Matthew 22:20 (DRB)

Passage

And Jesus saith to them: Whose image and inscription is this?

Nearby Context

Matthew 22:18 But Jesus knowing their wickedness, said: Why do you tempt me, ye hypocrites?

Matthew 22:19 Shew me the coin of the tribute. And they offered him a penny.

Matthew 22:20 And Jesus saith to them: Whose image and inscription is this?

Matthew 22:21 They say to him: Caesar's. Then he saith to them: Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and to God, the things that are God's.

Matthew 22:22 And hearing this, they wondered and, leaving him, went their ways.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "jesus", "saith", "whose", "image", and "inscription". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "jesus" and "saith", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "Shew me the coin of the tribute..." into verse 21's "They say to him Caesar's Then he...", so "jesus" and "saith" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "jesus" and "saith" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.