A brief prayer is offered that you can add to your daily prayers this week. The scripture is from our Sunday Service Bulletin.
Gospel Reading- Matthew 22:15-22 English Standard Version (ESV)
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. 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? 19Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20 And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21They 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.
Devotion: The Advice
The Pharisees were acting as if they wanted Jesus’ advice but they were really trying to trap him between the Jews and the Romans. The tax they were referring to is one of three taxes that Jews had to pay to Rome. There was a sales or excise tax, a temple tax, and then a direct poll or head tax of one denarius paid by each adult Jew annually. This head tax was despised by most Jews. If Jesus says “pay it” he lets the Jews down; if He says “don’t pay it” he lets the Romans down. Jesus is amazing with His answer which leaves the Pharisees stunned and they go away. How can we make sure the advice we seek or give is aligned with God’s counsel? Study His word, go in prayer, discuss it with fellow Christians. Giving advice is a huge responsibility, we owe it to the advice seeker to consider the WWJD aspects.
We pray: “Lord Your word is infallible; we pray for Your counsel. Amen”