Give to God What is God’s

The Pharisees were always trying to put Jesus in a box and today’s Gospel is no exception. We try to do the same and need to be mindful of that tendency. 

Our pastor a few weeks ago shared a profound story in our bulletin that illustrated this point: “Rumor had it that a great prophet had risen among a people who lives in a place far removed from the civilized world. An American TV news team was sent out to do a story on this person. When they reached their destination, they were greeted by a disciple of the great prophet. “Tell the rest of the world,” said one of the TV reporters, “what miracle has your Master worked lately?” To which the disciple replied, “Well, there are miracles, and then there are miracles. In your land [America], it is regarded as a miracle if God does someone’s will. In our land, it is regarded as a miracle if someone does the will of God.”

How true are those words! And startling quite honestly. I had to look at myself in the mirror when I read them. American culture is built on our desires coming true and living the American dream – a job we love, financial security, a loving family, a comfortable home in the suburbs, and an enjoyable, abundant life that reflects everything we’ve always wanted. This is so often our will.

How often do I pray for a miracle or something from God that is my will or my desire in this secular world - like the things above? Maybe it’s a job I want, the family I’ve always desired, a new home, some possession, or something else that we could reasonably say may be more of Caesar than of God? 

How many times has someone asked me to pray that a certain relationship they want works out, that they get the job they want/need, or that they get some other thing that they have assumed is God’s plan when it may actually be their own plan? So many times! We assume what we want is what God wants. 

We all have our own will for our lives based on this American dream and we can misconstrue that with God’s will. We want what we want and desire God to deliver it. We want to put God in a box, and a lot of those boxes are in the world of Caesar – our secular existence which actually looks very different from the way Jesus lived. 

Jesus lived a life of poverty alongside disciples, going from town to town healing, preaching, teaching, and proclaiming the kingdom of God. He lived very radically differently than the life most of us are living and accustomed to. The life we often want for ourselves does not embody the way He taught.

What is actually God’s will? To give to God what is God’s - all that He asks of us in the Gospels. To not put Him in a box of our own desires and agendas, and to do the will of God. Like the story, this is the true miracle and lesson.

Are we giving to God what is God’s?