15 Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. 16 They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are. 17 Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
18 But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? 19 Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, 20 and he asked them, “Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?”
21 “Caesar’s,” they replied.
Then he said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
22 When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.
23 That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. 24 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and have children for him. 25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. 26 The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the seventh. 27 Finally, the woman died. 28 Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?”
29 Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. 30 At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. 31 But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.”
33 When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.
The Pharisees come with the intent to trap Jesus. They plan to catch the Lord in a trap. It is a trap that most humans would easily fall into. We would be tricked to either deny the Almighty or deny the authority of the Government he ordained. Who do you pay your taxes to the Church or the Government?
This reminds me of the cartoon above published by ReverendFun.com. This simple joke can tell us a lot about how easily we can get trapped. For most of you your taxes are taken out of your paycheck before you even get them. But what about your offering to the church. Should that be taken out in advance as well? There are some religious bodies that do this. If you have a party of more than 8 at a restaurant most places will add gratuity on to your bill.
The trap is laid before us all. How much do you give to your church verses how much do you give to your government? Jesus the Almighty God and His Anointed One can not be trapped. He tells the Pharisees, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." Many people may argue over what is God's today. But most people will argue over what is theirs and not God's nor the Governments.
But as slaves to our Lord Jesus Christ all we have belongs to him. Someone once told me when I was a child, I could not truly possess anything of my own. It all belong to my parents until I was 18. Thus, as Children of God everything you have belongs to Him. Likewise, you are people under authority of your Government and as ones under authority, everything you have should belong to them, yes? (I am not certain that I can answer that question faithfully.)
This reminds me of the cartoon above published by ReverendFun.com. This simple joke can tell us a lot about how easily we can get trapped. For most of you your taxes are taken out of your paycheck before you even get them. But what about your offering to the church. Should that be taken out in advance as well? There are some religious bodies that do this. If you have a party of more than 8 at a restaurant most places will add gratuity on to your bill.
The trap is laid before us all. How much do you give to your church verses how much do you give to your government? Jesus the Almighty God and His Anointed One can not be trapped. He tells the Pharisees, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." Many people may argue over what is God's today. But most people will argue over what is theirs and not God's nor the Governments.
But as slaves to our Lord Jesus Christ all we have belongs to him. Someone once told me when I was a child, I could not truly possess anything of my own. It all belong to my parents until I was 18. Thus, as Children of God everything you have belongs to Him. Likewise, you are people under authority of your Government and as ones under authority, everything you have should belong to them, yes? (I am not certain that I can answer that question faithfully.)
But of this I am certain that Jesus Christ died for me and you. He claimed me to be a child of God. He made me to live under him and serve and obey him. I know that I have not done this at all times. I know that I have not paid God all that is His. But Christ has still died for me and he has paid the debt I owe. He has done the same for you also.
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