Render to Caesar: Jesus Series

   "Then he said to them, 'So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.'” Matthew 22:21

   In the passage the Pharisees are once again trying to trap Jesus. The Jews did not like paying taxes to the Romans. They asked Jesus "Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?" (Mat.22.17). Jesus called them "hypocrites" and then asked for a coin used for paying tax. Then he asks the Pharisees, "whose image is this?" (Mat.22.20). The Pharisees say that it's "Caesar's." That's when Jesus says to give what is Caesar's to Caesar.
   Now, this doesn't seem like such a confusing passage but I will tell you when Jesus said this it probably shocked the Pharisees and those who heard it. The Jews believed that they were being oppressed by the Romans and that the savior would relieve them from that oppression. Jeremiah 23:5 says: "'Behold, the days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; And He will reign as king and act wisely And do justice and righteousness in the land." To the Jews this probably sounded like an end of oppression. Many of them probably thought that the savior would be king on earth. It just goes to show that God's plan is better than our plan, whether we know it or not.

   This verse is also difficult for some people to deal with today. We don't like having to give up our money that we worked hard for. We don't like supporting our leaders if we don't agree with them. I get that, but what does God say about this? Jesus says we are to give what belongs to leaders back to our leaders. Our money isn't ours, besides the fact that everything is created by God and his, we didn't physically make our money the government did. Therefore, we should give back our money to our leaders whether we like our leaders or not.
   And, while on the subject of leaders, do you think God just let's random things happen on earth? No, well good because He put our leaders in place. Romans 13:1 states: "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God." God puts our leaders in place for a reason. We may not support every decision they make, but God knew what that leader would do. The leader is above us for a reason. We need to make sure that we follow the laws in our countries, unless those laws go directly against God's laws. That's what being subject means in that verse. If we didn't follow those leaders what kind of message would that be sending about Christians? I know it's hard; God didn't promise our lives would be easy but it will be worth it.
   So, what are your thoughts on following the leaders God puts in place? Are you in God's word enough to know what is right and wrong in his eyes? Will you obey leaders God puts in place, unless the laws those leaders put in place are against God?

   Image from here.