When the Pharisees sought to lay a trap for Jesus, they asked Him whether they should pay taxes to the Romans. If He said yes, they would claim that He supported the much-hated Romans who domineered the nation; if He said no, they could report Him to the authorities as stirring up rebellion. Christ replied instead that we should “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.”
In the course of the lesson He taught, Jesus displayed a Roman penny, which bore the head of Caesar upon it. He used this to illustrate His point. To God, however, we should give the things that bear His image. What bears His image? If you look at Genesis 1:26-27, you read: “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” We, then, bear His image upon ourselves.
Interestingly enough, this story usually surfaces in talks about tithing. It makes sense, as all things come from God, and of course, it is about money. And we should be glad to give back to Him a portion of the increase He has blessed us with. All of the things we receive, not just money, come from Him. He created a beautiful earth for us to live on, and He has given us our very lives. It makes sense that this story usually makes us think about our finances. But it can mean so much more.
God doesn’t want our money; He wants us. The purpose of tithing is not because God wants to be rich; it’s because He wants us to become givers. He wants us to give Him our hearts and our love. He wants us to turn our lives over to Him. Does He want us to obey Him mindlessly? No. If He wanted mindless obedience, He would have let Satan carry out His plan and brought us all home. Instead, He wants us to turn to Him in love and faith.
As we follow Him, we covenant to give Him all He asks of us: our time, our talents, our faith, our love. We promise to be obedient to Him and to His servants on this Earth. If we feel hesitant about something, we are urged to pray about it and obtain a witness for ourselves. If we do so sincerely, seeking to know if what is asked is the will of God, we generally receive an answer. Sometimes that answer comes from testing what is said; sometimes it comes in prayer. But ultimately, we receive an answer.
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To read other blogs on this week’s Gospel Doctrine lesson, click on the Gospel Doctrine tab at right.
Gospel Doctrine: They Forsook All, and Followed Him
Gospel Doctrine: “Give Ye Them to Eat”