Render Unto Caesar

 

17 Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?

18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?

19 Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny.

20 And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?

21 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.

 

Many laymen and theologians see this well-known passage and think that Jesus is separating church and state. However, in Rome of that day Caeser was the church and state. As usual there are many layers to scripture. First, of course, was the story, Pharisee tried to be clever and Jesus handed him his face. But the rest of the story is indicative of Jesus fullfilling the law just as He said while exposing the hypocrisy of the supposedly righteous leaders of the Temple.

 

First things first. Temple tax, or for that matter any cash and carry business was expected to be conducted using shekels, a silver coin. A penny might be used ie the old woman and her two cents, but Temple money was Temple and Roman money was, well, not! Now they were Jews and would take your money no matter what but preferred Shekels to the Denarius, the Roman tender.

 

So, someone challenged Jesus on the distribution of money with emphasis on Temple and Forum. Jesus asked to be shown a bit of tribute money and the leader of the holy men of Jerusalem fished a penny out of his cloak. A penny! How Jewish, but I digress. Jesus had seen a penny before and therefore knew it sported a snapshot of the current Emperor and god, WhomEVER Caesar. Jesus asked about the image on the coin, and the man, completely clueless, answers that it is Caesar’s! God save the king, in the Temple Precincts where only Jewish coins were allowed. Please note that Jesus did not ask Billy Grahamious to hand him the coin. Unclean!

 

Then, seemingly as a good subject of Rome Jesus instructs the man to be sure to separate his change when buying pizza and good luck paying Temple Tax with that penny.

 

Most people totally miss this. They’re too busy shouting, “Glory!” down at the church to realize that Jesus was simply emphasizing jot for jot and tittle for tittle using current rules of engagement in Temple matters as a first century PowerPoint. I don’t believe the preacher asking the question ever understood Jesus’s implication. Jesus knew the Pharisee was probably carrying Roman money, and He was speaking at the Temple.

 

And old business partner of mine always used to say, “Be sure your sins will find you out!” With a little Penn and Teller slight of mind Jesus laid the challenger’s sin at his feet, and nobody really caught it. If anything, the crowd made a big deal of Jesus saying money to Rome should be paid at all! These are the same guys who were ready to stone a woman they had consorted with the night before. Be sure your sins will find you out.

How does this relate to our situation in modern times? The key issue is the separation of church and state. Where do your loyalties lie? Jesus seems to give a “Get off the Cross Free” card in separating methods of “rendering unto,” but it’s much deeper than that. We all carry our social consciousness with us in practically everything we do. Theist, Atheist or anything in between the why’s and wherefores weigh on our inner sense of right and wrong. If your words, thoughts, and actions jive up you perceive them as “right” and if they don’t you feel wrong. This applies to abortion, immigration, sex, choice of religion or lack thereof and whiskey or no whiskey. All your so-called representatives take these mindsets into Congress every time it convenes. And that mindset controls the vote. Women may have the right to control their own bodies, but do they have the right to answer for the child within her? And is it even a child? The answers are in the hearts and minds, and separation of church and state have to take second place to conscience. You must choose the shekel or the dinary. And you must pay the bill.