This topic follows on from John T’s question on wealthy churches in our Q&A session, which read:
“We can see great wealth in many churches. The value of property is enormous, with huge sums invested in cathedrals and other beautiful buildings. How do we reconcile that with the simple message of the gospel? Are they to the glory of God or the glory of Man?”

There are lots of examples of specific application questions on our bible reading, and you may find any one or two of these is more than enough to consider:

What are our boundaries of obedience to the state, and to God, and how do we resolve conflicting loyalties?

Does Jesus’ statement limit the authority of the state? What is the proper limit to government authority over an individual? What role should government have in morality, education, and social welfare?

Jesus referred to the coin as having Caesar’s “image and inscription” as the basis for Caesar’s authority. Where was God’s unspoken “image and inscription” as the basis for what He is owed?

To what extent should church organisations, and individual believers, engage in public policy? Is involvement in political activity a moral duty, or does that undermine the integrity and role of the church, or the individual?
To what extent should the organised church take on state leadership, or remain separate?

As John T asked, what is the appropriate amount of assets to be held by the church to cover its social obligations and its role in helping people. Is it appropriate to own large properties and finances? Should its buildings rival Caesar’s palaces? (e.g. Robert Schuller’s “Crystal Palace”)

“Caesar” is not limited to government, but to worldly authorities such as employers, work practices, social traditions and expectations. How do we resolve those potential conflicts? What habits or practices might help us through those tensions?

Where there is a conflict of allegiance, is refraining from action sufficient, or is active social opposition needed? (e.g. such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s active resistance to the Nazi regime)

What are the dilemmas we face in our modern world on this potential division of loyalties, and how do we navigate those?

Looking at a few of the many questions about this topic:

God's Image

God's image is within the people who were standing there:

- Genesis 1:26, God created mankind in his image

His inscription is on their hearts;

- Jeremiah 31:33 “I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts”

- Romans 2:15 “who show the work of the law written in their hearts”

So, while the coin is owed to Caesar, the people themselves, their real and inner being, are owed to God.

God has supreme authority

Before Jesus' arrest, Peter’s action in drawing the sword was in line with the worldly view of power and success. But Jesus pointed to our need to follow God’s will, which may appear opposite to what the world thinks is important.

- John 18:11 'So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?”'

And in John 18:36 Jesus stated, “My kingdom is not of this world.” God’s kingdom is beyond space and time, and above all earthly powers. Our obedience to God is beyond all earthly powers, and beyond our earthly view of power.

When the high priest command Peter and the apostles not to teach in Jesus' name, they answered (Acts 5:29), “We ought to obey God rather than men”. This reminds me of the Enya song, “How can I keep from singing” (about  faith). When we truly see God’s glory in Jesus, we cannot keep it to ourselves, even when that may clash with the fashionable myths or even the laws of our day.

If our earthly responsibilities, however worthwhile they may be, take priority over our devotion to God, they then become our life’s purpose, our earthly gods. Our love and devotion to God must take priority over all earthly loves or responsibilities.

- Matthew 17:37 “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me.”

This is amplified in Mark 3:35, which states our brothers and sisters in Christ are our closest family.

The Church

The role of pastors (or ministers and clergy) in church is to proclaim what God has revealed to us in the bible, and that is what we are to follow. But we are not meant to follow them or what they do, for they are fallen people like us.

– Matthew 23:2–3: [Jesus said], “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.”

Jesus observed the worship customs of his day, which is a pattern for us to follow. Observing those customs helps to protect us from the wolves in sheep's clothing Jesus warns us of in Matthew 7:15.

– Luke 4:16, "And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read."

At work

In Luke 3:14, the guidance to the soldiers was to continue in their appointed role, but to fulfil it in God’s goodness, in contrast to the standard practice of others who abused the role for selfish gain.

Observing laws, customs, and authorities

In Mattew 8:4, Jesus told the healed leper to show himself to the priest and “offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” How is observing laws and traditions a testimony to people? God’s goodness and righteousness is shown as his people with transformed hearts do his will by observing those laws, not out of fear of people, but out of fear and devotion to God.

In Matthew 17:27, Jesus told Peter to pay the temple tax “lest we offend them”. Doing God’s will means not giving unnecessary offense.

In Romans 13:1-7, Paul states that people who are in authority over us are there by God’s permission, so we ought to obey those worldly authorities, and in 1 Timothy 2:1-2 we are told to pray for them. In 2 Peter 2:15 we read that in doing this we “may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men”, so it becomes a testimony of our faith.

But this doesn’t define where the limits are; e.g. John the Baptist offended Herod by speaking the truth about how God viewed his personal life, and lost his head as a result.

On observing customs, a quote I heard long ago states “It’s not enough to do the right thing, it’s important that the right thing is seen to be done.” What we do can be copied by others, so it is important to make sure our actions provide suitable guidance for others who see our example.