Daily Writing

Monday, 31 August 2026

When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way. Matthew 22:22

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And having heard, they wondered, and having left Him, they departed.” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus told those He was talking to that, based on the image and inscription of their own coin, they needed to render unto Caesar what was to Caesar, and to God what was to God. With that stated, it next says, “And having heard, they wondered.”

Once the thought-process of such a statement is known, people can easily slip into the thinking that Jesus’ words would have been easily presented and that anyone could come to the same conclusion. “Surely I would have figured that out!” But this is not true.

The dismissal of what Jesus said in this manner will usually come from those who already have a bias against the Christian message. In other words, a rabbi may be shown this account, and his answer might be, “Sure, sure. We already know this. We’ve been living it out for two thousand years. There is nothing new in this.”

But such words dismiss the clear and confident intent of the plan brought forth by the Pharisees and the Herodians. They were positive Jesus would trip up over their question. It takes a very well contemplated response, something not usually forthcoming when asked on the spot about such a matter, to be able to think this through quickly and clearly.

Of course, hindsight is 20/20, and we as humans are quick to think that we would have been just as quick at giving such a response. As for those who proposed the question to Jesus, they knew the truth of the matter.

The Pharisees could not hint at Jesus’ words being inappropriate within a religious context. The Herodians were completely shut down in their attempt to accuse Jesus of sedition. Therefore, Matthew records, “and having left Him, they departed.”

What else could they do? They were embarrassed into silence. If any of their own disciples were present, they had embarrassed themselves in front of them. With tails between legs, they turned and scampered.

Life application: Throughout the years, there have been great thinkers who can easily think through difficult issues on the spot. If a technical challenge is needed to overcome a situation, someone may be right on the spot to suggest something that will save the day.

In a military setting, there may be a seemingly impossible situation. And yet, the skill of a single man in understanding the layout of the land may change the course of the battle. Sgt Alvin York was able to do this in WWI.

When facing the onslaught of moral depravity within a society, there may be a handful of voices from people who can quickly and reasonably speak against the tide of perverse thinking of people who come forward with arguments as to why what they are doing is acceptable.

In America today, there are a few such voices, mostly Christians or Jews, who will engage the masses in open discussions about moral issues. In such cases, their logic is irrefutable, and it quickly destroys the arguments of those with opposing views.

Unfortunately, such moral thinkers are often targeted by those who disagree with them. Their websites are attacked, their video platforms are demonetized or scrubbed entirely, their lives are threatened, and the forums where they debate are often shouted down or shut down entirely, even before they get a chance to speak.

In the case of clear biblical thinking, there are those who know what the Bible says, in its proper context, and without irrational thinking being included in their presentations. When this is the case, those who base their theology and doctrine on emotions, presuppositions, or biases (such as what is the state of Israel, whether a single version of the Bible is the only true word, or the timing of when the rapture will occur), will openly attack those holding to the proper view, calling them false teachers or heretics.

Jesus was eventually crucified for His proper stance on what was occurring in His society and in regard to the Law of Moses. Over the years, this has been the case with many of His true followers. Hence, the term martyr is well known to those who remember Christian history.

As believers in Jesus Christ, we should hold fast to the word of God, be firm in our moral convictions, and be ready to defend what we believe. We may not be as quick or clear-thinking as some people, but that is why they are in the public spotlight, and we are not. If their words are in accord with what is biblically sound, we should applaud them.

Matters such as creation versus evolution, support for Israel or standing against it, homosexuality within the church, and so forth, are all things we should have a firm stand on, even if we are not quick enough to publicly enter into a debate about them.

Lord God, thank You for those who rightly interpret and divide Your word, including those who can do so in open forums where others are watching. Help us to consider such arguments and mold our thinking to what is pure, right, moral, and just. To Your glory, we pray. Amen.

Sunday, 30 August 2026

They said to Him, “Caesar’s.”
And He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” Matthew 22:21

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“They say to Him, ‘Caesar’s.’ Then He says to them, ‘You render, therefore, those Caesar’s to Caesar, and those the ‘God’s’ to God.’” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus asked the Pharisees and Herodians whose image and inscription were on the coin. In response to that, “They say to Him, ‘Caesar’s.’”

Rather than holding up the coin and saying, “Look, this is Caesar’s image and inscription,” Jesus had them respond to His question. By doing so, they have, with their own mouths, affirmed that the coin they used belonged not to the Jewish nation, but to their overlords, the Romans.

Therefore, their thought of trapping Jesus in His words will fail. Their question to Him in Verse 17 was not an either/or response after all. Instead, the correct response, when thought through, is seen in the continued exchange, “Then He says to them, ‘You render, therefore, those Caesar’s to Caesar.’”

The nation was subject to Rome. They used its currency, they lived by whatever laws were imposed on them, and they could be elevated in the Roman society or cast into Roman prisons. The coin in Jesus’ hand confirmed this. To say otherwise would be an act of rebellion against those who ruled over them. Along with that thought, Jesus says, “and those the ‘God’s’ to God.”

To the Jews, whether they believed in God or not, they knew that the culture of the nation was established on the premise that there is a God and that He had given His law through Moses to the nation. Nobody would deny that. Anyone who spoke against it could be punished up to death, even if the death penalty had been reserved for Rome to mete out.

As this is so, their laws mandated many things that the people were expected to do. This included the sacrificial system, the tithes and offerings, observing particular days like the Sabbath and the Day of Atonement, etc. Even the garments they wore had aspects mandated in the Law of Moses.

The crops they could grow in a field and the types of food they could eat were also governed by the law. Obedience to the law was considered rendering to God because their law came from Him. These points were undeniable, and these leaders’ attempts to trap Jesus in His words had failed, epically.

Life application: If these men had taken .00156 seconds to think through what their own Scriptures said, they would have seen the error in their thinking concerning an either/or answer to the question they asked of Jesus. In Jeremiah 29, it says –

“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon:
⁵ Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. ⁶ Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters—that you may be increased there, and not diminished. ⁷ And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace. ⁸ For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you, nor listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed. ⁹ For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them, says the Lord.” Jeremiah 29:4-9

The fate of the people, be it living in freedom, in captivity, or under the rule of their enemies in their own land, was solely at the will of the Lord. This is recorded throughout Judges and onward. The word of the Lord through Jeremiah explicitly notes this.

It is the Lord who sent them into exile. He did it by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, and their exile was to Babylon. This wasn’t an aberration. Rather, it was prophesied in advance, and even the number of years the exile would continue was told to them by Jeremiah in his words to them.

During the time of that exile, at the Lord’s direction, they were expected to render unto Babylon the things that belonged to Babylon. Babylon was God’s chosen instrument to chastise Israel for its aberrant ways. If they rebelled against the authority placed over them, there would be consequences.

The Lord instructed them to live in peace in their new land. To disobey that would be to incur the Lord’s wrath. Likewise, they would incur the wrath of those who held them captive. That truth has not changed to this day. Whether they accept their state in the world or not, and whether they believe in the Lord or not, they are to render unto whatever nation they live in what belongs to that nation, and they are to render unto God what belongs to Him.

The same is true for believers. Paul says in Romans 13 –

“Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. ² Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.” Romans 13:1, 2

Stand on the word when such things arise. God has ordained your time, place, and station in life. Live within the framework of those things in a manner that will honor Him.

Lord God, in so many ways, You have taken the pressure off us. When Your word tells us to do something, all we need to do is be obedient to what You have said. Help us to remember this, complying with such things according to Your will for each of us. Amen.

Saturday, 29 August 2026

And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” Matthew 22:20

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And He says to them, ‘Whose, the ‘likeness, this’? And whose inscription?’” (CG)

In the previous verse, Jesus asked for the coin of the census. Complying with His request, they offered Him a denarius. With that now in His hand, Matthew next records, “And He says to them, ‘Whose, the ‘likeness, this’?’”

This is a new word, eikon, which signifies a likeness. HELPS Word Studies says “properly, ‘mirror-like representation,’ referring to what is very close in resemblance (like a ‘high-definition’ projection, as defined by the context).”

In 2 Corinthians 4:4, it is used of Christ, “who is the image of God.” That thought is expressed again in Colossians 3:14. In this word, one can see the etymological ancestor of our modern word icon. That passed into English through the Late Latin icon during the 1500s. Jesus’ question specifically asks of a person who is stamped onto the coin. From there, He adds, “And whose inscription?”

Another new word is seen, epigraphé, an inscription. The word is derived from epi, upon, and graphó, to grave, particularly to write. Thus, a literal translation would be to upon-write. However, this is what an inscription is: something written upon an object, paper, etc. This word is found only in the synoptic gospels.

Some older translations say “superscription,” but that is technically off. A superscription is written on the top, outside, or above something else, while an inscription is carved, engraved, or written directly onto a surface or into the main body of an object. One can see the etymological granddaddy of our modern word, epigraph.

Of this coin, Vincent’s Word Studies says –

“Images on coins were not approved by the Jews. Out of respect to this prejudice none of the earlier Herods had his own image impressed on them. Herod Agrippa I., who murdered James and imprisoned Peter, introduced the practice. The coin shown to Christ must either have been struck in Rome, or else was one of the Tetrarch Philip, who was the first to introduce the image of Caesar on strictly Jewish coins.”

Life application: This is undoubtedly a Roman coin. Jewish coins were not minted with human figures due to prohibitions found in the Law of Moses. In Deuteronomy 5:8, it says, “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.”

The reason for this goes back to Deuteronomy 4:12, “And the Lord spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of the words, but saw no form; you only heard a voice.”

Israel was to learn to reverence the unseen Lord, never attempting to replicate what they thought He might look like, something that would otherwise lead them directly into idolatry. That, however, didn’t work. Their history, from their very inception at Sinai, was filled with making images and bowing down to them.

This is because we as humans desire something tangible and visible to help us process our thoughts or direct our attention to. God knows this, but the lesson had to be lived out. In the coming of Christ Jesus, God has revealed Himself in a way that removes this lack.

We now have the image of God in the Person of Jesus. Although the Jews call this blasphemy and many Christians condemn portraying Jesus in photos, as if that is idolatry, it is exactly what God has allowed.

The same people who get bent out of shape over a painting of Jesus’ face will never have a problem with a painting of Jesus riding on a donkey, as if the scenery changes the intent.

Jesus is represented in plays and movies as an evangelism tool. This is applauded by the same people, but for some reason, having a portrait of Jesus sends them into a conniption. This is illogical. God has given His Son to the world as a means of understanding Him. The humanity of Jesus allows us to understand God in a way we can appreciate.

Hold fast to the notion that what God has done is good. It is what keeps us from the sin of idolatry when we follow the admonition of Scripture, “…looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).

Lord God, thank You for Jesus. In Him, we can contemplate Your goodness in a way that would never have been otherwise possible. We praise You for Your glory, displayed in His Person. How great You are, O God. Amen.

Friday, 28 August 2026

Show Me the tax money.”
So they brought Him a denarius. Matthew 22:19

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“‘You display to me the ‘coin, the census’.’
They also offered to Him – denarius.” (CG)

In the previous verse, Jesus knew that they were setting a trap for Him with their question about paying the census. Therefore, He challenged them on it, calling them hypocrites. In order to give them a response, He next says, “You display to me the ‘coin, the census’.”

Instead of directly answering their question, He asks for the coin used when paying the Roman census. As this was the approved coin, it means that every person in the country had their census paid for with it.

Whatever they hand Him, therefore, will provide His answer to their question. If He sides with the Herodians, the Pharisees will be able to accuse Him. If He sides with the Pharisees, the Herodians will be able to accuse Him. How will He get out of this? Not yet knowing His intent, “They also offered to Him – denarius.”

The denarius is a Roman coin. Depending on what the census tax was referring to in Matthew 17, this may help us understand the didrachma mentioned there –“When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, ‘Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?’
²⁵ He said, ‘Yes.’
And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, ‘What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?’
²⁶ Peter said to Him, ‘From strangers.’
Jesus said to him, ‘Then the sons are free. ²⁷ Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you.’” Matthew 17:24-27

Regardless of the meaning of that tax, the denarius was a standard coin, known to be widely used among the people. It has already been noted in two parables, indicating that it was the standard coin used by the people when dealing with such matters –

“But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’” Matthew 18:28

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. ² Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.” Matthew 20:1, 2

As this is so, Jesus will make a point about the matter based on this.

Life application: If you are planning on making an accusation or a defense about a matter, one sure way to bolster your side of the argument is to have a physical prop at hand. In a trial, something with fingerprints on it is a certain way of proving that a person’s hand was on whatever is presented.

Having photos of a person doing something, legal or illegal, can be used to prosecute or defend. Such things work because people can see them. They become undeniable pieces of evidence to support one’s position.

Instead of just saying what is on His mind, Jesus uses a physical, tangible prop to support what He is about to say. Depending on what is said, and also who says it, an air-tight case can be made, beyond which there can be no contestation.

Remember this as you deal in such matters. If you have such a prop available to you, be sure to include it. Words can have strength, but physical evidence of some sort can be the final nail in the coffin when it is presented.

Lord God, help us to think matters through so that we will take the right avenue that is needed to resolve the difficult matters that arise in our lives. May this be especially true when we deal in matters which include our relationship with You. May our lives and actions always bring glory to You. Amen.

Thursday, 27 August 2026

But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, “Why do you test Me, you hypocrites?” Matthew 22:18

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“Having known, also, the ‘Jesus’, the ‘depravity, theirs’, He said, ‘Why, Me, you test, hypocrites?’” (CG)

In the previous verse, Jesus was questioned whether it was right to give a census to Caesar, or not. In response, it says, “Having known, also, the ‘Jesus’, the ‘depravity, theirs’.”

A new word is seen here, ponéria, depravity. It is derived from ponos, toil, and by implication anguish or pain. HELPS Word Studies defines it as pain-ridden evil. These men were working out evil like a criminal would. Spending their effort on what would benefit them at the expense of others.

In Mark, it says that Jesus knew their hypocrisy. Luke uses a word signifying craftiness. Jesus was able to know, without a moment’s hesitation, that they were trying to trap Him. As such, “He said, ‘Why, Me, you test, hypocrites?’”

They were presenting one face while getting ready to put on another, as the term hypocrite implies. As soon as they heard Him give an incorrect answer, which they thought would come from any answer He gave, they would pounce on Him like rabid animals.

But that seems less likely now that He has demonstrated that He is aware of their wicked intentions.

Life application: How often does it happen that you have something occur in your life and you’re not sure what to do about it, but then a few days later, the pastor preaches on exactly what you needed to know? Or maybe, you read the Bible a couple days later, and there is the answer that you could have used to resolve your difficulty.

Likewise, how often does something happen which would otherwise be difficult for you to handle, but just the day before, or maybe that very morning, you had read something in the Bible that mirrors the situation in which you find yourself?

When this happens, what does that tell you? In the first instance, you might say to yourself, “I need to read the Bible more often. If I had just spent my time there, this wouldn’t have been a problem.” In the second instance, you might say, “I sure am glad I spend each day reading the Bible. If I had skipped this morning’s reading, I may not have had a clue about what to do!”

The Bible is a book of many types of instruction, one of which is life in general. As you go through your life, you are bound to have instances like these come up because God created mankind. His word is a blueprint for the proper operation of human beings.

Marriage, work ethic, saving money, raising children, etc., are a part of what we engage in during our lives. The Bible gives sound advice, whether implicit or explicit, on such matters. Therefore, it is natural that we will find the answer to difficulties in such matters there.

Jesus’ example provides us with the knowledge that we should consider what people are up to when they ask various questions. Some people may seem like they are asking about one thing, when their ulterior motives are kept hidden away for a later time. The people Jesus interacted with are real people, not characters in a book.

As such, when we see how they interact with Jesus, we can learn from that. Consider this as you read the Bible. We can learn so much as we consider the words before us, one aspect of which is human behavior. Great stuff from the Creator to those willing to engage with His word, our blueprint for a properly run life.

Lord God, it is always a joy to read Your word and then find that what we read fits into the next things we are doing in our daily lives. It is like a wink from You that You have ordained our days and are directing us according to Your wisdom. Thank You for Your wonderful word. Amen.