"Image" 9-24-23

Overview

The Image on the Coin and the Image of God

In Matthew 22:15-22, the Pharisees and Herodians—two groups who normally despised one another—joined forces to spring a trap on Jesus. The Pharisees resented Roman rule; the Herodians had thrown in their lot with Rome. Their question about paying the poll tax was designed as a no-win: if Jesus said "no," the Herodians would charge him with sedition; if he said "yes," the Pharisees would brand him a friend of Rome. Their flattering preamble about his sincerity, while objectively true, was simply bait.

Jesus saw straight through the malice. Asking for a denarius, he pointed to the image of Tiberius Caesar—whose inscription audaciously called him "son of the divine Augustus"—and answered, "Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's." The verb here means to pay back a debt. Citizens owe lawful obligations to governing authorities, a truth Paul echoes in Romans 13:1-7: taxes, revenue, respect, and honor are due to those whom God has placed in authority.

But the deeper irony is this: the Pharisees and Herodians recognized the image stamped on the coin, yet failed to recognize the image standing before them. Paul writes in Colossians 1:15-20 that Christ "is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation"—the one through whom and for whom all things were made, in whom all things hold together, the head of the church, the firstborn from the dead, who reconciled all things to God by the blood of his cross. Caesar's image marked a coin; God's image walked among them, on his way to pay a debt no taxpayer could cover—the debt of our sin.

The pastoral application is twofold. First, faithfully render to earthly authorities what is rightly theirs. Second, and far more weighty, render to God what bears his image: yourself. In the waters of baptism, God claims us as his own and washes us in the victory of the cross and empty tomb. The crowd that day marveled at Jesus' wisdom and then walked away. May we, by grace, keep marveling at the image of the invisible God—and yield every area of our lives, freely and fully, to the One to whom we belong.

Transcript

Would you open your bios please to Matthew the 22nd chapter if you're using a 3s

Pew edition of God's Word you're going to find that on page 21 for our time of 9s

study today Matthew chapter 21 the trap the trap you ever noticed how many times 14s

when Jesus was asked a question it was a it was a trap question it wasn't a 25s

question that was generated out of wanting to know more or having something 34s

clarified or gaining more knowledge it was a question that was a trap for him for 39s

example take a look as we're in Matthew chapter 22 go down to verse 35 49s

five please there we read this in one of them a lawyer asked him a question to 55s

test him teacher which commandment in the law is the greatest what was the 61s

motive test him was a trap or turn over please to chapter 19 of Matthew verse three 69s

Matthew 19 verse three some Pharisees came to him and to test him they asked is it 80s

lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause or back in Matthew chapter 22 89s

picking up in verse 23 the same day some sadgesies came to him saying there is no 100s

resurrection and they asked him a question saying teacher Moses said if a man dies 108s

childless his brother shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother now 115s

there were seven brothers among us the first married and died childless leaving 121s

the widow to his brother the second did the same so also the third down to the 125s

seventh last of all the woman herself died in the resurrection then whose wife of 131s

seven will she be for all of them had married her 137s

let's a convoluted test question isn't it a trap question we see in Scripture 142s

that when we are in heaven we are not married and interestingly the question is 148s

coming from the sadgesies who didn't believe in the resurrection the trap 154s

questions trap questions soul also in our text for today the trap look 161s

please adverse 15 then the Pharisees went and plotted to and trap him in what 172s

he said so they sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians so there's two 180s

groups here the Herodians was a group of Jews they had allegiance to wrong who 187s

is the people in power so the Herodians Jewish group they had their allegiance 196s

with wrong the Pharisees another Jewish group they hated wrong hated wrong they 202s

wrong rule over them so you've got the Pharisees and the Herodians interestingly 212s

in mark the third chapter it says the Pharisees went out and immediately 221s

conspired with the Herodians against him that being Jesus how to destroy him 226s

but typically typically you don't see this this alliance between the Herodians 234s

and the Pharisees because they saw things differently going on the very next 242s

verse verse 16 so they sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians 251s

saying teacher we know that you are sincere and teach the way of God in accordance 257s

with truth and show difference to know what for you do not regard people with 263s

parciality all of the things of the Herodians and the Pharisees were saying is 269s

absolutely true isn't it it is absolutely true that Jesus is sincere and teaches 274s

the way of God in accordance with the truth that he shows difference to no one 281s

that he didn't regard people with parciality but all of this flattery here 286s

for Jesus is absolutely laughable is there was no greater critics of the Lord 292s

Jesus than the Pharisees this is all simply a setup for the trap verse 17 301s

tell us then what you think is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor or not 319s

the tax here that they're getting after it was called the whole tax it was the 333s

most hated tax of the Jews in ancient day it was literally a tax on every single 339s

head and the Jews they hated it just a little aside here remember when Mary and 346s

Joseph had to go to Bethlehem because a census was taken the purpose of the 354s

census being taken was to get an accurate count of the heads for what purpose 360s

the poll tax the poll tax they hated it now 366s

if Jesus answers no to this question then the Herodians will say not he's 375s

being disloyal to Rome he wants to overthrow Rome if he answers yes to the 384s

question then the Pharisees will say he's in love with Rome how could he possibly be 392s

in love with Rome you see it's a trap it's a trap question of two different 402s

groups that already have their answer to the question it's a trap and Jesus sees 411s

right through it verse 18 but Jesus aware of their malice said why are you 423s

putting me to the test you hypocrites show me the coin used for the tax 433s

and they brought him a the Narius memorandonarius is equivalent to a day's worth of 441s

wages for a common labor so Jesus turns and says your bunch of hypocrites here 448s

show me the coin used for the tax they brought him a denarius the coin would have 457s

been silver on one side of the coin it would have had the image of the emperor 465s

tibirius Caesar and on the other side of the coin there would be an inscription 474s

and the inscription on the coin that was given to Jesus it read tibirius Caesar 483s

son of the divine Augustus pretty heavy stuff for the seizures of all to 496s

guard themselves as God and you understand here what tibirius Caesar is saying on 510s

the coin right that he is the son of God very next verse verse 20 522s

then he Jesus said to them who's head or you translated image who's image is 542s

this and who's title they answered the empers everybody would know that then 550s

he said to them give therefore to the emperor the things that are the 558s

empers give there in the Greek it it's a word that means you owe something pay the 562s

debt Jesus says will who's those images on the coin well let's see's as well 571s

then pay the debt you have a debt you owe pay it pay the tax hold picks up on 577s

this in Romans 13 chapter Paul writing on the inspiration of the spirit writes this 591s

let every person be subject to the governing authorities for there's no authority 598s

except from God and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God he 603s

goes on to say therefore one must be subject not only because of wrath but also because 609s

of conscience for the same reason you also pay taxes for the authorities our 615s

gods servants busy with this very thing pay to all what's do them taxes to whom 622s

taxes are due revenue to whom revenue is due respect to whom respect is due 630s

honor to whom honor is due it's the same thought of Jesus isn't it okay 636s

then back in chapter 22 of Matthew verse 20 Jesus says he said to them who's 645s

head is this and whose title they answered the empers then he said to them give 654s

their fork to the emperor the things that are the empers you need to pay the 663s

Jesus says you need to pay the tax whose image is on the coin but notice 671s

where Jesus goes next in Colossians the very first chapter Paul writes that 687s

this speaking of Jesus he says he is the image of the invisible God you want to 701s

know what God is like you look at Jesus he is Paul says the image of the 713s

invisible God he goes on to say the first born of all creation that's a word that 720s

doesn't mean that Jesus was created it's a word that means preeminence for 726s

him all things in heaven and on earth were created that's the first chapter of the 731s

gospel of John right that through Christ everything was that is was made through 736s

Christ for in him all things in heaven on earth were created things visible 742s

and invisible with a thrones or dominions or rulers or powers all things have 748s

been created through him and for him he owns it all he himself is 754s

before all things and in him all things hold together what is Scripture tell us 761s

that all of God's promises have their yes in Jesus Paul saying everything holds 768s

together through Christ verse 18 he's the head the source the origin he's the 774s

origin of the body the church he's the beginning the first born from the dead 783s

Jesus was raised out of the tomb he is the cause for the resurrection so that he 788s

might come to have first place in everything for in him all the fullness of God was 796s

pleased to dwell and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things 805s

whether on earth or in heaven by making peace through the blood of his cross it is 813s

a glorious and rich section and how does it all begin he is the image of the invisible 820s

God 838s

the Pharisees and the Herodians they recognized the image on the coin but they didn't 840s

recognize the image of the one who was standing before them the son of God 855s

they recognized the image on the coin but not the image of the these son of God 871s

standing right before and the son of God says verse 21 give therefore to the 883s

emperor the things that are the empowers and that he sets and to God the things 901s

that are God's he turns to them and says pay the debt to Caesar pay the debt pay the 909s

taxes and the very one that tells them to do that the very one is the one who paid the 924s

debt of our sin all of those thoughts all of those words all of those deeds all 934s

of the things done and all of the things left undone he paid our debt of our sin on the 944s

cross to win for us the absolute the word of forgiveness Jesus said give therefore to the 953s

emperor the things that are the empowers and to God the things that are God's and the 968s

father sent his son the Lord Jesus Christ to the cross to win salvation and that victory of the 978s

cross and the empty tomb is put with the water and we are washed in the victory we are washed 987s

in the declaration we are washed in that promise and what does God say in the waters of baptism 995s

to us but your mind your mind for all of the turn it your mind give therefore to the 1002s

emperor the things that are the empowers and to God the things that are God's and may we buy his 1019s

grace yield absolutely everything in our life every area in our life may we yield it by his grace 1032s

yield it all to the one to whom we belong first twenty two when they heard this they were 1045s

amazed and they left him and went away there were amazed for the word means marveled 1061s

see only time the only time in the entire new testament that this word for amazement is used it's the 1070s

only time Jesus has schooled them he's schooled them it is concise it is clear it is absolute truth 1077s

and they are marveling at what they have just heard but what did they do they walked away 1089s

they walked away from the Lord Jesus Christ they walked away by God's grace let us continue to walk 1098s

each and every day amazed and marveling at the love of God for us by his grace let us be amazed 1115s

and marvel at the Lord Jesus Christ the image of the invisible God and by God's grace 1130s

may we yield everything 1142s

and free to the one who owns all 1147s

to the one to whom we belong 1153s