What Shall I Render?

"Render unto Caesar that which belongs to Caesar and unto God that which belongs to God."  Jesus said this to a man seeking to entrap him with a trick question regarding paying taxes.  The man, looking for a reason to accuse Jesus asked Jesus if it was lawful to pay taxes to the Roman government.  Jesus, not seeking to cause an insurrection or arouse the suspicions of the government asked the man for a coin bearing the image of Caesar.  The story is recounted in Luke 20, Matthew 22 and Mark 12.

What is interesting here in the text is the question that Jesus asked.  After the man retrieved a coin, Jesus asked plainly, "whose image does it bear".  The image on the coin was that of Augustus Caesar, the Roman emperor of the time.  The word used for image is the exact same word used when we speak of the "image" of God.  Therefore, a great follow-up question would have been to ask, "what shall I render to God?"  If the coin that bore the image of Caesar was tribute to Caesar then is stands to reason that the man the bears the image of God belongs to God.

Ask the question, whose image is stamped on us?  It is the image of God.  The bible says in Genesis 1:26 that the Godhead said, "Let us make man in our image and in our likeness."  We are not little gods, we are human beings that carry the transitive properties of the Almighty God- the ability to love, to weep, to show compassion, to make decisions, etc.  It's important to note that although we bear God's image, God alone is God- there is no other.  Whatever we have comes from Him and any power that we have belongs to Him and is only used through us as the Holy Spirit wills.

Three things jump out of this text that can help us in 2013:

1. Ask God for a discerning spirit- Jesus discerned the scheme of the Jews that came to entrap Him and he turned the tables on them.  When he asked them the question, the pressure to answer was no longer on Him.

2. If God's image is stamped on us, we ought to reflect his glory in the world.  The bible says in Matthew 5:16 to let our lights shine among men that they may see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven.  Are we glorifying image of Caesar (the world) or are we walking in the image of The Almighty God?  Jesus made the distinction clear in the text that Caesar was NOT God, Render unto Caesar that which belongs to Caesar and to God that which belongs to God!  It did not say Render everything unto Caesar.  Tiberius Caesar called himself Augustus which means divine…BUT Jesus is saying that there is only ONE GOD!

3. We all have a Caesar:  Here Caesar represents the government, but in our lives, Caesar represents any oppressive force that stands in the way of our full obedience to God. Caesar represents anything that stands in the way of our relationship with God!  However, there is nothing here that states that we have to remain oppressed.  We don’t have to remain in bondage.  People followed Jesus because of the freedom that he afforded them…and WHO THE SON SETS FREE IS FREE INDEED!  Jesus destroys yokes of oppression, Jesus destroys the works of the enemy, and once we were dead in our transgressions but now we are alive in HIM!  Let 2013 be the year that we walk out of oppression and into the glorious light of life in the Son of God!  

In closing, let us ask again..."What shall I render unto God?"  If we are made in His image that means that we belong to Him.  Romans 12:1,2 tells us to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God.  Let us not hold anything back but give ourselves over to the service of the Almighty.  This is a charge to me, in particular.  I am still learning to trust God in ALL areas of my life.  No matter how many blog posts I write, never let it be said that I have it all together- nor will I ever claim to.  This is a marathon and at times, I get tired, I stray off the path and I screw up.  I am still learning to give myself completely to God.  Am I giving more of myself now than I did before, yes.  Do I still have work to do...absolutely!    In 2013, if there is any area of your life that you have not totally submitted to God, ask Him to help you to give it over to Him.  Let us all be in prayer for one another that we begin to obey God as never before.  It will be difficult, but through Christ, we can do all things as He supplies us with strength from on high.  May God bless you and Happy New Year!  God's grace, peace and prosperity be upon you in 2013.