When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.
This verse closes the tribute trap in which the Pharisees and Herodian spies took counsel to entangle Jesus in His talk and force an incriminating answer. If He forbade tribute they would accuse Him to the Romans as a rebel and an enemy of civil authority, while if He allowed it they would accuse Him to the Jewish elders as opposed to the law of God. They expected a direct yes or no that would give them ground for one charge or the other.
They approached with flattering words commending Him as true and impartial and as teaching the way of God in truth. Jesus perceived their wickedness, read their hearts and motives and wicked purposes, was not deceived by pretentious righteousness, and His answer exposed their hypocrisy and presumption. Holding the Roman coin stamped with Caesar's name and image, He answered about tribute to Caesar.
The answer teaches that people living under civil protection should give that power its due support and peaceably submit to and obey the laws of the land so long as its demands do not conflict with duty to God, while always giving God what is due to Him in obedience. First allegiance belongs to God, and the limits of duty to government and duty to God are thus defined. The answer defeated both intended accusations, giving neither Roman nor Jewish authorities grounds to accuse Him, settling the question so completely that the trap was broken, the artful questions failed, and the questioners had nothing more to say and no reply that served their purposes.
When they heard it they marvelled, were amazed, baffled and defeated, and left Him and went their way unable to reply. Unprepared for this wisdom, they were silenced by plain, intelligent answers that at the same time brought precious light and seeds of truth to the people who were listening. His wise answer and discernment gave further evidence of His divinity.
Though convinced against their will, they did not yield to Him or accept Him; pride and deeply rooted prejudice made them reject its evidence, hardened their hearts, and left evidence with no effect on them. Though furious and longing to seize and kill Him to avenge their humiliation, they did not dare attack Him before the crowd but kept a fair outward appearance while leaving to continue planning to destroy Him. They left unable at that time to satisfy their wrath but determined to carry out their purpose to destroy Him, and from that point there was no more peace or rest for the Saviour because of bitter opposition and intense hatred shown in abundant unceasing plans and schemes to entrap Him until that hate was fully accomplished in His death on Calvary. Even under that opposition He kept His mission ever before Him, ministering with a heart touched by human woe and speaking with clearness, simplicity and authority as never heard before, inculcating principles so clearly and wisely that none need make a misstep who follow Him and keep His words.
The same discernment continues today: Christ understands the true character of every person whatever his profession, no cover deceives Him, and He writes the true motives of all in His book. The verse is part of Jesus' many illustrations and repeated warnings showing what would result to the Jews from rejecting the Son of God; its words address all in every age who refuse to receive Him as Redeemer, so every warning is for them, and the desecrated temple, the disobedient son, the false husbandmen and the contemptuous builders have their counterpart in the experience of every sinner, whose foreshadowed doom will be his unless he repents. The verse belongs to the second parable of the invitation, a king's invitation coming from one vested with power to command; refusal meets no more favorable response than the householder's supper but with deeper guilt and more dreadful punishment, for those bidden make light of it, pleading circumstances and supposed duties, and treat the king's messengers with scorn, despitefully using and slaying them, which brings the king's wrath in more than exclusion from his presence and table, when he sends forth his armies and destroys those murderers and burns up their cities.
This verse closes the tribute trap in which the Pharisees and Herodian spies took counsel to entangle Jesus in His talk and force an incriminating answer. If He forbade tribute they would accuse Him to the Romans as a rebel and an enemy of civil authority, while if He allowed it they would accuse Him to the Jewish elders as opposed to the law of God. They expected a direct yes or no that would give them ground for one charge or the other.
They approached with flattering words commending Him as true and impartial and as teaching the way of God in truth. Jesus perceived their wickedness, read their hearts and motives and wicked purposes, was not deceived by pretentious righteousness, and His answer exposed their hypocrisy and presumption. Holding the Roman coin stamped with Caesar's name and image, He answered about tribute to Caesar.
The answer teaches that people living under civil protection should give that power its due support and peaceably submit to and obey the laws of the land so long as its demands do not conflict with duty to God, while always giving God what is due to Him in obedience. First allegiance belongs to God, and the limits of duty to government and duty to God are thus defined. The answer defeated both intended accusations, giving neither Roman nor Jewish authorities grounds to accuse Him, settling the question so completely that the trap was broken, the artful questions failed, and the questioners had nothing more to say and no reply that served their purposes.
When they heard it they marvelled, were amazed, baffled and defeated, and left Him and went their way unable to reply. Unprepared for this wisdom, they were silenced by plain, intelligent answers that at the same time brought precious light and seeds of truth to the people who were listening. His wise answer and discernment gave further evidence of His divinity.
Though convinced against their will, they did not yield to Him or accept Him; pride and deeply rooted prejudice made them reject its evidence, hardened their hearts, and left evidence with no effect on them. Though furious and longing to seize and kill Him to avenge their humiliation, they did not dare attack Him before the crowd but kept a fair outward appearance while leaving to continue planning to destroy Him. They left unable at that time to satisfy their wrath but determined to carry out their purpose to destroy Him, and from that point there was no more peace or rest for the Saviour because of bitter opposition and intense hatred shown in abundant unceasing plans and schemes to entrap Him until that hate was fully accomplished in His death on Calvary. Even under that opposition He kept His mission ever before Him, ministering with a heart touched by human woe and speaking with clearness, simplicity and authority as never heard before, inculcating principles so clearly and wisely that none need make a misstep who follow Him and keep His words.
The same discernment continues today: Christ understands the true character of every person whatever his profession, no cover deceives Him, and He writes the true motives of all in His book. The verse is part of Jesus' many illustrations and repeated warnings showing what would result to the Jews from rejecting the Son of God; its words address all in every age who refuse to receive Him as Redeemer, so every warning is for them, and the desecrated temple, the disobedient son, the false husbandmen and the contemptuous builders have their counterpart in the experience of every sinner, whose foreshadowed doom will be his unless he repents. The verse belongs to the second parable of the invitation, a king's invitation coming from one vested with power to command; refusal meets no more favorable response than the householder's supper but with deeper guilt and more dreadful punishment, for those bidden make light of it, pleading circumstances and supposed duties, and treat the king's messengers with scorn, despitefully using and slaying them, which brings the king's wrath in more than exclusion from his presence and table, when he sends forth his armies and destroys those murderers and burns up their cities.