Blog
Welcome to the footnote¹ blog. Our goal each day is to examine a verse and give a short summary in commentary form or simply an encouraging note to help you remain faithful to God throughout the week. Either way we hope that the footnote¹ blog will comfort you through God's word and give you a better understanding of His will.
Government
Render to God the Things That Are God's
Tuesday, April 18, 2017
“Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” (Matthew 22.21, ESV)¹
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¹The Pharisees were constantly seeking to trap Jesus and have something to use against Him.
On one occasion, they sought to entangle Jesus in His words by sending men “who pretended to be sincere, that they might catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor” (Luke 20.20, ESV).
They asked, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” to which Jesus replied, “…render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's” (Matt. 22.17, 21).
They were unable to catch Him “messing up” because He validated paying taxes and obeying the civil law. Therefore, they were silenced by the truth that He spoke.
Two things we can take from our Lord:
What are we to render to Caesar (in other words, the government)? Taxes. That’s all part of obeying the law which is ultimately obeying God (Rom. 13.1-2).
What are we to render to God? That which belongs to Him: His children, us. God wants our love, obedience, and worship. We render to God the things that belong to Him by seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matt. 6.33).
If you’re interested in learning more about serving God, please e-mail Bryan Garlock or text 903.308.4905.