17 Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” And they marveled at him. But there is another kingdom, not of this world, and Jesus is King of that (John 18:36). It’s the equivalent of telling a married man that he can’t act married in public. Of course, he can certainly do that, but he won’t stay married for long.Saint Peter and Saint Paul Cathedral Nantes FranceWhen Jesus tells the Pharisees and Herodians in the Gospel of Matthew (22:21) to “render unto the Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s,” he sets the framework for how we should think about religion and the state even today. As Christians, we can’t claim to love God and then ignore the needs of our neighbors. - Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's.It is as though our Lord said, "Since you Jews are now subject to Caesar - and there is here this evidence of it, that his coin is current amongst you; you would not use it were you not obliged, because all Gentile rites and symbols are an abhorrence to you; - but since Caesar demands … Likewise if we claim to be “Catholic,” we need to prove it by our behavior. Only God is God, and the state is subordinate and accountable to God for its treatment of human persons, all of whom were created by God. When Jesus said, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s,” He was drawing a sharp distinction between two kingdoms. When Jesus tells the Pharisees and Herodians in the Gospel of Matthew (22:21) to “render unto the Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s,” he sets the framework for how we should think about religion and the state even today.
Christians are part of both kingdoms, at least temporarily. A husband may tell his wife that he loves her, and of course that’s very beautiful. But that obedience is limited by what belongs to God. “RENDER TO CAESAR.” Based on Matthew 22:21 “They said to Him, “Caesar’s.” Then He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.””–Matthew 22:21 NASB We owe civil authority our respect and appropriate obedience. The “separation of Church and state” does not mean – and it can never mean – separating our Catholic faith from our public witness, our political choices and our political actions. Mark 12:17 English Standard Version (ESV). Our job as believers is to figure out what things belong to Caesar, and what things belong to God — and then put those things in right order in our own lives, and in our relations with others.The Papal Posse on lay leadership in parishes and other matters Catholic. There is a kingdom of this world, and Caesar holds power over it.
Caesar does have rights. . That kind of separation would require Christians to deny who we are; to repudiate Jesus when he commands us to be “leaven in the world” and to “make disciples of all nations.” That kind of radical separation steals the moral content of a society. Caesar is not God. But she’ll still want to see the proof in his actions. .
Caesar … Loving God is like loving a spouse.
Verse 17. And serving other people by working for justice, charity and truth in our nation’s political life is one of the very important ways we do that.