Taxes to Caesar

The hunt was on long ago. The Pharisees were after Jesus, and would try everything they could to catch Him in breaking the law…

Paying Taxes to Caesar

Luke 20:20-26
20 Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be sincere. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said, so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor. 21 So the spies questioned him: “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. 22 Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

23 He saw through their duplicity and said to them, 24 “Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription are on it?”

“Caesar’s,” they replied.

25 He said to them, “Then give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

26 They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public. And astonished by his answer, they became silent.

Astonished? That’s the Creator they were trying to deceive. What did they expect?

You almost want to feel sorry for them, the Pharisees. You feel like yelling at them and pleading with them to see Jesus as the Messiah that He is. They can’t though. The way that we can’t sometimes. Intentional or not, we can blind ourselves, and unfortunately blind others around us.

Before we begin to place ourselves above the Pharisees, we must see our own inability to have the true faith and belief that is required to carry out God’s will in our lives. To make that our priority every day.

Don’t get me wrong. We are righteous. We have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, which in turn covers us in His saving blood. However, when we forget to love first and start to point at others as they fail, then we have avoided our own areas in our lives that require the prayer of the very person you are pointing to.

We are all the recipients of unmerited favor. Jesus died for all. Included are those that sought to kill Him. That is love. So now, give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what is God’s. That’s you.

Amen.
DK