What Belongs to God?

The teachers of the law and the chief priests have been getting pretty testy with Jesus. He has stolen the affections of the people and his kingdom talk is going to get them all killed yet. They fear the people as Jesus grows in popularity among them. But they fear the Roman government as well. They have to find a way to get rid of this teacher who they believe is giving the people false hope and putting them all in danger.

“Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be honest. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor. So the spies questioned him: ‘Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?’ Luke 20:20-22

Even as teachers of the law, it appears they were not able to refute his teachings. But they kept probing. I wonder if they truly believed they would find a hole in his theology and embarrass him in front of the people. He just didn’t look like Messiah material to them. And he certainly wasn’t pulling together an army like David did. So obviously, if they let him go he was going to botch things up. They had to find a way to get rid of him or at the very least get the people to quit paying attention to him.

“He saw through their duplicity and said to them, ‘Show me a denarius. Whose portrait and inscription are on it?’” Luke 20:23-24

“’Caesar’s,’ they replied. He said to them, ‘Then give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.’” Luke 20:25 They hadn’t won one yet and they were not going to win this one. In fact, when it was all over, Scripture says, “And astonished by his answer, they became silent.” Luke 20:26

Jesus knew what was in their hearts no matter what came out of their mouths. “The Lord says: ‘These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.’” Isaiah 29:13 This is not a new problem. Isaiah penned these words several centuries earlier. It is still a problem today. We go through the motions: go to church, pray before meals, maybe even read our Bibles. But for many, our hearts are still far from God.

What is it that belongs to Caesar (the government)? Our taxes and our obedience to the laws of the land as long as they do not go against God’s laws. What is it that belongs to God? Our hearts! Most of us know what it means to give our hearts to another human being – loving them as we do ourselves.

But how do we give our hearts to God? “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13 Do I live to seek God, to look for him, or do I live for myself and maybe see him flash by from time to time. When I find God – even in unexpected places – how do I respond to him?

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” I John 4:7-12

For years, I have prayed, “Lord, let me see others through your eyes.” Interestingly, his answer to that prayer has been to show me how much he loves me and only then will he show me others as he sees them. In fact, I cannot see others as he sees them without understanding his love for me because God is love. When through faith I believe that God loves me, I am free to love others because I know God loves them just as he loves me. And then I realize that God has my heart. It belongs to him.