Nobody’s Mascot – October 22, 2026

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20261022dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. . . “Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?” But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me?” Matthew 22:15,16,18 Nobody’s Mascot The whole family is together for the holidays. The food is hot. The kids are laughing. The conversation is flowing, until Uncle Dan mentions the recent elections. Everything stops. Everyone studies their plate. Chairs scrape the floor as people shift in their seats. Grandma suddenly remembers something in the kitchen. No one says a word until someone asks brightly, “How about this weather?” Talking politics can be uncomfortable. Jesus once faced a political question intended to do more than make him uncomfortable. He was asked whether it was right to pay taxes to the Roman emperor. Would Jesus side with Rome or with his own people? Those asking the question were trying to trap him, to get him to say something that would be unpopular and bring down his ministry. Jesus did not fall for it. He knew what they were doing. People still try to pin Jesus to one political side or the other. But Jesus is nobody’s mascot. Jesus did not come to be a political leader or cheerleader. He came to save the entire human race. But when Jesus refused to pick a side, people from every side wanted him gone. Religious leaders. Political leaders. Even the disciple Judas, whom Jesus called “friend,” turned on him. Yet, Jesus went to the cross for the people who tried to trap him. Yes, he went to the cross for the people who agree with you politically and for the people who do not. His death paid for your sins and theirs. Jesus is nobody’s mascot and everybody’s Savior. So regardless of what party is in power or who wins the election, your hope remains secure with him. Your standing with God can’t be voted out. Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for coming to do more than lead a political movement. Thank you for coming to save my soul. Amen.   Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 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.