Devotional on Mat 22:15-21 (ESV).
Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his talk. 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. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"
But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, "Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin for the tax." And they brought him a denarius. And Jesus said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?" They said, "Caesar's."
Then he said to them, "Therefore give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."
"When they heard it, they marveled," continues the next verse; and there is much to marvel about in this teaching. It can be taken literally to represent honesty as a citizen (paying taxes) and as a Christian (offerings to the Lord). But there is also a deeper lesson here, an affirmation of a message that has been echoing through Scripture since the first chapter of Genesis.
Let's begin with the Pharisees' comment: "You are not swayed by appearances." We know this to be true from other verses (1 Pet 3:3-5, 1 Sam16:7); and although the Pharisees gave this compliment falsely (with the motive of testing God, not praising Him), this comment is true and proven by Scripture. God is not swayed by appearances because he created us; His powerful hand shaped us "fearfully and wonderfully" (Psa 139:14), and He is well pleased with His creation.
Now, just before I link the subject of appearance to Christ's teaching about the coins, let me ask you for a moment to imagine what God looks like. The word that pops into my mind is beautiful. I don't know what His eyes look like, what colour His hair is or what shape His radiant smile must be; but there's no doubt that He is beautiful.
And we, humans, are created in His image. Genesis 1:26 says, "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.'" Think about that. God is not swayed by outward appearances not only because He designed them, but also because He blueprinted them right after His own image. What a great example of His love for us! He made us beautiful, just like Himself. For this reason we neither attempt to "improve" our looks, nor judge others by theirs, nor allow ourselves to be swayed by outward appearances -- because we all bear the image of our God. Which brings us back to the coins.
Jesus asked the Pharisees, "whose likeness and inscription is this?" If He were asking the same question about us, the answers would be quite clear:
Likeness: We bear God's likeness.
We were created in the image of our God. As the coins have Caesar's image, we humans have been created in God's likeness, His word is inscribed into our hearts. "Therefore give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's," Jesus said. The image of Ceasar on the denarius was the ultimate symbol of ownership; it was like his signature, his "Belongs To" tag on the coin. And in the same way, we humans are living, moving possesions of God. "Give to God the things that are God's." We belong to God, and offer ourselves to Him -- our bodies (
Rom 12:1), our praise (Heb 13:15), our love, and our lives. Our offerings are not attempts to cover our sins, for Christ was the final atoning sacrifice (Heb 10:11-18), but they are offerings of love. We give our lives to Christ, as He gave His for us. We have nothing else to give. We are fully God's, and allow Him to use us for whatever purpose He has planned for us. (Rom 9:20-21)
When people refuse to give their lives God, they waste their time and energy on the sinful and superficial things of this world. Instead of being God's 'coins' they become worldly 'riches' and God's Spirit does not dwell in these (
Jud 1:19). They deny having been made in the image of their God, they believe only in themselves; thinking that they bear but their own image, they consequently pay to themselves, rather than to the God who owns them. However, they in no way can cease to wear the image of God, and that's why He still loves them despite their sin. But they act as dishonest citizens, they do not pay their 'taxes' to the Lord, and for this they will be punished greatly -- eternally.
Eternal punishment, you may think, is a very harsh penalty for this crime. But think of what Jesus called the "great and first commandment": "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" (
Mat 22:37-38). Jesus loved us enough that He laid down His life for us, and He told us to love others as He had loved us (Joh 13:34). Now, if one is not willing to lay down his life before God as a living sacrifice, he does not love God. Why should God let him spend time with Him in heaven, if the man did not want to spend time with God on earth?
But we Christians know that we are God's. We are full of love for Him, ready to sacrifice everything for Him. We were created in His image, we are fully His, and we are glad to give ourselves to Him. "Give to God the things that are God's." I pray that you and I will always choose to make every second of our lives a sacrifice to God, honouring the image and inscription He has imprinted upon us.
Labels:
poetry
