St. Matthew, Chapter 22, verse: 21c; God's things.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Tribute to Caesar) Part 11.  

They would not cease in their endeavor to trap him in his words.  Christ knew their plans.  This is why he was angry with them because they continued to test him.  They didn't know that he was the Christ, the Messiah.  They only thought that he was a fake, a fraud, a charlatan, some one who sought to turn the people away from the rule of law of the Jews.  And it was their duty, their responsibility to show him as such.

They didn't believe.  They didn't see.  Despite all their wisdom and knowledge they could not come to see what the little people were seeing and believing.  No prophet before Christ had come to perform the miracles or come to do the things that he did or spoke such words of truth.  But the people of wisdom and knowledge were blinded.  They could not see.  They could nor believe.  So they continued to test him and ask questions to trap him.  They asked: "If it was lawful to give tribute to Caesar."  And Christ gave them their answer.   "Render, therefore, to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."  

And that was part of the answer that they wanted to hear but part of the answer that they did not want to hear.  For it was complex in it's response.  Give to Caesar the things that are his and to God the things that belong to God's . 

What belongs to Caesar?  Of course the tribute belongs to Caesar because the people lived under the rule of Caesar and the Roman Empire.  What belongs to God?  We belong to God because he made us, gave us life, gives us the sun and the moon and the water and the plants and the food and all the things that we need to live.  We give praise and glory to God for his love and provisions and protection.  We give tribute to Caesar.  And we give hope to God for the life that he promises after we leave this shell here on earth.  We give our obedience to Caesar because he sets the laws of the land.  We give our faith, our belief, and our praise and our glory to God for the tomorrow that he provides for he is our life and our promise for all eternity.

We live to share in the life that he has promised through Christ Jesus.  We share that belief with all our brothers and sisters with love.  For it is through love that we are all bound together as one.  For out of love we came forth.  And it is through the love of his son Christ Jesus that we exist today.  We are the creation of love everlasting.   

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.  

St. Matthew, Chapter 22, verse: 21b; Caesar's things.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Tribute to Caesar) Part 10.  

And now we come to the meat of the issue.  They wanted to know what Christ thought of the tribute to Caesar and he told them.  He gave them what they wanted to hear.  He knew that they wanted to trap him in his own words so he gave them words that they could not use to trap him and words that would not contradict his teachings.

Caesar was the face on the coin of tribute and the inscription.  They wanted to know if it was lawful to give tribute to Caesar as he was the national leader of the Roman Empire.  Christ told them:  Then he said to them, "Render, therefore, to Caesar the things that are Caesar's."  

They wanted to know so he told them what they wanted to know.  What they did not know was that Caesar belonged to God and not to Caesar.  God created him, raised him, gave him power, allowed him to do the things that he did in order to fulfill his plans.  So Caesar was a part of God's long range plan and not the other way around.  When the time came for the Son of Man to walk the earth and to submit himself as a sacrifice for the sins of mankind all would be in place according to the long range plans of God.  Everything came to fruition.

There is a saying that God smiles at us each day that we wake up and plan our days and what we want to do with our lives.  We believe that we are in charge and that we make things happen according to our own will.  He gave us free will and we can make our own decisions as to what we want to do each day.  This is what gives him smiles. 

We set our course down the road of life not knowing what lies ahead or what paths we take.  We are in charge.  We have rosy dreams of what we are going to make of our lives and how we are going to make it big in life.  We are going to have this happy life ahead of ourselves.  And when the roadblocks come and the letdowns and setbacks come we become broken and scared.  Our dreams fly out the window and we settle for something much less.  And this is the part where our morals and values are compromised and changed.  

We are born rich.  Our dreams are already fulfilled.  We are who we want to be already.  That is what is given to us from birth.  But we must accept who we are and not compromise with what the world has to offer.  Christ came to give back what was loss to us from the beginning.  Our treasure awaits us in heaven.  We are a humble people, a loving people.  We are a forgiving people, a merciful people like our Father.  This is our realization.  This is our hope, our dream, our love, our desire, to be like him who came to live among us, to show us how to live.  There is nothing here on earth that can satisfy the hunger that is within us.  Only he can fulfill that need.  And the joy and peace that comes from his presences is so overwhelming that once you have had that a tiny experience of it, you will want for nothing else.  

Come then and seek that which is yours, freely given at no cost.  His love awaits you.  The door to his palace is open and the angels are preparing a feast in your honor.  Let us celebrate and rejoice to your awakening.

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.  

St. Matthew, Chapter 22, verse: 21a; Caesar.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Tribute to Caesar) Part 9.  

They had crafted their question with precision so that every word would weigh upon a given response.  Was it lawful to give tribute to Caesar?  Christ was not concerned with local politics.  He was not steeped in regional or national politics.  His was the concern of his father, the kingdom of heaven.  His concern was the politics of the universe and the whole human race not that of the local, regional, or national leader.  Yet the Herodians sought to test him with this question on tribute.

He knew not Caesar.  He knew not the local coinage.  He only knew that which his Father had given him to know and see and do.  He had a mission and a purpose given him by his heavenly father and there were those who sought to impede his progress.  There were those who sought to trap him.  But they were not successful.  He knew about their scheme, their plan and he went along with what they were doing.  So he asked them for the coin of tribute and he asked who's image and inscription it was upon the coin.  They said to him, "Caesar's." 

They were in his world and he was in theirs.  They did not know him but he knew them from eternity.  He saw them but they did not see nor hear him.  They were blind, deaf, and dumb to the word.  So he played their game, answered their questions, and gave them what they thought that they wanted to hear.  His was the universe, theirs was the grain of sand on the earth.  His was the augh and majesty of the Father, theirs was the pain and death of the flesh.  They knew not nor sought not.

Who do we know today?  Do we know our Father?  Do we know Christ the redeemer?  Do we know the life he has given us?  Do we know the light of life that is within each of us?  Can we get in touch with the living energy that is ours for eternity?  Or are we only here for today and gone tomorrow to the darkness?  What do we see when we close our eyes?  Is it darkness or is it the light of life?

Christ is with us if we only seek to find him.  He will come if we call him.  He will provide if we ask for his help.  He will protect us if we know him and believe in him.  He is the living Son of the Father.  He is the Son of Man.  He is the Son of God our Father, the creator of the universe.  And he is the origin of the love that we seek to fill our needs.  For nothing on this earth can satisfy the need that is within us except that which comes from God.  He awaits your call.  He will rejoice at your voice.  He will reward you with riches if you only believe in him and seek his wisdom and knowledge.  God loves.  God is!

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.