Mark 11:27 - 12:17
The Pharisees and Herodians were a bit dense, don’t you think so? They had watched as Jesus preached, healed, performed miracles. But they insisted at picking at Him at every turn. They wanted so badly to trap Him in His own words. And they did try…oh, yes, they did try.
But Jesus was a very bright man besides being the Son of Man and the Son of God. He would have made a wonderful lawyer. As the Pharisees were trying to get Jesus to tangle Himself in words, Jesus put them into a position of not being able to answer at all. Anything they said could be used against them.
I think the example I like best is the following:
13Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. 14They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? 15Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”
But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” 16They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?”
“Caesar’s,” they replied.
17Then Jesus said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”
And they were amazed at him.
I think that brings up a good point for all of us. We must pay “Caesar,” or we will be jailed and/or fined.
But what happens when we don’t give to God. Actually, I don’t believe we can give to God as such. All we are doing is returning to Him what is already His. We make such a deal out of it, but without the blessings of God, where would we all be.
It does not sound that we are being asked too much to bring to God what He has already bestowed upon us so that His work can be continued. May we all do so and with joy it our hearts.
Carol
Bible Breath: Return to God / His bounty
