Then the Pharisees went and plotted together how they might trap Him in what He said. And they sent their disciples to Him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and do not care what anyone thinks; for You are not partial to anyone. Tell us then, what do You think? Is it permissible to pay a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?” But Jesus perceived their malice, and said, “Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites? Show Me the coin used for the poll-tax.” And they brought Him a denarius. And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They said to Him, “Caesar’s.” Then He said to them, “Then pay to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.” And hearing this, they were amazed; and they left Him and went away (Matthew 22:15-22; all Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible).

“Then pay to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.” This is not just a statement about the “separation of church and state.” Actually, it is bigger than that. In fact, Jesus shows that His true disciples cannot separate their political allegiance from their faith. True faith acknowledges God as Lord over everything.

The denarius was a coin imprinted with an image of Caesar, the emperor. Jesus said that, because it bore Caesar’s image, His followers should have no problem giving it to him. After all, Caesar issued the coin. It really belongs to him. Let him have it.

However, what bears God’s image? What should we give to God?

“Then God said, ‘Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the livestock and over all the earth, and over every crawling thing that crawls on the earth.’ So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them (Genesis 1:26-27).

You bear the image of God. He has carved His inscription on you. You belong to Him. Give Him your entire self: heart, soul, mind, and strength. When He rules as Lord of our lives, everything else falls into place.

What can you do to render to God the things that are His?

Copyright © 2023 Michael E. Lynch. All rights reserved.