Give Unto Caesar | Matthew 22:15-22 | 121

"Why are you trying to trap Me? Here, show Me the coin used for the tax."

Mat 22:15 Then the Pharisees met together to plot how to trap Jesus into saying something for which He could be arrested.
Mat 22:16 They sent some of their disciples, along with the supporters of Herod, to meet with Him. “Teacher,” they said, “we know how honest You are. You teach the way of God truthfully. You are impartial and don’t play favorites.
Mat 22:17 Now tell us what You think about this: Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
Mat 22:18 But Jesus knew their evil motives. “You hypocrites!” He said. “Why are you trying to trap Me?
Mat 22:19 Here, show Me the coin used for the tax.” When they handed Him a Roman coin,
Mat 22:20 He asked, “Whose picture and title are stamped on it?”
Mat 22:21 “Caesar’s,” they replied. “Well, then,” He said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.”
Mat 22:22 His reply amazed them, and they went away.

To pay or not to pay. That is the question?

Here we have the religious/political leaders of the time seeking to trap Jesus by presenting Him with a seemingly  unsolvable problem. They do everything by the book. They bring witnesses to allow them to charge him with a crime. They bring people from both sides of the argument; a group of Herodians and a group of Pharisees, so that no matter which way Jesus answers they will be able to charge Him with something.

They had no idea that there was a third option. The truth.

The Herodians: The Herodians were an organized political group which worked for Herod, a vassal of Rome, and believed that Herod should be fully empowered to rule Judea without the governing influence of Pilate. The Herodians were concerned with any messianic figure that might enter the scene which could arouse the people and cause the eye of Rome to be turned in their direction.

The Pharisees: The Pharisees were also an organized political/religious group who were concerned with there own maintenance of power over the poeple. They saw Jesus’ actions as a direct attack on their influence as well as on the law of God, which they felt is was their job to protect.

Why did these two groups come together against Jesus?

You have probably seen this rhetoric in movies or on a tv show. It is the idea of two enemies joining hands together to defeat a common foe. Here we see this in action. The Herodian and Pharisee ideologies were naturally opposed to one another, but when Jesus came on the scene He threatened both. They come together and plot to trap Jesus so that they can charge Him with a crime or turn the crowds against him. The common goal is to remove this irritating person who is making a  mess of their system, but, His time had not yet come.

Did the flattery set off an alarm?

As we look at the interaction between these two groups and Jesus, we see that they start off with praise for Jesus using flattering words and statements highlighting His impartiality. Was this a big red flag to Jesus. I think so. Jesus never seeks flattery or false praise from other men. I think he would have immediately seen it for what it was. He quickly recognized that they were not really looking for an answer to the question, but were instead looking for a way to trap Him. Did knowing this change how He answered the question?

Would Jesus have answered this question in any other way?

He knows why they are there. He understands what they are really after. Do you think that He devised an answer that was merely intended to befuddle them into submission? I don’t think so. I think He gave them the actual spiritual answer to their question, and spiritual truth always trumps physical truth.

Ask yourself this question. What is the best defense against trickery, lies and deceit? Spiritual truth. Jesus answers with the spiritual application to the problem. The Pharisees had been doing things in the physical realm for so long, that they could no longer see the spiritual application; not even to a problem they were using to trap Jesus with.

So, should I pay taxes or not?

Now that we’ve learned from the Master what we should do when posed with a question intended to trap, let’s look at the actual question and see what we can learn. To apply this to our time we could simply phrase the question this way, “Should I pay taxes to the government or not?”

Here’s the beauty of having a Bible. If you were someone who had this question in your mind; you now have your answer. Give to the government what is the governments and give to God what is God’s. Isn’t that how Jesus would answer you right now if you asked Him this question? I think so.

What is the underlying spiritual principle that is more than just ‘to pay or not to pay’?

The underlying principle is this. A worldly government, built on a sinful planet, whether it is a theocracy, democracy, or a monarchy runs on a system of laws. That system doesn’t care whether or not you want to follow it’s laws it cares only if you follow the laws.

For example; I know that the law demands that I drive 55 mph on many roads. I hate to drive 55 because it seems too slow to me. If I get behind someone who is going 55 I want to pass them and go faster. I even understand the principle of driving 55. It saves gas. It is safer and there are fewer accidents when people follow the speed limit. But what is in my heart? The law says 55 but my heart says 75.

Now, if I pass a cop going 55 he will ignore me because I am following the law, but he doesn’t know my heart. (Well, he might be able to make an educated guess but you get my point) The law leaves me alone because I am outwardly obeying it. The earthly law doesn’t care if your heart is in it, it just cares if you do what your supposed to do.

God’s law is different. God’s law works on and through the heart. God wants us to love his law; in fact, it is the only way to really keep His law. Here’s the real kicker. He even provides a way for us to keep His law the right way. By believing in His Son Jesus Christ and by asking for Him to change our hearts. Can you believe it?! He even provides the way to gain a heart that obeys Him from the point of love instead of the point of works. Amazing!

Apply this principle to everything in your life. Put God first and surrender to Him so that He can change your heart. Stop fighting to keep His law but instead learn to love Him and see if you don’t start keeping and really understanding His law of love.

In conclusion, do this. Pay your taxes. Give to Caesar what is his and give to God what He wants….your heart.

Prayer:

Dear Father in Heaven,

Lord, give me a new heart today, one that loves Your law and allows You to live in it. Thank You for supplying the means of keeping Your law. Thank You so much for Jesus Christ. Please be with me today and fill me with the Holy Spirit. I want to be more like You today. Thank You for all that You provide and please forgive my children of their sins. Watch over them and keep them safe. Lead their hearts to You. Heal my wife. Thank you for answering my prayers. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

107 | Matthew 19:1-12 | Divorce – Because of Your Hard Hearts

"Moses permitted divorce only as a concession to your hard hearts, but it was not what God had originally intended."

Mat 19:1 When Jesus had finished saying these things, He left Galilee and went down to the region of Judea east of the Jordan River. Mat 19:2 Large crowds followed Him there, and He healed their sick. Mat 19:3 Some Pharisees came and tried to trap Him with this question: “Should a man be allowed to divorce his wife for just any reason?” Mat 19:4 “Haven’t you read the Scriptures?” Jesus replied. “They record that from the beginning ‘God made them male and female.’ Mat 19:5 And He said, ‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’ Mat 19:6 Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together.”

Mat 19:7 “Then why did Moses say in the law that a man could give his wife a written notice of divorce and send her away?” they asked. Mat 19:8 Jesus replied, “Moses permitted divorce only as a concession to your hard hearts, but it was not what God had originally intended. Mat 19:9 And I tell you this, whoever divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery—unless his wife has been unfaithful. [And anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.]“

Mat 19:10 Jesus’ disciples then said to Him, “If this is the case, it is better not to marry!” Mat 19:11 “Not everyone can accept this statement,” Jesus said. “Only those whom God helps. Mat 19:12 Some are born as eunuchs, some have been made eunuchs by others,  and some choose not to marry for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.” [NLT]

Divorce – Because of your hard hearts

It was a common argument in Jesus time that a man could divorce his wife for doing something as simple as burning the toast. There is even a recorded argument from one rabbi that you could divorce if you found someone more attractive. The arguments were mostly over the interpretation of Deuteronomy 24:1-4 , with one group taking the “conservative” side and the other group taking the “liberal” side.

Marriages were still arranged in this time and because of it men had a sense of fear toward marriage. In this way, divorce had become a common place occurrence and marriage as an institution had eroded into something that lost all meaning and all of God’s blessing.

Though we don’t necessarily practice arranged marriages we can clearly see that marriage, as an institution, is losing it’s grip on sacredness and becoming the convenience store of selfish fulfillment with a dash of conscience soothing tradition mixed in. Today, we throw extravagant weddings with much merry making, alcohol, dancing, and large amounts of money being wasted, only to turn around and divorce a few years later because our spouse “just doesn’t make us happy anymore”.

Having a wedding in a church does not make it a God centered marriage. Having a wedding in front of a preacher does not make it a God centered marriage. Calling yourself Christians does not make your marriage God centered; what does make it God centered is submission to God’s Will and taking Him at His word. (Also known as belief)

So what does Jesus have to say about Divorce?

Let’s now look to Jesus as our source of wisdom.

“Moses permitted divorce only as a concession to your hard hearts, but it was not what God had originally intended.

Jesus brings the whole argument back to where it should have always been, a matter of the heart and of the Will of God. Jesus reminds them that divorce was never God’s true intention and that it was only given by Moses as a concession to the hard hearts of the Israelite’s. He takes the argument all the way back to Creation and the joining together of Adam and Eve…the very first arranged marriage. Adam had no choice in the wife he would be given, but I’ll bet Eve was exactly everything that Adam needed in a wife. What a privilege to have your marriage arranged by God, the One that knows us so well.

I submit to you today that we too can have that perfect marriage arranged by God. In verse 19:9-11 Jesus says about his teaching on divorce,

Mat 19:9 And I tell you this, whoever divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery—unless his wife has been unfaithful. [And anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.]“

Mat 19:10 Jesus’ disciples then said to Him, “If this is the case, it is better not to marry!” Mat 19:11 ”Not everyone can accept this statement,” Jesus said. “Only those whom God helps. [emphasis supplied]

If we were more willing to seek God’s counsel on who we should marry and ask Him for guidance in “arranging” the person we should marry, we would find marriage to be the blessing it was intended to be. If we asked Him to bring into our lives that special person that He intends for us to connect with and become one with; taking our fleshly desires out of the equation and allowing Him to lead, we would find ourselves in marriages that could weather any storm.

Sometimes, the starting line has everything to do with how you finish. Think of a race track. Often, the finish line is exactly the same place as the starting line. The point is this…if we start with God we can end with God. We can take our marital troubles to Him and He can guide us to that place where we are reminded that he “made us one”. We can go back to the starting line and remember that God chose this person for me and we can see them through God’s eye’s once again.

This is a big subject and one that I could continue to write on, but, I think I will stop here at the most important point. Make God the center of your marriage. Let Him be the guide and let Him be the one that joins you together. Make Him your starting line and your finish line.

I submit to you today, that even if you didn’t start out with God as the guide to begin your marriage you can create a new starting line right now, today, and He will bless your marriage and become the glue that binds you together.

Praise God that He can make ALL things new! Hallelujah!

Prayer:

Dear Father in Heaven,

Thank you for being a part of my life. Thank you so much for what you accomplished through Jesus’ life and death and resurrection. I deserve none of it and yet you freely offer it to me today. Lord, I ask a special blessing for marriages today. Please help those who are married to make you the center of their lives. Please help those who are seeking a partner to make you the guide in their lives. Please help us all to no have hard hearts and to let You into our lives.

I praise You Lord today! I praise You for Your promises and Your assurances. I ask you for forgiveness of my sin. I praise You for seeing Jesus when you look at me. I ask for the Holy Spirit to guide me today and I ask to be used by You in any way that You see fit.

Thank You for all that You provide and I ask for the wisdom to use it for Your glory. Amen