Give to God

Scripture: Matthew 22:18-23(NIV)

But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then he said to them, “So give back 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.

Devotion:

In these verses, Jesus exposes the trap set by those who hoped to force Him into a political corner. Instead, He reminds them—and us—that true allegiance belongs to God alone. Coins may bear Caesar’s image, but our lives bear the image of our Creator. “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s” is not just a clever escape; it is a summons to examine what we are withholding from the God who made us.

Why did the Pharisees and Herodians try to trap Jesus with this dilemma? The answer is for their own political purposes. To trap him and give them some reason to discredit and charge Jesus with a crime. If He answered “yes, pay the tax,” they would say he had betrayed His people and would be liable, at least, to expulsion from the Temple, if not worse. If He answered “no,” he would be reported to the Roman authorities as a revolutionary to be arrested, tried, and crucified,

The answer Jesus gives avoids the dilemma His questioners had proposed. With a few simple words, Jesus divides human authority from divine authority. Jesus proclaims the image of God in which all people are created from the image of a man, even a ruler, who is not God. With these words, He shows that all humankind is the property of God and there is no rival in heaven or on earth to that claim. Man can collect taxes, but we owe our very lives to the God who created us.

How does this saying apply to us today? Jesus makes it clear that we are to be obedient to the legitimate authorities of our nation, state, and locality. Yet, we have our ultimate obedience to God as our creator, redeemer, and sustainer. We are to be model citizens not only to the civil authorities, but we are to go beyond that to be citizens of heaven. We are to be in the world, but not of the world. Christians should be known for their love for one another and for the world.

Prayer:

Dear Jesus, we come to you today asking for you to show us where we might be withholding something from you. We confess that we have often disobeyed You in what we have done, said, or failed to do. We repent and commit to seeking Your face in all that we say and do. We rely on Your grace and mercy for our pardon for our failures, and we ask for Your Holy Spirit to strengthen us for obedience to Your will. In Your name we pray, Amen.