I wonder if Jesus got tired of the questions. Seems he was constantly confronted by people wishing to interview him or entrap him, or engaged by people in awe of this very different revelation he brought, and the authority with which he spoke. He was familiar and yet so totally “other,” that they constantly questioned him, and we get to eavesdrop.
This week, the question is: should we pay our taxes to the government if we owe all our allegiance to God? It’s an either/or question – and Jesus proclaims the both/and world of paradox. This drives the Pharisees nuts – and sometimes some of us.
Once again, he refuses to step into their trap, but counters with a little show and tell.
“Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” They answered, “The emperor’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.
In this life, we have dual citizenship. We are residents of this world with all the responsibilities and joys of being members of societies. And we are citizens of the heavenly realm, that already/not yet space of inbreaking power amidst our heart-breaking powerlessness. How might we best live in that tension, to reflect the values of heaven on earth, and hold up the needs of earth before the power of heaven? This season in our national life, with a high-conflict election before us and social unraveling all around, is a great time to climb onto that tightrope and figure out how to bring the values and power of the heavenly realm into our national circumstances.
How do you feel called to live in that creative tension, to love your country and invest in its people and future AND to love your God and live into your eternal future? How might you invite the power of the Holy Spirit to work through you in secular endeavors?
Might we make a discipline of praying for our political leaders, not just in church on Sundays, but on our own during the week? Join our 40 Days of Prayer For Our Nation, or create a prayer list lifting a different leader or set of leaders in prayer each day.
It's easy to get disgusted with governments; let's wield the spiritual power we've been given as well as our civic freedoms, being engaged citizens and prayer warriors. That might be the healthiest way for church and state to mingle... In us.
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