eFollowingJesusMar14 - render to Caesar (read Matthew 22:15-22)

   Stunned silence:  those who tried to trap Jesus had no answer for his brilliant wisdom.  They deceivingly flattered him, then popped the impossible question:  does God permit the paying of taxes to Caesar or not?  An annual property tax, a denarius, had to be paid.  Jews resented the levy, plus the coins bore the blasphemous image of Caesar, claiming he was a god.  If Jesus said yes, he's in league with Rome and the tax collectors; if no, he's siding with militant revolutionaries.

   "Render to Caesar what is Caesar's."  Though Jesus' foes (and we may wonder why they had such a blasphemous coin in their pockets - in the temple precincts!) were silenced, we seem to talk about this one a lot.  Jesus isn't legislating the separation of Church and state.  To Jesus, what belongs to Caesar is relatively trivial, and temporary.  What belongs to God is. Everything! - including the realm of Caesar!  Followers of Jesus can be good citizens, but when loyalty to Jesus clashes with the realm of political reality, Jesus trumps.  Give to God what belongs to God.

   Lord, remind me to think about whose image is on money, and then focus my zeal on what belongs to You.  

James

james@mpumc.org

Sunday's sermon on "Sell all you have and give to the poor," Matthew 19:16-30, may be heard by clicking here.

Here is the full text of Matthew 22:1-22   -  1: And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, 2: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a marriage feast for his son, 3: and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the marriage feast; but they would not come. 4: Again he sent other servants, saying, `Tell those who are invited, Behold, I have made ready my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves are killed, and everything is ready; come to the marriage feast.' 5: But they made light of it and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, 6: while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. 7: The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8: Then he said to his servants, `The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9: Go therefore to the thoroughfares, and invite to the marriage feast as many as you find.' 10: And those servants went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good; so the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11: "But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment; 12: and he said to him, `Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless. 13: Then the king said to the attendants, `Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.' 14: For many are called, but few are chosen." 15: Then the Pharisees went and took counsel how to entangle him in his talk. 16: And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are true, and teach the way of God truthfully, and care for no man; for you do not regard the position of men. 17: Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?" 18: But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, "Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? 19: Show me the money for the tax." And they brought him a coin. 20: And Jesus said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?" 21: They said, "Caesar's." Then he said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." 22: When they heard it, they marveled; and they left him and went away.

The full eFollowingJesus series (thus far!) may be found on our web site.