Pharisees | At Water’s Edge

Lord of the Dance

I am obsessed with the hymn called “The Lord of the Dance.” Do you know this song? It tells Jesus’ story from his preexistence to his resurrection in five theology-packed verses. The tempo and the tune are as jaunty as the refrain, which proclaims that Jesus is the Lord of the dance, and we are invited to dance along. Marvelous!

The third verse is especially meaningful for our Scripture reading today:

I danced on the Sabbath and I cured the lame:
The holy people said it was a shame.
They whipped and they stripped and they hung me on high,
And they left me there on a cross to die. (UMH 261)

Luke 6 (Common English Bible)

6 One Sabbath, as Jesus was going through the wheat fields, his disciples were picking the heads of wheat, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them. ²Some Pharisees said, “Why are you breaking the Sabbath law?”

³Jesus replied, “Haven’t you read what David and his companions did when they were hungry? ⁴He broke the Law by going into God’s house and eating the bread of the presence, which only the priests can eat. He also gave some of the bread to his companions.” ⁵Then he said to them, “The Human One is Lord of the Sabbath.”

When Jesus proclaimed himself to be the Lord of the Sabbath, he shattered all of their preconceived notions of sabbath-keeping. They tried to trap him into performing a healing on the sabbath, and Jesus did not disappoint.

⁶On another Sabbath, Jesus entered a synagogue to teach. A man was there whose right hand was withered. ⁷The legal experts and the Pharisees were watching him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath. They were looking for a reason to bring charges against him. ⁸Jesus knew their thoughts, so he said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and stand in front of everyone.” He got up and stood there. ⁹Jesus said to the legal experts and Pharisees, “Here’s a question for you: Is it legal on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?” ¹⁰Looking around at them all, he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he did and his hand was made healthy. ¹¹They were furious and began talking with each other about what to do to Jesus.

This Scripture reminds us that many people solidly grounded in tradition can’t accept that fact that meeting a human need is more important to God than adhering to a tradition, especially one that is faulty in reason and logic. Hosea 6:6 clearly explains that God wants mercy over sacrifice. Loving others has always been more important than any ritual application of rabbinical law that hurts a person. That is completely out of harmony with God’s purpose for us.

Jesus’ bold statement that he was Lord of the Sabbath was a loud and direct claim to his deity. As such, he had authority over the law. Notice that the Pharisees are watching him closely, expecting him to perform a miracle of healing that will violate their rules. This was an acknowledgement that they believed he could do miracles! And of course our Lord responds by schooling them about good and evil and the choice to save a life or destroy it. It is never, ever wrong to do something good. Sadly, the Pharisees neglected acts of compassion and love for the needy, allowing their time to be consumed by the minutiae of man-made regulations.

The Pharisees’ understanding of the sabbath missed the point. The point was about keeping the day holy and entering God’s presence by ceasing your toiling for a day. What better way to worship God and enter into his presence can we find than helping one of his children who is hurting?

Do we as a church ever fall into Pharisaical thinking? Do we put discipline, polity, and process before people? How can we better reflect the goodness of God to all people, even if it violates the Building Use policies?

Jesus invites us to the dance. May we all join and rejoice with the Lord of the Dance.

Nature’s Dance by Kathy Schumacher

Objection, Your Honor

Posted on January 26, 2024 by Betsy

This morning we are going to talk about two groups of people who historically did not get along. Think Hatfields and McCoys. Think Sharks and Jets. Think Penn State and Michigan football fans.

Think Jesus and the Pharisees. (If you’re thinking, “But wait! Jesus isn’t a group!” may I present the Holy Trinity for your consideration …)

A quick study of the New Testament reveals the constant conflict and tension between Jesus and the Pharisees. The Pharisees were laymen, not priests, who related to Jesus as a rabbi since they, too, were teachers. But their focus was on keeping the religious laws, including their interpretations of the religious laws, which led them farther and farther away from the purpose of the law, which was to keep the community safe in a covenant relationship with God. They had great influence with the people, and they spent a tremendous amount time arguing with Jesus and trying to discount his authority. They shepherded the crowds away from the true Good Shepherd with their bias and rejection of Jesus. Read this exchange from the Gospel according to John:

John 8 (Common English Bible)

12 Jesus spoke to the people again, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me won’t walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”

13 Then the Pharisees said to him, “Because you are testifying about yourself, your testimony isn’t valid.”

14 Jesus replied, “Even if I testify about myself, my testimony is true, since I know where I came from and where I’m going. You don’t know where I come from or where I’m going. 15 You judge according to human standards, but I judge no one. 16 Even if I do judge, my judgment is truthful, because I’m not alone. My judgments come from me and from the Father who sent me. 17 In your Law it is written that the witness of two people is true. 18 I am one witness concerning myself, and the Father who sent me is the other.”

Of course the Pharisees objected! They defaulted to their faulty understanding of the law and claimed that Jesus’ testimony wasn’t valid. Jewish law stated that a man’s witness when he was testifying about himself was not legally valid if it was the only evidence. Two corroborating witness needed to speak on an issue for it to be admissible in court. Jesus responds to their invalidation of his proclamation by invalidating their perspective of the law. Indeed, his entire self-revelation was an invalidation of their misguided messianic expectations, and this is an important moment in that argument. God was the giver of the Law. God was the enforcer of the Law. And here was the Law, standing right in front of them, incarnated as Jesus. The truth of the matter was that Jesus stood in the witness box with his Father as co-defendant and the Holy Spirit as his advocate; thus there were three witnesses.

Jesus’ relationship with God provided all the validation he needed to speak. He is the only one who had seen God and could make God known to the world. But remember that the understanding of the Holy Trinity was an unknown concept at this time. We believe in a triune being of God, Son, and Holy Spirit. But the Pharisees only saw a man from Nazareth, Joseph’s son, and judged him accordingly.

The Pharisees’ love of order, law, and the minutia of little rules had led them far astray from the love and grace of the Father. Because they had lost touch with their creating and sustaining God, they could not recognize God’s redeeming son. They walked in spiritual darkness, blinded to their own blindness.

But before we judge them too harshly, we should stop and see if there is some pharisaical thinking lurking in our own hearts. Perhaps this can be a reminder to us when we are dealing with a perceived injustice or insult to look a little farther and see what lies beyond the situation. We would do well to remember that our accuser is a child of God, in need of redemption. Mercy, not judgement, is sometimes the better path.

Is there someone in your life with whom you experience constant conflict and tension? Look deeper. Go farther. Listen longer. And pray for guidance. May the Holy Spirit Advocate come and settle your heart.

Cold as Ice by Kathy Schumacher

Walk What You Talk

Posted on November 20, 2023 by Betsy

We’ve all heard the phrase “Practice what you preach.” That ranks up there with “Walk the walk and talk the talk.” These phrases have always struck me as backwards. What would it mean to preach what you practice and walk what you talk?

That puts the burden on you to authentically live out your Jesus-called life based on standards that will preach. That puts action before words. That puts do over hear. That’s a pretty good challenge, wouldn’t you agree? How are you doing with that? Are you more walk, or talk? More preach, or practice?

In yet another instance of Jesus vs. the Pharisees, we see Sassy Jesus enter the ring with his boxing gloves on. The crowd has gathered and is breathlessly waiting for the first verbal punch to be thrown. Ding ding!

Jesus does not disappoint.

Matthew 22 (Common English Bible)

Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and his disciples, ²“The legal experts and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat. ³Therefore, you must take care to do everything they say. But don’t do what they do. ⁴For they tie together heavy packs that are impossible to carry. They put them on the shoulders of others, but are unwilling to lift a finger to move them.⁵Everything they do, they do to be noticed by others. They make extra-wide prayer bands for their arms and long tassels for their clothes. ⁶They love to sit in places of honor at banquets and in the synagogues. ⁷They love to be greeted with honor in the markets and to be addressed as ‘Rabbi.’

“But don’t do what they do.” Upper-cut! “They are unwilling to lift a finger.” Jab! “They only do things to be noticed by others.” Right cross! “They love to sit in places of honor.” Left hook!

Time is called, and Jesus and The Pharisee return to their respective corners. From there, Jesus turns his head to address the crowd again:

⁸“But you shouldn’t be called Rabbi, because you have one teacher, and all of you are brothers and sisters. ⁹Don’t call anybody on earth your father, because you have one Father, who is heavenly. ¹⁰Don’t be called teacher, because Christ is your one teacher.

At this point the medic has been called to check on The Pharisee.

¹¹But the one who is greatest among you will be your servant. ¹²All who lift themselves up will be brought low.

Knock out!

But all who make themselves low will be lifted up.

Ding, ding, ding! The first round goes to Jesus. Of course we know that his boxing matches with the Pharisees will continue for many more rounds, just as our own struggles continue as we fight to turn our self-interest and pride into humble service and tangible action.

Our challenge today is to be genuine in love, humble in service, gracious in the face of hostility, and real in our approach to our neighbors … even when they are throwing punches at us.

So glove up! Let’s show the world that we are Team Jesus.

Squawk the Squawk by Michelle Robertson

No One Speaks

Posted on September 8, 2023 by Betsy

Do you remember the iconic line shouted by Jack Nicholson in the movie “A Few Good Men”? He was sitting in the witness chair under cross examination by Lt. Daniel Kaffee, who was trying to uncover the truth about the death of a young Marine at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. Kaffee believed that the death was a result of severe hazing of the young man, and he uncovered evidence that there was a cover-up that was directed by Col. Jessup, played by Nicholson. As Kaffee pressed harder and harder, Jessup became more and more agitated until he finally exploded and yelled, “You can’t handle the truth!”

This scene came to mind this morning as I read the 7th Chapter of John. Jesus addressed a large crowd with the truth of who he was, but most of them couldn’t handle the truth. The truth was that Jesus was the Living Water. The crowd was divided. The truth was obscured, but look for the guards’ reaction:

John 7 (Common English Bible)

³⁷On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and shouted,

“All who are thirsty should come to me!
³⁸    All who believe in me should drink!
    As the scriptures said concerning me,
        Rivers of living water will flow out from within him.”

³⁹Jesus said this concerning the Spirit. Those who believed in him would soon receive the Spirit, but they hadn’t experienced the Spirit yet since Jesus hadn’t yet been glorified.

⁴⁰When some in the crowd heard these words, they said, “This man is truly the prophet.” ⁴¹Others said, “He’s the Christ.” But others said, “The Christ can’t come from Galilee, can he? ⁴²Didn’t the scripture say that the Christ comes from David’s family and from Bethlehem, David’s village?” ⁴³So the crowd was divided over Jesus. ⁴⁴Some wanted to arrest him, but no one grabbed him.

So the people understood the prophecies about the Messiah’s origins and knew that he would be born of David’s lineage in the town of Bethlehem. They get 5 points for knowing their scripture. But nobody realized that even though Jesus had recently come from Galilee, he was exactly who the prophets said he would be. Nobody thought to ask Jesus where he had been born.

⁴⁵The guards returned to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked, “Why didn’t you bring him?”

⁴⁶The guards answered, “No one has ever spoken the way he does.”

The guards got it right, didn’t t they? They listened intently to Jesus’ preaching and were convicted that he was who he said he was. They were able to see the truth while the rest of the crowd murmured and dithered. And of course the pious Pharisees had to weigh in on the subject, putting themselves as the experts much like Col. Jessup, who thought he was invincible. Notice that they put the fact that no Pharisee had believed Jesus was the messiah as proof of the absolute truth of the matter, as though that alone was evidence to dismiss Jesus’ claims. They even went so far as to say that the crowd was under God’s curse, since they weren’t the elite Pharisees. Their opinion didn’t matter.

⁴⁷The Pharisees replied, “Have you too been deceived? ⁴⁸Have any of the leaders believed in him? Has any Pharisee? ⁴⁹No, only this crowd, which doesn’t know the Law. And they are under God’s curse!”

⁵⁰Nicodemus, who was one of them and had come to Jesus earlier, said,⁵¹“Our Law doesn’t judge someone without first hearing him and learning what he is doing, does it?”

Nicodemus was the Lt. Kaffee in this trial, using the law to support his position. He was looking for the truth and wanted to hear and learn from Jesus himself about the matter.

⁵²They answered him, “You are not from Galilee too, are you? Look it up and you will see that the prophet doesn’t come from Galilee.”

So in the end, the Pharisees used an untruth to silence the crowd. Yes, the messiah won’t come from Galilee, but neither did Jesus. They conveniently overlooked this truth because frankly, they couldn’t handle the truth.

Are there truths about Jesus that you struggle to handle? Is the Holy Spirit convicting you today to embrace a truth about God’s mission and vision for his people that you prefer to overlook? Would accepting the truth mean you have to leave your comfort zone, your prejudices, or your way of life?

No one has ever spoken like Jesus. May we have ears to hear and a heart to follow whatever he says to do.

I Have Decided to Follow Jesus by Dustin Daniels

Complacently Pleased

Posted on October 17, 2022 by Betsy

Have you ever met someone who “thought more highly of themselves than they ought”? We all know someone who is conceited, arrogant, braggadocios, and perhaps even narcissistic. They are in our family, in our workplaces, and in our church. On the one hand, it is good to have a certain measure of self-confidence and a healthy dose of self-esteem. But folks who carry that to a new level and think they are better than everyone else are hard to take.

Jesus had the same problem. In a wonderful parable told in the book of Luke, Jesus calls out the showy and self-absorbed Pharisees:

Luke 18 (The Message)

^9-12He told his next story to some who were complacently pleased with themselves over their moral performance and looked down their noses at the common people: “Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax man. The Pharisee posed and prayed like this: ‘Oh, God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, crooks, adulterers, or, heaven forbid, like this tax man. I fast twice a week and tithe on all my income.’

First, we have to admire Eugene Peterson’s choice of words in The Message. I laughed out loud at the phrases, “complacently pleased,” “looked down their noses,” and the notion that the Pharisee “posed” to pray. What vivid pictures these words conjure up! We get an image of a totally insufferable religious hypocrite.

Next, Jesus introduced a tax man as the foil to the puffed-up Pharisee. This meant a lot to the hearers of this story, because tax men of the time were the lowest form of humanity, the dredge of society, and the dirtiest scoundrels around. Like politicians, some might say.

¹³“Meanwhile the tax man, slumped in the shadows, his face in his hands, not daring to look up, said, ‘God, give mercy. Forgive me, a sinner.’”

¹⁴Jesus commented, “This tax man, not the other, went home made right with God. If you walk around with your nose in the air, you’re going to end up flat on your face, but if you’re content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself.”

So, the folks listening to the story were shocked that the tax man was the hero of the tale, and the religious man was the villain.

Jesus’ point here was the level of humble sincerity we must bring to the altar. When the tax man asked for mercy and forgiveness, acknowledging that he was a sinner, he was speaking for all of us. We are that man slumped in the shadows with our faces in our hands. That is where God meets us with his saving grace.

The show-off went home not being made right with God because the show-off couldn’t be honest about his sin. Even though he ticked the boxes of tithing and praying, his heart was insincere, and his offering was shallow.

God desires more from us. He invites us to “simply be ourselves.” What does that say to you today? We can boldly come to his throne just as we are, without one plea, and be forgiven. That level of honesty with God is all that is required to be made right. Where is God calling you to come clean and be real? It’s time to come home.

Looking for a new devotional book? Psalms by the Sea makes a great Christmas present.

Come to the Table

Posted on July 8, 2022 by Betsy

Several decades ago, I had an interesting conversation with an older gentleman who was leaving my church. I respected the fact that he set an appointment with me to give his reasons. I wasn’t prepared for the answer, though.

A young couple had joined the church the Sunday prior. As was our custom, we printed their names and address in the bulletin for people to add them to their church directories. This gentleman was leaving because we allowed them to join. He said that the fact that they had two different last names and one address was an indication that they were “living in sin” and he was shocked that the church allowed them to join. He saw that as the downfall of the church, the denomination, and Western civilization as we know it.

I carefully explained that the church did not have a policy that prevented anyone from joining. I mentioned that everyone who joins comes with some measure of sin, as “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” I even tried joking with him that “you have to catch the fish before you clean the fish” and assured him that every member has come to church to be cleansed of their sins and grow closer in their understanding of God.

As I expected, my explanations fell on deaf ears and he and his wife left the church.

Jesus’ teaching is very clear that there is no hierarchy of sin and that the mission of the church is to make disciples of everyone. He had to explain this to the Pharisees at one point:

Matthew 9 (Common English Bible)

¹⁰As Jesus sat down to eat in Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners joined Jesus and his disciples at the table.

¹¹But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

¹²When Jesus heard it, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor, but sick people do. ¹³Go and learn what this means: I want mercy and not sacrifice. I didn’t come to call righteous people, but sinners.”

The Pharisees were well known for making the public sacrifices that their religious rituals called for, but for harboring hate toward others in their heart. Jesus was radicalizing a new idea here: drop the meaningless rituals and offer mercy toward your fellow man instead.

They couldn’t do it.

Can we?

Look around. There are people in your community who live on the margins who need to be invited to Christ’s table, and maybe even to yours. Christ welcomes all to his table: the immigrants, the homeless, the kings, the addicts, the LGBTQ community, the prostitutes, the CEOs, the unwed mothers, the prisoners … he would not turn a single one of them away.

Neither should we.

Wash Up

Posted on August 30, 2021 by Betsy

Today’s passage is an interesting read in the midst of a pandemic. I don’t know about you, but hand-washing has become almost an obsession with me since this whole thing began. In a ‘Romans 8:28 way’, where God can use ALL things for our good, our nation’s practice of being more fastidious about washing our hands has been a small positive coming out of a plethora of negatives.

It is also interesting to think about some of the modifications we have made along the way in this world-wide health crisis. Remember back in the beginning when we shopped for groceries in sweaty gloves and came home and bleached our purchases before putting them away? I was grateful when science discovered that this horrific virus is airborne and we could relax just a tiny bit about contacting the germs by touching objects.

So as you read the following, try to dismiss your pandemic-cautions and go back to a time when hand-washing wasn’t as life or death as it feels right now. It is also very important to notice how
The Message emphasizes “ritual hand-washing.” We are meant to understand that the practice of the Pharisees had nothing to do with hygiene, and everything to do with keeping up appearances:

Mark 7 (The Message)

7 ^1-4The Pharisees, along with some religion scholars who had come from Jerusalem, gathered around him. They noticed that some of his disciples weren’t being careful with ritual washings before meals. The Pharisees—Jews in general, in fact—would never eat a meal without going through the motions of a ritual hand-washing, with an especially vigorous scrubbing if they had just come from the market (to say nothing of the scourings they’d give jugs and pots and pans).

Friends, this may be the first and only time in my life that I could relate to the practices of the Pharisees! Scour away, my brothers!

⁵The Pharisees and religion scholars asked, “Why do your disciples brush off the rules, showing up at meals without washing their hands?”

^6-8Jesus answered, “Isaiah was right about frauds like you, hit the bull’s-eye in fact:

These people make a big show of saying the right thing,
    but their heart isn’t in it.
They act like they are worshiping me,
    but they don’t mean it.
They just use me as a cover
    for teaching whatever suits their fancy,
Ditching God’s command
    and taking up the latest fads.”

Jesus, as was his way, immediately gets to the heart of the matter. He calls out the Pharisees for making a big show of maintaining the appearance of cleanliness when their hearts were rotten to the core. Their rituals were empty and meaningless, and worse yet, they were hiding behind their pious facades whilst undermining the very word of God. They taught whatever they wanted, ignored the commandments, and catered to the whims of what caught people’s attention in the moment.

This teaching stings. We need to critically evaluate our own rituals against this scripture and see if we as individuals, and we as the church, aren’t guilty of doing exactly the same thing. It is easy for me to see where the Creflo Dollars and the Joel Olsteens don’t measure up to Jesus’ teachings, with their multi-million dollar estates and private jets. But how about our local churches? How about you? How about me?

If we are “doing Christianity” just to get a check in the box and impress the members of the PTO with our piety, we are no better than the Pharisees. If church becomes just another country club to join for the status and the chance to rub elbows with the community big wigs, we, too, are guilty of making a big show of saying the right thing when our hearts aren’t in it.

Following Jesus is an active choice we make every day. It is a choice we make with our hearts, not our appearance. What’s in your heart?

Preach What You Practice

Posted on October 29, 2020 by Betsy

Jesus does not disappoint.

Matthew 22 (Common English Bible)

Time is called, and Jesus and The Pharisee return to their respective corners. From there, Jesus turns his head to address the crowd again:

At this point the medic has been called to check on The Pharisee.

¹¹But the one who is greatest among you will be your servant. ¹²All who lift themselves up will be brought low.

Knock out!

But all who make themselves low will be lifted up.

Our challenge today is to be genuine in love, humble in service, gracious in the face of hostility, and real in our approach to our neighbors…even when they are throwing punches at us.

So glove up! Let’s show the world that we are Team Jesus.

Sassy Jesus

Posted on October 19, 2020 by Betsy

I like Sassy Jesus. When Jesus was confronted by the ever-irritating Pharisees, he often returned a sassy response. I think he had just so much patience to give to these conversations and preferred to be out doing important things like healing blind folks and feeding the 5,000. Yet to his credit, he gave them his attention anyway.

Do you suppose his compassion for them made him want to respond in the hope that one or two of them would see him for who he was? Did he look at them as lost sheep in need of his shepherding? I can say that in times that I have been attacked, I did not look so graciously upon my attackers. There is a lesson in this.

In any case, every time they came at him thinking that they could trip him up, their efforts fell flat each time. You can’t trick the Son of God, boys.

Matthew 22 (The Message)

^34-36When the Pharisees heard how he had bested the Sadducees, they gathered their forces for an assault. One of their religion scholars spoke for them, posing a question they hoped would show him up: “Teacher, which command in God’s Law is the most important?”

^37-40Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.’ This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ These two commands are pegs; everything in God’s Law and the Prophets hangs from them.”

When Jesus takes the Ten Commandments and consolidates them into two overriding commands, he effectively puts the Pharisees in their place yet again. Notice the care he takes to explain that these two great commands are the pegs upon which all ten hang…and not only all the commandments, but EVERYTHING in God’s law AND the Prophets hangs from these two statements. Remember that eventually the priests and scribes developed a system of 613 laws. Sassy Jesus was making a statement about what was really important in contrast with what was minutiae.

These two rules for living are as relevant for us today as they were 2,000 years ago. Think of your life and your actions and ask yourself:

Do you love God with all your passion, prayer and intelligence?

Do you love others as much as you love yourself?

Is your life a reflection of these two things?

We need to own the fact that there is a little Pharisee in all of us. If the things we say, post, share, and think are different than what God intends for us, we are just as flawed as the Pharisees.

Today is a new day. Hold these commandments close to your heart and do everything you can to reflect them in your behavior. You are the only Jesus someone may see today. Act like it.

Standard of Giving

Posted on October 14, 2020 by Betsy

TAXES. The old joke goes that there are only two things guaranteed in life: death and taxes. It is no wonder that a politician’s campaign and career can be made or broken by the promises he or she makes about taxes. We all understand the necessity of paying them but that doesn’t mean we have to like it!

Taxes are the subject in this passage in the book of Matthew. The Pharisees (it’s ALWAYS the Pharisees!) were trying to trap Jesus into speaking out against the Roman government. They hoped to be able to make a case for sedition and treason and so they asked him about paying taxes. Notice how they buttered him up first with false flattery:

Matthew 22 (Common English Bible)

¹⁵Then the Pharisees met together to find a way to trap Jesus in his words. ¹⁶They sent their disciples, along with the supporters of Herod, to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are genuine and that you teach God’s way as it really is. We know that you are not swayed by people’s opinions, because you don’t show favoritism. ¹⁷So tell us what you think: Does the Law allow people to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

Silly Pharisees. Jesus can read your hearts and minds, so of course he is wise to what you are trying to do. His response is epic:

¹⁸Knowing their evil motives, Jesus replied, “Why do you test me, you hypocrites? ¹⁹Show me the coin used to pay the tax.” And they brought him a denarion. ²⁰“Whose image and inscription is this?” he asked.

²¹“Caesar’s,” they replied.

Then he said, “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”²²When they heard this they were astonished, and they departed.

All Pharisees (including us) should take this to heart. When Jesus reminds them that we should give unto God what belongs to God, he is referring to a very well known standard of giving set forth in Malachi that refers to tithing:

Malachi 3 (New International Version)

¹⁰Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.

Perhaps the better question is about tithing. God’s word instructs us to bring the whole tithe of ten percent into his storehouse. How are you doing with that? If you’re not there yet are you working toward it?

God throws open the floodgates of heaven to those who read and heed his word in all things. He loves to pour out blessings on his people. This is something you can absolutely count on! Taxes, death, and blessings…all of life’s guarantees.