“They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.” Matthew 22:21
This statement from the lips of Jesus to the Pharisees, and Herodians with them, is repeated in Mark 12:17 and Luke 20:25. I know by experience and study that if something is repeated multiple times in the Bible, it’s important. I also recognize that these are 3 eyewitness testimonies from people that were there, which further solidifies the truth of the statement and its historicity. These Pharisees (religious zealots) and Herodians (Jews loyal to Herod) were trying to trick or entangle Jesus to get him in trouble, but they failed. Trying to trick the creator of everything using pointed questions is like going grizzly bear hunting armed with only a wet sponge. But, they tried it.
Most people focus on the spiritual aspects of these verses, but I’m going to touch on the physical aspects for a few moments. I deal with insurance billing every day in my current position. What many people forget is that when you sign a contract for your insurance, rules and laws instantly apply. One of the rules that many people forget about, fail to comprehend, or think aren’t really binding, is the rule of co-insurance. The insurance company pays their portion, and according to your contract and the law, especially in the case of Medicare and Medicaid, you are required to pay your portion. For instance: You have a hospital stay and Medicare pays $30,000 and your co-insurance (co-pay) is something like $2,000 (these aren’t real numbers, just examples) and you think, $2,000 is a lot of money. Those that understand their obligation according to Medicare law, simply pay the bill. They render the things which are Caesar’s into Caesar. Others see that Medicare paid $30,000 dollars and say to themselves and the hospital – you already got a bunch of money from Medicare and I’m poor or unwilling to pay, so why do you need my money too? The answer to this is – you signed a contract that is legally binding, stating that you would, in good faith, pay your portion of the bill. Many people, including elected officials, judges and many others don’t understand this. I hope I’ve explained it well enough for you today.
The point is that we need to be prepared to, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's”. In other words, be willing to repay the debts that we, in writing, or by agreement, have obligated ourselves to. You have no idea how much money the Medical industry loses to people who refuse to pay, or feel they are not obligated to pay. The amount is staggering. I can sympathize and empathize with those that literally can’t pay their bill, but I have absolutely no sympathy for those that can pay, but refuse to pay.
“Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's”. This is a very simple concept, strait from the lips of Jesus, the creator, master and sustainer of literally everything. “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's”