I Don't Like Caesar
"Then Jesus said to them, 'Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to
God what is God's'" (Matthew 22:21)
Jesus asked me, "Do you recognize God's claim upon you, even as you
do that of your country?" I pray I do. After all, someday the
government's claim on me will end, and I will be alone with my
Creator. On March 15, 1989, Zita, the last empress of Austria and
the last queen of Hungary, died. Zita was buried, as had so many of
the Hapsburgs who preceded her, in the royal crypt in Vienna. When
the funeral procession arrived at the crypt, someone knocked on the
door. From in the crypt, a monk asked, "Who is there?" They
answered, "Zita, Empress of Austria, Queen of Hungary and of
Bohemia, Princess of Bourbon-Parma," and were denied admittance. A
second time someone knocked. "Who is there?" "Empress Zita," was
the answer. The door remained locked. There came yet a third knock.
"Who is there?" "Zita, a poor sinner," was the answer. Then the
door was opened. In death, the empress had become a simple, sinful
soul before God.
It does not matter if you are an empress, queen, or princess; the
day will come when your nation will be gone and you will stand
alone before your Creator. The riches of the whole world do not
matter in the divine balance sheet. On that day only one thing will
matter: is Jesus Christ your Savior and Lord? If He is, you will
have lived with thanksgiving to Him. Recently, I talked to a man
who had stopped participating at church. "Why do you forget the
Lord when you would never forget to pay your taxes?" I asked.
"Well, pastor," he said, "I guess it's because the Lord doesn't
push as hard as the government does." He doesn't push as hard, but
He certainly gives us more! The next time Jesus asks, "Will you
recognize God's claim upon you?" I will say, "Dear Lord, with
joy!"
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, forgive me for worrying more about tax rates than I do
about the spiritual condition of my friends and family. Help me to
make a proper rendering. In Your Name. Amen.
