Matthew 22: The King and His Law (2)

Pray Psalm 2.7, 8.
“I will declare the decree:
The LORD has said to Me,
‘You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession..’”

Sing Psalm 2.7, 8.
(Agincourt: O Love, How Deep, How Broad, How High)
Proclaim the message far and wide, that God has exalted the Crucified!
From heav’n He sent us His only Son, Who has for us salvation won!

Read Matthew 22.1-22; meditate on verses 15-22.

Prepare.
1. What two aspects of the Roman coin did Jesus mention?

2. What should we render to God?

Meditate.
We can see the religious leaders trying to build a case against Jesus that will bring Him before the secular authorities and relieve them of having to do the dirty work of getting rid of Him. If they can get Him to say a word against Caesar, the trap will have been sprung.

But Jesus is far too wise to walk into that snare. Instead, in classic Jesus form, He used an ordinary, everyday item to unpack profound theological truth.

Jesus mentioned both the image of Caesar and the inscription on the coin, indicating the emperor’s name and the value of the coin. Both of these relate to us, as those who are made in the image and likeness of God, and whose lives are defined by the Lord, and assigned their worth by Him.

We owe government, as God’s servant for good (Rom. 13.1-4), that reasonable obedience which promotes the common weal, but only insofar as government does not require us to act contrary to God and His calling.

What we owe to God is the pursuit of His image and likeness – that of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 3.12-18) – according to His Word as it applies to each one of us. To render to God, therefore, requires that we see Jesus, that we might have always before us a vision of Him into Whose image and likeness we are being transformed by His Word and Spirit, and attend daily to increasing in Him and decreasing in our old ways.

But we must know ourselves, how God has made us in terms of interests, skills, opportunities, and calling. Each of us differs in capabilities and circumstances, and in relationships, roles, and responsibilities. We must let God’s Word declare our value in terms of His rule in and through our lives. Thus, even as we look to the Word to show us Jesus, we must look to it to show us ourselves, and to equip us for the opportunities for being spent for the Lord that we may expect each day.

The first task of a king of Israel, when he ascended the throne, was to write a copy of God’s Law in his own hand, and then to read from it day and night (Deut. 17.18-20). We have no evidence than any of Israel’s kings did this. But Jesus is doing it. He has sent His Spirit to inscribe the Law on our hearts (Ezek. 36.26, 27), and thus to renew us in the image of God, and shape us into the likeness of Christ. Our duty is to submit to that Law – and all of God’s Word – and seek the filling of the Spirit to guide us in serving the Lord day by day.

Reflect.
1. Is it lawful to pay taxes and otherwise to obey civil government? Are there limits? Explain.

2. How does the Holy Spirit work to transform us into the likeness of Christ?

3. What is our responsibility in this process?

The image of God is not depicted on gold but is imaged in humanity. The coin of Caesar is gold; that of God, humanity. Caesar is seen in his currency; God, however, is known through human beings. And so give your wealth to Caesar but reserve for God the sole innocence of your conscience, where God is beheld. Anonymous, Incomplete Work on Matthew, Homily 42

Lord, I owe my whole life to You today, and I will pay what I owe by…

Pray Psalm 2.1-6, 9-12.
Commit your life to King Jesus and His Word, and offer each activity of your day to Him for His glory.

Sing Psalm 2.1-6, 9-12.
Psalm 2.1-6, 9-12 (Agincourt: O Love, How Deep, How Broad, How High)
Why do the nations vainly rage, conspiring together from age to age?
Earth’s kings and all of their counselors stand against the Lord and His Right Hand:

“Now let us cast His yoke below, His Kingdom authority overthrow!
Throw off His Law, reject His Word; no more be governed by this Lord!”

The Lord in heaven laughs in wrath at all who embark on this cursèd path.
His angry Word to them is plain: “Yet shall My King in Zion reign!”

To Christ the Lord be given all who humbly embrace Him and on Him call.
Be wise, be warned: His judgment comes to break the prideful, sinful ones.

Rejoice with fear in Jesus’ grace, and worship before His exalted face!
Beware His anger and judgment grim: How blessed are all who rest in Him!

T. M. Moore

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006). All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (available by clicking here).