tax.” They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, “Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then he said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away. (Matthew 22:15–22) Ironically, their praise for his honesty is dishonest. Knowing this, Jesus responds with brutal candor, exposing their motivation (Why are you trying to trap me?) and what their hearts are like (hypocrites).