Whose Image Do You Bear?

Jesus turns a clever trap about taxes into a much deeper question about belonging. The question, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar?” looks like a no win situation. An answer in Rome’s favor would anger the people; an answer against paying taxes would bring Rome against him. But Jesus does not play that game. Jesus asks for a coin, then asks, “Whose image is this?”

The coin bears Caesar’s image. That image declares Caesar’s authority every time the coin changes hands. But Genesis brings another image into view: God created human beings in God’s own image. The coin may belong to Caesar, but human beings belong to God. Jesus makes the harder question unavoidable: “Whose image do you wear?” Baptism declares that belonging, calling a person by name and claiming that person as Christ’s own forever.

Luther’s distinction between the temporal and spiritual kingdoms helps put earthly authority in its place. God works through governments, courts, and rules that give order to the world. God also works through grace, faith, forgiveness, and the gospel of Jesus Christ. These kingdoms are not competing kingdoms, because both belong to God. Caesar’s authority is real, but it is borrowed, limited, and temporary.

Isaiah makes that clear through Cyrus, the foreign king God uses to return the Israelites to Jerusalem. Cyrus does not even worship Israel’s God, yet God calls him and uses him for God’s purposes. Cyrus may sit on the throne, but God is still directing the story. Earthly authority therefore remains subject to God’s judgment, not entitled to blind obedience.

The temptation in every age is to give Caesar what belongs only to God. Politics, money, success, technology, and even religion can claim a place they have no right to occupy. Anything demanding ultimate trust becomes an idol. Jesus presses beyond whether Caesar deserves loyalty to whether Caesar has taken God’s place.

Jesus does not call for withdrawal from society. Civic responsibility remains part of Christian vocation, but God’s image, not party loyalty or personal advantage, must shape participation. That image puts money, voting, relationships, and compassion for suffering people under God’s claim. Giving Caesar a coin is easy enough. Giving God the heart, mind, hands, and voice is far more demanding. Yet God’s claim comes with mercy: God has redeemed his people in Christ and continues shaping them into his image day by day.

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Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [18:01] - The Tax Question and the Trap
• [19:42] - Whose Image Is on the Coin?
• [21:41] - God’s Image and Baptismal Belonging
• [24:30] - Two Kingdoms Under One God
• [27:34] - Cyrus and God’s Rule Over History
• [29:54] - Authority Under God’s Judgment
• [31:34] - Every Age Has Its Caesar
• [33:55] - Civic Responsibility Without Ultimate Allegiance
• [36:00] - Living as God’s Image Bearers

Bible Reading

Matthew 22:15-22
“Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone's opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said, “Caesar's.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.” [18:01]

Genesis 1:26-27
“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” [22:17]

Isaiah 45:1-4
“Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, to subdue nations before him and to loose the belts of kings, to open doors before him that gates may not be closed: “I will go before you and level the exalted places, I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron, I will give you the treasures of darkness and the hoards in secret places, that you may know that it is I, the LORD, the God of Israel, who call you by your name. For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen, I call you by your name, I name you, though you do not know me.” [27:34]

Observation questions

1. In Matthew 22:15–22, what trouble were Jesus’ opponents hoping to cause whether he answered yes or no to their question about taxes? [18:13]
2. How does Jesus use the coin to move the conversation from paying taxes to the question of belonging to God? [20:27]
3. What contrast emerges when the image on the coin in Matthew 22 is considered alongside the image given to human beings in Genesis 1:26–27? [23:42]
4. In Isaiah 45:1–4, what does God do for Cyrus, and what surprising detail is given about Cyrus’s relationship with God? [28:49]

Interpretation questions

1. How does the connection between Matthew 22 and Genesis 1 challenge the idea that God’s claim on a person is limited to worship or religious activities? [24:14]
2. How does God’s use of Cyrus challenge both the belief that earthly rulers are beyond criticism and the belief that God cannot work through a ruler who does not worship him? [29:20]
3. What might distinguish responsible political involvement from treating a party, leader, or movement as a source of salvation? What signs would reveal that a useful loyalty has become an idol? [31:22]
4. How does baptismal belonging give Christians a different starting point for decisions at work, in their neighborhoods, or at the polling place? [35:13]

Application questions

1. Think of a recent moment when work, success, or someone else’s approval seemed to define your worth. How might remembering that you belong to Christ change your response to a similar moment this week? [23:07]
2. When you feel anxious about the future, where do you turn first for security—money, political news, technology, achievement, or something else? What might help you recognize when that source of security is taking God’s place? [33:05]
3. Think of a recent conversation with someone whose political views differ from yours. How did recognizing—or forgetting—that this person bears God’s image affect your words? What might you approach differently next time? [35:42]
4. Consider one financial decision you face this week. How might belonging to God shape that decision beyond simply asking what benefits you most? [36:19]
5. Is there someone in your workplace, neighborhood, or community who is suffering or being pushed aside? What is one practical way you could honor that person’s dignity and offer support? [36:55]
6. Giving God your heart, mind, hands, and voice can feel demanding. Where do you most need God’s mercy rather than more pressure to perform, and what small step of faith might grow from trusting that God is still shaping you? [37:36]