Opening Prayer
Lord God, all of who I am belongs to you. Thank you for choosing to make me your own. I long to please you and bring you glory.
Read LUKE 20:20–26
Paying Taxes to Caesar
20 Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be sincere. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said, so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor. 21 So the spies questioned him: “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. 22 Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
23 He saw through their duplicity and said to them, 24 “Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription are on it?”
“Caesar’s,” they replied.
25 He said to them, “Then give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
26 They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public. And astonished by his answer, they became silent.
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
‘Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.’1
Think Further
The religious leaders did not show any sign of slowing down their attacks on Jesus. They decided to use another method to trap him. They asked Jesus whether one should pay taxes to Caesar. If he were to reply in the negative, this was tantamount to sedition and the Roman authorities could arrest him. If he said ‘yes,’ the religious leaders would then discredit him, as many viewed this tax as oppressive and were not in favor of paying anything to Caesar. Jesus avoided the dilemma by asking about the image found on the coin. When the religious leaders replied that it had the image of Caesar, Jesus said, ‘Then give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s’ (v. 25).
Jesus’ reply is not meant to be the final say about the relationship between the state and the church. It is to remind us that what is legally due to the state in various forms of taxes cannot be avoided by any responsible citizens. However, we must always bear in mind that Caesar’s rights are limited. He has no rights in God’s domain. When his boundaries encroach into our obedience and devotion to God, we must take a stand. The believers in the early church responded with a firm statement, ‘We must obey God rather than human beings!’2
This is a reminder for those of us who live as a minority in some parts of the world. There may be restrictions imposed on the practice and propagation of the Christian faith. Wisdom is needed so that we can live as faithful Christians. We must always remember that our life belongs ultimately to God, and we should never bow our knee to any ‘Caesars’ in our life. We give our life, faith, worship, and obedience to God himself only.
Apply
‘Fear the Lord your God, serve him only.’3
Closing prayer
Father God, you have made me and stamped your image on me. Thank you for the honor of bearing your image in the sight of all creation. Help me to live in ways that honor you and point others toward you.
Last Updated on March 15, 2024 by kingstar
