What Belongs to God? Our Shared Resources and Responsibility

Devotional

Day 1: Coins, Idols, and the Cost of Compromise

A denarius bore Caesar’s face and claims of divinity, forcing Jews to fund their own oppression with idolatrous currency. Like Viola Desmond’s 32¢ tax evasion charge, systems weaponize technicalities to punish the marginalized while protecting power. Jesus’ question cuts deeper than politics: when we handle coins stamped with human glory, do we forget they’re temporary tokens in God’s eternal economy? The real cost isn’t in taxes paid, but in hearts surrendered to lesser claims. [31:25]

“Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (Matthew 22:19-21, ESV)

Reflection: What “coin” have you unconsciously treated as ultimate this week—reputation, security, comfort? Where might God be asking you to risk inconvenience to disrupt a harmful system?

Day 2: Thirty-Two Cents and the Price of Silence

Viola Desmond’s arrest exposed how small injustices uphold big lies. The theater’s 2¢ tax difference pretended segregation was about fiscal duty, not human dignity. Like the Pharisees’ trap question, oppressive systems dress cruelty in bureaucracy to make complicity feel inevitable. But Jesus redirects: every transaction—whether 32¢ or a denarius—reveals who we truly worship. Silence when others pay the price for “how things are” isn’t neutrality—it’s collaboration. [29:06]

Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy. (Proverbs 31:8-9, ESV)

Reflection: When have you accepted an unjust “tax” as normal because speaking felt costly? What quiet compromise might God be urging you to name aloud today?

Day 3: Concrete Beds and the Ownership of Compassion

Jamon sleeps on church steps while couches sit empty inside. Like Jesus—homeless yet holding heaven’s keys—he exposes our twisted definitions of ownership. The building we call “ours” bears God’s image on every brick. Caesar’s coins buy locks; God’s economy demands unlocked doors. Rendering to God what’s His starts by seeing every concrete bed as a throne room—and every sleeper as Christ in disguise. [33:51]

And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” (Matthew 8:20, ESV)

Reflection: What space, possession, or schedule have you labeled “mine” that God might be reclaiming? How could your next small surrender make room for His kingdom?

Day 4: Foam Rolls or Front Doors: What We Render Matters

A foam roll for Jamon soothes guilt without dismantling the system that put him there. Like paying Caesar’s tax while ignoring the coin’s idolatrous claims, charity often props up the status quo. Jesus didn’t debate tax rates—He exposed the lie that anything exists outside God’s claim. True rendering begins when we stop asking “What’s the minimum?” and start asking “What if this all belongs to Him?” [34:20]

Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. (Acts 4:32, ESV)

Reflection: What “foam roll” gesture have you used to avoid deeper sacrifice? What bold act of shared ownership is God inviting you toward?

Day 5: Whose Image in the Empty Theater?

The Roseland Theater’s balcony still echoes with Viola Desmond’s arrest and the crowd’s silence. Jesus holds up our denarius moments: workplaces that dehumanize, churches that exclude, cities that abandon. Every system bearing Caesar’s image demands we ask, “Who does this belong to?” God’s answer thunders: the seats, the coins, the sleeping bags—all stamped with His likeness. Rendering begins when we stop counting costs and start seeing Christ. [39:48]

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8, ESV)

Reflection: What “empty theater” in your life—a relationship, institution, or pattern—needs you to disrupt silence? How will you render God’s image there this week?

Sermon Summary

Jesus turns a tricky question about taxes into a harder question about belonging: “What belongs to God?” The Pharisees’ question puts him between two dangerous answers. Refusing the tax could mean treason. Accepting it could mean accepting idolatry. The denarius carries Caesar’s head and words claiming divine standing. The imperial tax makes Jewish people support their own occupation with a coin that offends their faith. This is not just a question about money.

The arrest of Viola Desmond shows how a tax can make injustice look respectable. Her seat on the main floor of a segregated Canadian theater supposedly left the government short by one penny. The charge of tax evasion gave racial exclusion a legal excuse. The ordinary practice of buying a ticket helped keep that exclusion in place. The comfort of the white audience depended on accepting that some things were just the way they were.

Jesus’ answer, “give to Caesar what belongs to him and give to God what belongs to God,” does not neatly divide life into secular and sacred parts. The question of what belongs to God reaches into money, buildings, and the right to decide who gets to come inside. The claim that a church building belongs to its congregation sounds reasonable. God’s claim makes that answer much less comfortable.

The contrast between empty couches inside a church and Jamon sleeping on concrete outside its door makes the question hard to dodge. A roll of foam offers some relief, but that small kindness can feel like paying a one-cent tax to God to quiet an uneasy conscience. Jesus himself had nowhere to lay his head. The Son of Man sounds more like the person at the door than a comfortable picture of divine importance.

The call to feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, and care for the sick and imprisoned demands more than feeling troubled. A five-dollar bill can buy lunch. A call to the police can move someone along without helping him. The shared resources of a congregation could do something larger through shelter, the use of its building, and pressure for real public resources.

God’s claim does not disappear when action gets put off. The question returns tomorrow if nothing is rendered today. The familiar pictures on money finally give way to the question beneath the whole exchange: not whose face appears on it, but who it belongs to.

Key Takeaways

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* Ordinary transactions can keep injustice standing

The tax charge against Viola Desmond made racial exclusion look like a simple matter of unpaid money. The practice of paying for segregated seats allowed ordinary customers to support injustice without having to name it. The warning against accepting the status quo reaches beyond obvious cruelty to the comfortable habits that keep cruelty working.

* Small kindness cannot settle every claim

A roll of foam or money for lunch can meet a real need. The contrast between that help and an unused building exposes the danger of treating a small gift as the end of responsibility. The call to mercy presses beyond relief for an uneasy conscience toward an honest reckoning with what remains possible.

* Shared resources make larger action possible

The call to welcome the stranger is not limited to what one person can hand over. The combined resources of a church can support shelter and demand public action where available beds fall far short of need. The question of what belongs to God therefore concerns collective decisions as much as individual generosity. [34:37]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[24:23] - Faces on Money
[26:35] - Viola Desmond’s Story
[28:22] - Segregation Disguised as Tax Evasion
[30:20] - Caesar’s Coin and the Tax Trap
[32:48] - What Belongs to God?
[33:29] - Empty Couches and a Concrete Bed
[35:09] - Jesus Had Nowhere to Sleep
[36:16] - The Cost of Remaining Uninvolved
[37:40] - Shared Resources and Real Shelter
[39:30] - The Currency Quiz Revisited

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Matthew 22:21
“They said, “Caesar's.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” [32:48]

Matthew 8:20
“And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” [35:45]

Matthew 25:35-36
“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.” [37:49]

Observation questions

What made the tax question a trap for Jesus, and why did the denarius raise concerns beyond the amount of money involved? [30:33]
How did a difference of one penny in tax become the legal excuse for arresting Viola Desmond? What part did ordinary ticket purchases play in maintaining segregation? [28:53]
What contrast between Jamon’s sleeping place and the church’s resources brings the question of what belongs to God into everyday life? [33:29]
What different responses to Jamon’s situation are described, from immediate help to shared action? How do these connect with the care described in Matthew 25:35–36? [37:49]

Interpretation questions

Why does Jesus’ answer in Matthew 22:21 challenge the idea that money and property belong in one part of life while God belongs in another? [32:48]
How does Jesus’ lack of a place to sleep in Matthew 8:20 challenge the way a congregation might view someone sleeping outside its doors? [35:33]
A roll of foam or money for lunch can meet a real need. What distinguishes a small act of genuine care from a small act used to settle an uneasy conscience? [34:06]
In light of Matthew 25:35–36, why is feeling troubled about another person’s suffering different from taking responsibility? What might a congregation miss if it treats mercy only as an individual task? [37:27]

Application questions

Think of something you tend to call “mine”—your money, home, time, or possessions. How might recognizing God’s claim on it change one decision you make this week? [34:39]
Have you ever accepted an unfair practice because it seemed normal or did not affect you directly? What could help you notice who bears the cost of an arrangement that is comfortable for you? [31:51]
When you encounter someone experiencing homelessness, what assumptions or fears shape your response? How does remembering that Jesus had nowhere to sleep challenge or deepen that response? [35:33]
Can you remember offering a small kindness and then feeling that your responsibility was finished? Without dismissing the good that gift did, how might you discern whether there is another step you could take? [34:06]
What resources could our congregation realistically share to help people find safe shelter? What concerns would need honest attention, and whose experience—including that of people without housing—could help us explore a faithful response? [38:12]
Is there a need you have felt troubled about but kept putting off? What manageable step could you take before our next meeting—offering direct help, learning about local services, or contacting a public official—and how could this group support you? [38:32]

Sermon Clips

43s

#FaithInAction

“I don't mean to trouble you with hard questions. Maybe I should just keep them to myself, but these are the ones that keep me awake at night. Feeling troubled isn't actually all that helpful to people like Viola Desmond or Jamon. The only thing that helps people like them is when those of us who could remain uninvolved do something. That's what Jesus means in Matthew 22, you know, when he just goes on and on about feeding the hungry and welcoming the stranger and caring for the sick and visiting the imprisoned.”

40s

#CommunityCare

“If I reach into my pocket and I give Jamon a $5 bill with Abraham Lincoln's face on it, then I can help him get some lunch. And if I call the police to come, you know, and move him along, then that doesn't really help him at all. But but if we decided as a church together with the collective power of our resources and our shared energy to dedicate ourselves and our building to keeping people off the streets, that we together could really change some things.”

39s

#ShelterForAll

“In just a few weeks, we will elect a new mayor in Green Bay. We could insist that that person commits real resources to make sure that we are giving everyone in our community safe shelter. The question Jesus raises, belongs to God? If we choose to render nothing today, then the question will still be posed to us tomorrow. What belongs to God?”

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