In Matthew 22 the religious leaders come to Jesus with a question about paying taxes. On one level it is a silly question - of course taxes belong to Caesar. It is like asking a Christian is they believe in God. The basic answer to both questions is pretty obvious, but if we dig a little deeper see complexities and more questions arise. We all have certain people in authority over us. The government is usually the final authority in civic matters. To this day we pay taxes and obey the laws. Unless a law conflicts with our faith. Most of us are employees and have bosses and managers above us in the work environment and we must follow their decisions and directions. Unless a policy or directive violates our beliefs. In our homes many of us have parents or a spouse in whom some authority rests. We uphold our responsibilities and follow norms here too - unless there is an abuse of power or something else that runs counter to our faith. God is ultimately in control and we owe our allegiance to Him alone. Yet our reality is that we live in the here and now and to a limited extent that determines some of our choices. As a Christian, we live in a delicate balance - living as a good member of society, work, and family while using our faith as the first decision pont in matters of conflict. We are citizens of two worlds, the earthly and the heavenly. May we be good members of both groups. Yet may we ultimately and always keep our eyes on the prize for which we are called heavenly. Scripture reference: Matthew 22: 15-22
Posted on: Sun, 19 Oct 2014 11:49:50 +0000
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