March 24, 2010
God wants our hearts, not a portion of our paychecks
Matthew 22:15-22
Jason Carroll
Central Truth
We are called to consider carefully the resources that we’ve been given, and we are to redeploy them accordingly.
Key Verse | Matthew 22:21
They said to Him, "Caesar's." Then He said to them, "Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and to God the things that are God's." (Matthew 22:21)
Matthew 22:15-22
Paying Taxes to Caesar
15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. 16 And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone's opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. 1 22:16 Greek for you do not look at people's faces 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 2 22:19 A denarius was a day's wage for a laborer 20 And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They said, “Caesar's.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” 22 When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.
Dive Deeper | Matthew 22:15-22
I must confess that sometimes I find myself trying to negotiate with God, even manipulating His Word in the same way the Pharisees do in Matthew 22:16-17: "Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any. Tell us then, what do You think? Is it lawful to give a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?"
For me, this sounds something like, “God, You say I shouldn't be swayed by what others do; however, there are allegedly some people at my church who actually give from their first fruits. So tell me, should my giving be based on my gross income or my net, because it seems crazy to me to tithe before I've even been taxed."
Now let’s compare that to a heart of giving described in Leviticus 1:2 (NIV), as God told Moses to say to the Israelites: “When any of you brings an offering [or Corban] to the LORD, bring as your offering an animal from either the herd or the flock." This meant that the Israelites would carefully choose the most sought-after animal within their herds or the most fruitful fowl among their flocks and proudly present it to the Lord as their offering.
Through these two passages of Scripture, God seems to make two things very clear as it relates to giving. The first is that it's always to be done with a thankful heart, and the second is that it's always to be done with careful consideration. These are two tangible takeaways for me as I continue examining my heart and hopefully realigning it with His in the areas of giving and financial stewardship.
Discussion Questions
1. Do you find yourself joyful or jaded when you reflect on the heart from which you give?
2. What passages do you rely on to direct you within the area of giving?
3. Do you feel like God's Word is clear on how much we should give?
4. What's one barrier you can begin removing that will lead to more joyful giving?
FAMILY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Read Psalm 24:1-2. To whom does the earth and everything and everyone on it belong?
2. Does this change the way you think about your “stuff”?
3. How can you share your “stuff,” knowing that it all belongs to God?