THE FACE ON THE COIN

 

  Three of the four gospels, not John’s, provide Christians with a separation of authority. Clearly, Christians, under oligarchs, are to obey civil law if they do not encroach upon God’s Law.  All three accounts are the same, but Luke’s slightly more comprehensive, and is written as follows: 

²² Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no? ²³ But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, “Why tempt ye me? ²⁴ Shew me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it?” They answered and said, “Caesar's.” ²⁵ And he said unto them, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's.”  ²⁶ And they could not take hold of his words before the people: and they marvelled at his answer, and held their peace. (Luke 20:22-26) 

  An “oligarchy” is a government that commands rather than doing the will of its citizens. The chief priests and the scribes, in a futile attempt to trip-up Jesus by cunning questions, knew full well the answer to their question. They endeavored to get Jesus to adhere to Roman Law rather than the Law of Moses. The gospel message is about exalting God, not about diminishing Caesar. With his answer, Jesus diminished the scribes and pharisees who understood that Jesus had come to be king of the Jews.

  Priests were the ecclesia, or “the gathering of those summoned” (Britannia), ostensibly by the Chief Priests. Their responsibility was to follow commands of the autocratic Chief Priests.

  When Jesus was murdered by the Jews, it was at the command of not one, but two, Chief Priests. One was the legal chief and the other his predecessor both out to “control” Jesus. The priesthood had become an oligarchy with two autocrats — two who shared absolute power. The former Chief Priest controlled the present one. As such, Joseph Caiaphas was the High Priest at the time of Jesus death, but Ananias, the former High Priest was behind the scenes pulling the strings. The Roman government, the legal government, had replaced Ananias with Caiphas, but the former still held the power because he really controlled the Sanhedrin and had Jewish society and the elites behind him.

  Caiphas was the current High Priest but Ananias pulled his strings. There was a “deep state” even in ancient Judea! Neither were truly allied with the authorized government but pretended to be. They were an inherent danger to Caesar because their own government was in opposition to Roman Law. They wanted to make it out to be that Jesus was a follower of Caesar, perhaps, so that Jesus would be the enemy of the Jews.

  Oligarchies are always treacherous, and never transparent, as can be seen with their conversation with Jesus. They cared nothing of the truth but endeavored to make Jesus out to be treasonous to His own countryman. God had placed Jesus there to save the Jewish nation, and that would become a problem. Jesus came to save all the nations, specifically the Roman nations, and that would become that problem. They would not see Jesus as King of the Jews per se but one like Pilate who would command them the way of Roman Law.

  The Jews were enthralled with commands and making lesser people obey whatever they decreed. They deceived the people by subtilty; making them believe that God’s Law was civil law, that which is now called, “social justice.”

  The gospels are full of commands by the oligarchy. They had strayed so far from the Law of God that they had become the Law, or “dictators” themselves. Theologically speaking they had become, “as gods” (Gen 3:5) and here they were trying to diminish the real God.

  Perhaps their problem was not the fear that he may be their King and High Priest, but that he might truly be God! They did not fear Jesus as God for He was quite loving kind.; they resented Jesus because He might be King of the Jews.

  What was the charge by the multitude against Jesus? “We found this fellow perverting the nation…” (Luke 23:2). He was shaking up the nation! Jesus was, in today’s terms, “draining the swamp.” The multitude feared that those in power would no longer have power. The Roman government at that time seemed to be fair and equitable. There was one main thing the Jews held against Caesar — the tax collector. More on that shortly.

  It appears that the multitude was quite content with the amount of control. They were under the control, not only of the two High Priests, but the Sanhedrin (government), King Herod, and Caesar through his governor, Pontius Pilate. Freedom was not an issue with them. Not only that, but the Jewish Zealots were part of the multitude. They favored a return to the Hasmonean dynasty that ruled before Caesar came.

  Oligarchies crucified Jesus; all were either autocrats or struggled for autocratic power. On Palm Sunday, the nation essentially “voted” for Jesus with palm branches and a huge rally. Jesus then become a great threat to everyone’s power! Remember what Jesus said, “Ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always” (Mat 26:11). He was perceived as non-caring. The government made people poor (by taxation) yet Jews claimed Jesus was against the poor! Despite that, Jesus had just said, “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor” (Mat 19:21).

  God had not sent His Son for social justice but for Divine Grace. He was to give the nations a thing much better than anything else. He came to save the nations! He would “feed” then the Bread of Life and the ungrateful fools impeached and hung Him on a Tree much as the Ku Klux Klan would a poor Negro! (I often compare so-called “liberals” with the Klan and Nazis because they are not liberal at all, but all-controlling and autocratic.) Jesus was hated for His desire to make Jews “better” (free) again. He would not do that by control, but free grace for all who would take the gift. Since grace is not material things, the multitude would murder Him for the love of things.

  Pilate had written on a sign and placed it above the head of Jesus, “THE KING OF THE JEWS.”  Then the Chief Priests, in harmony said, “Write not, ‘The King of the Jews’; but that ‘he said, I am King of the Jews.’” They were worried about upsetting the people. Some accepted Jesus as their Lord and King, not Caesar, not Pilate, not the Chief Priests, not any Hasmonean king; but only Jesus!

  The Chief Priests were clever. They denied that Jesus was King of the Jews because they dd not believe their own prophets. They wanted the sign to be merely a claim by a poor carpenter because they feared His followers who were standing quietly nearby. They feared an uprising if they killed their King and Lord!  One last time, they diminished the King sent by God and accepted without protest those not God’s legitimate rulers.

  What did the Christians do? They stood quietly and said nothing. They had little of any faith. They were willing to sacrifice the very Flesh of God to save their own lousy skins! Just how did Satan beguile them? They remembered, “Peace on Earth and good will toward men” but forgot the first part “Glory to God.” (Luke 2:14). Just how does a Christian “glorify God?” By proclaiming that the Truth and standing up for Him. What did some do? They took a knee to mock Him, to wit: “When they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!” (Mat 27:29). What do those against Jesus always do? They always diminish and mock!

  What really happened rather than peace on Earth? “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law” (Mat 10:34-35). The world is divided right now, even relatives against relatives. Who brought that? Jesus. Not that He ordained hatred, but He knew that even Christians could do hateful things. How right He IS! (Yes, I know that even other Christians hate me. They have even made it obvious by “unfriending” an “unfollowing” me on social media. It has even caused conflict with those I love.)

  Christianity is based on diminishing oneself and exalting God. Everyone, even the Christians, never once complained about the hatred of the Chief Priests but were beguiled into going along with the mob. Only Peter attempted to save His Savior, but then he too denied him… three times.

  To this very day, Christians, without even realizing it deny God. They are too timid to stand up for right and allow travesties to go on! None stood up for Jesus, and thence had no excuses to make to the victors that day. They went home sad, but compliant. Life would go on without Jesus, but things soon changed! The nation was torn asunder, the Temple destroyed after the memory of Jesus was desecrated, and Christians and Jews cast out. Jerusalem became a wilderness reported to have no more than twelve people that lived there after the Roman’s “Great Reset.”

  Before continuation, just who were the scribes? Their job was merely printing the commands. They wrote the words of the Chief Priests and published them. They were the “media” of those days. However, they were quite clever. They interpreted the Law to suit themselves. Hence, they were truly akin to crooked lawyers and were early proagandists. Perhaps their “headline” that day would have been, “Jesus Attempted to Destroy the Nation but He Was Impeached, Convicted, and Punished by the People!”

  Soon, all memory of Jesus would have  been wiped clean if the resisters had not went underground into caves. Yes, there was peaceful resistance, but you hear little about that. Those that resisted the autocracy did not do so, not out of hatred of the governors, but out of love for Jesus!

  Who were the most villainous against the Christians? Tax collectors. They not only collected taxes for Caesar, but they were paid to do so. They were bureaucrats of Caesar. The scribes and Chief Priests wanted Jesus to be made out to be a hated tax collector.

  Not only were tax collectors hated for collecting taxes, but they bid on contracts to make excessive profits. They were “tax farmers” and their produce was high taxes for Caesar. Not only that, but they extorted money from the poor to support their lavish lifestyles. They were both “crony capitalists” (userers) and “socialists” who used the common people for their own purposes. As such, although they abused capitalism, they used the common people, the poorest of all! Tax collectors in the time of Jesus were the most devious. Their system was no more than modern-day socialism.

  Why would Caesar not be Jesus’s king? Because He IS the KING, and not a pretender. Why should a socialist president not be the “king” of Christians? Because he is little more than a tax collector that lives as high as the Chief Priests.

  Jesus was not presenting the case of “a wall of separation of Church and State” when He referenced the coin with Caesar’s face on it. His “Face” is the Face of God. Caesar was a lover of money, and Jesus had no problem giving to Him what he loved. Those who took that coin with Caesar’s face on it, took it without even knowing it favored Caesar over God. It was not Jesus who was seditious but the lovers of money. It turned out that although Jesus died, Caesar lived on.

  On the other hand, Jesus triumphed and remains alive, but that Caesar is long dead, and perhaps is in Hell. Who prospered in the end? Lovers of money or lovers of Jesus? You know the answer!

  There is no wall of separation of Church and State, only that Jesus is Lord of everything. Why is Biden not my President? Because he is a mere tax collector, but Jesus is my Lord!

  Because Biden is not my Authority, I have been castigated. Even Christians condemn me. They stood silent all the while the last president was in office and said nothing of the real hatred against him, but now deny me as they support a corrupt, and maybe even a “pretend” president.

  There is some, behind the scenes, “Chief Priest,” out there controlling him. We think we know who he is!  Now, after a long silence wherein they framed Trump, they are out to destroy the nation. With the “Great Reset” since God is the One truly in charge, the US could go the way of Judea and the way of Rome. Both are only chapters in a sad history!

(picture credit: finds.org,uk; "Coin with Augustus Caesar's Picture?). 

Note: Tiberius Caesar may have been the face on the coin)