Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s
Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?” … he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.” Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they marveled at him. – Mark 12: 14-17
It is possible that this teaching was not welcome by Jesus’s audience. However, it seems that in our time we want to give to Caesar more than belongs to him. I am not referring to taxes. I am referring to the responsibilities that we have as the church of God, but which for some reason we have handed over for the government to take care of.
The call to care for the orphans and the widows wasn’t made to Caesar but to believers. The call to help people in need was not made to Caesar but to believers. So why would we expect the government to be in charge of this responsibility? The government can certainly help, but this does not relieve us of our responsibility as believers.
How can we carry such difficult tasks? Perhaps we can begin by giving to God what belongs to Him. Imagine for a moment the things that the Church could do if every believer gave God what belongs to Him. Imagine a world where church resources were used for the things that matter most, and as a result we could take care of the orphans and the widows, and be able to help those in need.
It is not the responsibility of the government to advance the faith; Jesus’s disciples are the only ones qualified to meet this need. Imagine a world where believers lived their lives in such a way that other people would be persuaded to follow Jesus as a result of the example that they see in us.
Let’s not forget what Jesus taught: give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, but let’s make sure that we give God what belongs to God.
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