap.
Hebrew law may suggest one thing; Imperial law may suggest another. How Jesus
hears and responds to the word “lawful” itself may be an indicator of this
religious blasphemy or his political sedition – the twin jaws of this trap.
3. I have translated as “imperial tax” following the ESV because
the root of the word κῆνσον is the word for “census,” which would be taken
of conquered areas and on which the tax/tribute would be levied.
4. While the practical aspect of the imperial tax would be that
conscripting armies is a costly affair (and many would-be emperors were done in
by debt as much as military strategy), the symbolic effect is that one
acknowledges the emperor’s lordship. This question, then, is not unrelated to
questions regarding King David and the expectation of a messiah from David’s
lineage – the topic of Jesus’ question to the religious leaders at the end of
this chapter.
18 γνοὺς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς τὴν πονηρίαν αὐτῶν εἶπεν, Τί με πειράζετε, ὑποκριταί;
Yet
Jesus, having known their evil, said, “Why are you testing me, hypocrites!
γνοὺς: AAPart nsm, γινώσκω, 1)
to learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of perceive, feel
εἶπεν: AAI
3p, λέγω, 1) to say, to speak
πειράζετε: PAI 2p, πειράζω, 1) to try whether a
thing can be done 1a) to attempt, endeavour 2) to try, make trial
of, test:
1. I think the key word here is “hypocrites!” Jesus does not just begin with a clever answer; his answer exposes the hypocrisy behind the trap.
2. The verb “test” (πειράζω) is used of the religious leadership
here and elsewhere, and of the devil in c.4.
19 ἐπιδείξατέ μοι τὸ νόμισμα τοῦ κήνσου. οἱ δὲ προσήνεγκαν αὐτῷ δηνάριον.
Show
me the coin of the imperial tax.” And they brought to him a denarius.
ἐπιδείξατέ : AAImpv 2p, ἐπιδείκνυμι,
1) to exhibit, show 1a) to bring forth to view, to show 1a1)
furnish to be looked at, produce what may looked at
προσήνεγκαν: προσφέρω, 1) to bring to, lead to
1. As many have pointed out, this conversation seems to be taking
place in the temple (21:23), where this coin would be unwelcomed because it
bears the image of a living thing. Temple coinage – which one would obtain via
a money-changer – was imprinted with numbers, letters, or even depictions of
harvested wheat, but not a living thing, in deference to the commandment in
Exodus 20:4. (I find the collection of coins to be one of the most interesting
parts of the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit whenever I visit it. Roman coinage was
all about asking, “Who’s your Daddy?” while Jewish coinage fastidiously avoided
images of living beings.)
20 καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς, Τίνος ἡ εἰκὼν αὕτη καὶ ἡ ἐπιγραφή;
And he
says to them, “Who [is] this icon and the inscription?”
λέγει: PAI 3s, λέγω, 1)
to say, to speak
1. The word εἰκὼν is not the word in the
LXX of Exodus 20:4 (εἴδωλον or “idol”), but is the word in the creation story
of Genesis 1:27, where God creates humanity in God’s image (εἰκόνα).
2. TIP FOR “YOUNG CHURCH”: Once I had a
small ornate square glass box with a lid. I told the children during worship
about this biblical story and showed them coins that had presidential images.
Then I told them that inside of my box was an image of what God is like. I was
very mysterious about it, because nobody can say, exactly, what God is like,
but in this box they could see something of what God is like. Finally, I let
them persuade me to open it so they could see and, one by one they saw the
mirror that made up the bottom of the box. You know you’ve scored when one of
the children turns around and yells to his parents, “Oh, that was so cool!”
21 λέγουσιν αὐτῷ, Καίσαρος. τότε λέγει αὐτοῖς, Ἀπόδοτε οὖν τὰ Καίσαρος
Καίσαρι καὶ τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ τῷ θεῷ.
They
say to him, “Caesar.” Then he says to them, “Therefore, give the things of Caesar
to Caesar and the things of God to God.”
λέγουσιν: PAI 3p, λέγω, 1)
to say, to speak
λέγει: PAI 3s, λέγω, 1)
to say, to speak
Ἀπόδοτε: AAImpv 2p, ἀποδίδωμι, 1) to deliver, to
give away for one's own profit what is one's own, to sell 2) to pay
off, discharge what is due
1. As far as I can tell, this is the only time Jesus mentions
Caesar by name.
2. I’m not Lutheran, but this answer sure sounds like the
foundation of Luther’s ‘two-kingdom’ approach to the question of Christ and
Culture.
22 καὶ ἀκούσαντες ἐθαύμασαν, καὶ ἀφέντες αὐτὸν ἀπῆλθαν.
And having
heard, they marveled, and having left him they went away.
ἀκούσαντες: AAPart npm, ἀκούω, 1) to be endowed with
the faculty of hearing,
ἐθαύμασαν: AAI 3p, θαυμάζω, 1) to wonder, wonder
at, marvel
ἀφέντες: AAPart npm, ἀφίημι, 1) to send away …
3b) to depart from anyone
ἀπῆλθαν: AAI 3p, ἀπέρχομαι, 1) to go away,
depart
1. The Herodians and disciples of the Pharisees have struck out. On
deck are the Sadducees and in the hole are some more Pharisees. Jesus will
pitch a one-two-three inning. This comment has been brought to you by the
ongoing playoffs of Major League Baseball.
Many
scribes near and far have pondered the implications of this conclusion to Jesus’
query. I’m not sure if there is content
here, as much as form. The structure
of the whole encounter has been between two options – compromise one’s faith in
acquiescence to the emperor or resist the emperor in the name of fidelity to
God. The structure is introduced by the persons involved – Herodians and
Pharisees, who are strange bedfellows, since their commitments should have put
them on opposite sides of this matter. But, again, it is not a genuine
question; it is a trap. And now I will proceed to allegorize the heck out of
this trap.
The chum
around the trap is the ironic praise that the Herodians and Pharisees offer to
Jesus, as one who teaches the way of God in truth and does not give attention
to the face of humans. I call it ironic because, while it is lovely praise and
begins with “we know,” it does not appear that the speakers themselves believe
a word of it. The bait of the trap is the question that the Herodians and
Pharisees ask, “Yes or no to the imperial tax?” I suggest that the hinge of the
trap is implied in the word “lawful,” which can refer to the imperial “law of
the land” or the religious “law of God.” As I state above, the twin jaws of the
trap are sedition, if Jesus opposes the tax to Caesar, or blasphemy, if he
upholds it. If Jesus goes for the bait, he’s simply going to be caught between
these two realities and they will have him. My sense is that they hope he will
either provoke the Roman authorities or lose his popularity among the people.
Jesus’
answer simply accepts that there is an imperial system at hand and there is the
reign of God at hand. But, Jesus structures the answer in a way that the
questioners are put into the position of having to interpret the content. To
give the things of Caesar to Caesar means … what? From the empire’s point of
view, it is whatever Caesar requires or demands from a vassal state. To give
the things of God to God means … what? From a religious point of view, the
earth is the lord’s and everything in it. Jesus’ answer – it seems to me – does
not resolve specific questions we might have regarding taxation and the
interplay between church and state. It deftly avoids the trap that has been
laid for him.
Beyond
the interplay of the Pharisees setting traps and Jesus responding to them, this
text may provide a structure for considering the questions that arise when we
live with both the reality of imperial regimes and the reality of God’s reign.
However, it seems to me that it only provides a form for framing those
questions, not a whole lot of content for fleshing out what it means. There are
still competing claims between the reign of God and the Empire of Rome. Compare
this description of how Rome would declare war from Book I of Livy’s History of Rome to the 24th
Psalm.
The
ambassador binds his head in a woollen fillet. When he has reached the
frontiers of the nation from whom satisfaction is demanded, he says,
"Hear, O Jupiter! Hear, ye confines" - naming the particular nation
whose they are - "Hear, O Justice! I am the public herald of the Roman People.
Rightly and duly authorised do I come; let confidence be placed in my
words." Then he recites the terms of the demands, and calls Jupiter to
witness: "If I am demanding the surrender of those men or those goods,
contrary to justice and religion, suffer me nevermore to enjoy my native
land." He repeats these words as he crosses the frontier, he repeats them
to whoever happens to be the first person he meets, he repeats them as he
enters the gates and again on entering the forum, with some slight changes in
the wording of the formula. If what he demands are not surrendered at the
expiration of thirty-three days - for that is the fixed period of grace - he
declares war in the following terms: "Hear, O Jupiter, and thou Janus
Quirinus, and all ye heavenly gods, and ye, gods of earth and of the lower
world, hear me! I call you to witness that this people" - mentioning it by
name - "is unjust and does not fulfil its sacred obligations. But about
these matters we must consult the elders in our own land in what way we may
obtain our rights."
The earth
is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who
live in it;
for he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers. Psalm 24:1-2
for he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers. Psalm 24:1-2
You know, I've always loved this story because it seems to me there is a joke in it somewhere that 2000 years of history has forgotten. No Jew, even sycophanic ones, could really believe that anyone "owns" anything. Luther, channeling his inner Moses once remarked there is really only one commandment, the other nine are commentary. I believe something like that is going on here. Jesus is so dismissive of the question that he doesn't have time for such trivial bullshit--so he points out the most obvious thing any Jew knows: in questions of lordship, the first commandment is all you need. Anyhow, that's my sermon this morning. See you soon.
ReplyDeleteThat's a sermon I would love to hear. Blessings, Scott!
ReplyDeleteWithout approving the Roman state, or any state, there is also a question here of how we apply our religious values to participation in the state. Were Roman roads good? Was there oppression? Imperial states may do good, but they also impose agendas. I think it is interesting to think about what secular actions we support through taxes and so on, and when we resist or critique. How do we serve the values of our own perspectives, and when do we resist those also? Thanks so much for helping me from the questions for tomorrow's sermon. Thanks also for the kid talk. I always cite you btw.
ReplyDeleteHi Trudy,
DeleteThanks for your kind note. And you are free to cite or not to cite me. I only recommend it when you want to introduce one of my 'thin ice' comments without having to ascribe to it yourself. :-)
I'm struggling alongside of you, more equipped to raise questions than to approach any sort of answer. It is some consolation to me that Jesus doesn't really quite answer the question either, just offers a formula for holding it and thinking it through.
I'm trying to connect the formula with the Presbyterian Brief Statement of Faith, that says, "In life and in death, we belong to God." In our congregation we say it at every baptism and at every funeral, but I'm trying to embrace it as a calling, not just as a word of hope or comfort. Not there yet. Ah well.
Thanks again for your note. MD
Were the Romans 'good'? Three thoughts. Firstly, this links nicely with the OT reading set from Isaiah 45 (Cyrus the servant of God). Perhaps the Romans are also acting as the servants of God, albeit unwittingly. Secondly, I'm a big fan of historian Dan Carlin who says that looking back on the benefits of any regime is like firing an arrow and then painting a target around it (I'm paraphrasing). The Romans didn't make roads, bridges, aqueducts etc to help spread the Gospel, but it did help, when the time came. Thirdly, I refer you to Monty Python and 'What have the Romans Ever Done for Us?' simply because it's funny.
DeleteHi Ruth, I think your point about Cyrus is very well-taken. And any reference to Monty Python is appropriate, especially one as funny as the scene you mention. But, living under the shadow of the Empire was at best ambiguous. They may have paved the roads, but their economic system was the means by which many people - most people - in Jesus' day were landless and impoverished, clearly contrary to the Sabbath economics envisioned by the law.
DeleteSo, while it may be entirely within the structure of this text to "give Rome its due," it is equally a reminder that Rome's claims to rule over the earth, their claims that various Caesars were divine, etc. were contrary to the Scriptures.
That's partly why I find the formula, "Give to Caesar ... give to God ..." to be the blueprint for answering the question of divided loyalties, rather than being content for that answer itself. There are times when the foreign leader is a "messiah" (the language Isaiah uses for Cyrus), and there are times when he is "the abominating sacrilege."
Thanks for your comment. MD
How are we like the Herodians/Pharisees....finding ways to try to trap Jesus?
ReplyDeleteCould be, or finding ways to outwit anyone who challenges our presumed authority - which might be the same thing.
DeleteThanks for posing the question, Nicole.
MD
ReplyDeleteSo another take. The religious leadership feared the mob, and (undoubtedly) feared the 'foundation of Rome.' (my translation of basileus). They operated out of fear based control systems, and thought they could force Jesus into such a fear based decision. Which would he fear the most? Losing the respect of the mob as a prophet, or his life to betraying Roman law? His action was not fear based, but in his own integrity. A thought.
F F Bruce, "Render to Caesar," Jesus and the Politics of his Day, Ernst
ReplyDeleteBammel and C F D Moule, eds (New York Cambridge University Press,
1984), ρ 252 suggests that Herodians were responsible for collecting the census tax and sending it on to Rome - so would have been quite supportive of the tax...