“Life’s Rules”
When Pastor Jen asked me to share a message about this scripture, she suggested many different approaches to this reading, but no matter what avenue I chose, she stressed that the message should be from my heart. As I read the scripture my first thought was to go with “how do I give to God?” or maybe “what legacy will you leave?”, but then I thought about the things closest to my heart. Since I hold my children closest to my heart I thought about how I could explain this passage to my children. It is amazing what you can learn when you think about how to teach your children!
Why do I have to be quiet at the library and wear my seatbelt in the car?
Rules Rules Rules!! Like I shared with the children earlier, there are rules everywhere: at school, at the library, driving in the car. It isn’t any different when you are an adult. We are still expected to follow all of the rules and the laws that we have been taught throughout life. You are expected to pay the speeding ticket even if the majority of the time you don’t speed. You have to pay a penalty if you file your taxes late one year even though you have paid them timely the fifty years prior.
Why do we abide by laws, pay taxes or obey the speed limit? Consequences. It is common knowledge that a fine will be owed, a higher premium will follow a speeding ticket and if you commit more severe infractions that you may even spend some time in prison. You will be held accountable if you are found guilty of breaking a law.
Why shouldn’t I make fun of the girl that has holes in her jeans? Why should I forgive them? They were the ones being mean! Why do we pray every night? Why do we have to go visit Grandma instead of going to the park?
Rules Rules Rules!! But a different, more difficult to follow set of rules.
In this passage Jesus is asked a trick question: What rules does he follow? Does he follow God’s rules or people’s rules? His response is simple “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”
We know man’s rules because they are written into laws, they are enforced and we have immediate consequences when we break them, but what about God’s rules? In the Bible God gives us many rules to live by, for example: Luke 6:37 "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” He gives us the Ten Commandments. He tells us to love God with all of our heart. Many of God’s rules are simple and easy to follow, yet often we choose not to follow them. Why?
Is it because while we are in our earthly bodies nobody is here to hold us accountable for judging our neighbor? Perhaps it’s because we will not owe a fine if we condemn our brothers and sisters because they are different? We certainly will not be thrown in jail for failing to love God with our whole hearts! Could it be because it just takes too much love and hope to forgive someone when they have wronged you? Is it simply easier to follow man’s law because it takes less work? Maybe it’s because God’s law is harder to uphold and follow each and every day. Perhaps it is because besides God, you are the only one that can truly know if you are abiding by His rules.
I suppose my first idea for the message: “How do I give to God?” could be answered with rules, too! One way you can give to God is to consistently follow His rules. Many times we seek answers to the adult never-ending why’s only when we are feeling depressed and abandoned by God. We turn to God when we need prayers, when we’re confused, when we’re scared. Maybe we even change the way we live for a while. When we need God’s rules to apply to our life, we remember to forgive freely and love boldly. We are consistent and obedient followers of Christ when we need His love and grace, but when we are on more steady ground, more capable of walking on our own, we often forget to follow the rules as closely.
Sometimes obeying all of God’s rules is difficult. It might seem like they are too hard to follow or that the expectations are too high, but if you break down the problem and pretend you are going to teach the rules to a child, you might be able to grasp the difficult rules and understand that the expectations aren’t too high, you just need to try harder!
Some of the answers to the never-ending whys are obviously man’s rules, some are obviously God’s rules, but some are both. Every day we must follow the rules set by man, but we should give even greater effort to follow the rules set by God. The challenging part for me is not remembering the rules or even classifying them into man’s or God’s rules, but how to follow them consistently and without fail in both times of trial and in triumph.
Pay your taxes to the government, but remember to give to God what is God’s. Give Him your love, open up your heart and let Him in, give freely of your forgiveness; use your ability to follow His rules each and every day. Not because you are scared of the consequences. Not because you fear what might happen to you if you don’t strive to follow his rules each day. Instead, struggle each day to follow the rules out of gratitude and love for God’s Grace. Be thankful that even if we bend a rule and even if we break a rule because of God’s Grace, we are forgiven. It is not because of our good deeds or because we follow the rules that we are saved, but because of His Grace. Only by the Grace of God are saved from our sin. If you’re having trouble following the rules, break them down as if you were explaining them to a child.
[Oh and my first ending was MUCH more harsh than this...like Solomon-y harsh:)]
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