Tag: Caesar

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Matthew Devotionals 2

His

Mirror

Whose image and inscription is this?” he asked them.

“Caesar’s,” they said to him.

Then he said to them, “Give, then, to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (Matthew 22:20-21)

It occurred to me as I read Jesus’ words that he asks the same question of us whenever we look at ourselves in the mirror.

“Whose image is this? Whose name is inscribed on you?”

The answer? God’s.

When he created us, he imprinted his image on us and inscribed on our hearts, “Holy to the Lord.”

In short, we are his.

As the Psalmist put it,

He made us, and we are his… (Psalm 100:3)

And so we are to give to God what is God’s. All our heart, soul, mind, and strength. (Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30)

And we are to give him the fruit he desires: justice, mercy, faithfulness. (Matthew 23:23)

I was reflecting today on how often I fail in doing those things. Like the Pharisees and scribes, I often say but don’t do.

I don’t want to be that way.

God has imprinted his image on me, inscribing his wonderful name on my heart.

Leaning completely on his grace, I want to live up to that.

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Luke Devotionals

Father, what belongs to you?

Surrender

“Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?”

“Caesar’s,” they said.

“Well then,” he told them, “give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (Luke 20:24-25)

Father, what belongs to you? Just ten percent of my salary?

No, all I have, all I am, belongs to you.

You have engraved your image, your name on me. (Genesis 1:26-27; Revelation 3:12)

I am yours.

So let me never question your authority or the authority of your Son as the chief priests and scribes did. (Luke 20:2)

Instead, with a humble and grateful heart, may I always give you the fruit you seek from me, never sending you away empty-handed. (Luke 20:11)

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Luke Luke 2

The One who is truly in control

Luke

When Luke gave his account of the birth of Jesus, he gave us some historical context. It happened during the time of Caesar Augustus, who was the emperor of the Roman Empire.

Augustus had taken complete control over the Roman Empire by conquering Mark Antony and Cleopatra’s forces, and shortly thereafter, he became the first Emperor of Rome.

He would flex his powers in many ways, including bringing peace to Rome, as his reign marked the beginning of the Pax Romana.

But what he didn’t know was that an even greater King was about to be born. And that though he was in control of the Roman Empire, there was a greater hand at work.

Augustus ordered that a census be taken of the entire Roman world, probably for tax purposes. With one snap of his fingers, his subjects all had to leap and go back to their hometowns to register.

One wonders what Joseph and Mary thought. We always assume that Mary was in her ninth month of pregnancy when the decree came, but we don’t know that. It may have been earlier.

But if true, I suspect that it wasn’t that much earlier because if it had been, there probably would have been time to find a better place to stay than in a cave, which was probably where Joseph and Mary had to go (contrary to all our images of a nice, clean stable).

Joseph must have wondered, “Why now, God? Why didn’t you work things out so she could be more comfortable?”

But God knew what he was doing. On a lesser note, it probably got Mary and Joseph out of a very uncomfortable situation in Nazareth where rumors were no doubt flying around concerning Mary’s pregnancy, because they were not yet married.

On a more important note, though, through this census, Jesus was forced to be born in Bethlehem, fulfilling the prophecy of Micah. (Micah 5:2)

Though Augustus thought he was in control, it was God who truly was in control. And while Augustus helped set up a peace that continued for roughly 200 years, eventually all he helped build crumbled.

But through Jesus, God started a kingdom that continues to this day and will have no end. No man, no woman, and no kingdom, will be able to overthrow it.

And when all is said and done, there will be a true peace in this world that will never be broken again.

How about you? Do you think that you are in control? Of your own life if nothing else?

Remember that there is Someone bigger than you are. And if your life is based solely on your wisdom and your efforts, it will eventually crumble.

Do you sometimes wonder if God is in control? Do you wonder why God allows things to happen as they do?

Continue to trust in him. Because he’s working things out according to a plan that we can’t always see. And in the end, all creation will see it.

On that day, as the angels cried out at Jesus’ birth, all will say,

Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests. (Luke 2:14)