Matthew 22:15-22. Render unto Caesar.
What Jesus says in todayamprsquos passage is one of the most brilliant and famous responses he ever made to the duplicitous Pharisees: ampldquoRender unto Caesar what is Caesaramprsquos and unto God what is Godamprsquos.amprdquo I use the King James version because thatamprsquos what is most familiar to me, not because I read it from the Bible so often but because I read it so often in essays and always it was that phrasing that was quoted, usually shortened to ampldquoRender unto Caesar.amprdquo
The phrase has entered the lexicon of English itself as the epitome of knowing the difference between worldly and spiritual duties and acting accordingly.
Christamprsquos words are timely because this is tax season. This year I had to pay very little extra tax to the Korean government because I nagged my school accountant to please, please, please deduct more from my monthly wage throughout the year.
Although I donamprsquot mind paying tax every month through deductions, I do mind very much having to pay more at the end of the year out of my pocket. I donamprsquot want to render unto Caesar. I actually think that itamprsquos my money, not Caesaramprsquos and not even Godamprsquos.
Many years ago I struggled with tithing because of the same selfish attitude. Now--praise God!--I tithe with joy, grateful and thankful that I have such money to give back to God through whose agency I receive a monthly wage in the first place.
Unhappily, I received a big bill from the Canadian government because they did not deduct any tax from my old age pension cheque. This, it turns out was my fault beause I neglected to tick a box on the form saying I wanted the government to deduct 25% at source.
Thatamprsquos the standard tax rate in Canada. As a result, I received the entire amount of my monthly cheque and now the government--Caesar--wants his 25%. I owe it so I will pay it but Iamprsquove been grumbling about it for weeks.
My grumbling led me to look more closely at what I need to render unto God. Jesus makes it clear there is a difference. Tithing takes care of the money part, which I know God doesnamprsquot need money because he has all the money in the world.
Tithing is for me, not God. I need to do it in order to loosen my grip on money and its hold on me. Although paying my taxes with a similar attitude would help me face my selfishness and moneyamprsquos hold on me, I donamprsquot have that attitude yet.
What do I need to render unto God? Saying ampldquoEverythingamprdquo is easy and essentially meaningless because it leads to no application whatsoever. What is Godamprsquos? Again, saying ampldquoEverythingamprdquo, however true it is, gets me nowhere. I need to know what it is if Iamprsquom going to render it. Google doesnamprsquot help. I tried it.
Jesus tells me, though. Heamprsquos quite clear about what is Godamprsquos in the Lordamprsquos Prayer: ampldquoyours is the power and the glory and the kingdom.amprdquo
Before that part of the prayer Jesus tells us to ask God to protect us from the time of trials, to not lead us into temptation because when those trials and times of testing have come to me in the past, I tried to use my power to get out of them.
Power belongs to God and so I need to give up my power and offer it to God, rendering it unto him and trusting in his power not mine.
Glory is a problem of mine. I like to hear praise for what Iamprsquove done, I like to be first because itamprsquos glorious, I like to get the prize and receive the glory. But glory belongs to God, so I have to give it to him and step out of the way, be humble and not jealous of others and especially not of God.
The kingdom belongs to God. I need to admit that I want to be a king and therefore have a kingdom, but the kingdom is Godamprsquos, not mine. My role and position in my marriage, my family, my job, and even in myself is not to be a king. Itamprsquos to be a disciple following Jesus to the cross of sacrifice and service.
God blessed me today. I got to serve Grade 4 students and their teacher who had to be away from school. I also got to serve Grade 11 students later in the day by helping them develop thesis statements for their essays while their teacher was away on an errand of mercy.
During that time I shared my testimoney with two of the students as a way of exemplying one of their thesis statements.
Rendering unto God is the opposite of rendering unto Caesar because it means giving up my power to fix things and trusting in Godamprsquos power. It means stepping out of the limelight so that God will be glorified. It means serving in the kingdom rather than trying to rule it with the crown on my head.
Application: upload my QT instead of leaving it in my journal.
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for reaching me today in a way that helped me give you what is yours and which I keep thinking is mine.
