The Twenty-first Sunday of Pentecost

The People Pay Taxes to Caesar

Matthew 22: 15 - 22

Mark 12: 13 - 17

Luke 20: 20 - 26

The Pharisees liked to talk to Jesus, but they were always looking to trip him up, so he would make mistakes and could be accused of speaking falsehoods about God.

They were most concerned about his teaching in the Temple in Jerusalem, and they wanted to hand him over to the Roman authorities when he taught there.

Taxes were a great burden in Palestine at that time. The Jewish people hated the tax collectors (like Matthew), and many people, especially the Zealots, thought that Jewish people shouldn't have to pay taxes to the Romans, who were foreigners.

Caesar was the Roman word for emporer.

1. What did the Pharisees tell Jesus that he taught?

[The Pharisees told Jesus that he taught the truth.]

2. What did Jesus ask to see?

[Jesus asked to see a silver coin.]

3. Whose picture was on the coin?

[The Roman emperor's picture was on the coin (just like Washington's and Lincoln's portraits are on American coins).]

4. What did Jesus say?

[Jesus said, "Give the Emperor what belongs to him and give God what belongs to God."]

5. What did the Pharisees do?

[The Pharisees walked away.]

Calendar | HomePage | References and Resources | Pentecost 22 Lesson | Pentecost 21 Art