Whose Image Is On You?

2024 Spring Branch

Whose Image is On You?

Matthew 22:15-22

15 – The Pharisees are at it again… plotting and planning how they can entangle Jesus and trap Him up in something… get Him to say something… anything that would discredit Jesus and would possibly incriminate Jesus.

16 – In this event, they send their disciples along with the Herodians to do their dirty work, and not themselves. So, they met together, plotted, planned, counseled and rehearsed it with their disciples and sent them to entice Jesus.

Maybe they were thinking that the appearance of certain Pharisees could have revealed the intention, or that their intention would have been even more obvious to Jesus. The disciple’s unrecognizable appearance could have carried a look of learning or of sincere desire to know the truth.

But, they could not hide anything from Jesus. Listen: You can’t hide the truth from Jesus. He can see what is in the heart of man, and He knows it from a long way off.

You can try to flatter Jesus. You can try to trick Him. You can try to manipulate Him...

You can wear what you want to wear. Smile or don’t smile. Fake it or not. He knows you. He really knows you, better than you know yourself.

The Herodians are rarely talked about. They could have been an unreligious group, most likely just a political group, who fully supports Herod Antipas, King Herod, as he was called… son of Herod the Great, who became the tetrarch of Galilee and ruled throughout Jesus’ ministry. He is the one that had John the Baptist beheaded, and he is the one that Jesus was sent to by Pilate for judgment, only to be sent back to Pilate for execution.

The Herodians would have political ambitions and would fully support Rome. The Pharisees hated Roman rule, but both of them came together to oppose Jesus. They found common ground: they hated Jesus and wanted Him to be stopped… or dead. Luke 13:31 says that Herod wanted Him dead.

*It is amazing what we can do when we find some common ground. We can do some amazing things, good or bad, when we come together on common ground, have common goals and targets.

16 – How do they start their trickery and deception? They start with flattery. If you want to try to turn a person to your side in an evil/wrong manner… we use flattery (insincere praise to further your own interest).

* Beware of the flatterer.

As the crowd surrounds Jesus, they bring a front of acceptance: “Jesus, we know that you are true, teach the truth, and do not care about the opinions of anyone, because you are not swayed by appearances…” then they draw the sword…

“Tell us what you think… Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar… or not…?”

What is the big deal with this question? Well… If Jesus opposes tribute to Rome… He opposes Rome and the Herodians are there to testify and convict Jesus of His crimes against Rome. And if He favors taxes, which were hated by all Jews… He would be accused as being disloyal to the Jewish nation, and He will lose the support of many.

I would be, we would be between a rock and cement… but not Jesus…

What does Jesus say?

18 – After knowing their wickedness, He said “Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? (They were being two-faced…) Show Me the tax money.”

This was a denarius, a silver coin, a day’s wage which was minted by Caesar Tiberius. One side bore his face and the other side showed him sitting on a throne in priestly robes… which made the coin even more offensive for the Jew… (Caesar was seen as a god by Rome)

20 – And Jesus asked: “Whose image and inscription is this, or on this coin…?”

21 – “Caesar’s,” they say. And Jesus replies, “Render (give or pay) to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

What should we give to whom? Give to Caesar’s what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.

The follower of Jesus and worshipper of God should render obedience to Caesar in Caesar’s realm. Should the Jew pay taxes, and should we pay taxes? The Bible makes it clear that we should pay what belongs to them.

I wish Jesus would have answered this question differently, but this goes along with the rest of the Bible, and in the New Testament we can look at Romans 13:1-7 and 1 Peter 2:13-17 to go along with what Jesus is saying here. We will subject ourselves to the government God has given...

What are we to show as Christians: The Christian is to be a godly citizen of and for their country, serving God first, but also serving our country. The early Christian apologists had to give continual defense for the Christian Church in the early years with the governments over them, and the apologist claimed what we just read… “we are commanded to be good citizens and to serve God and country.”

So, yes, we are going to pay what we owe; not a penny more or less, and we will pay them in accordance with the laws of the land.

But, the things that are God’s do not belong to Caesar, and they should only be given to God.

To be clear: All things are God’s. All money is God’s. That silver coin is God’s. All the cattle and all the hills… everything is God’s. And that makes all of my money... God’s money. And that also makes Caesar, the Herodians, the Pharisees, Sadducees, and you and me… all His.

Maybe the poll tax was the issue, which suggested that Rome owned the people. But, Who really owns all the people?

God owns all the people.

Whose image is on that coin? Caesar’s. Well, give it back to Caesar then; that is his possession in this realm.

But, when it comes to issue of possession and giving to God… I wished someone would have followed up Jesus’ remark with another question.

What do I mean? I mean that when Jesus said give to God that which is God’s, I wished someone would have stood up and asked “Well, what belongs to God?”

I believe that Jesus would have answered like this: “Well, whose image is on you?”

Maybe… they understood this without asking the question, or without Jesus spelling it out.

The Bible teaches that all things belong to God and that He has set authorities over us and we should be subject to them and give them what belongs to them… that is their right… but whose image is on you? And what is His right?

If Caesar has the right to collect his image… does not Almighty God have the right to receive His image in us? Does He not have the right to collect His due?

“Give to Caesar what is his, and Give to God what is God’s.” What is God’s? Who has God’s image on them?

All of us! We are commanded to give all of our hearts… all of ourselves to this God.

Caesar’s image is not on you. This coin does not reflect the image that is on you. Rome does not own you, and America does not own you. God does.

We are created in the image of God, for God, for His purposes and for His glory. Sin marred the image of God on us and in us, but through Christ… that image can be and will be restored (Ephesians 4:24 and Col. 3:10). And through the new man, that is born again, we can give our soul, mind and strength to Him, to love Him and serve Him… to give Him all of ourselves.

And that is what God wants from us.

And it is possible today, that we are giving more to Caesar than we are giving to God.

It is possible we are more consumed with Caesar than we are with God.

Give God your all. Do all things for the glory of God.

Luke 15:8 - The Parable of the Lost Coin

When the coin is lost, the image cannot be found. The owner seeks and searches for it and reaches out and eventually takes hold of it to examine it and rejoices.

The coin was me, and the coin was you. And when we were found, we were not found with an image that was marred and unrecognizable…

The image reflected the owner, the Lord and Savior, Who found us.

And the Inscription found written on us is this: “Mine.”

Show God off in your life. Glorify Him with all your being. Present you bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing, acceptable to God; this is our reasonable service.

Give God your all!

Close.