Render to Caesar the Things That Are Caesar's

Devotional

Day 1: The Trap of Flattering Words

The Pharisees sent their disciples to Jesus with the Herodians. They called Him “Teacher” and said, “We know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth.” They laid on the flattery thickly. They did not believe their own words. They only wanted to disarm Jesus and set a trap for Him with their dishonest praise.

Their scheme reveals a hardened heart. When people refuse to accept the truth, they often turn to silencing it. They use smooth words and false compliments to create an opening for attack. This is how evil operates. It seeks to suppress the truth by any means necessary.

You will encounter people who do not have your best interests at heart. They may use flattery to get something from you or to lead you into error. Be wise and discerning. Do not be taken in by words that feel good but are not true. How have you experienced the danger of disingenuous praise in your own life?

A man who flatters his neighbor is spreading a net for his steps.
(Proverbs 29:5, NASB)

Prayer: Ask God for the wisdom to see through dishonest flattery and to value truth over compliments.

Challenge: Identify one piece of praise you received today and honestly evaluate its motive before accepting it.

Day 2: Whose Image Is On the Coin?

Jesus knew the wickedness of their scheme. He asked the hypocrites why they were testing Him. Then He requested a sample of the coin used for the tax. They brought Him a denarius. Jesus held it up for all to see. He asked them a simple question about the coin. “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They answered, “Caesar’s.”

The coin bore the image of the emperor. It was minted by his authority and circulated in his economy. By its very design, it belonged to the realm of Caesar. Jesus used this everyday object to make a profound point about authority. He directed their attention to what was right in front of them.

God has placed you in a world with various authorities. Your citizenship, your money, and your community all function under certain systems. Look at the things in your life. They often bear the “image” of the authority that governs them. What tangible item in your possession most clearly represents your civic duty to the government?

“Show Me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought Him a denarius. And He said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to Him, “Caesar’s.”
(Matthew 22:19-20, NASB)

Prayer: Thank God for providing clear, practical examples in daily life that help you understand your responsibilities.

Challenge: Take a coin from your pocket or purse and physically look at it, considering the authority it represents.

Day 3: The Duty to Render

Jesus made His statement to the crowd. “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s.” The word “render” means to pay back what is owed. It is a duty. Caesar had authority over his domain. The tax was a matter under his jurisdiction. Jesus affirmed that human government has a legitimate sphere of authority established by God.

This means our default position toward government should be obedience and submission. This is God’s desire for us. We are to pay taxes, follow just laws, and respect officials. We do this not merely for man’s sake, but because God commands it. Resisting this authority is resisting what God has ordained.

Your responsibility is to fulfill your obligations. Pay your taxes honestly and completely. Obey traffic laws. Show respect to law enforcement. Do not look for loopholes or excuses to withhold what you owe. In what specific area of your life are you most tempted to withhold what you rightfully owe to governing authorities?

Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.
(Romans 13:7, NASB)

Prayer: Confess to God any area where you have withheld what is due to governing authorities and ask for a submissive heart.

Challenge: Before the end of the day, fulfill one small civic duty you have been putting off, like organizing a tax document or updating a vehicle registration.

Day 4: The Higher Duty to God

Jesus did not stop with Caesar. He completed His statement: “and to God the things that are God’s.” This establishes a dual authority. Earthly government has its place, but God’s authority is supreme. We must render obedience to both, but our ultimate allegiance belongs to God alone. His jurisdiction covers all of life.

There will be times when these authorities conflict. When government commands you to do something God forbids, or forbids something God commands, you must obey God. Worship, doctrine, and proclaiming the gospel belong to God’s sphere. No earthly power has the right to dictate these matters.

You must know where God’s authority begins and man’s ends. Your worship, your body, and your witness belong to God. Do not allow any human institution to claim what is rightfully God’s. Where do you need to courageously render to God something that the world is telling you to withhold?

We must obey God rather than men.
(Acts 5:29, NASB)

Prayer: Ask God for the courage to always give Him what is His, especially when it means disobeying human commands.

Challenge: Write down one thing that belongs to God alone that you need to protect from earthly interference.

Day 5: Marveling and Walking Away

The men heard Jesus’ answer and were amazed. They marveled at His wisdom. They stood in wonder of the truth He spoke. Yet, their response was not faith or repentance. Scripture says they left Him and went away. They admired the teaching but rejected the Teacher. Marveling is not the same as following.

Many people appreciate Jesus from a distance. They think His teachings are wise and good for society. But they do not submit to His lordship over their lives. They marvel on Sunday and walk away on Monday. True discipleship requires more than admiration; it demands surrender.

Do not let your experience with Jesus be a weekly moment of wonder. Let it be a daily life of obedience. Move from being a spectator to being a follower. His wisdom is not just for you to admire but for you to obey. Is your response to Jesus’ wisdom mere amazement, or is it active obedience?

And hearing this, they marveled, and leaving Him, they went away.
(Matthew 22:22, NASB)

Prayer: Pray that your marveling at Christ would always lead to following Christ in concrete obedience.

Challenge: Choose one wise saying of Jesus you admire and perform a specific act of obedience to it today.

Sermon Summary

Benjamin Franklin’s quip about death and taxes opens a sustained examination of authority, obligation, and hypocrisy. Religious leaders attempt to trap Jesus by pairing Pharisee disciples with Herodians and flattering Him before asking whether Jews should pay the Roman poll tax. The poll tax, a yearly denarius, carried Caesar’s image and inflamed Jewish resistance; the question aims to force a political or religious misstep. Jesus discerns the malice behind the question, exposes their hypocrisy, and uses the coin as a visual sample to teach a principle of divided—yet overlapping—authority: render to Caesar what bears Caesar’s image, and to God what bears God’s image.

The answer reframes the controversy; taxes and civil obligations fall within a governmental sphere that Scripture recognizes and ordains. Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2 provide the theological backing: governments serve a role instituted by God to restrain evil and maintain order, and believers owe lawful submission, payment of taxes, and proper respect to civic authorities. At the same time, God’s sovereignty creates a higher jurisdiction. Where civil commands intrude on divine worship or require idolatrous allegiance, obedience to God must prevail. Practical applications include honest tax payments, lawful engagement with courts when rights are pursued, and careful separation of civil obedience from matters reserved for God’s authority—especially worship, conscience, and the body as God’s image-bearing possession.

The narrative also exposes recurring motives: flattery used as entrapment, hypocrisy among religious leaders, and love of money as a root for evading duty. The denouement—astonishment without conversion—serves as a warning about mere admiration that stops short of discipleship. True response requires heart examination, consistent submission to God’s ordering, and willing rendering of one’s life to God, not merely marveling at wisdom or avoiding civic responsibility under the guise of piety.

Key Takeaways

1. Discern wicked intent behind tests Careful observation and biblical wisdom can identify when questions disguise traps. Discernment distinguishes genuine theological inquiry from manipulation aimed at exposure or elimination. Regularly examine motives behind challenges and refuse to be drawn into adversarial spectacles. Cultivated discernment protects integrity and preserves faithful witness.
2. Render to Caesar and to God Authority divides into distinct spheres: civil obligations and divine claims. Paying taxes and submitting to lawful governance does not nullify ultimate allegiance to God; rather, it honors God’s ordering of earthly authority. When authorities demand what belongs to God—worship, conscience, final loyalties—obedience to God becomes necessary. Distinguish jurisdictions and act accordingly.
3. Obedience should be the default posture Scripture frames submission to human institutions as the norm, not an optional concession. Default obedience honors God’s ordinance, restrains personal pride, and witnesses to a transcendent Lordship. Exceptions require clear, grave conflict with divine command, not mere inconvenience or dislike. Make submission the starting posture; only then evaluate legitimate exceptions.
4. Marveling must become steady discipleship Wonder without surrender leaves insight untransformed into life. Genuine admiration for truth should lead to repentance, consistent obedience, and a life shaped by allegiance to Christ. Avoid a cycle of weekly amazement followed by unchanged living; let marveling produce discipleship that reorders finances, civic behavior, and worship.

Bible Study Guide

**Bible reading**
Matthew 22:15-22

**Observation questions**

What two groups of people were sent to question Jesus, and why was their alliance unusual?
What specific flattery did they use before asking their question, and what was their true motive?
What object did Jesus ask for, and what two specific details did He ask them to identify on it?
What was the twofold command Jesus gave in response to their question?

**Interpretation questions**

Jesus identified the questioners as "hypocrites" and said He knew their "wickedness." What does this reveal about the importance of discerning the intent behind the questions people ask about faith and practice?
The command to "render" implies a duty or obligation. What is the difference between simply paying a tax and rendering what is due to an authority?
If the Roman government was pagan and often unjust, why would Scripture command believers to submit to it and pay taxes? What godly purpose does civil government serve?
The people marveled at Jesus' answer but then left. What does this tell us about the difference between intellectual admiration of Jesus' wisdom and genuine discipleship?

**Application questions**

Authority divides into distinct spheres: civil obligations and divine claims. Are there areas in your life where you have confused these two spheres, either by resisting a lawful civil authority or by giving a civil authority a loyalty that belongs only to God?
Obedience to human institutions is presented as the default posture for a believer, not an optional concession. Is your first instinct to look for ways to obey and submit to governing authorities, or is it to look for loopholes and exceptions? What does your reaction reveal about your heart?
The real reason many resist rendering what is due is a love of money. In what practical ways can you examine your heart to ensure that your stance on financial issues, like taxes, is motivated by biblical obedience and not a desire to hold onto your wealth?
Marveling at biblical truth without letting it transform your life leads to a cycle of weekly amazement followed by unchanged living. What is one specific area from this teaching—submission, financial integrity, or discerning motives—that you need to move from admiring to obeying this week?
Jesus used a common object, a coin, to teach a profound spiritual principle. What everyday objects or situations in your life could serve as a reminder to "render to God what is God's," particularly your time, talents, and body which bear His image?

Sermon Quotes

The question we should seek in this matter is what has God said on the matter, what does God desire in this matter of taxes.

This is how evil operates: they want the truth silenced, they want the truth suppressed.

They laid the flattery on thick; flattering Him dishonestly to ensnare and silence the truth.

Jesus sees right through traps; he knew their wickedness because he discerned their motives and the tricks they used.

Jesus discerned their trap by wisdom revealed in Scripture; we too can discern wicked motives if we know God's Word.

Both Caesar and God have authority; both have spheres, and we owe obedience and submission to government within its authority.

Government is a gift of God for order, even when imperfect; resisting it is resisting God's ordinance.

Some refuse to pay taxes not out of principle but because they love money; you cannot love God and money.

So many marvel at Jesus, but few follow Him; marveling without following is empty devotion.

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Render to Caesar the Things That Are Caesar's

Devotional

Day 1: The Trap of Flattering Words

Day 2: Whose Image Is On the Coin?

Day 3: The Duty to Render

Day 4: The Higher Duty to God

Day 5: Marveling and Walking Away

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Quotes

Render to Caesar the Things That Are Caesar's

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