Matthew 22:15–22: The Loyalties of a Pilgrim People
Introduction
In every society, politics and religion are notoriously complex and controversial topics. This was just as much true today as it was in Jesus’ day, when the Jewish people took pride in the hope that a Messiah would ride into Jerusalem on a white horse in order to expel the pagan Romans and reconstitute the nation of Israel under a new Davidic king. One of the points of tension fell upon whether it was lawful for the Romans to assess a poll tax on God’s chosen people. In order to entrap Jesus, the Pharisees devised a plan to force Jesus into declaring loyalties with either Israel or Rome. Whatever he answered, he would surely offend some group of people sufficiently to be discredited or even put to death. Jesus, however, provides an entirely different paradigm for God’s people: conduct yourselves honorably as God’s pilgrim people in a foreign land (1 Pet. 2:11–12).
Discussion Questions
1. How does the inquiry of the disciples of the Pharisees connect with the dialogue that Jesus has had with religious leaders since Matthew 21:23? What were the Pharisees hoping to accomplish (v. 15)? Why do you think the Pharisees sent their disciples (v. 16a)? Who were the Herodians, and why did they accompany the Pharisees’ disciples (v. 16b)? Why does the emphasis on Jesus’ truthfulness in v. 16c force Jesus to answer in some way? What was the trap (v. 17)?
2. How did politics and religion combine in the minds of the Jews in the way that they assessed whether loyalty to Rome was lawful? How did politics and religion combine in the minds of the pagan Romans, who worshiped the emperor? How do politics and religion combine in modern times in places like communist China, Hindu nationalist India, or Sharia-governed Islamic states? In how many ways do politics and religion combine in the United States?
3. What kind of “malice” might we face in our dealings with the world (v. 18a)? How do we gain the kind of discernment that Jesus exercises here? What did the inscription on the denarius say about Caesar (v. 20)? What did Jesus mean when he instructed the Pharisees to give Caesar’s coin back to Caesar (v. 21)? How did this successfully avoid the trap set for him? What does this principle teach believers about how to live within a hostile world?
4. What does the New Testament mean when it teaches that we are a pilgrim people (Phil. 3:20; 1 Pet. 2:11–12; Heb. 11:13–16)? What does being a pilgrim/exile suggest about our loyalties within this world? How are we to live honorably in the present world? Why does the world still hate us, even when we devote ourselves to good works? What hope do we have, if we cannot have hope in this world?
