“He
said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God
the things that are God’s.” (Luke 20:25).
Jesus never met the Roman Emperor but He did meet
one of his representatives. Their discussion centered around the claim that
Jesus was the “King of the Jews”.
“Jesus answered, “My
kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants
would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews.…my
kingdom is not from the world.” (Jn 18:36)
God’s kingdom is not based
on violence and oppression nor infected by lies and deception as any earthly
“kingdom” is.
God’s kingdom is a kingdom
where peace and truth are at its core.
Another important core
value of God’s kingdom is its spiritual reality – a reality permeated by God’s
presence.
While earthly resources
are present and vital to some extent, they are of secondary importance.
The question Jesus was asked (Luke 20:12) brought
to the forefront the sad reality that the main value of any earthy kingdom is,
basically, money.
The earthly rulers (Caesar then) today can only
possess or claim possession of the material riches…a short-lived ownership at
that.
They imprint their marks/images on pieces of gold,
silver, cloth, paper – that is all they can do.
Is there more to it than that? There is.
God created us in His image and “imprinted” that
image on us – His creation. He is the rightful owner of every human being…we
are His.
The question then is, “Are we giving God what is
God’s?”
Honestly…we are not giving God what is His…not yet.
Meanwhile, let us seek His kingdom first and His righteousness…He will provide for anything else we need. Pastor Alois