Matthew 22:21 (LSB)

Passage

They said to Him, “Caesar’s.” Then He said to them, “Therefore, render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.”

Nearby Context

Matthew 22:19 Show Me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought Him a denarius.

Matthew 22:20 And He said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?”

Matthew 22:21 They said to Him, “Caesar’s.” Then He said to them, “Therefore, render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.”

Matthew 22:22 And hearing this, they marveled, and leaving Him, they went away.

Matthew 22:23 On that day some Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection) came to Jesus and asked Him a question,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "said", "caesar", "therefore", "render", and "things". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "said" and "caesar", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "And He said to them Whose likeness..." into verse 22's "And hearing this they marveled and leaving...", so "said" and "caesar" 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 "said" and "caesar" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.