Render to God what is His
In the 22nd chapter of Matthew’s gospel we see an exchange between Jesus and the Pharisees concerning the obligation of the believer to pay taxes—
15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle Him (Jesus) in His words. 16 And they sent their disciples to Him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and You do not care about anyone's opinion, for You are not swayed by appearances. 17 Tell us, then, what You think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put Me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show Me the coin for the tax.” And they brought Him a denarius. 20 And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They said, “Caesar's.” Then He said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” 22 When they heard it, they marveled. And they left Him and went away. (Matthew 22.15-22 ESV)
Jesus is saying that because the coin bears the image and inscription of Caesar, that whatever taxes are required of those claiming citizenship in his “kingdom” should pay whatever tax is required. What those who surrounded Jesus didn’t know is that His ministry and purpose had nothing to do with the establishment of a political kingdom that would oppose Rome’s taxation requirements, nor their civil laws. Throughout His ministry this would prove to be a difficult pill for many who followed Him to swallow as they wanted a Messiah who would oppose Roman rule and lead God’s people against them.
That said, in His exchange with the Pharisee disciples and the Herodians He closes with a thought that I believe was the most important statement made by Him – He said, “Therefore render… to God the things that are God’s.” We may recall that just prior to those words He had drawn attention to something specific concerning the Roman denarius (coin) that He was handed – that because it carried the likeness and inscription of Caesar, it was to be rendered to Ceasar. It seems that Jesus was harking back to a moment in the garden—
So God created man in His own image,
in the image of God He created him;
male and female He created them. – Genesis 1.27
This truth is echoed in James’ epistle when he says that we are made in the likeness of God (3.9), meaning that bearing His likeness is a truth that carries into the New Testament church. And though sin has certainly distorted this truth, He’s continually restoring it in us—
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. – 2 Corinthians 3.18 ESV
The greater point being made by Jesus as his accusers attempt to entangle Him is that as those bearing the likeness of our God and King, we are to render to Him what is His – our lives.
- Pastor Ariel
