“Tell us, what do You think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” Perceiving their malice, Jesus said, “Why are you testing Me, hypocrites? Show Me the coin used for the tax.”
So they brought Him a denarius. “Whose image and inscription is this?” He asked them. “Caesar’s,” they said to Him.
Then He said to them, “Therefore, give back to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (Matthew 22:17-21)
Jesus seems to get a little sassy here. After all, he had just spent a lot of time with the Pharisees telling them parables about themselves and they still didn’t get it. Instead they were spending their time plotting how to trap and kill him. I’m sure Jesus knew their true intentions when they asked this question, but again, Jesus’ answers could not be defeated.
Jesus challenged the things of the day, but he was not political and he did not seek to change world structures, only the hearts of mankind.
When he spoke of giving to God the things that are God’s, I was reminded of these words from Dr. K.P. Johannan, missionary and author of “Revolution in World Missions”, written in 1986. K.P. confirms in today’s world what Jesus was saying to us. Jesus’ words were not only to the Pharisees but to us as well. I hope we do not miss the point.
“Americans are more than just unaware of their affluence – they almost seem to despise it at times. When I came to America, I stared in amazement at how they treated their beautiful clothes and shoes. This nation routinely takes its astonishing wealth for granted.
How can two so different economies coexist simultaneously on the earth? I was alarmed at how misplaced are the spiritual values of most western believers. It appeared to me that for the most part they had absorbed the same humanistic and materialistic values that dominated the secular culture. Through their abundance, it was as if they were trying to escape from a guilt they had not yet defined.
They were simply incapable of understanding the enormous needs overseas. I sometimes cannot freely order food when traveling in the U.S. – I look at the costs and carelessness and realize how far that amount of money would go in India or Philippines. Suddenly I am not quite as hungry as before.
Is it God’s fault people are going hungry? No, God has provided enough money in the highly developed nations to feed the rest. Here are people of privilege and great affluence and more free to act on the Great Commission than any other nation in history. Yet, they didn’t comprehend this.”
Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter. – Francis Chan
