In today's broken world suffering seems often to stem from the apathy or infamy of politicians and the power structures of the state - by the design of the more powerful, the impotence of the weaker, or the incompetence of both. Jesus seems to indicate that there is something which properly belongs to Caesar - the tax money. But this passage offers neither compromise with the state nor evasion of responsibility for the Christian community. For the disciples of Christ there is no escape from political reality. Christ's adversaries must acknowledge that Caesar too is accountable to Go.
Earthly empires fall.
The reign of God alone endures forever. In our discussion we shared the pain of those from historically disadvantaged countries, and understood their impatience with the state and readiness to see it confronted. We also heard from those in places which still benefit from the injustices of the present and the past, and acknowledged that they too must struggle for integrity and justice in the face of inequality, corporate exploitation and greed. We repeatedly returned to ask how the people of Jesus Christ might express their solidarity in ways which transcend their allegiance to any nation-state. This would be easier to discern if Christians in the North were more vocal and active in their opposition to unjust political systems, discriminatory trading practices or the unbridled power of multinational corporations, investors and consumers - who now may actually be the new Caesar's of the global community.