January 9, 2010

• Render Unto God

  The first post of the new year. 9 days in.

  As I've mentioned in my previous post, I don't really have any solid new year's resolutions... just a bunch of horizonal ones (spell check is telling me that is not a word, and indeed it isn't...) What I mean by that is that I've tried to expand my horizon a little bit, and modify my baseline ideas of what is possible and natural.

  I was thinking about Mark 12 today, particularly the passage when the Pharisees and Herodians come to "catch [Jesus] in His words." This is the passage where they are asking if it's appropriate to pay taxes to the oppressive Roman government. The NASB has them set up their question as such: "We know that You are truthful and defer to no one..." No one, they wanted Him to say, including this earthly government.

  What Jesus ends up saying made me think a little. He says, "Why are you testing me? Give me a denarius to look at." And when they bring Him one, he points to it and says, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?" And they say, "Caesar's." Jesus tells them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God, the thing that are God's."

  Jesus' answer hits the root of the problem. All earthly monies are stamped with the mark of the State, some currencies being worth more than others (this is of particular interest in this economy as of late.) The Jews, I'm assuming, were heavily taxed (I can't imagine why the iron fist of Rome wouldn't oppressively tax a conquered nation.) They also had to pay temple taxes, which I would imagine, led them to feel pretty poor. Wouldn't it just be better for their Messiah to come and do away with it all? Then they can actually buy stuff with their money. Like... I don't know. A PSP. But is that really what we (ahem, I mean, they) should be worried about?

  To start, Jesus' answer is interesting on many fronts... "Why are you testing me?" He knows their hearts. O we of little faith. Why do we ask God questions veiled with the potential powerlessness of God?

  And what exactly, are the "things of God" that we ought to be rendering? "Whose likeness and inscription is this?" When God built us, He stamped us with His likeness and inscription. We are made in His image. His Word, written in our hearts, is supposed to be an indelible mark of who we are and Who we belong to. When God says, "Why are you testing me? Bring me a Christian to look at," He should be able to do the same thing. "Whose likeness and inscription is this?" "God's." "Then render to God what is God's, and to the government what it the government's."

  True, ALL things belong to God, whether it be life, livestock, or money. But only one thing has God's likeness and inscription on it: He made us, and we are the sheep of His pasture (Psalm 100:3), and He is interested in one thing, and one thing only: ALL of us. So when we give to God what is His, it is not the 10% of what He has already given us, but 100% of what has His likeness and inscription... 100% of what is His...

  This is what the people of Jesus' time were completely unaware of. This, too, is what we are completely unaware of. We can ask God for money, for time, for wisdom, even... all because we desire to do what is good... but do we ask God of the Good things in life? To give more of ourselves to Him? Tithe is good, but if we rob God by not tithing, how much more so do we rob His heart by withholding what He wants most?

  I am fighting of the urge to say, "This year, may we..." Because it's not just this year. It's this day. This hour. This fleeting minute. They are all precious. And the great thing is, it is God who works in us to will and do of His good pleasure.

  • 4:46 pm
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