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by Sandy Shaw
My intention to work through Luke Chapter 20 slowly is quite deliberate because these are among the final words of Jesus Christ before He meets with His chosen men and then makes His way to the Cross where He sacrifices His life that we might be forgiven, rescued and saved from sin, so that we might be trained and prepared for service in the Kingdom of God. It would be wrong to hurry through such profound teaching.
When the spies try to entrap Jesus with their fancy trick question - almost unanswerable in the natural - Jesus replies so masterly and so challengingly – verse 25.
I could not get away from this section as I tried to move on. Let's remain in these verses. Show me a coin. Whose face is on this coin? Caesar's. Then give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar AND to God what is God's. As Jesus took them that little further than they thought, they must have been stunned. Have you noticed just how often Jesus shocks and perhaps even stuns us with some of the profoundly challenging words which flow from His mouth? This is radical revolutionary stuff – saturated with the pure love of God!
They obviously were not giving to God what God was due - what our God deserves.
This matter of taxes - Jesus is saying to these spies - Pay up.
If Caesar provides you with an army - and soldiers - and protection - pay him.
If the government provides you with army - police - Health Service - education - whatever it might be - pay what is their due.
The Jews had benefited in so many ways from what was called the Pax Romana - that degree of peace which Rome provided. It was remarkable. You could travel anywhere throughout the Roman Empire at that time in comparative peace and safety, and without a passport. So says Jesus "Pay up".
“Taxes are not bad”, teaches Jesus. Disciples of Jesus Christ should never complain at having to pay legitimate taxes. They finance our Police - Education - armed forces - Health Service and Welfare services. And whatever the weaknesses in the United Kingdom, and there are weaknesses and flaws and failings and faults in every system, it is better than many other situations in the world.
Jesus indicates that disciples should honestly and responsibly and without complaining pay our taxes, and perhaps become more involved in the administering of the money - in deciding how the money is spent and allocated and handled - in government, at local and national level - physically - and of course through prayer - so that our taxes are wisely used - and that the money is not squandered - or wasted.
We are citizens of this world, as well as being citizens of the Kingdom of God, and there is a problem only when Caesar claims and demands what belongs to God – Worship!
If we are ever going to disobey governmental authority - and there can be occasions when that is right - we must make sure we are obeying God.
Acts 5 : 29. They prayed - they testified - preached - submitted - there were no protests or parades or petitions to man. Jesus commanded the disciples - "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel". Jesus never said anything about coming back. That has been a great encouragement to me when I have left for some of the poorest areas of Uganda and Kenya.
To answer like this needs clear thinking - not emotional thinking - nor nationalistic thinking - nor bitter criticism and sarcastic comment which we can so often hear.
Jesus takes these spies further than they intended going. He often does that.
You are made in the image of God - give yourself to God - render yourself to Him - surrender yourself to your Creator. He takes them back to fundamental truths - back to what is basic. Pay what is right to pay, and worship God and not Caesar - nor what Caesar gives you.
Were these spies or religious leaders giving to God the things which were God's? No, they were not, and they knew it, and they did not like their whole system being so deeply challenged by Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
There are times when we too have to ask ourselves. Are we giving to God what is God's? Truly? Wholly? Totally? Are we giving to Him all that He wants from us? Our lives? Our voices? Our hands? Our talents? Our gifts? Our minds? To surrender our minds to God and to begin to think the way He thinks can be one of the very difficult areas.
Alexander 'Sandy' Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness - on the Moray Firth Coast - not far from the Loch Ness Monster!
Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.
Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40am, New Orleans time, at wsho.com.
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