Tax to Pay to God
Some enemies of Christ Jesus came to Him.
They thought they were smart to find a way to trap Christ. Christ never respected the Roman authority. He would like to forbid Israelites to pay tax to the Roman emperor. But Christ must be wiser. He would try to avoid a danger of challenging the Roman rule of Judea and Jerusalem. But if Christ agreed to pay a tax to the Roman authority in Jerusalem, those enemies could laugh at Christ for His submission to the worldly power while He was acting like a holy man.
Indeed Christ Jesus told them to pay a tax to the Roman emperor but also pay their lives to God, namely give up lives to God by dying. In other word, the Roman emperor takes your money but the God takes your lives. It implies that the enemies of Christ should be killed by God if they challenged Him. So, the enemies must have felt fear.
"Render unto Caesar" is the beginning of a phrase attributed to Jesus in the synoptic gospels, which reads in full, "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's."
This phrase has become a widely quoted summary of the relationship between Christianity and secular authority. The original message, coming in response to a question of whether it was lawful for Jews to pay taxes to Caesar, gives rise to multiple possible interpretations about the circumstances under which it is desirable for the Christian to submit to earthly authority.
At his trial before Pontius Pilate, Jesus was accused of promoting resistance to Caesar's tax.
Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate. And they began to accuse him, saying, "We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Christ/Messiah, a king." (Luke 23:1-4)
The passage has been much discussed in the modern context of Christianity and politics, especially on the questions of separation of church and state and tax resistance.Therefore, there is no general rule concerning tax in this world in teachings by Christ Jesus. Once Christ said to sell all the assets, get a toll, and give all the money to the poor before following Him.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Render_unto_Caesar
A pious man would honestly pay tax and give his money to the poor. Accordingly, a pious man cannot help but become poor for himself.
The point at issue is not Caesar, the Roman authority or any government. But what is more important is for a man to be poor by giving him money to the poor, but he is not forbidden to pay tax as a duty so that taxation imposed on the poor would be rather light and small.
Another important thing is that our lives belong to God but not to ourselves, since we did not create them but God did.
And the last thing we have to ponder is what it is: tax to God.
However, Christ Jesus benevolently told that we can accumulate wealth in Heaven. So then, our tax must be subtracted from our wealth accumulated in Heaven. We will surely see the bottom lines of our accounts in Heaven. If we don't have enough assets in Heaven to meet a tax request by God, something terrible should happen. We will lose a right to enter Heaven and receive an eternal life.
Do you have a coin on which the face of God is inscribed?
All the coins in Heaven must bear the image of Christ Jesus for this episode called "Render unto Caesar."
Render unto God!
*** *** *** ***
Mar 12:14 And when they were come, they say unto him, Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?
Mar 12:15 Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it.
Mar 12:16 And they brought it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar's.
Mar 12:17 And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marvelled at him.