Jesus' Tax Parable.pdf

The leaders sent spies to Jesus, pretending to be honest men, to get him to say something that could be reported to the Roman governor so he would arrest Jesus. They asked Jesus, "Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right and are not influenced by what others think. You teach the way of God truthfully. Now tell us—is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" Jesus saw through their trickery and said, "Show me a Roman coin. Whose picture and title are stamped on it?" They replied, "Caesar's." Jesus said, "Well then, give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God." This response was brilliant because it highlighted that all things belong to God, as stated in Genesis 1:26. Jesus was making a deeper point that, while things may be owed to Caesar, all things are owed to God. The Jewish leaders were complicit in collecting the tax for Rome, which undermined their loyalty to Yahweh. They were trying to trap Jesus, but he outsmarted them. The situation is complex, with Jesus being in a pickle, either way the religious leaders win. Jesus' response was not a yes/no answer but a deeper point that all things belong to God. The religious leaders were quiet, in awe of his answer, as they had metaphorically passed gas by collecting the tax for Rome, siding with the empire over the Kingdom of God. They had gone nose blind to their offense and were trying to trap Jesus in an area they were not clean in, caught in hypocrisy. The age-old adage rings true: He who first smelt it actually dealt it. We may find ourselves in similar situations, frustrated with a friend in an area of sin that we ourselves struggle with, or in opposition to the work of God. We need to search our hearts and repent. When the rule of God comes into conflict with the way the world wants us to do things, what is our response? Could there be a situation in our life where we are holding someone else to a standard that we ourselves are breaking? What areas in our life could we be tempted to give our primary allegiance to something else other than to God?