Our paragraph topic is: (Tribute to Caesar) Part 12.
So finally they heard the words from Christ as to whether one should give tribute to Caesar. You see they thought that if Christ said that Christians should give tribute to Caesar then that meant that they should worship Caesar as their god. They believed that Caesar was a god and that there was no other god except him. But Christ was teaching that there was one and only one God above all including Caesar. So they wanted to hear his words on this matter so that they would have ammunition for their case against him.
They did not know the truth of who he was. They were indeed learned. They were indeed learned in the scriptures, in the Jewish Laws, and text handed down from the time of Moses. But they did not have the wisdom of God within them. They did not have the insight of the Holy Spirit upon them that they could interpret the truth in the scriptures. They only had the words before them and the directions of those who wanted to destroy the living word of God. Christ spoke his words to them. And hearing this they marveled, and leaving him went off.
He set them on a different course. They wanted him to be on one course with Caesar at the head as one god. But he separated the course and gave them two to follow: Caesar or the living God. The Jews knew the living God. He had walked with Abraham, guided Moses, lead them through the desert and into the promised land. He had protected them and fed them through the forty years, fought the Egyptians to protect them from slaughter. So they knew their God and what he could do. Yet they lived under the rule of the Roman Empire and they knew what the Emperor Caesar could do.
They were fearful. Their rulers sought not to know but only to maintain the status quo, to go along with what was being handed to them through the rulers of the Roman Empire. The Son of Man came to walk among them and the everyday people felt his presence. They saw his miracles. They heard his words. They walked with him, touched him, lived with him, breathed the same air that he did. His presence was upon them and they knew. But the rulers did not.
Each day we live is our trial. We wake to carry our cross, to be tested as to if we will or will not give way to the temptations that we face. Will we waver, will we doubt, will we give up hope? The light within flickers and shines less bright. Yet we must carry on. We must not falter. We must find the strength, the courage, to believe, to know, to trust that we are not alone. We must know that the sacrifice of love and passion was not for naught. One light shining from a distance can barely be seen, but many shining together light up the universe. Remember, we are not alone. He is with us each day, each hour, each and every minute of the day. We must seek him out and hear his voice within us. Christ is with us.
Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage nd then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ . The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.
So finally they heard the words from Christ as to whether one should give tribute to Caesar. You see they thought that if Christ said that Christians should give tribute to Caesar then that meant that they should worship Caesar as their god. They believed that Caesar was a god and that there was no other god except him. But Christ was teaching that there was one and only one God above all including Caesar. So they wanted to hear his words on this matter so that they would have ammunition for their case against him.
They did not know the truth of who he was. They were indeed learned. They were indeed learned in the scriptures, in the Jewish Laws, and text handed down from the time of Moses. But they did not have the wisdom of God within them. They did not have the insight of the Holy Spirit upon them that they could interpret the truth in the scriptures. They only had the words before them and the directions of those who wanted to destroy the living word of God. Christ spoke his words to them. And hearing this they marveled, and leaving him went off.
He set them on a different course. They wanted him to be on one course with Caesar at the head as one god. But he separated the course and gave them two to follow: Caesar or the living God. The Jews knew the living God. He had walked with Abraham, guided Moses, lead them through the desert and into the promised land. He had protected them and fed them through the forty years, fought the Egyptians to protect them from slaughter. So they knew their God and what he could do. Yet they lived under the rule of the Roman Empire and they knew what the Emperor Caesar could do.
They were fearful. Their rulers sought not to know but only to maintain the status quo, to go along with what was being handed to them through the rulers of the Roman Empire. The Son of Man came to walk among them and the everyday people felt his presence. They saw his miracles. They heard his words. They walked with him, touched him, lived with him, breathed the same air that he did. His presence was upon them and they knew. But the rulers did not.
Each day we live is our trial. We wake to carry our cross, to be tested as to if we will or will not give way to the temptations that we face. Will we waver, will we doubt, will we give up hope? The light within flickers and shines less bright. Yet we must carry on. We must not falter. We must find the strength, the courage, to believe, to know, to trust that we are not alone. We must know that the sacrifice of love and passion was not for naught. One light shining from a distance can barely be seen, but many shining together light up the universe. Remember, we are not alone. He is with us each day, each hour, each and every minute of the day. We must seek him out and hear his voice within us. Christ is with us.
Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage nd then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ . The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.
