Matthew 22: 20-22 - And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They said to Him, “Caesar’s. And 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 had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.
The religious leaders were desperate to trap Jesus and stop the huge following that threatened their control of the Jewish laws. The Pharisees thought they had Jesus…no matter what He answered on the subject of money and taxes. If he said Caesar….He would be breaking Jewish laws. If he said God…then the Roman government would have Him on heresy.
Jesus amazed them and shut them up for a while with His reply that government loyalties should be kept as well as God’s laws. He introduced the concept of dual citizenship…supporting the rules of a government as well as the rules of God. Jesus had already taken a step further to prove He meant what He said. He had already sent Peter to the shore of the sea to fetch a fish with a coin in Matthew 17:21 to pay their taxes with.
I will admit that it causes me more than a bit of sorrow in my heart when I have voted against a law or rule that I feel God would not be happy with. I am sure the people of that day struggled with the same thing. They had asked God for a king to rule and help provide order to their world. They forgot to ask God to always make sure the king was a godly man who would always make sure the laws of God were considered when any government rule or laws were made. They forgot that God will not completely do away with evil governments until the last days…and that some people would be oppressed by these less than godly countries.
I will admit that I do not support every item that my taxes go to fund….but I still pay them each year. At least my coins and dollar bills still have ‘In God We Trust’ printed on them. I know in my heart that God will use all things…even the ones that I see as hurtful and against His commands. In His timing all things will work to the good of those that love Him…that is the promise of Romans 8:28.
Father…thank you for the reminder that dual citizenship is a concept that you ordained to give authority to an earthly leader. Your intent was to provide order and structure to a world full of chaos and evil. Even though the world has twisted the concept to meet their own needs…you can still use it to bless and provide some routine to a world that would otherwise be purely evil. Forgive me for the times that I have complained and tried to find a way out of a law…instead of embracing it simply because you ask us to support our leaders. Help me to find ways to be involved in changing the laws that can be changed to be more godly in your sight. Amen.
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