Begin with 2 minutes of silence and stillness before God.

Today’s chapter is one of my favorites so far. In Matthew 22, Jesus shares a powerful message that reverberates into our lives today.

The chapter kicks off with the Pharisees (not THOSE guys again…) trying to trap Jesus.

Same song, fiftieth verse.

They ask him if it’s lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not. “Ah ha! Got you, Jesus. There’s no way you’ll get out of this one.”

Jesus, being the cool, calm, and collected Creator of the World that He is, turns the tables on them and asks to see a coin. He then asks them whose inscription is on the coin, and they curtly reply that it’s Caesars. Then, Jesus looks back at them and says, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and give to God what is God’s.”

Okay, okay, okay. We’ve got to unpack what Jesus is saying here. On the surface, it might seem like a simple statement, but it’s actually a profound reminder for us to keep our priorities in order.

We live in a world where it’s easy to get caught up in the things of this world – money, power, status, etc. But Jesus is reminding the Pharisees, and us, that we belong to God first and foremost. The coin may have Caesar’s mark on it, but we carry God’s mark. We are made in His image.

So, sure, we have an obligation to give back to the authorities over us, but our ultimate loyalty and devotion belong to God alone.

Take that, Pharisees.

Jesus’ message is further emphasized in the next part of the chapter, where He is asked about the greatest commandment. He responds with the well-known statement, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.”

In simple language, Jesus just placed our entire existence in perspective. The greatest priority is to love God with everything we have. That’s it. Everything else flows from that. And the second is like it, to love others with as much focus and passion as we love our own lives.

Love God.

Love others.

Then everything else falls into place.

Reflections:

• In what ways do you love God with your heart, soul, and mind? What does this mean?
• Why is love for your neighbor important? How does the Bible define a “neighbor?”
• Read through the questions that Jesus was asked in chapter 22. Then look at how Jesus answers these questions. What do these exchanges show us about the character of God?
• Prayer: Jesus, thank You for loving me, even when I was far from You. Thank You for bringing me into Your family and giving me a renewed purpose in my life. Help me to love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind. Then help me to see the neighbors who are in need in my life and to love them as I love myself. In Your name, I pray. Amen.

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.

Family Application: Matthew 22

Author: Cooper Herrington

You are sitting down at school having a great day when out of nowhere your teacher tells the class there will be a surprise test. You had no idea the test was coming. You haven’t studied. You read the first question and you feel tricked. This is not a fun feeling. Today in our bible story the Pharisees were trying to ask Jesus a question that would trick Him. Jesus was not tricked at all though, He is fully God and perfect.

The Pharisees asked Jesus what the most important law to follow was. They thought they had Jesus’ right where they wanted Him, but Jesus said something they never expected. Jesus told them that the most important thing is to love God with all your heart, and with all your soul. Love him with all your mind. Then he told them the second most important law to follow is to love your neighbor as you love yourself.

• How can you love God today? How can you love the people you see today?
• Prayer: God, thank You for being God. Thank You for being perfect and always knowing what to say. God, help me love You and love people. Amen.