Render unto Caesar
We live in treacherous times. Actually, I suspect, all times are treacherous if we’re paying attention. Choose God or choose empire.
When Jesus’ enemies ask whether it is lawful to pay taxes, Jesus knows they are trying to trap him into speaking against a primary mechanism of the Roman regime: Taxes.
He asks to see a coin, which bears the image of the emperor. Then, the famous answer: Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s, and unto God, that which is God’s.”
It’s a two-faced answer, depending on interpretation. We, of course, believe that everything is God’s. Our daily steps and interactions, our treatment of one another, our being a faithful member of the family of God. Oh, and paying taxes, too.
Following Jesus is not a free pass to ignore rules that help sustain living as a community, many of which govern behavior mandated in the Ten Commandments. No killing, lying, stealing, and so on.
So, love God, pay your taxes, uphold the Ten Commandments. And, here’s another: Vote, which is how we change things whenever specific leaders get out of hand.
It’s a process that offers us the best hope possible. We don’t even need to remove any heads from our legal tender.
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