Matthew 22:15 (LSB) Then the Pharisees went and took counsel together about how they might trap Him in what He said. 16 And they sent their disciples to Him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any. 17 Therefore, tell us, what do You think? Is it lawful to give a tax to Caesar, or not?” 18 But Jesus, knowing their wickedness, said, “Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites? 19 Show Me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought Him a denarius. 20 And He said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They said to Him, “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.” 22 And hearing this, they marveled, and leaving Him, they went away.

What is it to marvel? We stare up at the night sky, and we think of the vast distances as well as the multitude of stars, and we wonder, "Who am I? What is my significance?"

We watch someone sing and dance in happiness on a stage to music, and we marvel, "How amazing! I'm so overwhelmed!"

At whom or at what do you marvel the most? In Matthew 22, we are given a story about men who marveled at Jesus. These men were His enemies. They wanted nothing more than to trap Jesus in something He said so that they might accuse Him of evil or of wrongdoing that they might be rid of Him.

In this case, they used taxes to try to trap the world's greatest Teacher. Should we pay taxes or not? If Jesus answered yes, His enemies hopes the crowds would turn against Him. If Jesus answered no, then His enemies hoped that they could accuse Him before Rome. Either way, they hoped, Jesus would be removed from their lives.

Jesus of course sees through their deviousness and asks for a coin. This coin bears the image of Caesar. It belongs to Caesar. It is his. For him to claim it back in the form of taxes is no injustice.

Then Jesus turns the tables on His enemies once again. These people have grown up knowing Scripture. In Whose image and likeness are all human beings made? The very fist chapter of Scripture testifies that God has created man--male and female--in the image and likeness of God. His image and likeness are stamped on us, but instead of giving to God what we owe Him, we rebel against Him.

We say that we are good and God is evil. We say that our definitions of right and wrong are true while God's definitions are false. We say that we believe and cause God to make us alive when it is God who causes us to live in order that we might believe. We render unto ourselves the praise and the authority that are due to God alone, and we do so in new ways almost every single day.

Well, Jesus' enemies marvel at Him. As well they should. He has seen right through their trap into the depths of their souls. Jesus has declared to them their obligation to worship Him and to follow Him and to give Him their allegiance.

But their marveling doesn't turn them to Jesus. They walk away from Him rather than submitting to Him and walking with Him.

What is your response? Will you repent of your false beliefs about good and evil, right and wrong? Will your marveling at God turn you to Him or away from Him? He is calling. I pray you are chosen and so come.

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