Jesus Rendered

What Did Jesus Do?

“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's,
and to God the things that are God's.”
Mark 12.17


The struggle to keep the boundaries between church and state has confronted nations long before the drafting of the United States Constitution. Actually, many nations and many leaders through the ages have attempted to usurp divine rights and privileges for themselves. It took the founders of our nation to express eloquently the truth that the divine rights kings had claimed for themselves were in fact intended by the Creator to be endowed to all nations and peoples, and to all men, women, and children.

In His day, Jesus had to deal with a pagan nation which at the time occupied His homeland, which was in fact the one kingdom ever to exist as a theocracy by virtue of God's own choosing. Moreover, the Lord had to deal with the leaders of that theocracy who operated their nation much along the same lines of all the other nations, which is to say they had failed miserably as God's people. So, when the trick question was raised about the lawfulness of paying taxes to a pagan government, Jesus had no trouble rendering pagan coins, with the image of Caesar, a self-proclaimed deity, to Caesar. The truth was, God had no interest in such pagan coins. Israel, and its leaders, should have known better, and all along should have been rendering to God what belonged to God. Trouble was, they, like all the other nations, were rendering to false gods and man that which belonged to God.

As for America today, I'm not completely sure how the Father feels about the coins and currency of this nation, which proclaim trust in him; nor am I certain how the Son would reply to a question about what is lawful to do with that currency and those coins. I am certain that He would still direct us properly render to “Caesar” (the State), that which belongs to it, and to God that which belongs to him.

But it's not a simple thing, figuring out how to render properly in a republic that claims to be “one nation under God,” while doing all it can to give up the one true God for, well, as many or more idols than the Romans themselves had. Christians certainly must avoid making the State/Caesar into a god, and rendering to the State/Caesar, that which belongs to God. Perhaps this is where the Church in America, not unlike the leaders of Israel at the time of Christ, has failed. Our leaders and our people no longer know God well enough to render to him properly, and, as a consequence, there is a whole lot more rendering to Caesar than is proper, and much less rendering to God of what is properly his.

We cannot, as Americans, claim any special divine rights or privileges due us as Americans. The Declaration of Independence did indeed mean “all,” and not just those residing in the thirteen colonies, are created equal. The Father loves all people throughout the world, throughout the ages, and sent his Son as Savior for all, that all who receive Christ as Lord should not die but have eternal life. Yet, as Americans and Christians, we can, we must, acknowledge that our land and our government, our very lives are gifts from God, not to do with as we please, but so to render humbly to the Father that he is glorified, and not this nation, and certainly not we ourselves. In dying on the cross Christ rendered the complete and perfect sacrifice that was due unto God on behalf of Israel, and all peoples. That's what Jesus did.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4