[Vision2020] render unto Ceasar...

[Eric Engerbretson]

Rob Keenan said:

> What Jesus said, in Matthew 22:21, Mark 12:17 and
> Luke 20:25, was "render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God
> the things that are God's." (In all three versions, I find it interesting
> that the people were so amazed by this relatively simple exhortation, but no
> matter.)

*I'm* amazed that people could think this was a "relatively simple"
exhortation, because it is one of my favorite things that Jesus said.

If you study the context you will see that at the point of this account
Jesus' enemies, the church leaders, thought they finally had him pinned
down, in front of witnesses. The Pharisees wanted to see Jesus killed for
blasphemy, but he kept slipping through their grasp, one way or another.
So, they were  trying to devise clever ways to get him to blaspheme in
public, in front of many witnesses, so they could justify executing him.

Well, this time, they thought they had him.  They said: "we'll directly ask
him 'is it right to pay taxes to Ceaser, or not'?"   This seemed impossible
to answer without getting in huge trouble, whether a "yes" or "no" was
given.  The Jews hated nothing more than having pagan idol worshippers (the
Romans) occupying their most holy city, setting up idols there, defiling
their temple, etc. etc.  But then to have to pay taxes to an emperor who
called himself a god-- give money to support the very things they hated--
this infuriated them.  Not only that, but they also had to pay taxes to the
church, so they were doubly taxed. AND, they were often overtaxed and stolen
from by the church tax collectors.

So, obviously, Jesus would not be popular with the crowd if he said "yes, we
should give our money to support the foreign gods". That could certainly be
judged blasphemy.

But, if Jesus answered "no, we should NOT pay taxes to an evil idol
worshipper!", then the Pharisees would simply have the Romans arrest Jesus
for preaching tax evasion, insurrection, inciting a riot, and he would be
executed.

Either way he answered, he was doomed. So, the Pharisees were convinced they
had him once and for all.  You can picture the scene-- here was the most
famous man in Israel at the moment, being asked by the most wealthy,
powerful people in the country a question like that in front of a crowd. You
can imagine the moment of silence after the question was asked. No matter
how many people were there, I'll bet you could have heard a pin drop. They
all understood they gravity of the question, they all understood they
gravity of giving an answer. They all understood that Jesus was supposed to
be some kind of miracle worker, and they all understood that the Pharisees
were trying to catch him.  Would he say yes, or no?

He said to the Pharisees, "Show me a coin".  (He knew how to make people
never forget his answer) They showed him a coin. He held it up and asked--
"Whose face is on the coin?"-- they answered, "Ceasar's".
He said "Then give to Ceasar what is Ceasar's, and to God what is God's."

Whoa. Far from a "relatively simple" answer.  The implication was: the
Romans are here because you are being judged-- *under the current
circumstances*, *given the situation*, yes it is right to support this
ungodly institution. Do it nobly, without complaint, even lovingly, as God
would have you do all things. But it is also right to tithe to God's work
and support your nation. Do it nobly, and without complaint.  And, by they
way, giving "to God what is God's", doesn't just mean money. It also means
your heart, soul, and mind, and all the inherent ramifications on every
moment of your life.

Jesus walked away with more respect than ever, and the Pharisees were
publicly embarrassed once again.  One more reason why when they finally
killed Him, they had to do it through a sham trial, breaking all sorts of
their own rules of jurisprudence.  They knew they couldn't win a fair fight.
But Jesus would let them win, because his work could only be done if they
put him on a cross.

Funny, I just can't call "Give to Ceasar what is Ceasar's, and to God what
is God's." a "relatively simple exhortation".  In fact, I could spend my
whole life trying to live out the implications of that exhortation. Call me
simple, but I am one of the bumpkins "amazed" by that statement.

Too bad so many people assume so much about the Bible without really
studying it.  Too bad people write-off Bible teachers without knowing the
whole story.

If people would do less assuming, polemicising, and name-calling, and more
studying, honest questioning, and conversing-- I think Moscow would be a
better place to live in.  That IS the goal of this list-- isn't it?

My best regards,

Eric Engerbretson


P.S.  Rob, please know this was nothing personal toward you. I just got a
little irked.  Now that I've purged, please consider me un-irked.