God Rules All of Life

The motives of the people questioning Jesus could hardly have been worse. They were merely out to trick him into saying something which would allow them to hand him over to the Roman governor. He immediately saw through their hypocritical flattery, however, and, suddenly, it’s not Jesus who is on the spot but his accusers, as they become the accused.

Jesus’ double-edged command (25) presents them with such a provocative challenge that those accused become convicted! Jesus is not interested in the political agenda of changing Rome, but he is concerned that they should give back to God what rightfully belongs to him. Supporting a government, including paying taxes, does not violate one’s commitment to God, so Jesus basically establishes a principle of the Christian attitude to the state which has been normative ever since (Rom. 13:1–7; 1 Pet. 2:13–17).

At the same time, Jesus exposed another evil in the Temple and the way its leaders and other participants failed to worship the true God and live as his people before the world. Their assumption was that you could not be loyal both to the Jewish faith and to the Roman state. Jesus undermines their narrow understanding by indicating that true religion embraces all of life, the secular as well as the sacred, and that indeed such divisions are irrelevant. Life should not be made up of watertight compartments. Everything belongs to God and we should not speak as if some facets of life may be lived without reference to God’s authority. True faith in God will integrate all areas of life. Compartmentalized religion must go! 

Do you tend to keep your life in compartments—such as “religious matters” and “everything else”? In what areas are you tempted to leave God out? How can you live more effectively for his glory in every part of what you do, think and say?