“Sorry, but “render unto Ceasar” means quite the opposite. No surprises there, everyone interprets the Bible to fit their own agenda. Jesus replied “render unto Ceasar” when asked how should the Children of God respond to the taxes and oppression of the Romans. What he was really saying is that there will always be these corrupt politicians to bully the people, and it is incumbent upon Christians to love ALL as you love yourself. You must somehow allow the bullies to have their day, and continue with your Christian mission is the meaning. You must shrink from the political way, for it is evil and sinful.”  jsinton

I’ll start like this – For some, the Pentecost, as described in the Bible, helped everyone to understand what was being said in their own language.  Language can also be defined as a way of understanding and conveying concepts.  Understanding language this way, each person can understand differently.  This we all have experienced – how  people can understand differently.

When we read or learn a new concept, we learn it by adding it to our current paradigm – (paradigm being our world view or our “language” of how we understand all things.)  We can then understand what is spoken or shared as being different for each of us, because we all have different world views – or paradigms.

At the same time, we all feel differently in our hearts about different things.  These differences mean we all come from our own distinct path of growing up and learning.  We all have a very different and personally distinct and unique heart-paradigm and mind-paradigm.  Put another way, we all have learned to feel differently (sometimes only slightly differently) and think differently because no two people are alike in 100% of ways.

So, the Pentecost which happened then, is now still going on, and therefore, the teachings in the Bible speak to us in our own personal ways – our own languages.  Even if many of us agree on what something means, we’re disagreeing with some others.  And all of us are deciding based on “how the teachings touch us inside ourselves personally.”  For that reason, some people resonate to some teachers and other people resonate with other teachers.

We can’t be any other way, because we have developed our own paradigms from the moment we came into being up to now.  We have all developed our own ways of thinking and feeling from the moment we came into being up to now.  All of us are unique individuals.  With God knowing exactly the numbers of hairs on our heads, and how many hairs we lose on that head from year to year as our hair gets thinner.  And then with God, knowing exactly what each of us needs to learn in our “Next Step” of learning.  Hence, again, why we all learn differently.

“Render unto Caeser, that which is Caeser’s, but render unto God, that which is God’s.” may mean to you what you have described, but I suggest you have that paradigm based on what you feel and think about all of life and of that which you’ve faced so far.  This method/process of creating paradigms is true for all of us.

For me, this phrase speaks of our responsibility to our communities and our nation – our taking an active part in the government that is by the people , of the people and for the people.  To me, it speaks to our responsibility to contribute to paying taxes, voting, going to meetings, voicing our “2-cents” and honoring the results when they happen – even if they’re not what we want.

To me, it means give to the government that which is of the government.  In the U.S., this is individual participation to the point of running for office or contacting our representatives to give our voice.  To me, it means supporting or protesting, as we, individually, feel is needed.

The statement then goes on to mean for me, to give back to God that which is of God.  For me, again, this is to love God above all else, to love our neighbor as our self.  For me, that means giving kindness, patience, forgiveness, and mercy – all of which are of and from God.  That which is God’s, to me, are the best of the qualities that exist within us, brotherhood, unity, oneness, cooperation, charity, (and yes, even long-suffering) – all the fruits of the Spirit – which to me, means the fruits from God imbued within us, waiting for us to willingly express these fruits – even when it’s very difficult and takes great effort.

Give to the government, that which is governmental, and give to the Infinite Consciousness of Infinite Love that which is Infinite Love.

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“Stereotypes are not real people and they only exist in our own minds. Every person is a soul who is a cosmos, who is a universe unto themselves.” (The Rainbow Cards, ©, 2001-2016, Jodie Senkyrik)

“No one speaking judgement and condemnation, speaks for God. No one speaking punishment and retribution, speaks for God. The one speaking love, forgiveness, kindness, brotherhood, cooperation, acceptance, patience and mercy – this one speaks for God.” (The Rainbow Cards, ©, 2000-2016, Jodie Senkyrik)

“Has anyone ever wondered who has forgiven us so much so that God is now so much in our life?” (The Rainbow Cards, ©, 2000-2016, Jodie Senkyrik)