Render

To Caesar
the things that are

Caesars.
(2019)

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Render to Caesar the things that are Caesars.

INTRODUCTION

Some believe Jesus words, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's,
and to God the things that are God's" means pay tax’s to Caesar and pay
a tithe of ten percent of your wages to God. This study is about seeing if
this is what Jesus had in mind or whether he had something else in mind
when he said, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God
the things that are God's."

RENDER TO GOD THE THINGS THAT ARE GOD'S

 Luke 20:24-25: So they (the spies the chief priests sent) asked him, "Teacher, we know
that you speak and teach rightly, and show no partiality, but truly teach the way of God.
22Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?" 23But he perceived their craftiness,
and said to them, 24"Show me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?"
They said, "Caesar's." 25He said to them, "Then render to Caesar the things that are
Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."

To understand exactly what Jesus was saying, it helps to have a clear

understanding of the context Jesus spoke these words in. Prior to Jesus
saying, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's” Jesus had ridden
into Jerusalem on a colt with the people praising and worshipping him as
the King who comes in the name of the Highest (Luke 19:35-38). Jesus
looked at Jerusalem and wept over it (Luke 19:41) and then said, “If only
Jerusalem had known the things that make for peace” (Luke 19:42). He
then drove out of Jerusalem all those who were doing business in the 1
Temple (Luke 19:45) and told the people the Temple of the LORD is a
House of prayer not a place to operate worldly businesses (Luke 19:46).
After this he told the parable of the wicked tenants which the scribes and
the chief priests perceived he had told against them, he also told the
scribes and Pharisees that God will reject them because they reject Christ
(Luke 20:9-19) and that Jerusalem will be destroyed (Luke 19:44).

After this the chief priest's, Pharisees and scribes knowing that Jesus was
speaking against them sought to kill Jesus (Luke 19:47) so they sent spies
to ask him difficult questions to trap him in what he says (Luke 20:19-
21). The spies thinking, they will trap Jesus ask him, “Is it lawful for us to
give tribute to Caesar, or not?” Jesus says, “Render to Caesar the things
that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's” and then asks
them, “Whose face is on the coin?” Of course, they say, “Caesar's” it is
then that Jesus says, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and
to God the things that are God's.” Jesus is fully aware that the Pharisees
spies were full of malice and hypocrisy and were asking this question not
because they really wanted to know the answer, but foolishly believing
they could trap him by their wisdom. It is glorious to notice every time
the prideful religious leaders attempted to trap Jesus in conversation, he
turned the entire conversation back onto them and they were always left
standing dumbfounded and without an answer.

THE DENARIUS IS A MOST AMAZING COIN

On the denarius coin Caesar's name is spelled out entirely to the right of
his head with the following letters CAESARAVGVSTVS and to the left of
his head the following Latin abbreviations all run together
DIVIMPPATERPATRIAE which means:

 DIV: Divine.
 IMP: Imperator (a Roman Emperor and absolute ruler).

 PATER PATRIAE: Father of his country.

On the reverse side is the figures of two Caesar's and above and around
the figures are the Latin abbreviations VGVSPONCOSTRPGER which
mean:

 AVG: Augustus.

 PON: Pontifex Maximus (religious ruler or Highest Priest).

 COS: Consulship.

 TRP: Tribunica Potestate (Tribune power civil head of the state).

Below the images is the word CAESARES the Latin for Caesars. From this
coin alone one can discern that the Roman Emperor was an absolute
monarch head of both state and religion. A great deal of literature was
included on the small face of the denarius. Lengthy lettering is around the
image of Domitian who reigned from AD 81-96 (he probably exiled John
to Patmos). The lettering proceeds below the image clockwise around the
coin is as follows:

 IMP:Imperator (a Roman Emperor and absolute ruler).

 CAES: Caesar (the title of king not his name).

 DOMIT: Domitian (his given name) (Praenomen).

 AUG: Augustus (most distinctive title).

 GERM: Germanicus or German (a hereditary title).

2
 PM: Pontifex maximus (head of the empire's religion).

 TRP: Tribunica potestate (supreme civil head, representative of the

people).

On the reverse side: is the image of Mars, god of war, holding a spear
and a shield. When the nation was at peace, he was pictured carrying an
olive branch, but not in the days of Domitian. Around the image of Mars
reading left to right are the words:

IMP: Imperator (a Roman Emperor and absolute ruler).

XX11: means date of 90 AD.

COS XV1: 16TH consulship (about 90 AD).

CENS PER: Censor Perpetuus (another title of the chief of state granted
for lifetime, hence perpetual).

Seldom does one see so much said in so little space, but since there were
no newspapers in those days and Roman emperors knew people read the
legends on the coins, they went to great trouble to change them
sometimes once a year. The government placed as much information on
its money as they could so the denarius not only served as a medium of
exchange, but also to disseminate information and propaganda for the
emperor especially information that glorified the emperor. The denarius
was a silver coin and the most common Roman coin during the days of
the apostles. Roman army pay was a denarius a day which means at the
time of the apostles a day’s wages was one denarius (Matt 20:2, 10). Paul
gave two days wages plus to take care of the Samaritan (Luke 10:35).
Jesus and the disciples had two-hundred days wages (John 6:1-21). Mary
anointed Jesus with oil worth three-hundred days wages (John 12:3-5).
Judas betrayed Jesus for thirty-days wages (Matt 26:15) and in the last
days a quart of wheat will cost one day’s wages (Rev. 6:5-6). Since the
denarius very clearly has Caesars face and name on it and not God's it is
obvious to all that the things that are Caesar's refers to money since the
entire money system belonged to the Roman Emperors not God, but
money is not the only thing that belonged to Caesar all the laws that Rome
had established also belonged to Caesar. Jesus is very brilliantly using
denarius to say that even as Christians we should still pay taxes to the
worldly authorities and obey the laws of their governments. But Jesus is
not implying with the words “Render therefore unto Caesar the things
which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God's” that we
should be paying a ten-percent tax or tithe of all our wages to God as
some today teach.

I remember being in a church in which the minister was teaching this

verse and telling his congregation that they if they expect to be blessed,
they should be rendering ten-percent of their wages to God (meaning to
him and his church). One member asked, “Should we tithe on our gross
income or our net income?” to which he answered, “That depends whether
you want gross blessings or net blessings.” This is a total distorting of
what Jesus is teaching and a clear example of a man being deceived or
using the Scriptures for his own selfish gain. The things that are Gods are
the teachings of Jesus and his disciples and tithing is not included in any
of their teachings. The things that are God's are the fruits of the Spirit
(i.e., humbleness, love, compassion, kindness, mercy, grace forgiveness
and such like things), doing good to others, helping the poor when able
and worship and praise. The principal Jesus is teaching from Denarius coin
is to obey the authorities and laws of the country and give to God the
reverence honour and worship due to Him by doing-good and showing
mercy grace and love to others this is what it means to render unto God
the things that are Gods. These are not only the things that are God’s and
that we are to render to God, but are also the true riches of God and the
things that honour God and the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and the
Christian faith. The religious leaders of Jesus generation (the chief priest,
Pharisees and scribes) were not doing any of these things. 3

NOTE: I am not saying that it is not a good thing to financially give from
a free heart and willingly give to a ministry, but simply that it is wrong for
any minister to use this verse and any other verse of Scripture to
manipulate faithful brothers and sisters into giving from guilt and fear ten-
percent of their wages or any other type of giving by cleverly twisting and
distorting Scriptures.

For further information concerning tithing, see the title:

 Tithing (ON WEBSITE MENU).

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