Whose Image Is on You? – October 23, 2026
[Jesus said] “Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
Matthew 22:19-21
Whose Image Is on You?
Some questions have no safe answer. Who did you vote for? Do you like my cooking? How does this dress make me look?
Jesus once got a question like that. His opponents asked whether it was right to pay taxes to the Roman emperor. Either answer could get him in trouble. So Jesus asked for a coin.
“Whose image is this?” he asked. “Caesar’s,” they replied. The coin carried the emperor’s face, so it belonged to him. Give it to him.
Although you are, obviously, not a coin, you are stamped with someone’s image. The Bible says that God made you. You are stamped with his image. That means you belong to him.
Sin has damaged that image. None of us has lived the way God demands. So Jesus came to buy you back. He lived the perfect life you could not, then died on a cross as your ransom, the price paid to set a prisoner free. Because he rose again, you can be sure it worked.
Here is one question that does have a safe answer: How do I look to God? Forgiven, loved, and his own.
Knowing this, live your life for him. Worship him. Love the people he brings into your life. Serve those around you. You are his. Give yourself fully to his service. Give to God what is God’s.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you for buying me back and making me your own. I belong to you. Help me live today as someone fully yours and serve the people around me. Amen.
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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
