Render Unto Caesar

 

 

The Pharisees tried to trap Jesus into saying something that would either violate Jewish law and anger the Sanhedrin or would alarm the Roman authorities and cause a brutal response against him. Either situation would have served their purposes.

 

They asked a simple sounding but highly loaded question. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar?

 

Jesus took a coin and asked whose image was on it. His answer was that Caesar has his place and God has his place. The authorities should be honored and obeyed, even those authorities with whom we personally disagree. Caesar’s image (Man) is on the coin; we are made in God’s image.

 

This passage means many things, many deep things, but it has temporal meaning also. Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s would mean that we are expected to be good peaceful citizens who fulfil their civic responsibilities and who avail themselves of their civic privileges. Paul exercised his right as a Roman citizen to appeal his sentence directly to Caesar.

 

This blog post is for every Christian in whatever political system they find themselves to be, but, right now, it is especially relevant to Christians in the United States of America. The election for President of the United States will be held on Tuesday 5 November 2024.

 

This particular election is being hotly contested and polling data shows that it is so close that it is statistically impossible to predict which candidate will win.

 

A very disturbing truth is that, apparently, many American Christians find both of the major candidates to be objectionable and have decided not to vote. I would urge them to listen to Jesus and to Paul the Apostle in Romans 13:1-7. Paul said this, and meant it, about a government which ultimately executed him. This was not blind obedience to a government but was a statement that government authority is to be considered to be legitimate.

 

The only valid reason to disobey the government is if, in order to obey the government, we would have to dishonor our ultimate allegiance to the Lord. Not liking the candidate choices available to us in an election does not seem to rise to that level.

 

Genesis 1:27; Matthew 22:15-22; Mark 12:17; Luke 20:25; Acts 25:6-12.

The Rich Young Ruler

 

A pious and righteous rich young ruler (possibly a Pharisee) ran up to Jesus and asked him what he needed to do to inherit eternal life. He claimed to have kept all the usual rules but still felt that something was missing. Jesus said that he should sell everything he had and give the money to the poor. The young man sadly walked away.

Christians understand that you cannot "do" anything to earn salvation. It is a gift of God's grace. So what was this incident about? Jesus gently showed the young ruler what was wrong.

Some Christians would say we should not own private property since Jesus said to sell your possessions and give the money to the poor. They may be misreading what Jesus was saying. You are not saved by giving up something.

In Exodus 20:17, notice that the property belongs to the neighbor, not the community or the government. Nowhere does Jesus condemn ownership of private property. What he was saying on several occasions is "own your property, do not let your property own you." Use your property to help the homeless and the poor, to glorify the Lord, and to advance his kingdom.

The young ruler's real problem was that he loved his wealth and his position more than he loved God.  Loving your position and wealth is really about yourself.  All sin reduces down to the one real sin: SELF. We should love ourselves, because we are infinitely valuable. God spent the most infinitely valuable thing in the universe, the blood of his son, to save us, but loving self more than loving God is the essence of sin.

When you don't like what he says to you, it is a sign that you need to hear it.

Exodus 20:17; Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 19:16-22; Mark 10:17-22; Luke 18:18-30; Ephesians 2:8-9.

The Rich Young Ruler

The incident in which the Rich Young Ruler asked Jesus what he must do to gain eternal life is familiar to many Bible readers. (Matthew 19:16-30; Mark 10:17-31; Luke 18:18-30)  None of the gospel writers explains exactly who the young man was and none tell what became of him after he left the encounter with Jesus.

1.     He was a Jew because he declares that he knows the Commandments and has kept them all.

2.     He was a young man, probably in his twenties or thirties.  Neaniskos νεανίσκος (“young man”)

3.     The man is described as very wealthy.  The words sphodra σφόδρα  (“great,” “much”) and plousios πλούσιος (“rich,” “wealthy”) are used.

4.     He was either a Pharisee or a follower of the Pharisee party.  The Sadducees did not believe in life after death.

5.     He is said to have been an archon ἄρχων (“leader,” “official,” “administrator”).  This may imply that he was a member of the Sanhedrin.

6.     He was not a hypocrite; he observed all the commandments.  He really wanted to know how to gain eternal life.  He did not like the answer he received.

The young man had a works-based idea of salvation, “what must I do … ?”  and Jesus knew it.   Jesus gave the man a task which he could have performed.  The task pointed out the one stumbling block for the man: his refusal to give up his control of his own life, his refusal to submit to God.   He loved his position and his power more than he loved Jesus.  He worshipped a different god.  (Exodus 20:3)

Several comments with varying insights and viewpoints on the Rich Young Ruler.

http://www.jesuswalk.com/lessons/18_18-23.htm

http://www.middletownbiblechurch.org/reformed/matt19.htm

http://thegourd.blogspot.com/2009/07/story-of-rich-young-ruler.html

http://www.whatsbestnext.com/2011/09/why-did-jesus-tell-the-rich-young-ruler-to-sell-all-that-he-had/

Paul, the Apostle

This You tube video appears to have been put together from the film, The Emissary, which appears to be a well-meaning attempt to depict the life of Paul.  I have not seen the full film but intend to if I can find it.

Some videos will not play properly when you click on the triangle.  Instead,  click on the title line in the picture and the video will begin .  When the video is completed, close the You Tube pop-up window to return to this blog.

Do You Know These People?

Do you know these people?  Their beliefs included:
1. Strict monotheism.
2.  "That which is hateful to you, do not do to your friend."
3. People have free will, but God has foreknowledge of human destiny.
4. Bodily resurrection of the dead.
5. Religion should affect and inform daily life.
6. All believers can function as priests, not just a special class.
7. Religious leaders are not determined by birth, but by their scholarly achievement and their personal piety.
8. Brotherhood of mankind.
9. A commitment to social justice.
10. Ultimately, all of mankind can be redeemed.
11. Worship may be at local congregations rather than restricted to a centralized Temple.
12. Strict adherence to the teachings of scripture.
13. The scriptures should be studied and debated.

The beliefs sound familiar because they are all part of the Christian philosophy, but they come from the Jewish sect known as the Pharisees.  The Hebrew word from which the name derives is "paras," פרש
 meaning "set apart."  The Pharisees were similar to a political party and a populist social movement.  Their popularity with the common people explains how they survived during the upheavals of history even as the other sects (Sadducees, Essenes, and Sicari/Zealots) disappeared.

The Pharisees were the precursors of modern Rabbinic Judaism.
.............................................................
It is interesting that "Pharisee" means "set apart," because that is also the meaning of the biblical use of the word "saint."   άγιος, usually transliterated in English as "hagios," means "set apart."

Paul Defuses a Dangerous Situation

In a follow-up to yesterday's post, here is how Paul defused the highly dangerous (for him) situation which was developing within the Sanhedrin.  The members of the council were becoming increasingly agitated at him, so he changed the subject, applying the tactic of "misdirection."  He reminded them of one of their recurring arguments.  In effect, he "pushed their buttons," and set them off.

"Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, “My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day.”  At this the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth.  Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck!”  

Those who were standing near Paul said, “You dare to insult God’s high priest?”

Paul replied, “Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: ‘Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.’”

Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, “My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. I stand on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead.”  When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided.  (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.)

 There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees stood up and argued vigorously. “We find nothing wrong with this man,” they said. “What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”   The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force and bring him into the barracks.

  The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.” (Acts 23:1-11)."

I Didn't Recognize the High Priest

"And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day. And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth. Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law? And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God's high priest? Then said Paul, I wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people." (Acts 23:1-5) (Note: Here Paul paraphrases from Exodus 22:28)


"I didn't recognize him."  Of course Paul knew that Ananias was the High Priest!  In the next passage, Paul declares to the group that he is a Pharisee and a Pharisee would know the High Priest.  Paul was using the words in the same way we might today.  He was being sarcastic, telling Ananias that he did not recognize Ananias' authority.  He also was asking Ananias how he dared to judge Paul (Acts 23:3).  Paul knew exactly who he was, God's apostle, and he was not shy about exerting his own authority.

Don't be That Guy!

Mukesh Ambani is the second richest man in Asia and the ninth richest man in the world.  He lives in Mumbai, India in a 27-story tower which serves as the personal home of his family (his wife, mother, and three children).  The tower has three helipads.


If you happen to have been blessed by God with wealth, please don't be this man.  Use your wealth for the glory of God, not of yourself. 


"And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him.  And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy.  And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?  And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go;  And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day?  And they could not answer him again to these things.
   And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them,  When thou art bidden of anyman to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him;  And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room.  But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.  For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
  Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.  But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:  And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.
   And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.
   Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many:   And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.    And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.   And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.   And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.   So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.   And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.   And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.   For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper."  Luke 14:7-24.

The United States Midterm Elections Are Tomorrow

International readers of this blog may or may not be aware that tomorrow, Tuesday, 2 November 2010, the United States will be holding its “midterm elections.”  This means that these elections are coming at the middle point of the four year term of the current president, Barack Obama.

We have a bicameral (“two-house”) legislature, composed of The Senate and The House of Representatives.  Senators are elected for six year terms.  The senatorial terms are staggered so that, every two years, approximately one third of the seats come up for election.  The seats held by the United States Representatives are open for election every two years.

The significance of this current election is that there is a very real possibility that the opposition party, the Republicans, may take control from the current majority party, the Democrats, of one or both houses of the legislature.

I do, of course, have a position on this, but that is of no consequence here.  This posting is to address the question of political involvement by Christians.  Some say that Christians should have no political involvement at all, not even to vote.  Others have enthusiastically jumped, feet first, into the political system and come dangerously close to implying or even saying that there is a “true Christian” political stance.  Some even identify the political party which they say is Christian.

The first Christians existed under a worldwide political system, the Roman Empire, which brought peace and uniformity to most of the known world.  It brought modern roads, bridges, and other infrastructure, laws, and a system of justice.  It did this by bloody conquest, brutal suppression of dissent, eradication of entire cultures, and slave labor.  The system favored and rewarded the rich and the powerful and was corrupt from top to bottom.  Christians and other minorities who were even suspected of disloyalty were openly persecuted.   

Listen to what Paul said about it. 

“Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:  For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to [execute] wrath upon him that doeth evil.  Wherefore [ye] must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.  For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.  Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute [is due]; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.” Romans 13:1-7.

 Paul did not stutter or equivocate.  He was giving an interpretation based on what Jesus had earlier said.

 The Pharisees opposed Jesus.  They tried by flattery to put him off his guard and soften him up for their real intent, a figurative knife in the ribs.  The asked him a question to which either answer they anticipated would have enraged someone.  As he always did, Jesus did the unexpected, turning their figurative knife blade back at them.

“Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in [his] talk.  And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any [man]: for thou regardest not the person of men. ⁷Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?  But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, [ye] hypocrites?  Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny.  And he saith unto them, Whose [is] this image and superscription?  They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.  When they had heard [these words], they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.” Matthew 22:15-22

 Whose picture was on the coin?  Who had it in their pocket?  Why was it in their pocket?  Did they control it or did it control them?

 The Christian faith is full of paradoxes; things which seem to be mutually exclusive, but which both are true.  This is one of them.   Jesus linked and separated the Church and the State.  His message on this: My Kingdom is first but because you belong to My Kingdom, you must fulfill your duties to theirs.

 Government did not give us God, God gave us government.  We can’t advance the Kingdom of God by politics, but we can use politics instead of letting it use us.  Taking personal Christian responsibility for our votes and civic involvement we can honor God.

 Catholic Archbishop Charles Chaput says it well.  If, like me, you are a Protestant, read “Catholic” in the sense of The Church, the εκκλησία.

“First, all political leaders draw their authority from God. We owe no leader any submission or cooperation in the pursuit of grave evil. In fact, we have the duty to change bad laws and resist grave evil in our public life, both by our words and our non-violent actions. The truest respect we can show to civil authority is the witness of our Catholic faith and our moral convictions, without excuses or apologies.” Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M., Cap.

http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/politics/pg0228.htm 

Heresies

The word "heresy" has a broader origin than its modern, more restrictive, usage.  The word is derived from the Greek word "αἵρεσις, from the verb, αἵρεω" and, in English, means "to choose."


In the Bible, the word is used in two ways.


1. For a sect or faction which in some way may or may not depart from orthodox doctrine.  In this sense it was used in reference to the Sadducees (Acts 5:17), the Pharisees (Acts 26:5), and the Nazarenes (Acts 24:5).


2. A doctrine or group considered to be definitely outside of correct doctrine.  The Jews considered Christianity to be a heresy.  In the third quotation below, Peter uses the word in the modern sense.

“But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy (αἵρεσιν), so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets:” Acts 24:14

“But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest: for as concerning this sect (αἱρέσεως), we know that every where it is spoken against.”  Acts 28:22

“But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies (αἱρέσεις), even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.”  2 Peter 2:1 


A new feature on this blog will define heresies which have been identified over the years within the Christian community.  Not all may seem like heresies to the reader and some may not actually be heterodox.  Many are very subtle but vary enough from orthodox doctrine to be at least "troubling."

Some are very reluctant to label anyone as a heretic.  Others have no problem at all.  How aberrant must a doctrine be before it can no longer be called Christian?  Can a person holding an aberrant belief be saved?  What about beliefs once held to be aberrant but now accepted as orthodox?

Some doctrinal points, such as the deity of Christ, are non-negotiable for Christians.  Others, we may have to wait until we can ask Jesus face-to-face.