Marakesh 𓅦 on Nostr: Right. The Pharisees proved themselves hypocrites for even having the idolatrous ...
Right. The Pharisees proved themselves hypocrites for even having the idolatrous coinage on them.
Another evidence that Jesus' words may have actually been against paying taxes to Caesar is that this is what He was accused of before Pilate. Sure, they also brought false witnesses and accusations as well, but not everything they charged Him with was false:
> “Then their whole assembly rose up and brought him before Pilate. They began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation, opposing payment of taxes to Caesar, and saying that he himself is the Messiah, a king.”
https://ref.ly/Lk23.1-2 via the Logos #Bible Android app.
Perhaps they actually understood the meaning of Jesus' clever response to give back to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what belongs to God.
But then, what do you you do with Jesus' apostles like Paul and Peter who said to pay taxes to whom taxes are due?
My current answer on that is, are taxes REALLY due to them? You didn't consent, right? so it's robbery. Do you actually OWE a robber anything they take from you? If Caesar (or the Mafia, or an organization calling themselves your government, though you didn't freely agree to that) rides into town and demands you pay them for their "services" (protection or whatever) even though you didn't ask for it, are you thereby obligated to give them your money? Doesn't that violate God's commandment "You shall not steal"?
The coins had Caesar's image on them. He coined them and distributed them, so they came from him and were his, so give them back to Caesar. They shouldn't have been using Caesar's money. The Jews actually had their own coinage as well (though they might have been forced to pay taxes in Roman coins).
Most of our government currencies today have the faces of political leaders on them. The U.S. dollar, for example, has the face of George Washington on it, so I suppose one should render back to Washington that which is Washington's. Perhaps one lesson is that Christians and others shouldn't be using government-issued currency. Maybe we should get back to using free-market currencies like gold or silver or #Bitcoin.
#DailyWord
Another evidence that Jesus' words may have actually been against paying taxes to Caesar is that this is what He was accused of before Pilate. Sure, they also brought false witnesses and accusations as well, but not everything they charged Him with was false:
> “Then their whole assembly rose up and brought him before Pilate. They began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation, opposing payment of taxes to Caesar, and saying that he himself is the Messiah, a king.”
https://ref.ly/Lk23.1-2 via the Logos #Bible Android app.
Perhaps they actually understood the meaning of Jesus' clever response to give back to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what belongs to God.
But then, what do you you do with Jesus' apostles like Paul and Peter who said to pay taxes to whom taxes are due?
My current answer on that is, are taxes REALLY due to them? You didn't consent, right? so it's robbery. Do you actually OWE a robber anything they take from you? If Caesar (or the Mafia, or an organization calling themselves your government, though you didn't freely agree to that) rides into town and demands you pay them for their "services" (protection or whatever) even though you didn't ask for it, are you thereby obligated to give them your money? Doesn't that violate God's commandment "You shall not steal"?
The coins had Caesar's image on them. He coined them and distributed them, so they came from him and were his, so give them back to Caesar. They shouldn't have been using Caesar's money. The Jews actually had their own coinage as well (though they might have been forced to pay taxes in Roman coins).
Most of our government currencies today have the faces of political leaders on them. The U.S. dollar, for example, has the face of George Washington on it, so I suppose one should render back to Washington that which is Washington's. Perhaps one lesson is that Christians and others shouldn't be using government-issued currency. Maybe we should get back to using free-market currencies like gold or silver or #Bitcoin.
#DailyWord