Matthew 22:18
in Matthew 22But Jesus knew their evil intent and said, “You hypocrites, why are you testing Me?
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why make ye trial of me, ye hypocrites?
KJV
But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?
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This verse in Matthew 22
Context
The coin in His hand
The “tax” in question was the Roman census tax, a head tax levied on Judea since AD 6, when Rome took direct control of the province; it had already sparked a revolt under Judas the Galilean (Acts 5:37 remembers it). Paying it was the daily, hated proof of foreign rule.
The denarius they handed Him was a day's wage, and the standard silver denarius of Tiberius carried the emperor's portrait with the Latin inscription “Tiberius Caesar, son of the divine Augustus.” That is why the question was a trap with no safe answer: say “pay,” and He endorses a coin that hails a man as a god's son; say “don't,” and He is a rebel against Rome. His answer, “whose image?”, turns the coin's own claim back on it: the coin bears Caesar's image, but man bears God's.
Sources: Acts 5:37 (the census and Judas the Galilean) · Genesis 1:27 (whose image man bears)
Commentary
12 notes on this verse(Verse 18.) But Jesus, knowing their wickedness, said: Why do you tempt me, hypocrites? The first virtue of a respondent is to understand the minds of those who ask, and to call not disciples, but tempters. Therefore, a hypocrite is called someone who is one thing and pretends to be another, that is, someone who acts one way in action and another in words.
This site's exposition
why are you testing Me
on Matthew 22:18-19
Jesus names their motive at once, "You hypocrites, why are you testing Me?" The hypocrite thread of the Sermon's warnings against showy piety is now spoken to men setting a trap. His request for "the coin used for the tax" brings out a denarius, the answer already in their pockets.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers5 voices
From this place we learn by the Saviour's example not to be allured by those things which have many voices for them, and thence seem famous, but to incline rather to those things which are spoken according to some method of reason. But we may also understand this place morally, that we ought to give some things to the body as a tribute to Cæsar, that is to say, necessaries. And such things as are congenial to our souls' nature, that is, such things as lead to virtue, those we ought to offer to God. They then who without any moderation inculcate the law of God, and command us to have no care for the things required by the body, are the Pharisees, who forbad to give tribute to Cæsar, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created. (1 Tim. 4:3.) They, on the other hand, who allow too much indulgence to the body are the Herodians. But our Saviour would neither that virtue should be enfeebled by immoderate devotedness to the flesh; nor that our fleshly nature should be oppressed by our unremitting efforts after virtue. Or the prince of this world, that is, the Devil, is called Cæsar; and we cannot render to God the things that are God's, unless we have first rendered to this prince all that is his, that is, have cast off all wickedness. This moreover let us learn from this place, that to those who tempt us we should neither be totally silent, nor yet answer openly, but with caution, to cut off all occasion from those who seek occasion in us, and teach without blame the things which may save those who are willing to be saved.
What then does the Wisdom and the Word of God do? Jesus allows all their passion to appear for all to see, without them taking back the words they were speaking to no purpose. And like a skillful physician, he then lances their passion with …
This is the first excellence of the answerer, that He discerns the thoughts of His examiners, and calls them not disciples but tempters. A hypocrite is he who is one thing, and feigns himself another.
He makes an answer not corresponding to the smooth tone of their address, but harsh, suitable to their cruel thoughts; for God answers men's hearts, and not their words. He therefore calls them hypocrites, that seeing Him to be a discerner of human hearts, they might not be hardy enough to carry through their design. Observe thus how the Pharisees spoke fair that they might destroy Him, but Jesus put them to shame that He might save them; for God's wrath is more profitable to man, than man's favour.
What then saith He? "Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?" Seest thou how He talks with them with more than usual severity? For since their wickedness was now complete and manifest, He cuts the deeper, first confounding and silencing them, by publishing their secret thoughts, and making it manifest to all with what kind of intent they are coming unto Him. And these things He did, repulsing their wickedness, so that they might not suffer hurt in attempting the same things again. And yet their words were full of much respect, for they both called Him Master, and bore witness to His truth, and that He was no respecter of persons; but being God, He was deceived by none of these things. Wherefore they also ought to have conjectured, that the rebuke was not the result of conjecture, but a sign of His knowing their secret thoughts.
5 more voices on this verse
The Medieval Church2 voices
Thinking to placate and disarm Him with praise, they flatter Him, so that when He had let down His guard He would say that it was not necessary to pay the tax, and upon that they would seize Him as an insurrectionist who was stirring …
There follows the response: but Jesus knowing their wickedness, said. And first he responds to their mind; secondly, to their words, at render. Because it belongs to man to respond to words, but to God to respond to the mind, therefore because Christ was God …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Those that presume to tempt Christ will certainly find him too hard for them, and that he is of more piercing eyes than not to see, and more pure eyes than not to hate, the disguised wickedness of hypocrites, that dig deep to hide their counsel from him.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
We see in this passage the first of a series of subtle attacks which were made on our Lord during the last days of his earthly ministry. His deadly foes, the Pharisees, saw the influence which he was obtaining, both by his miracles and by his preaching. They were determined by some means to silence him, or put him to death; they therefore endeavoured to “entangle him in his talk.”
We see in this passage the first of a series of subtle attacks which were made on our Lord during the last days of his earthly ministry. His deadly foes, the Pharisees, saw the influence which he was obtaining, both by his miracles and by his preaching. They were determined by some means to silence him, or put him to death; they therefore endeavoured to “entangle him in his talk.” They sent forth“their disciples ˆ with the Herodians” to try him with a hard question: they wished to entice him into saying something which might serve as a handle for an accusation against him. Their scheme, we are told in these verses, entirely failed: they took nothing by their aggressive movement, and retreated in confusion. The first thing which demands our attention in these verses is the flattering language with which our Lord was accosted by his enemies. “Master,’ they said, ‘we know that thou art true and teacheth the way of God in truth. Neither carest thou for any man for thou regardest not the person of men.How well these Pharisees and Herodians talked. What smooth and honeyed words were these. They thought no doubt that by good words and fair speeches they would throw our Lord off his guard. It might truly be said of them the words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords.” ( Psalm 55:21 ). It becomes all professing Christians to be much on their guard against flattery. We mistake greatly if we suppose that persecution and hard usage are the only weapons in Satan’s armoury: that crafty foe has other engines for doing us mischief, which he knows well how to work. He knows how to poison souls by the world’s seductive kindness, when he cannot frighten them by the “fiery dart” or the sword. Let us not be ignorant of his devices. “By peace he destroys many.”
The words behind it
12 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Γνοὺς | gnous | Having known | G1097 → | 221 times |
| δὲ | de | however | G1161 → | 2765 times |
| ὁ | ho | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| Ἰησοῦς | iesous | Jesus | G2424 → | 908 times |
| τὴν | ten | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| πονηρίαν | ponerian | malice | G4189 → | |
| αὐτῶν | auton | of them | G846 → | 5565 times |
| εἶπεν· | eipen | He said; | G2036 → | 925 times |
| τί | ti | Why | G5101 → | 563 times |
| με | me | Me | G3165 → | 1936 times |
| πειράζετε, | peirazete | do you test, | G3985 → | 37 times |
| ὑποκριταί; | hupokritai | hypocrites? | G5273 → | 17 times |
ΓνοὺςHaving known
gnousG1097 →221 times
δὲhowever
deG1161 →2765 times
ὁ<the>
hoG3588 →19766 times
ἸησοῦςJesus
iesousG2424 →908 times
τὴνthe
tenG3588 →19766 times
πονηρίανmalice
ponerianG4189 →
αὐτῶνof them
autonG846 →5565 times
εἶπεν·He said;
eipenG2036 →925 times
τίWhy
tiG5101 →563 times
μεMe
meG3165 →1936 times
πειράζετε,do you test,
peirazeteG3985 →37 times
ὑποκριταί;hypocrites?
hupokritaiG5273 →17 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
John 8:6They said this to test Him, in order to have a basis for accusing Him. But Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with His finger.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 17:13
O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who abandon You will be put to shame. All who turn away will be written in the dust, for they have abandoned the LORD, the fountain of…
- Jeremiah 17:13
Through
John 2:25He did not need any testimony about man, for He knew what was in a man.
it leads to
- Matthew 9:4
But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, “Why do you harbor evil in your hearts?
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- John 13:11
For He knew who would betray Him. That is why He said, “Not all of you are clean.”
- Matthew 9:4
Through
Revelation 2:23Then I will strike her children dead, and all the churches will know that I am the One who searches minds and hearts, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.
it leads to
- Matthew 16:27
For the Son of Man will come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will repay each one according to what he has done.
- Psalms 7:9
Put an end to the evil of the wicked, but establish the righteous, O righteous God who searches hearts and minds.
- Romans 8:27
And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
- 1 Peter 1:17
Since you call on a Father who judges each one’s work impartially, conduct yourselves in reverent fear during your stay as foreigners.
- Acts 1:24
And they prayed, “Lord, You know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two You have chosen
- Matthew 16:27
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies26
- David
- David, a Type of Christ
- How Scripture Shapes Christian Ethics
- Isaac
- It Is Written
- Jesus on the Scriptures
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About Matthew
This page draws on 11 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Matthew; Jerome, Commentary on Matthew; Jerome, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; John Chrysostom, Homily on the Gospel of Matthew 70; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Origen of Alexandria, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Pseudo-Chrysostom, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Severus of Antioch, CATHEDRAL SERMONS, HOMILY 104; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Matthew and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Matthew.