Paying Taxes To Caesar
Welcome to the Taxes for Caesar family devotional. In this story, religious leaders tried to trap Jesus with a trick question: “Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” If Jesus answered one way, He would be speaking against Caesar, if He answered the other way, He would be speaking against God.
But Jesus saw right through the religious leaders’ trickery and His answer stunned them! Jesus replied “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.” Jesus let the religious leaders know that, while obeying our government is important, obeying God is our highest priority.
“Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be sincere. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said, so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor. 21 So the spies questioned him: “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. 22 Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
23 He saw through their duplicity and said to them, 24 “Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription are on it?”
“Caesar’s,” they replied.
25 He said to them, “Then give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
26 They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public. And astonished by his answer, they became silent.