1. Conflict about Paying Taxes To describe the conflict over paying taxes To evaluate Jesus’ reply All conquered people must pay taxes to the Romans If you can’t pay, your crops, land, animals, children may be taken away from you. Jews really resented paying taxes to the Romans as the conquering power. So why did they pay them? You could get the death penalty – crucifixion - not paying.

2. p.100 The Pharisees and Herodians try to trap Jesus, by asking him a question about paying taxes. The TRAP – If Jesus opposes paying taxes He could be reported as a rebel and security threat to the Romans – If Jesus agrees with paying taxes He would lose the support of ordinary Jews, who hate paying taxes. Then it would be easier to arrest him. What is the trap? 1.Summarise the story. 2.Explain why the question is a trap **How does Jesus’ answer avoid the trap?

3. 1.“Bring me a denarius and let me look at it”. 2.“Whose image is this? Whose inscription? 3.“Give to Caesar, what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s”. Jesus shows up the Jews for carrying idolatrous images themselves – and that they accept Roman authority. Jesus highlights the fact the coin has an image of Caesar as a god on it, and the name shows that it is Caesar’s property. the coin belongs to Caesar. So there is a duty to return things to the Romans. Jews belong to God, and they have a separate duty to honour God. Jesus makes it clear that you CAN both be a Jew, and a law abiding citizen of Rome. 1.Match up what Jesus says, with what he means. 2.How is Jesus’ answer useful for Christians? What does it teach them? **Do you agree with Jesus’ advice? Should we follow civil laws, even if we feel it is unfair?

4. Why was Jesus’ answer to the Jews a clever one?

5. Christian disobeying authority Jesus taught that Christian should respect and obey secular authority. (What does SECULAR mean?) Sometimes, Christians have felt it was NOT right to obey authority. Some Christians have disobeyed SECULAR authority when they felt the Poll tax was unfair, and refused to pay it… p.103 Dietrich Bonhoeffer opposed Hitler’s SECULAR authority, when he legalised the persecution of the Jews was wrong… p.103 1.Write down what SECULAR means 2.Is it ever right to go against Jesus’ teaching to “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar”?

6. Give to Caesar, what belongs to Caesar and give to God what belongs to God