"What Belongs to God" August 23 Readings: Matthew 22:15-46, Mark 12:13-37, Luke 20:19-44

Today's Reading - Matthew 22:15-46, Mark 12:13-37, Luke 20:19-44

Background

Pop quiz!

How I hated those words. I was able to study for tests, cramming knowledge into my brain, spitting it out on the test, and forgetting it the moment the test was over. But pop quizzes were sprung on us when we weren't prepared. 

The religionists tried some pop quizzes on Jesus in today's readings, nearly identical in all three Synoptic Gospels. First, they asked him about whether they were obligated to pay taxes to Caesar. "Now we've got him," they thought. If he said yes, the people would hate him. If he said no, he would be in trouble with the Romans to whom the taxes were to be paid. Jesus passed the pop quiz by showing a coin and telling them to "render to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's." 

He then was asked a labored question about the resurrection and a woman who married each of seven brothers, who died. It was a law from the Old Testament that a brother had to take his brother's widow, especially a childless widow, as his wife. Who's widow would she be in the resurrection? Funny thing about that is that the Sadducees were the Jewish liberals and they didn't even believe in the afterlife or in the resurrection. Jesus got pretty direct with them, accusing them of knowing neither the Scriptures nor the power of God, and reminding them that what mattered most was that he was God of the living and they should give him honor and respect. 

Devotional - Things that Belong to God

Today's thought will be short, but sweet (I hope).  Jesus told the religious leaders to give to Caesar those things that belong to Caesar and to give to God the things that belong to God. Of course, this speaks to a whole of host of things - taxes, paying bills, going to work. A big part of life is doing the "secular" daily tasks we have to do. There are chores to be done, bills to be paid, tasks that must be checked off the list. 

It is not wrong to spend time on these things. To the contrary, it is obedience to Christ. We must be people of order, of decency, of hard work. 

But there are also things that belong to God and we must never allow the things that belong to Caesar to crowd out the things that belong to God. The things that really matter in life and in eternity, the spiritual things, the things of God - they must never be shoved to the side for the sake of the things of the world. 

The real trick to life is finding that balance between rendering to Caesar and rendering to God. None of us will be perfect - we'll always slip off to one side or the other. But we must constantly be correcting to the balance. No, we are not called to spend all our time reading the Bible, praying, and ignoring the dishes, the yard, and the bills. But neither ought we to allow the necessary things of life, the pressing engagements, and urgent activities, to crowd out what is eternal, important, and significant. 

How do we keep that balance? It's never easy and there are no legalistic rules. But we need to make time in the word and in prayer, and be careful about allowing life to crowd out Christian fellowship. When the Spirit moves our hearts to show us that we are off-kilter one way or the other, we must be careful to correct. 

Help me, Father, to keep my commitments in this world and to be faithful, but may I never give this world what belongs to you!

Think and Pray

 Examine your life and consider the balance between what is "Caesar's" (the secular, busyness, chores, and duties of life) and what belongs to God. How are you doing about maintaining that balance? What can you do better?