October 22, 2023

Today’s Reading: Matthew 22:15-22

Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 4:21-40, Matthew 8:1-17

And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?”  (Matthew 22:20)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Pharisees today try to trap Jesus. They want to see if He would be for or against paying taxes to the Romans.  Jesus famously uses the image of Caesar on the coin to show that He wasn’t a revolutionary who refused to pay taxes or overthrow the Romans. He submitted to the governing authority yet knowing that the Romans or Herod would never have authority unless it had been given from on high. The image of Caesar meant it belonged to Caesar, but you are made in the image of God, which means that you belong to God. It is God who claims us, who made us in his own image. We do not belong to anything or to anyone else. We don’t even belong to ourselves. We belong to God in all our being, with all our talents, interests, time, and wealth. 

The consequences of belonging to God are really beautiful. First, it means that God will not forsake us. The Pharisees and the other religious leaders that Jesus denounces were notoriously bad at caring for the people. They neglected their responsibilities and the people God gave into their care. Second, it means that because we belong to God, we belong to the people of God, the body of Christ. We are baptized into this Body and no political or governing authority can take that away from you.  Pay your taxes?  Yes, as hard as it is to accept that. Pay your way to get back into God’s good grace?  No way!  Jesus paid the price for you so that you now live with Him in His kingdom. The cross was the final trap of the Pharisees, but through that cross Jesus paid the price in full for the life of the whole world.  You bear the image of Jesus in your Baptism, God has rendered to you His son so that you may be His forever. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

O God, the protector of all who trust in You, have mercy on us that with You as our ruler and guide we may so pass through things temporal that we lose not the things eternal; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

– Pastor Kent Schaaf is pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR..

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.

Study Christ’s words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.