By Douglas K. Wilson, Ph. D.
Professor of Biblical Studies, University of Mobile
HONOR
Matthew 22:15–22, 34–40
Under Mosaic law, the priests, not the king, held the highest authority in the monarchy. The king was required to write a copy of the Torah, authenticated by the priests, by which he would govern the people under God’s authority (Deut. 17:18–20). When prideful King Uzziah breached the sanctity of the Holy Place in the temple to burn incense, 80 priests came in to tell him that he did not belong there (2 Chron. 26:16–20).
In the New Testament, the apostles clearly taught that Christians are to honor God-ordained secular authorities over them as His ministers (Rom. 13:1–7; 1 Pet. 2:13–17). However, when secular or religious officials claimed authority that contradicted God’s Word, Christians were to obey the words of Jesus over human authorities (Acts 4:19–20, 5:29–32, 26:24–29).
Government Authority (15–22)
Tax query. Should we pay taxes to Caesar? The Bible reader may consider this to be a simple question in which well-meaning men were asking for Jesus’ position on a governmental requirement. This was not the case.
Trick question. In actuality, the question was intended to be a political trap. Reread the verses. Pharisees sent their representatives along with Herodians. If Jesus told them not to pay taxes, the Herodians could charge Him with inciting insurrection. If He said to pay the tax, then He would be guilty of bowing to a foreign authority and could be indicted for teaching Jews to break the instructions of Torah: “You are not to set a foreigner over you, or one who is not of your people” (Deut. 17:15).
Take a quarter. Whenever I teach this passage, I use a U.S. quarter and ask my students, “Whose face is on the coin?” “Washington” is the obvious answer. In Jesus’ day, a denarius coin bore the image of Caesar’s face and the inscription of his name. Give to Caesar what is his and to God what is His. Jesus found a way to answer their question without transgressing any government authority.
God’s Authority (34–40)
Lawyer’s inquiry. After Jesus silenced the Sadducees and pointed them back to the instructions of Torah, one Pharisaic expert in the law determined to test Him about the greatest command. While many Christians are familiar with the Ten Commandments, Pharisees recognized a total of 613 commandments contained in the Torah. Which is the greatest single command?
Love God. Jesus identified the greatest commandment as Deuteronomy 6:5. The parallel passage in Mark 12:29–30 includes the Shema command of Deuteronomy 6:4 followed by the next verse: “Listen, Israel! The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind” (Mark 12:30). The command carries with it the concept of loving God with one’s whole self.
Love your neighbor. Jesus continued, pointing to another passage that carried the force of an imperative with “and you shall love” — this time from Leviticus 19:18. Loving one’s neighbor as one’s self is the complement to the first command. The vertical relationship between God and believers connects with the horizontal companionship of believers with other humans.
Learn more. In a related passage in Luke 10, a Pharisee asked, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus offered the good Samaritan parable to connect Leviticus 19:18 with 19:33–34. Students of the Word may find this a useful side note.
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