In Matthew 22:15-46, Jesus faces a series of “gotcha” questions from the Pharisees and Sadducees—religious leaders seeking to trap Him in His words. These questions weren’t asked to seek truth, but to discredit Jesus. Yet, each time, Jesus responded with wisdom, exposing their false assumptions and revealing deeper spiritual truths.
A “gotcha question” is designed not to get an honest answer but to trap someone in a difficult situation. In this passage, both the Pharisees and Sadducees try to trap Jesus with questions about taxes, resurrection, and God’s Law. Their goal is to discredit Him, but Jesus turns the tables on them with His own gotcha question.
The Pharisees ask about taxes, hoping to force Jesus to choose between Roman authority and Jewish independence. The Sadducees ask about resurrection, a concept they didn’t believe in, hoping to make Jesus’ teaching look foolish. But Jesus, in His wisdom, doesn’t fall into their traps.
When asked whether it’s right to pay taxes to Caesar, Jesus holds up a Roman coin and asks, “Whose image is this?” The answer, of course, is Caesar’s. Jesus responds, “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God” (Matthew 22:21).
This statement is about more than taxes. Jesus highlights a deeper truth: Caesar’s image may be on the coin, but God’s is on each of us. We are made in God’s image, and just as the coin belongs to Caesar, we belong to God. The question isn’t about paying taxes; it’s about where our ultimate allegiance lies. Do we belong to the systems of this world, or do we give our hearts, minds, and lives to God?
Next, the Sadducees ask a convoluted question about marriage in the resurrection, a scenario meant to make belief in the afterlife seem absurd. But Jesus cuts through their confusion by declaring that God is “the God of the living” (Matthew 22:32). He points to the reality of eternal life, showing that those who belong to God will live with Him forever.
Jesus’ response reminds us that God’s power and love extend beyond the grave. Our hope is not just for this life but for the life to come. In a world where everything is temporary, Jesus calls us to trust in the eternal promises of God.
Finally, when asked which commandment is the greatest, Jesus sums up the entire Law with two simple commands: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” and “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39). These two commands encapsulate the essence of what it means to obey God’s Law.
At the heart of these interactions is a question we must all answer: Who do we belong to? Does the fallenness of this world define us, or do we belong to God? Jesus makes it clear that we are made in God’s image, and our ultimate allegiance is to Him.