“Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s,
and to God, the things that are God’s.”
Matthew 22:21
An Unexpected Command “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God, the things that are God’s.” These red letter words are from Christ Himself when He was confronted by the Pharisees seeking to trap Him. Jesus understood their angle. The money, the denarius coin, was minted with Caesar’s face. To deny that tax would have brought the Romans down on Him. To accept it would have stood against their Jewish beliefs. It was made of silver and featured an image of the emperor with an inscription calling him “divine.” The Jews considered such images idolatry, forbidden by the second commandment. Christ's Goal He was drawing a sharp distinction between the two kingdoms. There is a kingdom of this world, and Caesar holds power over it. But there is another kingdom, not of this world, and Jesus is King of that. Christians are part of both kingdoms, at least temporarily. Under Caesar, we have certain obligations that involve material things. Under Christ, we have other obligations that involve eternal things. If Caesar demands money, give it to him—it’s only money. But make sure you also give God what He demands. Now that our tax season has come and gone, this yearly task is an excellent reminder to follow Jesus’ command. While we are to pay our money to our government what we owe them, how are we doing with what God demands of us?
Are we giving of ourselves sacrificially?
Are we helping the poor?
Are we making disciples?
Practically, are we paying our 10% tithe to the "storehouse" (church)?
Are we giving an offering above and beyond that?
Are we hoarding and hiding our talents, or are we sharing and multiplying them?
Let’s be faithful to give God what He deserves, and oh yeah, the government too.
Travis Sellers MD5 Lab Coordinator