Render Unto Caesar

For the last four of five days, I have been studying. Unfortunately, I was not studying the word of God, but Transport Canada safe boating materials so that I might challenge the Pleasure Craft Operator Card examination. It is now law that any operator of a motorized boat must have a valid Pleasure Craft Operator Card. I have been boating on the water, safely I might add, for the last fifty-four years. None of that successful experience is recognized by the government of Canada. Instead I was forced out of academic retirement to memorize things like the buoy system on the St. Lawrence Seaway so that I can legally take my grandchildren out a few hundred yards on our small northern lake in order to go fishing. I can’t tell you how little I wanted to sit down and actually study. I quite literally forced myself to dredge up old and effective study skills. I also learned how to properly negotiate a lock system and to navigate in and around shipping lanes. I am now also capable of declaring a marine emergency over my VHF marine radio. The strange thing though, is that I can’t seem to find such a radio in my 16 foot aluminium boat with a 9.9 horsepower outboard motor. I also know how to use pyrotechnic flares should I ever require assistance within sight of my house.

You might be catching on that I was not too enamoured of the examination process just to continue what I have been safely doing for decades. I felt the process was unnecessary and rather nonsensical in the way that the government of Canada actually farmed out the testing process to several online companies who I am sure are making a good profit certifying old men just like me to do what they will never do. I could have simply ignored the demands of the government and been assured that being caught without my operator card was not a very likely scenario on a privately owned lake. I did, however, have the words of Jesus to guide me in this situation. In Mark 12: 13-17 we read:

13 ¶ Then they sent to Him some of the Pharisees and the Herodians, to catch Him in His words.

14 When they had come, they said to Him, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?

15 "Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?" But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, "Why do you test Me? Bring Me a denarius that I may see it."

16 So they brought it. And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?" They said to Him, "Caesar’s."

17 And Jesus answered and said to them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s." And they marveled at Him.

Jesus is of course answering a question directly related to the paying of taxes to the Roman government, but the lesson can be extended to all government edicts even to this day. Here it is made very clear that we are to respect and obey the edicts of our governors. As a believer, I am bound by obedience to my saviour to obey and support our government. The exception would be that when I am asked to compromise my Christian principles, I am bound to refuse and live with the consequences of the punishment unfairly meted out to me. Now you know why I conceded to the edicts of my government, studied and passed the examination as presented. As I rendered to Caesar, I also rendered to God.

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