“Exodus 20:4: “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image in the likeness that is in heaven above or the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the sea.”
Matthew 22:20-21: “And He said unto them, whose is this image and superscription? They say unto Him, Caesars. The saith he unto them “Render unto Caesars the things which are Caesars and unto God the things that are God’s.”
There is much controversy over what Jesus meant in Matthew 22 and I do not intend to address that controversy. I am more interested in how Jesus managed to put the Pharisees in their place. The Pharisees and Herodians really thought they had Jesus trapped when they asked Him about paying taxes. If He said “yes” the Jewish leaders would take a hard line with him for supporting a pagan government. Paying tax to a foreign government was consider paying a tithe to the government forbidden not by Mosaic law but by the Traditions of the Fathers which later became the Talmud, no consider to be inspired but many felt was authoritative non the less. If Jesus said “no” the Roman government would arrest him for treason.
Note in verse 18, Jesus calls them hypocrites. Why were they hypocrites? That is very simple. He asks someone to produce a coin. Numismatists tell us that the coin minted in those days most likely bore the picture of Caesar Augustus Tiberius and the inscription “Caesar Augustus Tiberius, Son of the Divine Augustus.” To the Jew this was blasphemous as it claimed that Caesar Augustus Tiberius was a god. Thus, to carry this coin with them was in violation of the second commandment of the ten commandments as they interpreted the commandment. Jesus used their own Oral Tradition, their own spin on the Torah to corner them. The poor slob who shared his coin sort of forgot in his enthusiasm that he was admitting to idolatry as the Pharisees interpreted Exodus 20:4. The poor guy got stuck with egg on his face as Jesus busted him. But at the same time Jesus put that commandment into it’s proper perspective.
Going back to the second commandment we are instructed not to make. The word is ashah which is followed by the word leka which means to you. Ashah leka has the idea of taking something unto yourself. You are not to take for yourselves any graven images. This word for graven image is pesel which means to carve out and fashion something that is seen. We are not to take upon ourselves anything that is fashioned to take on the representation or the mun which is a likeness or physical manifestation of anything in the supernatural. In other words don’t depend upon the natural or what can be seen to do what God, the unseen, can and will do.
It does not appear this commandment is addressing all the paintings and sculptures we have of Jesus and the images that are made of Jesus. We have pictures of Him on the cross, healing the sick, raising the dead etc. Exodus 20:4 is not addressing that. However, if you feel that if you touch a picture of Jesus healing someone that you will be healed, then you have violated this commandment. But, if the picture is used to remind you that He is the source, then it does not fit Exodus 20:4. The key lays in the words Ashah leka to take unto yourself these graven images. In other words, to depend or pray to something you can see. You don’t pray to that picture or that image of Jesus, you pray to Jesus.
The word pesel itself has a sort of built in commentary. The Pei represents speaking your heart to something that is natural. The Samek indicates seeking shelter in something that is natural and to pray to something in the natural. Jesus explained it much better when he said “Render unto Caesar those things which are Caesars and to God those which are God.” Literally what he was telling that Pharisee is: “You hypocrite, you accuse me of breaking the law as interpreted by man in the Tradition of the Fathers yet you are just as guilty of breaking the law as you interpret it. You carry that coin with Casear’s imagine because you are doing business with the Roman government. I’m telling you that Exodus 20:4 is saying just carry on your business, let the Roman government do what you what it to do, just do not look to that government to do what God is suppose to do. Let God do His work, don’t let the natural world do God’s work.”
I see Christians doing a great job in lobbying for laws against abortion. They are rendering to Caesar that which is Caesar, the ability to make laws against abortion. But how about rendering to God the things which are God’s, bringing the news of the Gospel to those women seeking abortion, lobbying for laws which confirm our right to share that Gospel with these women outside the clinic so God change their hearts. What is the real solution to abortion? Is it passing laws against abortion or God’s ability to change the heart of the abortionist and those seeking abortion? The government can only make laws to stop the act, God can change the heart so the act never needs to take place.
More clearly we can take an IRA that God gave us.. How do you know that when you get ready to retire that the money will still be in there or even be worth something? We want something that is seen, that we can hold, that we can feel to protect us. We want that graven image that piece of paper saying IRA No problem, just don’t ashah that image or take it unto yourself and pray to it, worship it, seek it for your protection. God can use it for that. He can use the government to protect us, he can use things in the natural to provide for us, and most of the time He does. The mistake is taking it unto yourself. Exodus 20:4 is commanding us to worship that which is not seen and not that which is seen. Don’t worship that piece of paper that says IRA, even if God gave it to you, for tomorrow it may be worthless. Worship only God and let him keep that which you see funded.
Let Caesar (your IRA, job, doctor, etc.) do their thing, but don’t look to them to do what only God can do.
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