Tag Archives: Caesar

What you can give our nation (Luke 20:23-25) December 27, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Esther 1-5

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Luke 20:23-25
Jesus: Why are you trying to trick Me? Show Me a coin. Whose image and name are on this coin?
Chief Priests, Religious Scholars, and Elders: Caesar’s.
Jesus: Well then, you should give to Caesar whatever is Caesar’s, and you should give to God whatever is God’s.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

I’ve been thinking a lot the last year about how distorted our views are about what Jesus thought about governments. We’ve just been through one of the most tumultuous election cycles in our 240 year history with both sides screaming about the unfair system. Both winners and losers claim problems at the polls with voter identification fraud, or the need for voter identification in the first place. Claims that dead people vote, some stealing votes by using someone else’s identity, non-citizens voting, broken or hacked machines, boxes of ballots not counted. There has been an incredible scandal about he whole system.

Then people decry the electoral college and how fair or unfair it might be. Of course the sparsely populated areas of the country think the electoral college is extremely fair, otherwise they would have no voice in the country. The overly populated areas of the country think the electoral college is extremely unfair, because as we’ve seen the majority doesn’t always rule. And then some think we should have a completely democratic system while some think we should be socialist.

Well, one of the great things I like about reading God’s word over and over and particularly concentrating on Jesus’ words these last several months, He never supports or condemns any particular form of government. Have you ever noticed that? Jesus had a few things to say about unjust rulers, but not about their form of government. He called King Herod, “that old fox”, but didn’t say the Roman Empire or the regents and kings, as Herod liked to be called, were necessarily good or bad forms of government.

In fact, God’s words tells us that governments exist at His pleasure to assist human society to live in community. Since we have proven we cannot rule ourselves with decency because of our selfishness, He puts kings and authorities over us to rule us and keep some order in our communities instead of leaving us to the chaos that would erupt if left to our own devices. I don’t think God cares much whether that government is a democracy or dictatorship. I think what He would prefer is a theocracy with Him in charge.

Our problem is, we won’t give Him that place in our communities. Whether we’re talking about cities, states, or nations, I don’t know of a single place on earth right now that gives God sovereignty. We take it from Him. Or at least we try to, thinking we can do a better job of managing our affairs that God. We’ve done a pretty lousy job, though. Just look around at the mess we’ve made. We can’t get along with anyone. We can’t even get along in our own families if you look at the divorce rates, the incidents of spouse and child abuse, the domestic violence, and even the murders within families.

So what should we do about the mess we’ve made with the governments we live under? We are about to start a new year in a few days and an opportunity to start a new season, with a new president in this country, whether you voted for him or against him. We will have a new congress with new senators and new representatives, whether you voted for them or against them. But the interesting thing is that you just happened to be born into this particular country at this particular time with these particular leaders and we can do one of two things.

We can pray for them and ask God to help them make godly decisions and guide our country toward revival using each of us who claim to be followers of Christ as the instruments of revival fire. Or we can belly-ache about the conditions and how unfair the system is and how the side we’re not on politically just doesn’t understand and how gullible they are to the untruths the media spews our way. (By the way, that works whether you are Democrat or Republican or Independent.)

As for me, I feel privileged to live in this particular country and have prayed for my presidents whether they have been the party of my choice or not. Whether I have agreed with them or not. Whether I voted for them or desired for them to take that seat of power or not. Because it really isn’t up to me or you or the 120 million people who voted as to who will sit in what some think of as the seat of power. It’s not for us to give to them. It’s not for them to take or earn or buy. God puts into those positions the people He wants into those positions. Sometimes He even lets us have what we deserve. Ouch! Scary thought, huh!

Make it a point, whatever your political persuasion the rest of this year and the next to pray for our leaders. They need it. We need them to know as Christians we lift them each day in prayer in a positive way. That, more than anything else you do this year, will make a difference in our political system and our nation.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

So what’s with the coins? (Matthew 22:18-21) May 21, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

Subscribe in: iTunes|Download

Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Luke 5-6

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 22:18-21
Jesus: You hypocrites! Why do you show up here with such a transparent trick? Bring Me a coin you would use to pay tax.
Someone handed Him a denarius. Jesus fingered the coin.
Jesus: Of whom is this a portrait, and who owns this inscription?
Students: Caesar.
Jesus: Well then, render to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

The students meant to trick Jesus with what they thought was a difficult question, but Jesus caught them in their own sad violation of their petty traditions. You see, you have to look a little deeper into the story to understand just how foolish the student was to ask this question at this time and in this place. Jesus was in the temple the scriptures tell us when these scholars tried to trap Him.

The devout had some interesting rules about the temple. No coinage could be used in the temple except the shekel. In fact, the very devout would not allow Roman coins brought into the temple because they bore the image of Caesar. To many of the Jews. Just bearing the likeness of Caesar made the coin itself an idol and many refused to handle the coins and chose to barter for goods use raw precious metals rather than use stamped coins as a means of transacting business.

So when Jesus asked for a coin with which they paid their tax, it shouldn’t have appeared in the temple. That would have been an act of sacrilege for the coin to be there. How would they find it so soon and why would they even think to do what He said and bring it into the temple courts? So there is strike one.

Strike two, God tells us He is the one who puts people in places of authority. David and the psalmists continually talk about the power of God to cause kings to rise and fall. He alone allows kingdoms to stand. Sometimes He even allows corrupt governments to act on His behalf as He did with the Assyrians and Babylonians as punishment against His chosen people because of their failure to follow His commands.

So if God allows these kings and emperors and governments to hold power of His people, He expects His people to be good citizens. Paul tells us that, too. It’s better to be punished unjustly for doing good than to be punished justly for wrongdoing. What does it say about our godly character if we deserve the suffering we get because of wrongs we commit against others? But if we suffer for doing what is right and good, then we cast ourselves in company with Christ, our Savior. Is there any better company we could keep?

Strike three, Jesus’ answer takes the question with which they knew they could trap Him and turns it upside down as He usually did with those who opposed Him. Jesus never said much to denounce Rome or its government if you’ll read through His words. He really didn’t seem to care if the government we live under is a dictatorship, a democracy, a republic, a theocracy, or someone drawing straws to see what should be done next. He doesn’t seem to care about types of government on this world because He lives and operates in a different plane.

I think God really doesn’t care much for politics. He doesn’t care about Democrats, Republicans, or Independents. What God cares about are those who choose to live in His kingdom. We can begin to live in His kingdom in this world. When we do, the type of government doesn’t matter. The church flourishes under dictators. It grows in communist countries. God can’t be held down when kings sit on thrones. In fact, the slowest growth in Christendom seems to be in democratic states. Kind of interesting, isn’t it? When we live in a place where we can choose our own leaders, we can have our own way, we are more like to not choose God’s way. It is a fascinating corollary.

So what do we learn from these students’ encounter with Jesus? First, don’t ever think you are smarter than God. You’re not. You never will be. Don’t even try. Just give it up. Second, don’t worry about who is sitting in the seats of power. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be good citizens. We need to vote for the person God lays on our heart. We need to pray for our leaders. We need to understand the incredible stress our leaders are under to try to make sense out of governing the 7 billion people that occupy this globe. It isn’t an easy job. They need our prayer and support. God let them sit in those seats whether you like them or not. God is still in control of this place, so remember that if you bad-mouth them, you are bad-mouthing the person God allowed to sit in that seat!

Finally, keep God first. It was a little thing to have Caesar’s coins in their pockets in the temple. But for these young men, it was like cheating at solitaire. It spoke of their character. They knew they weren’t suppose to have the coins or they wouldn’t have thought to bring up the subject in the first place. Jesus trapped them in their petty rules because they lived by rules instead of relationship. Make your relationship with God and others more important than a list of rules you need to keep. You’ll find that you still keep the rules, you’ll just have a lot more joy and peace while you do it and you won’t even think about keeping them. It will just happen because you love them, like you love yourself.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.