Pile of Roman Silver Denarii on a ChestBible World
22:20Matthew 22:20
And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?
Trapped by flattering enemies asking whether tribute to Rome was lawful so that either answer would accuse Him, Jesus exposed their hypocrisy and called for the coin, then asked whose image and writing it carried to force their admission that it was Caesar's. The coin bore the Roman ruler's likeness and name, which marked it as belonging to him and to his sphere of civil rule. By pointing to that mark He settled the question without evasion, that what belongs to Caesar is to be given to Caesar and what belongs to God to God, so tribute is to be paid and governing powers honored under God while first allegiance remains to Him. As the coin carried the ruler's stamp, humanity at creation carried God's image and writing, and though sin has marred it its traces remain and God seeks to write His likeness anew upon every soul in righteousness and holiness, which must be stamped in this life as oneness with Christ and perfection of character for heaven. That same stamp marks all God entrusts to men as His own and marks heavenly things as the only currency of enduring value, so talents, means, institutions, and even the home's influence on children are to bear God's superscription and be used for Him rather than for self.
Setting and Question
The question about whose image and writing was on the coin was Jesus' call for the tribute money to be shown to Him when the Pharisees joined with the Herodians to lay a trap for Him. They came with flattering commendation and a pretended desire for instruction, asking whether it was lawful to give tribute to Caesar in order to entangle Him. They hoped that either answer would let them accuse Him, charging Him before the Romans as an enemy to civil authority if He forbade tribute, and charging Him to the elders as opposed to the law of God if He approved it.
He perceived their wickedness and wicked purposes and was not deceived by their courteous words, but called them hypocrites. Thrown off guard, they immediately brought Him a penny bearing the image and superscription of the Roman ruler. He then asked them whose image and superscription it bore in order to make them admit it was Caesar's before commanding them to render to Caesar and to God. His question exposed them, and they marveled and left Him and went their way.
The coin bore Caesar's image, name and inscription, which showed that it belonged to Caesar and to Caesar's sphere of civil authority. In this He understands the true character of every person, so that whatever the profession no cover of pretentious righteousness can deceive Him, for He records in His book the true motives of all. The account belongs to warnings about rejecting the Son of God that apply in every age, whose foreshadowed doom awaits anyone who refuses Christ unless that person repents.
It stands in the second parable of invitation, which is a king's invitation coming from one vested with power to command and involving much. Refusal of this invitation is a deeper insult and brings deeper guilt than refusal of a householder's invitation. Those bidden made light of it on pleas of circumstances and supposed duties, and treated the king's messengers with scorn, despitefully using them and slaying them. This brought the wrath of the king, and their punishment was more than exclusion from his presence and table, for he sent forth his armies and destroyed those murderers and burned up their cities.
Duty to Civil Authority
When asked whose likeness and writing were upon the tribute coin, the questioners were made to answer that they were Caesar's, and the image and inscription showed the coin belonged to Caesar and to the sphere of civil authority. That admission grounded the answer that what belongs to Caesar should be given to Caesar and what belongs to God to God, settling the disputed question about tribute without evasion. The principle taught is to support and render due to the governing power under which people live, while giving first allegiance to God and provided civil claims do not conflict with a higher duty.
The answer taught that tribute should be paid to Caesar, and obedience to the reigning power was shown in paying tribute and teaching disciples to do so. This stood contrary to Jewish tumults and claims that it was against Jewish law to pay tribute to a foreign power. It thereby exposed as false the later priestly accusation that the nation was perverted and giving tribute to Caesar was forbidden.
Bearing God's Image
Just as a coin carries the image and writing of the ruling power to which it belongs, humanity at creation carried the image and writing of God. Although sin has marred and dimmed that divine marking, its traces remain in every soul. Even a soul degraded by sin and lying like a lost coin among dust and rubbish is still precious in God's sight because of that remaining value. God seeks to recover each person and to write His own image upon him again in righteousness and holiness.
God's image and superscription must be stamped upon believers here in this world, where the trial and test take place. That stamp is oneness with Christ and the same perfection of character Christ bore on earth. All who enter heaven must bear it, or they would spoil heaven. Christ's grace perfects the character of every one who truly accepts Him, preparing with a new heart in perfect harmony those fitted to live in heaven's harmony. That unity for which Christ prayed is the sacred pledge of discipleship, making true disciples members of the royal family with one desire for sanctification by the same Spirit, loving as brethren and speaking the same thing though language and manner of expression may differ.
Christ places His own character like a superscription upon people whose minds are brought under His will, and as they behold Him they are changed in character. When the obedient soul is emptied of self, the Holy Spirit reveals Christ and forms His likeness within. That image and superscription mean inward consecration with the right spirit controlling the heart, in which the divine mingles with the human. Without that mingling, even desperate efforts for apparent success interweave things that are an offense to God.
As the coin bore the ruler's image and inscription, the goods, talents and dollars entrusted to human stewards bear God's image and superscription marking them as His rather than their owners'. The principal is the Lord's and the interest is His, as Master-lent capital of five, two, or one talent. Nothing is to be hoarded, for there is a place for every talent to be employed, and not even a small amount or a farthing is to be squandered upon selfish indulgence but every dollar put out to the exchangers is to be used for Him. Stewards will have to answer to God for how they administer what He has entrusted to them.
God has stamped His own image and superscription upon heavenly things, making them the currency of heaven of infinite value. The things of the world perish with the using and are not that golden currency, because God has not stamped them. All who profess to believe must therefore deal in that heaven-stamped currency by handling what God has stamped, laying up treasure in heaven that will not perish rather than treasure on earth, for where the treasure is the heart will be also. They must subordinate the world to religion instead of making temporal interests first and exhausting soul, body and spirit to secure temporal advantages, keeping eternity and the coming reckoning in view in business life and renouncing all trust in self-ability and self-wisdom. This requires transforming grace and a deep and thorough work of the Spirit to make hearts that are as steel soft and sympathetic and true to the service of Christ instead of folding the hands in peace and safety at ease in Zion doing almost nothing.
Everything on earth, from the greatest tree to the smallest shell, bears the image and inscription of God, making the unseen God known through what is seen. The same language also marks a false stamp, for selfishness imprints its image and superscription on life and character and some never lose that mark. A position and conduct characterized by faultfinding, criticism and sowing discord rather than building up the church do not bear God's identifying mark.
Image and superscription are impressed upon a child's tender, susceptible mind from the home atmosphere from an early age, even in infancy. Harsh, discordant, fretful and scolding words impress unhappiness and discord, and a child in such a family will cry much. A mother's sunny, smiling countenance impresses cheerful impressions that the infant mind and heart reflect as a polished plate portrays human features. A mother with indwelling Christ impresses the divine likeness upon the expanding mind.
What belongs to God must bear God's superscription, so a sanitarium bears it only by preserving its character as a missionary institution in the fullest sense. Keeping that character requires godliness of life and character in every worker, viewing success in the light of God's word, with true success bearing the heavenly credentials and with rejoicing in the Lord over success joined to self-abasement and dissatisfaction with self for what has been left undone through neglect and unfaithfulness. Writers bear God's mark by using only what bears it, answering falsehood with truth and avoiding personal hints, insults and opponents' arguments as much as possible.
Trapped by flattering enemies asking whether tribute to Rome was lawful so that either answer would accuse Him, Jesus exposed their hypocrisy and called for the coin, then asked whose image and writing it carried to force their admission that it was Caesar's. The coin bore the Roman ruler's likeness and name, which marked it as belonging to him and to his sphere of civil rule. By pointing to that mark He settled the question without evasion, that what belongs to Caesar is to be given to Caesar and what belongs to God to God, so tribute is to be paid and governing powers honored under God while first allegiance remains to Him. As the coin carried the ruler's stamp, humanity at creation carried God's image and writing, and though sin has marred it its traces remain and God seeks to write His likeness anew upon every soul in righteousness and holiness, which must be stamped in this life as oneness with Christ and perfection of character for heaven. That same stamp marks all God entrusts to men as His own and marks heavenly things as the only currency of enduring value, so talents, means, institutions, and even the home's influence on children are to bear God's superscription and be used for Him rather than for self.
Setting and Question
The question about whose image and writing was on the coin was Jesus' call for the tribute money to be shown to Him when the Pharisees joined with the Herodians to lay a trap for Him. They came with flattering commendation and a pretended desire for instruction, asking whether it was lawful to give tribute to Caesar in order to entangle Him. They hoped that either answer would let them accuse Him, charging Him before the Romans as an enemy to civil authority if He forbade tribute, and charging Him to the elders as opposed to the law of God if He approved it.
He perceived their wickedness and wicked purposes and was not deceived by their courteous words, but called them hypocrites. Thrown off guard, they immediately brought Him a penny bearing the image and superscription of the Roman ruler. He then asked them whose image and superscription it bore in order to make them admit it was Caesar's before commanding them to render to Caesar and to God. His question exposed them, and they marveled and left Him and went their way.
The coin bore Caesar's image, name and inscription, which showed that it belonged to Caesar and to Caesar's sphere of civil authority. In this He understands the true character of every person, so that whatever the profession no cover of pretentious righteousness can deceive Him, for He records in His book the true motives of all. The account belongs to warnings about rejecting the Son of God that apply in every age, whose foreshadowed doom awaits anyone who refuses Christ unless that person repents.
It stands in the second parable of invitation, which is a king's invitation coming from one vested with power to command and involving much. Refusal of this invitation is a deeper insult and brings deeper guilt than refusal of a householder's invitation. Those bidden made light of it on pleas of circumstances and supposed duties, and treated the king's messengers with scorn, despitefully using them and slaying them. This brought the wrath of the king, and their punishment was more than exclusion from his presence and table, for he sent forth his armies and destroyed those murderers and burned up their cities.
Duty to Civil Authority
When asked whose likeness and writing were upon the tribute coin, the questioners were made to answer that they were Caesar's, and the image and inscription showed the coin belonged to Caesar and to the sphere of civil authority. That admission grounded the answer that what belongs to Caesar should be given to Caesar and what belongs to God to God, settling the disputed question about tribute without evasion. The principle taught is to support and render due to the governing power under which people live, while giving first allegiance to God and provided civil claims do not conflict with a higher duty.
The answer taught that tribute should be paid to Caesar, and obedience to the reigning power was shown in paying tribute and teaching disciples to do so. This stood contrary to Jewish tumults and claims that it was against Jewish law to pay tribute to a foreign power. It thereby exposed as false the later priestly accusation that the nation was perverted and giving tribute to Caesar was forbidden.
Bearing God's Image
Just as a coin carries the image and writing of the ruling power to which it belongs, humanity at creation carried the image and writing of God. Although sin has marred and dimmed that divine marking, its traces remain in every soul. Even a soul degraded by sin and lying like a lost coin among dust and rubbish is still precious in God's sight because of that remaining value. God seeks to recover each person and to write His own image upon him again in righteousness and holiness.
God's image and superscription must be stamped upon believers here in this world, where the trial and test take place. That stamp is oneness with Christ and the same perfection of character Christ bore on earth. All who enter heaven must bear it, or they would spoil heaven. Christ's grace perfects the character of every one who truly accepts Him, preparing with a new heart in perfect harmony those fitted to live in heaven's harmony. That unity for which Christ prayed is the sacred pledge of discipleship, making true disciples members of the royal family with one desire for sanctification by the same Spirit, loving as brethren and speaking the same thing though language and manner of expression may differ.
Christ places His own character like a superscription upon people whose minds are brought under His will, and as they behold Him they are changed in character. When the obedient soul is emptied of self, the Holy Spirit reveals Christ and forms His likeness within. That image and superscription mean inward consecration with the right spirit controlling the heart, in which the divine mingles with the human. Without that mingling, even desperate efforts for apparent success interweave things that are an offense to God.
As the coin bore the ruler's image and inscription, the goods, talents and dollars entrusted to human stewards bear God's image and superscription marking them as His rather than their owners'. The principal is the Lord's and the interest is His, as Master-lent capital of five, two, or one talent. Nothing is to be hoarded, for there is a place for every talent to be employed, and not even a small amount or a farthing is to be squandered upon selfish indulgence but every dollar put out to the exchangers is to be used for Him. Stewards will have to answer to God for how they administer what He has entrusted to them.
God has stamped His own image and superscription upon heavenly things, making them the currency of heaven of infinite value. The things of the world perish with the using and are not that golden currency, because God has not stamped them. All who profess to believe must therefore deal in that heaven-stamped currency by handling what God has stamped, laying up treasure in heaven that will not perish rather than treasure on earth, for where the treasure is the heart will be also. They must subordinate the world to religion instead of making temporal interests first and exhausting soul, body and spirit to secure temporal advantages, keeping eternity and the coming reckoning in view in business life and renouncing all trust in self-ability and self-wisdom. This requires transforming grace and a deep and thorough work of the Spirit to make hearts that are as steel soft and sympathetic and true to the service of Christ instead of folding the hands in peace and safety at ease in Zion doing almost nothing.
Everything on earth, from the greatest tree to the smallest shell, bears the image and inscription of God, making the unseen God known through what is seen. The same language also marks a false stamp, for selfishness imprints its image and superscription on life and character and some never lose that mark. A position and conduct characterized by faultfinding, criticism and sowing discord rather than building up the church do not bear God's identifying mark.
Image and superscription are impressed upon a child's tender, susceptible mind from the home atmosphere from an early age, even in infancy. Harsh, discordant, fretful and scolding words impress unhappiness and discord, and a child in such a family will cry much. A mother's sunny, smiling countenance impresses cheerful impressions that the infant mind and heart reflect as a polished plate portrays human features. A mother with indwelling Christ impresses the divine likeness upon the expanding mind.
What belongs to God must bear God's superscription, so a sanitarium bears it only by preserving its character as a missionary institution in the fullest sense. Keeping that character requires godliness of life and character in every worker, viewing success in the light of God's word, with true success bearing the heavenly credentials and with rejoicing in the Lord over success joined to self-abasement and dissatisfaction with self for what has been left undone through neglect and unfaithfulness. Writers bear God's mark by using only what bears it, answering falsehood with truth and avoiding personal hints, insults and opponents' arguments as much as possible.