Surrendering our personal agendas

SUMMARY: In Matthew 22:15-22, the Pharisees try to trap Jesus with a question about whether or not it is allowed to pay taxes to Caesar. They wanted Jesus to say "no" because they believed that anyone sent by God would support the overthrow of the Roman occupation of Israel. However, Jesus responds by saying to give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God. This means that Jesus did not see any value in the coin because his responsibility was to do the will of the Father who sent him. The passage invites us to submit ourselves entirely to God's will without any hidden personal agendas. The author concludes with the lyrics of a hymn that expresses surrender to Christ.

In Matthew 22: 15-22 we read about a monumental ambush that they tried to make on Jesus. By the time of Matthew chapter 22 it was no longer a secret that the Pharisees planned to kill him. However, all that these doctors of the law needed was a "motive or reason" serious enough to grant him the death penalty. Faced with this need, the Pharisees concocted a question captious. [It is extremely important to recognize that the ringleaders of this trap are the Pharisees]. However, what is interesting about this particular attempt is that the Pharisees send out a retinue made up of their disciples and supporters of Herod's government; "Herodians", (most likely Herod Antipas, tetrarch of Galilee). To understand the effect of this combination of people, one must examine the question that was thrown at the Master:


“Master, we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God according to the truth. You are not influenced by anyone because you do not pay attention to appearances. Give us your opinion: Is it allowed to pay taxes to * Caesar or not? " vv.16-17