THE expectant hush was broken by the quiet voice of Jesus, "Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? Show me the tribute money". With a foreboding of the impending frustration they offered him a denarius stamped with the head of the Roman emperor. "Whose is this image and superscription?" "Caesar's." "Render therefore unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's."The men marvelled at his answer and went away sobered by his wisdom. But his words were so much more than the astute evasion of a verbal trap. It is an answer which has come down the years to successive generations resolving the problem of divided loyalty. The kingdom of God is not of this world and secular claims only find their place after the claims of God have been met. If we interpret the demands of the state in the light of this word of Jesus we shall have few practical problems on this issue even in these complex days.

MELVA PURKIS, A Life of Jesus, page 306