Thursday 2 June 2011

God does not want what we can give Him; He wants us! (Matthew 22:15-22)

Matthew 22:15-22
Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?" But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, "Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin for the tax." And they brought him a denarius. And Jesus said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?" They said, "Caesar’s." Then he said to them, "Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s." When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away
The inscription reads  “Caesar
Augustus Tiberius, son of the
Divine Augustus”
Here we go again...


Sometimes I cringe whenever I read and think about how the Pharisees reacted to Jesus. He heals a man's withered hand on the Sabbath and instead of marvelling or rejoicing, they accuse Him of breaking the Law and then plot to 'destroy' Him (Mark 3:1-6). In this passage, however, they think that they have trapped Him. The common Jewish thought at that time was that the Messiah would deliver them from Roman rule, so how would Jesus respond to this question? In paying taxes, is He effectively supporting the Roman Empire? In common Jesus-style, however, he responded in a way which was marvellously unexpected. 


"Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s."


BOOM! Another triumph for the Son of God :)


Jesus, in this passage, does not only answer the Pharisees' question but teaches us another Kingdom principle; "Render to God the things that are God's"


For a long time I thought that Jesus was teaching about sacrificing or tithing the gifts that God has given us - "God has blessed me with finances, so I shall 'render' part of my income back to Him". However, I don't think this is the message that Jesus is teaching us here. It is much more amazing than that...


God does not want what we can give Him. He wants us!


In Genesis 2, God says "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness". So just as the people are to pay taxes to Caesar because the coin bears his likeness, we also are to offer ourselves completely to God because we bear His likeness. How amazing is that?


Paul writes in Romans 12:1 'I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.'


But what do we get in return? In paying taxes we don't really get any direct benefits, but the amazing thing is that in 'rendering to God the things that are God's' we get the greatest thing in return - "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand" (John 10:28)


God wants you because He loves you. Whatever you have done, wherever you have been - it does not matter to God because He's your Father. He does not love a future you; He loves you just as you are!

2 comments:

  1. The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne talks about how as well as showing that God wants us, it also shows God's incredible Kingship over every aspect of life: '[It's like Jesus says] Caesar can have his coins, but Caesar has no right to take what is God's. And life is God's. Caesar can put his stamp on the stuff of the earth, which moths and rust will destroy, but Caesar [and us] have God's stamp on [us]. God made Caesar. And that means Caesar isn't God.'

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  2. Awesome, bro. I love Shane Claiborne. That book actually changed my life! I love the brown font as well :)

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