Render unto Caesar

15 ¶ Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.

16 And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men.

17 Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Cæsar, or not?

18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?

19 Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny.

20 And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?

21 They say unto him, Cæsar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Cæsar the things which are Cæsar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.

In my efforts to understand this story better, I spent a little time on Google. There I found several interpretations. Rex E. Lee once used this story to talk about being a better citizen (and to pay your taxes). Other interpretations posited that Jesus used this story to remind his listeners that our allegiance should be to God, not to Caesar, since all things are truly God's. And some people argued that this story suggests that we shouldn't pay taxes.

But when I read it, I had very different things on my mind. To be honest, I went away from General Conference looking for the key to an unanswered question (and it has already taken me two blog drafts to try to reckon with it). I was nourished and inspired by the messages of Conference. But I still wasn't fully satisfied, and honestly I was a bit disappointed that I didn't get the answer I wanted.

Then came the thought, "Render unto Caesar." So I read these verses again and again. What did Caesar symbolize in my dilemma? Perhaps the same thing that Caesar symbolized in real life -- power, fear, bureaucracy, and control. There are many organizations that are very good but are still tainted by these simply because we live in a fallen world. Even if there are clear-cut ways that things can be improved, we are still up against years of precedent and layers of tradition.

So what then? Should we abandon ship? Should we abandon hope?

We should "render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's." We can accept that things aren't ideal and still work with them. We can do what we can to bring out the good in ourselves, others, and the organizations we belong to. We can wish for more freedom but be willing to wait for it. We can give up the worldly coins that do not bear God's image on them.

And, no matter how much we are asked to render unto Caesar, we will still always be able to render our all unto God. No matter how much Caesar might ask of us, no matter how many restrictions Caesar might try to place, God's power is not limited. We can give Him even our most righteous desires, our biggest questions, and our whole hearts.

And when we render unto God what is God's, we will receive all of His love and hope in return.