Mark 12: 13-17- Respecting Authority

Read Mark 12: 13-17- 

In this passage, Jesus is responding to people who had approached Him to trick Him into saying something that would be contradictory to Rome. They assumed they would catch in the conversation siding either with Rome or with the Jews. They did not understand the wisdom of Jesus. In verse 17, Jesus said this, ‘And Jesus answered and said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.”’ 

Jesus is telling us we need to respect the authorities of the civil structures where we live. This instruction allows for civil order and avoids chaos. We may not agree with how our taxes are used and that is why we have the power of protest and the power of voting to create changes, but civil order is important and Jesus acknowledges this.  

Proverbs 10: 16-The labor of the righteous leads to life, the wages of the wicked to sin. 

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