Pentecost Season · Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time · Year A
Matthew 22:15-21
Paying Taxes to Caesar
October 18, 2026
Overview & Insights
“Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” (Matthew 22:21)
In response to Jesus’ three provocative parables, various groups of Jewish leaders initiate confrontations with Jesus (see 22:15, 23, 34). These revolve around Torah adherence and how to live out faithful allegiance to Yahweh, similar to earlier disputes with Jewish leaders in Matthew (e.g., 12:1–14; 15:1–20). As in Jesus’ earlier teachings, love is shown to be central to proper interpretation of the law (22:34–40; see 5:43–48; 19:19). This series of encounters culminates in a final riddle by Jesus regarding his identity and authority, which silences all his opponents (22:41–46) and leads into a series of judgments on the Jewish leaders (chap. 23).
From Sermons.com: Join Today to access the most scholarly & well written preaching resources anywhere.
Take it further
Commentary
Matthew 22:15-22 (Gospel) Working Preacher
Weekly exegesis of the Gospel by a named seminary scholar.
Matthew 22 verse by verse Enduring Word · David Guzik
David Guzik's evangelical, verse-by-verse commentary on the whole chapter.
Matthew 22:15 commentaries BibleHub
A stack of classic commentaries gathered at the start of the passage.
Matthew 22 commentaries StudyLight
A second aggregator carrying a different set of classic commentators.
Matthew 22 commentary Precept Austin
A deep well of cross-linked commentary quotations and study notes.
Twenty-ninth Sunday readings (Cycle A) Agape Bible Study
A Catholic verse-by-verse study of all four of this Sunday's readings.
Sunday Connection: 29th Sunday (A) Loyola Press · Sunday Connection
A Catholic walk through the Sunday readings with reflection prompts.
Background & Word Study
The Church Fathers
Questions preachers ask
What does “render to Caesar” mean?
The Pharisees and Herodians try to trap Jesus over the imperial tax. He asks whose image is on the coin, and answers that what bears Caesar’s image goes to Caesar, and what bears God’s image, human life itself, goes to God (Matthew 22:15–22). It is less a tidy split of church and state than a claim that God’s claim is total.
Where does this fall in the Catholic lectionary?
This is the Gospel for the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A (October 16 to 22).
Prep at sermons.com
Ready to write?
- Full sermons on Matthew 22:15-21
- Illustrations cleared for use in worship
- Commentary, quotes, and Bible dictionary
Trusted by pastors since 1995.
Free every Tuesday
Illustrations & Sermon Prep in your inbox
The coming Sunday’s readings, a cleared-for-use illustration, and a sermon-prep head start. One email, free.