There's a story in the Gospels about the Pharisees trying to trap Jesus by asking him if they should pay taxes to Caesar. Answer 'Yes' an he's in trouble with nationalist Jews. Answer 'No', and he's guilty of treason. Deftly as ever, he lobs back a ball they can't return. Asking for a coin, he says: 'Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?' 'Caesar's,' they reply. 'Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's' (Matthew 22: 19-21).
Today, Britain brings in a new pound coin, replacing the one first issued in 1983. This one has 12 sides, evoking a certain sentimentalism in those of us who remember the old threepenny bit. It's rather beautiful. It has the Queen's head on it.
The coin says, in its design, something about who we are and whom we serve. The Queen is no Caesar (she is better than any of those murderous gangsters) but she represents the state of which we are a part, the society in which we're embedded. And the new pound coin represents the transactional system in which we are all interconnected, which is a fundamental part of that state and society. We can't do without money, and when we use it we are acknowledging certain obligations. We have responsibilities to each other, not because we choose to have them, but because we just do. When we buy a newspaper or a pint of milk, we are part of something bigger than ourselves.
Evangelical Christians are quite good at 'rendering to God what is God's'. We are very hot on Bible study, prayer and church attendance, for instance, and woe betide anyone who steps out of line on issues of sexual morality.
Rendering unto Caesar, though – I wonder if we're quite as good at that? The latter command has exactly the same force as the former. What would it look like if we took it as seriously?
Because rendering to Caesar implies deep involvement in the life of our communities. The trouble with church is that it can become all-consuming, with endless evenings out at church events. Where's the space, and the permission, for Christians to be salt and light in the very large part of the world outside the church's walls? When Christians help run non-Christian toddler groups and advice centres and volunteer in secular charity shops, something important is going on; Christians are being Christian. And rendering unto Caesar goes further than this. It means being good citizens at every level – paying taxes, picking up litter, serving on parish and town councils, being informed about local issues.
The face on a coin us more than an ornament. It's the secular equivalent of one of those Icthyus badges Christians sometimes wear. It reminds us we're citizens of two kingdoms, and they both matter.
Follow Mark Woods on Twitter: @RevMarkWoods
