Where Is Our Allegiance?

 
72 Bible Verses about Obedience - DailyVerses.net

WED Evening Prayer Reflection 120220 (1Thess. 2:13-20; Luke 20: 19-26)

In this Gospel of Luke, there was a plot to trap Jesus. People asked Jesus a dangerous question with a potential for trouble with civil authorities. In all fairness, the question was important. They asked: Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right and are not influenced by what others think. You teach the way of God truthfully. Now tell us: Is it right/ lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Several ideas came to my mind: At the end of Jesus life on earth Pilate asked Jesus if He was the King of the Jews? There is a battle going on here in the background: A battle of Kingdoms and allegiances. If Jesus turned out to be a King, then whose authority everyone is supposed to follow? If this was the hot button issue of their day, how are we behaving in the midst of our own hot buttons’ issues? Jesus remained constant in the middle of these battles and I am convinced that Jesus is providing an example for us believers to follow, when faced with hot button civil issues of our day.

My Bible commentary described the Jews who were looking to trap Jesus with this question as Herodians. Probably in connivance with Pharisees. To say that they had strong beliefs would be an understatement. Their approach to Jesus is believed to be of bad intentions: malice or deceit. These are values from the Kingdom of darkness to begin with… and Jesus could see this darkness in their hearts. They began with flattery. Forgive me, I think it might be hard for many of us to spot flattery from genuine compliment. According to Merriam Webster dictionary, flattery means false or excessive praise and is insincere while a compliment is admiration that is earnest. They said to Jesus: “You teach the way of God truthfully.” This one is very central to what they had in mind. Is it lawful for us (JEWS) to pay taxes (to ROME)? That was the real issue, and remember they had added that they know Jesus is not influenced by what others think. The trap was set!

What were Herodians expecting? If Jesus had said that Jews shouldn’t pay taxes to Rome, what would have happened? We can all speculate, but Rome had a long track record of dealing with its enemies swiftly and in dreadful ways. Why would Jesus involve himself with the ins and out of the Kingdoms of the earth anyway? He did not avoid the question, he went for it.

Jesus replied: “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and give to God what belongs to God”. In other words, obey the law of the land. There is a clear distinction between the kingdom of God and the Kingdoms of the earth. If the problem was that the taxes were unbearable, then this is not an issue created by the Kingdom of God. I can sense in this discussion a question of allegiance. To which Kingdom is your most loyal allegiance? God’s Kingdom or Rome?

It appears that we also sometimes get to this crossroad. Think about it! On average, we are involved in all kinds of endeavors every day, endeavors that demands our total attention and allegiance. In some of them we show greater allegiance to one or the other Kingdom. Jesus was not partial in his answer. He did not say God’s kingdom was the only one to receive taxes, but we should make sure, we do not forget the Kingdom of God. The Bible Commentator thought that Herodians were looking for an easy way out, not wanting to pay taxes to Rome… taking off the Roman Yoke. Their thinking might have been that: If Jesus was the Messiah, then they were expecting that He would protect the Jews at all costs from the heavy Roman Yoke, and if not, then they would have gotten rid of him. As the commentator wrote, this behavior of Herodians would have been because of pride and covetousness, which are all values of the Kingdom of darkness.

Paul wrote extensively in his letters about these battles of allegiance. Today’s epistle is a perfect example of this: “For you brothers and sisters, became imitators of the churches of God in Judea, for you suffered the same things from your own compatriots as they did from the Jews who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets and drove us out.” 1 Thess. 2:13-20 These battles of allegiance create a war zone in which the Kingdom of darkness reveals itself by persecuting the people of God. This is what Paul experienced and what was happening to our Lord Jesus Christ.

May we discern the allegiances of our endeavors and know that we belong in God’s Kingdom!

 

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