Render to Caesar and God

How do you deal with a sad astronaut? Give them some space.

Whats the difference between a literalist and a kelptomanic.

A literalist takes everything literally.

A kleptomaniac takes everything, Literally.

Open it to matthew 22

Israel was going along in their life and it was time to revamp everything. So he was telling their parables about how to get into the kingdom and its not how you get in the old way anymore… same point in the water and wine...

Matthew 22:15–16 ESV

15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. 16 And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances.

They are buttering him up…this happens in leadership… people want to butter you up and get close to you for their own agenda.... and it happens all the time…people try to trap you… they are coming at you and get you wrapped up… and this is what is happening… sometimes people get close to you and then they turn on you… and this is why people in leadership pull away… because sooner or later someone turns on you and you dont feel like you can trust anyone, and you ahve to get to this place where you turn it off and realize people are going to hurt you...

Three ways the text breaks down

Revolutionary Question

Revolutionary Answer

Revolutionary Revolution

Matthew 22:17 ESV

17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”

This is the Revolutionary Question… is it lawful… a couple layers… these guys are trying to distract Jesus from the real issue… Jesus has just had three parables to push in on their life… and they ask a political question.... God does the same to us… youre too gossipy… move here… what do you think about trump? Its too painful to dig into the real question… he is pushing in on a pain point in your life and you dont have the courage to deal with it… he wants you to dig in and you are like naw, I will just talk about politics on facebook.... NO i want you over here...

Distraction.... thats what we do in our lives all the time… I want your money your sex life I want you to move here… I want all of this and we say no… most of what we do on facebook is useless.... and god is saying what about your soul and your life....what does your life actually look like.... we dont want to do the deep questions so we talk about surface level things… parables that totally reagrrange our lives and we want to know who to pay taxes to…

a second layer why they ask him… there was a guy about 25 years before jesus… Judas the Galilean… hated that Rome had started a poll tax… and he said lets start a revolution… and he got all his friends together and they refused to pay the tax.... and they went into the temple and cleansed the gentiles… and said we wont take that into ourselves.... so he was a galilean just like JEsus who also cleansed the temple like Jesus… and this guy refused to pay taxes and they executed him… and here he is sounding like Judas… so they are asking if he wants to be like Judas… if he says Yes you dont pay the tax… they will kill him… if he says yes pay the tax he is a weak revolutionary, and he is not who they thought he was… hes just being just like the world…so either way he loses.... its a trap.... lose lose.... his answer is brilliant because everyone can hear what they want to hear....but its confusing...

here comes the revolutionary answer...

English Standard Version Chapter 22

18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius.

THis question is really what do I need to do to make God love me… and Jesus is saying don’t just ask these weak questions… get the right one…

Marriage… not just mechanics.... but the deeper question is am I preparing them for eternity.... so we should look at each other and not just care about love languages and the next forty years but the next forty million.... can we get to the place where we are helping each other love Jesus more...

We can’t be like JEsus without walking with JEsus

It is very important to stress that the heart and soul of the Christian existence is not ultimately about being Christlike, however much that might be a good thing. It is rather that we would be united with Christ.

So much contemporary reflection on the Christian life speaks of discipleship as becoming more and more like Jesus. There are two potential problems with viewing this Christlikeness as the Christian ideal and goal of the church.

On the one hand, this is problematic because Christlikeness is derivative of something else, namely, union with Christ. And to pursue it on its own actually distracts us from the true goal of the Christian life.

Gordon T. Smith

Not just be like Jesus, but be closer to Jesus have a better union with Jesus.

So they are saying how do I spend my money, and Jesus us saying you are asking the wrong questions becasue he is ultimately going to say this isnt just about giving to Casear what is his… but agout giving GOd what is God’s

Which means we have to get union with Christ as the top priority of your life… we cant become like Jesus unless we get close to him and have union with him becasue without that it is religious… we cant be like Jesus without relationship with him and thats why people walk away from the church becasue we are just saying be like Jesus be like Jesus and people walk away...

Prayer group… leaving my wife.... no good reason… what? NO… what is wrong with you you hypocrite… you fool… he isnt afraid to confront or challenge you. Why because this is love… love doesnt just let sin go on in a persons life… he loves them he says you hypocrites...

English Standard Version Chapter 22

19 Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20 And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

IT says he is the son of Augustus the God… who is on it… Caesar.... therefore…render which means give what he deserves… isnt it interesting he didnt have one....

Matthew 22:22 ESV

22 When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.

Answer works on a couple different levels.... he calls them out as playacting hypocrites… give to caesar which is caesars… he is saying you are citizens of the world....he kept us in it to be salt and light… you cant just remove yourself from it… you are part of it… you have to be a good citizen.

Dont detatch from the world… push into it.

We are to be salt and light, and we tend to pull into a little subculture of christianity…I think a lot of us are good at giving caesar what is caesars because he forces us. but not many of us are good at giving to god what is gods… and some of you are killing it as parents and married couples and could be the best citizen of the world, but could still die and go to hell if you arent giving to caesar what is caesars...

I am fearful and scared that the only thing we are asking right now is what job to take, what to buy for the house, and everything else, and you’re never questioning what you need to do for God and what he is calling you to

screwtape letters.... the bombs are going to fall on him and kill him,,, that would be bad for us, we would lose him.... he just became a christian… and the young dont become as attached into the world as we do when we grow… and once we get stitched to th things of the world we have them where they need to be… dont you realize the young are more willing to die thatn the middle age.... here is the best thing that could happen to the guy you are attached to… prosperity… let him want to be like everyone else…because if he gets it you have him...

Why doesnt Jesus have the coin himself… two kings… one with all the coins… one with none… so who are you going to pledge your allegiance to… you can be a citzen of the world who has it all… or a citizen of the kingdom who had none… and the ones that ask....they are the ones that give it to him.... and immediately they are caught… because they aren’t supposed to be carrying it and they are already compromised… and jesus is saying I am so detatched that I dont even have a coin… and why doesnt he have one… 2 Cor 8 says he was the richest person in the universe.... and he gave it all up to become poor so you could become spiritually rich… he gave up everything… power.. reputation… success… comfort… all of it so he could live and die in our place to give us eternal life… thats why he doesnt have a coin.. for you...

so the question of hte text is now who do you follow… caesar… or the one who gave it all up