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.”

Matt. 22:19-21

Throughout our series we have sought to extract principles of discipleship from various passages within Matthew’s gospel. Although we are looking to draw application for ourselves, we must always remember that the process of discipleship that Jesus was leading His followers through occurred in the midst of the unfolding of various events. As we move towards the conclusion of our study, we come also towards the conclusion of the gospel of Matthew and the earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus. In light of this, we should expect that the lessons that we can draw from this period of Jesus life are of great significance given that these are the last events of his life on earth.

The final week of His earthly life began with His triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem. As He approached, His followers came together with other pilgrims who had traveled to the city to celebrate Passover and shouted praises to the Lord, hailing Him as the Messiah and quoting from Psalm 118. The words and actions of these faithful pilgrims recall the words of Peter, who had declared Him to be the Christ, the Son of the Living God while they had been in Caesarea Philippi. In contrast to this, the residents of Jerusalem who recognized that His arrival had caused a great stirring in the city, identified Him merely as a ‘the prophet’ from Nazareth.

The next day, as Jesus taught in the temple, he was approached by a group of Pharisees who sought to trap Him in His words in order that He might be arrested. They therefore asked Him whether or not it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, a question which could have serious religious or political consequences depending on how it was answered. Jesus’ reply involved first asked for a Roman coin and then asking whose image and inscription it bore. The answer of course was, “Caesar’s.” He then made a simple statement with dramatic implications, declaring that the things which bore Caesar’s image should be rendered unto Him, but that God should also be rendered that which was His due.

In light of this, disciples of Jesus must recognize that we are the bearers of God’s image. We can pay our taxes and live as good citizens, but we owe much more to our Creator. We owe Him every aspect of our lives. True disciples are therefore those who worship God openly, being willing to publicly identify themselves with Jesus and declare Him to be Messiah. Because He is our Master and Lord, we want to bear His image more and more throughout the days of our lives and we want His Word to be inscribed upon us so that all might identify us as His followers.

This week, as we consider both Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem as well as His teaching, we must also begin to prepare our hearts to contemplate both the horrors of the cross and the glories of the resurrection. Join with us this Sunday as we share together the Lord’s table and receive His Word to us!

Soli Deo Gloria.

-Thomas