Have you ever felt like you had to be careful what you were going to say? Like you were walking on eggshells? You want to say something, but you feel like you can’t, like the other person is sure to hear it the wrong way and get offended. Maybe you feel like they have a chip on their shoulder, or thin skin, like not matter what you say, they will use it as an excuse to attack you, and claim you were attacking them.
There have been several reports in the news lately about the effects of political correctness on public debate. Because one side has become ultra-sensitive to any hint of injury of any kind, and they wield the power of the “intolerant” card, civil debate is becoming a thing of the past. When you can’t express an opinion because that opinion is deemed illegal, unlawful, or intolerant (to use the new language of control), then only one side has the ability to express itself freely.
We should be able to state the truth without fear. We should be able to recount all the attacks that have taken place and say that Muslims were behind them all. That is a fact. Let’s not try to sugar coat it. When a quarter of Muslims believe that suicide bombings are justified, that means 250,000,000 people around the world have the ideology of those who continue to attack us and each other in such brutal ways as beheadings and roadside bombs. It is not a small number of extremists when a quarter of a billion people believe it.
Jesus isn’t afraid to tell it like it is. These two groups of political enemies have come in an effort to trip Him up. Jesus calls them on the carpet. He responds with the truth. He names the motive. He doesn’t take a poll and listen to the election cycle politics. No focus group feedback for Him. He knows what they are up to and He puts it on the table. He names the elephant in the room. We could use more of this today, couldn’t we? (We can say that ISIL in Iraq is a Muslim group.)
Jesus has them bring Him the coin in question, a coin with Caesar’s image on it. He tells them to give Caesar his place in society by giving him what his government demands. And at the same time Jesus says there is something with God’s imprint that should be given to God. So what is to be given to God?
I think the object to be given to God is our selves. This is an over-arching theme of the Scriptures. The LORD doesn’t need sacrifices since He owns everything. No image can represent Him. And yet WE are made in His image and after His likeness. He is stamped on every fiber of our being. I imagine if we could read the code correctly, somewhere in our DNA it says, “Made By God” clearly and in every language.
Perhaps we are supposed to give ourselves to the LORD! There are things that get given to governments. The IRS gets to execute that mandate. But what we give to God must be given freely and without any arm twisting or threat of bodily harm. Worship in giving can’t be compulsory, whether it is giving of money, time, or our life. Islam holds a very different view, a view from the end of a sword.
The Arnold Journey 