On the third day, now the day before the day of reckoning, the Pharisees came to Jesus and presented him with a coin, probably not much different than the coins we use. The denarius had the head of Caesar; our coins have Jefferson and Lincoln, and the older quarters had Washington.
“Render unto Caesar what are Cesar’s and unto God what are God’s.” Sounds okay until we try to parse out what belongs to our nation and what belongs to God, that is, where do our ultimate loyalties lie. We may say, of course, to God, but what does that really mean?
It sounds so simple until we hit a snag – like when our loyalty to our country stands opposed to our loyalty to God. Our loyalty to our country may mean thinking that we need to follow what a particular leader may say or do. It may mean something else. As Christians, we must discern the difference and act accordingly.
Prayer for the Day
You call us to be your witnesses, O Lord,
But we are often silent when faced with injustice and evil.
You call us to share in your freedom, O God
But we often keep our blessings for ourselves alone.
Forgive our frailty, our fear, and our weaknesses,
Strengthen so we transform our words into action
In the name of the Transformer of our lives, `
Even Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen
Thoughts for the Day
For Christians to render everything to Cesar – their minds, their consciences – is to become evangelical nationalists. That’s not a desertion of the gospel; that’s desertion.
William Sloane Coffin, Battell Chapel, New Haven (1924-2006)
How profoundly are our lives shaped by the racism, materialism, and militarism about which Martin [Luther King] spoke so profoundly. How do we hold ourselves, our churches, our communities, and our nation accountable? Perhaps [by realizing] that our national identity is secondary to our spiritual identity.
Elizabeth McAlister, peace activist
I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness,
I have taken you by the hand and kept you
I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations
To open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon
Isaiah 42:6-7