Independence Day!

For Friday, July 4, 2025:

Mark 12:17 NLT: “Jesus said, ‘Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.’”

In this scenario, Jesus was being questioned by people who wanted to arrest him, both Pharisees and supporters of Herod. The Roman Empire leader at the time, Tiberius Caesar, claimed to be god, so Herod’s people had no time for Jesus, while the Pharisees already knew the real God. They didn’t grasp the Son-of-God concept and certainly not the Holy Trinity. Furthermore, Jesus’ preaching was drawing people and their tithes away from Synagogues.

Suffice it to say that while Jesus was extremely popular with his followers, there was much opposition to what he was doing. His critics threw out a trick question, designed as a trap. “Now tell us—is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” If Jesus supported Caesar, the Pharisees would be angry. They believed all allegiance should go to God Almighty. But it was illegal to not pay taxes to Caesar. Either answer would be incorrect to some of the crowd, resulting in Jesus’ arrest.

Jesus replied, “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.” He set out a principle that we practice today in the United States – separation of church and state. We want believers to love Jesus with all their heart, not just because it’s a government edict. It’s Biblical to support the church. We also need roads, schools, police and fire departments for our safety and armies for defense, and those services aren’t free. So taxation is a necessary part of living together as a society. Jesus approved both. He was not arrested that day.

Today is July 4^th, Independence Day in the US. We celebrate separating ourselves from the United Kingdom. We still pay taxes, but now to our own governments. We still tithe and sometimes give sacrificially to our own churches, not to a government-mandated church.

In the land of the free and the home of the brave, we enjoy the freedom to worship as we choose. God bless America!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship