Render unto Caesar...the Wayfarer 7/2/13

Render unto Caesar
 7/2/13

“And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar’s, and to God the things which be God’s.”

(Luke 20:25)

Today, we use for text, the 20^th chapter of the book of Luke, where we find Jesus teaching in the temple. 

The more that he taught the people concerning the gospel, the more he angered the chief priests and scribes who would try to find an excuse to kill him. We begin at the 1^st verse:

“And it came to pass, that on one of those days, as he taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes came upon him with the elders, 

And spake unto him saying, Tell us by what authority doest thou these things? Or who is he that gave thee this authority?

And he answered and said unto them, I will also ask you one thing; and answer me: 

The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men?

And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then believed ye him not?

But and if we say, Of men; all the people will stone us; for they be persuaded that John was a prophet. 

And they answered, that they could not tell whence it was.

And Jesus said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.”

The priests and scribes thought by challenging Christ’s authority that they could silence him. Jesus, in turn, puts them in the position of having to state clearly whether they believed in the prophet, John, who the congregation clearly believed in.

 They could not admit that they didn’t believe in John, but also could not deny that John prophesied the coming of Jesus himself!

 Jesus’ answer basically stated that the authority given John to prophesy came from the same source as his own authority. He then began to teach the people with reference to what had just happened in their presence beginning with the 9^th verse:

“Then began he to speak to the people this parable;

A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time.

 And at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty. 

And again he sent another servant: and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty.

 And again he sent a third: and they wounded him also, and cast him out.

Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him.

But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours. 

So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them?

He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others, And when they heard it, they said, God forbid.”

Jesus uses this parable to tell the people that the priests and scribes are like the husbandmen.

 They were entrusted to lead the people in worship and to teach them the ways and will of God, but that instead of living up to that trust, they were instead trying to keep Jesus from the harvest of their souls.

 They were perverting the very purpose of the priesthood and the law that they were supposed to teach and enforce. They would therefore stand in judgment before God and answer for these sins.

The reference made to the servants that were sent and beaten and cast out were to the prophets that had been sent to warn the Jewish people.

 Many of these prophets were in turn not only ignored, but killed for their efforts to turn the Jews back to God and the true law, including John the Baptist, whose message was a simple one of repentance, and return to the love still being offered by God.

 It is this same message that Jesus himself taught,  that we today need to take to heart. 

John was the forerunner of Christ and prepared the way for His ministry. It is our duty today to preach no less than the same necessity for repentance, and the return to the Love of our Father.

 It is our duty not only to teach and preach this repentance and return, but to live in its light daily, that we reach others through our lives

. Words alone are still insufficient, and unacceptable. It is only through living our faith that we give the proper respect and honor to the Son who was sent so we may attain the Kingdom!

 We are able to do so, because, just as the vineyard was given to others to care for, the Kingdom is given to those who will accept it. This part of the parable foretells the Gentile being given what the Jews rejected!

The final reference to the heir that was sent was a reference to Jesus himself, having been sent by the Father to call them to repentance. This parable was a thinly veiled warning to them of what was to come, and the fact that they would in fact plot and order His own death.

 The very answer that the scribes and priests gave, “God forbid”, tells us that they were not willing to accept the decision of the Father in regard to Jesus’ teachings! We continue with the 17^th verse:

“And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? 

Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

Here Jesus quotes from Psalms and Isaiah to reinforce his point.

 Remember, he was speaking in front of the most knowledgeable people of his time (or supposedly the most knowledgeable) and He knew that they had to be aware of the references he used and therefore had to understand the meaning of his parable, and the warning given them in these verses.

The 19^th verse continues:

“And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him; and they feared the people: for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them.

And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor.

 And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly:

 Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no?

But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why tempt ye me? Show me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it?

They answered and said, Caesar’s.

And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar’s, and unto God the things which be God’s.” 

The scribes and priests were determined to find a way to bring Jesus to the law. When they couldn’t do this themselves, they sought out spies to trap him. The idea was that they would find something he taught that was in disagreement with the government.

They believed Christ to be a revolutionary, who the people would see as a leader against the Roman government. He represented a threat by teaching that the law as it was being practiced was vile and unacceptable to God.

We now know that what he taught is that the semblance of obeying the law is not true repentance and in no way grants any form of righteousness other than self-righteousness which is an abomination to God.

Jesus taught the same repentance that John taught. That repentance is still the only acceptable offering to be given for sin, and the only way to obey God’s will and law!

Even today we find those who would try to entrap us, some even quoting scripture out of context to do so. Be wary of these wolves in sheep’s clothing that search your knowledge of the scripture to try to find any weakness that they can use against you.

 Their purpose is the opposite of what Jesus taught. Their condemnation of others will eventually be the judgment they must face from the only true judge.

The unbeliever will never cease in denying Jesus. They will never stop trying to defeat his messages and teachings. They will always find fault in those who do believe, and will continue to attempt to destroy their witness.

 If we are to overcome these, as Jesus did the priests and scribes, we must adhere to our faith, be knowledgeable about His teachings, and what is more, live our lives in the light of what he taught, and the love he gives us every day that we take a breath.

We too should render unto Caesar, (our government) the things which belong to them, but most importantly we must render unto God, not only our tithe at church, but our service in His name for His purposes.

This may only be accomplished by acceptance of place and purpose, both our own, and, more importantly HIS.

That acceptance MUST  include the required repentance for our own sin, and His having overcome that sin through His substitutionary sacrifice and resurrection.

. Give through the things you say, the things you do, the things you do not say and do, and fervently pray for the time when His kingdom takes the place of this poor earthly substitute.

I salute you once more, with His love in the heart of this simple sinner saved by grace, only a lowly soldier in His service, in the name of my Savior, Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 1:12 King James Version (KJV)

¹² For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

        Amen and Amen

the Wayfarer