In Matthew 22:1-33 Jesus continued to talk in parables. He was in Jerusalem, teaching about the Kingdom of Heaven and told the parable of the wedding banquet, from which we have the expression “many are called but few are chosen.” Continuing on, the Pharisees tried to entrap him with the question “is it legal to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” Jesus answered by the famous quote: “Give unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s,” an early call to separation of Church and State. Jesus did not say “let the Romans do it”. The Sadducees also tried to entrap him with the riddle “if there is no resurrection and seven brothers have had a woman as his wife on after another, who would marry her in the resurrection?” Jesus answered with another, now made famous, saying: “God is not the God of the dead but of the living.”
Deuteronomy 7 promised that the Israelites were always a Chosen People. God will drive out the people before them. When entering the land they must completely destroy all idols and false gods.
Deuteronomy 8. Remember the LORD your God, but if not you too will be destroyed.
Len Bilén's blog, a blog about faith, politics and the environment. 