Monday Morning Encouragement -- Give God His Due

 

"And He said to them, 'Whose likeness and inscription is this?' They said to Him, 'Caesar’s.' Then He said to them, 'Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.' And hearing this, they were amazed, and leaving Him, they went away." Matthew 22:20:22


It if it weren't so sad, it would be almost comical how the Pharisees failed at their attempts to trap Jesus. They plotted and schemed, and came up with what they thought were clever ways to trip up the Lord and discredit Him. But He saw through them every time, and revealed their hypocrisy and evil intents. 


When they approached Him and asked, "Tell us then, what do You think? Is it lawful to give a poll-tax (individual tax) to Caesar, or not?” (Matthew 22:17), Jesus knew that if He said taxes should be paid, the Pharisees could accuse Him of denying God's sovereignty over Israel. And that would make Him an enemy of the Jews. On the other hand, if He said that taxes should not be paid, He would be perceived as an enemy of Rome. 


The Pharisees foolishly thought they had the Lord in a no-win situation, but they were sorely mistaken. Jesus asked them to show Him the coin used for the poll-tax -- a Roman coin. They did so, and then He gave them an answer that would reverberate throughout history: "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and to God the things that are God's." 


Per gotquestions.org:

"When Jesus said, 'Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s,' He was drawing a sharp distinction between 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 (John 18:36). 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 things eternal. If Caesar demands money, give it to him—it’s only mammon. But make sure you also give God what He demands.


"Caesar minted coins, as he had a right to do, and he demanded some coins in return, as was his right. After all, his image was stamped on what he had made. God has 'minted' the human soul, and He has stamped His image on every one (Genesis 1:27). So give Caesar his due—the temporary stuff of this world—but make sure to give God His due: “Offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness” (Romans 6:13). 


Today's music video Perfect Wisdom of God by Keith and Kristyn Getty speaks to God's sovereignty and amazing love for us.







I love you, I'm thinking of you, and I'm praying for you.

And I'm praying for God's perfect will in tomorrow's election in America.




4 comments

  1. Very true. I have also heard people debate this passage, argue really, to prove their own point. Give to God what he asks of us. It will go better for us in the long run.
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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  2. What a great answer Jesus gave the Pharisees. Happy Monday sweet friend. xoxo Kris

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  3. I can only imagine the chagrin of the Pharisees when they realized that their clever plot had been foiled by Jesus. How tragic that they didn't understand who Jesus was.

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  4. This is so true, sweet friend. Thank you so much for your faithfulness to God's call upon your life. You are such a blessing and encouragement to me. May He bless you always.

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