PODCAST
People Belong To God
August 25th, 2022
Matthew 22:15-22
It’s never wise to lay a trap for Jesus. The Pharisees learn this when they ask Jesus about the imperial tax. If Jesus says they should pay, He’ll lose the respect of the crowd. If He says they shouldn’t, He’ll be arrested for sedition. Instead of falling for their trap, Jesus flips it, and reminds them who they are.
First, when Jesus asks for a coin, the Pharisees have one. This is a problem because the Jewish people are prohibited from graven images because of their troublesome history of idolatry. Yet they’ve been carrying around a coin with a picture of Caesar in their pockets.
Then Jesus reminds them who they are, by making them remember that they are created in God’s image. Caesar’s image may be on their money, but God’s image is stamped onto our very beings. If people belong to God, then like Jesus we must conclude that the most important thing in the world is not to argue over money and politics, but rather to go out, find lost people, and return them to God!
Author: Tara Thomas Smith
