Matius 15:15

15:15 But Peter ¹  said to him, “Explain this parable to us.”

Matius 22:20

22:20 Jesus ²  said to them, “Whose image ³  is this, and whose inscription?”

[15:15]  ¹ tn Grk “And answering, Peter said to him.” This construction is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation.

[22:20]  ² tn Grk “And he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[22:20]  ³ tn Or “whose likeness.”

[22:20]  sn In this passage Jesus points to the image (Grk εἰκών, eikwn) of Caesar on the coin. This same Greek word is used in Gen 1:26 (LXX) to state that humanity is made in the “image” of God. Jesus is making a subtle yet powerful contrast: Caesar’s image is on the denarius, so he can lay claim to money through taxation, but God’s image is on humanity, so he can lay claim to each individual life.