What Belongs to God
(Matthew 22:15–22)

We kicked off a new series this past Sunday called Walking in Wisdom—learning to see what’s true and live like it matters. Wisdom isn’t cleverness or quick thinking. It’s alignment with reality. And since God is the One who defines reality, wisdom means aligning your life with His truth and His grace.

The Cambridge Dictionary defines wisdom as the ability to make good judgments based on what you’ve learned from experience or the knowledge and understanding that gives you that ability. I like that. It’s practical. It’s about learning from life. But for us as followers of Jesus, wisdom has a deeper source. Our wisdom is drawn from Scripture and guided by the Holy Spirit. It’s not about winning arguments or avoiding mistakes. It’s about walking through the world as people who belong to God.

This week’s question is: What belongs to God?

Trap Questions

In Matthew 22, Jesus is approached by two groups that normally wouldn’t have been caught dead working together—the Pharisees and the Herodians. It would be like a progressive activist and a political lobbyist walking into the same press conference, arm in arm, because they finally found something they can agree on: taking Jesus down.

They start with flattery—always a red flag—and then spring the trap: “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”

It sounds simple, but it’s a loaded question. If Jesus says yes, He’ll lose the respect of His Jewish followers who hate Roman oppression. If He says no, He’s guilty of treason against Rome. Either way, they win.

We’ve all been in conversations like that—where someone asks a question that’s not really about getting an answer. Maybe it’s the coworker who says, “So, do you agree with management’s decision?” Or the teenager who asks, “Don’t you trust me?” Either way, you can feel the setup.

When someone demands a “yes or no,” the wise response is usually to pause. Because not every question deserves the framework it’s asked in.

Wisdom Discerns the Frame

That’s what Jesus does. He doesn’t panic. He doesn’t take the bait. He asks to see a coin. “Whose image is on it?” They say, “Caesar’s.” And He replies, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

Jesus doesn’t just answer their question—He reframes it. Wisdom always starts there.

When you’re confronted with a hard question, a wise person pauses and asks: What’s really going on here? What assumptions are built into this? Why is this being asked?

That’s as true in conversations about faith as it is in everyday life. You and I are constantly being handed frameworks—ways to see the world—and not all of them are true. The entire advertising industry is built on that. Clean laundry equals happy children. Expensive cars equal success. Vacations equal peace. Wisdom doesn’t just nod along. It steps back and examines the framework.

Proverbs 26:4–5 puts it this way:
“Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself.
Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.”

In other words, think before you speak. Wisdom doesn’t react—it responds. James writes, “Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger” (James 1:19).

That pause—that little space between stimulus and response—is where wisdom grows.

Wisdom Discerns the Heart

But wisdom isn’t just about analysis. It’s about compassion.

Matthew tells us, “Jesus, aware of their malice…” He knew what was behind their question. He discerned not only the frame but the heart.

Now, in this case, the motive was malicious. But that’s not always true in our lives. More often than not, the sharp or controlling questions we get aren’t about malice—they’re about pain.

Fear is a big one. Fear of being wrong. Fear of losing control. Fear of rejection.
Sometimes it’s shame—the deep feeling of not being good enough.
Sometimes it’s hurt, insecurity, grief, or loneliness.
Sometimes people lash out because they don’t feel seen or safe.

Wisdom listens for the heart behind the words. Proverbs 20:5 says, “The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out.”

It doesn’t mean you excuse harmful behavior. It means you look for the image of God in the other person. Even when you’re on the receiving end of something pointed, wisdom asks, “What’s going on with them?”

That’s especially important for followers of Jesus. We’re called not just to win arguments but to love people. We can be truthful without being defensive. We can hold our ground without closing our hearts.

As I sometimes say, you don’t have to attend every argument you’re invited to. Sometimes wisdom protects. Sometimes it connects. And knowing which is which comes from the Holy Spirit.

Wisdom Acts in Faith

The third movement is where Jesus’ words take us deeper: “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

That raises a question: what isGod’s?

The coin bore Caesar’s image. You bear God’s image.

Genesis 1:26 says, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”
That means you and I belong to God by nature. He made us to reflect His goodness, His reason, His creativity, and His love.

But sin distorts that image. Ever since the garden, humanity has been saying, “I’ll take it from here.” We’ve tried to live as our own masters, defining right and wrong on our own terms. And the result has been disastrous.

The good news is that God didn’t give up on His creation. He sent His Son—the perfect image of God—to restore what we broke. Colossians 1:15 calls Jesus “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”

John writes, “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).

That’s Good News! Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, you are restored to the image of God you were meant to bear. You are no longer a stranger but a child. Romans 8 says, “You have received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’”

So when Jesus says, “Give to God what is God’s,” He’s not just talking about money or obedience. He’s talking about you.

Wisdom, for the Christian, is not simply moral insight—it’s relational trust. It’s knowing the Father who made you, the Son who redeemed you, and the Spirit who lives in you.

Living Wisely

Walking in wisdom means you see what’s true and live like it matters. You discern the frame of the world’s questions. You listen for the heart behind people’s words. And you act in faith—trusting that your life belongs to the One whose image you bear.

When you know that, everything changes. You stop chasing every argument and start looking for God’s image in the person across from you. You stop needing to win every debate and start wanting to reflect Christ.

To give to God what is God’s is not to pay Him back—it’s to live in gratitude for what He’s already given.

You were made in His image.
You were redeemed by His Son.
You are sealed by His Spirit.

So what belongs to God?
You do.

See what’s true. Trust in Jesus. Live like it matters.

Much grace and peace to you!