RENDER UNTO THE UNITED STATES

 

The +Hobby Lobby corporation is currently involved in a lawsuit contesing the federal government's authority to require them to provide for contraceptive services in the insurance coverage they offer their employees.  Their contention is that the Constitution's guarantee of religious freedom makes it unlawwful for them to be forced to pay for services they believe their faith forbids.

Let's put aside for the moment the volumes of case law that have determined already the federal government's Constitutional authority to require a p[erson to fund practices the faith prohibits in other areas; let's ignore also the rights of the company's employees not to have someone else's religious choices negatively impact their lives.  I want to explore instead the actual scriptural basis for the government's authority to make the requirement Hobby Lobby opposes.

The 22nd chapter of the Gospel according to Matthew relates an incident where a group of individuals attempted to trick Jesus into voicing opposition to Roman authority in order that they might have him arrested.  They asked him whether it was lawful for Jews to pay taxes to Caesar.  Jesus Instructed them to show him one of the coins used to apy the tax, then asked whose picture and inscription were on it.  When they answered it was Caesar's likeness he commanded them "Render therefore unto Caesar what is Caesars, and unto God what is God's."

Now the reason this passage applies to thise current day issue is the type of tax to which the incident referred, namely a poll tax.  The amount of a poll tax is determined by conducting a census, which the Jews saw as forbidden since the time of King David when God punished the nation of Israel because of David's having conducted one.  This census was also referenced in the Second chapter of Luke as the reason why Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem, to be registered in the census.
So, much like the current situation with Hobby Lobby, Jesus was being asked whether it was right for Jews to pay for a practice their religion forbade.  Jesus made it clear tht the government which provided the coin had the authority to determine to what use it would be applied.

Any currency currently produced by the United States has its name prominently displayed thereon, much as the Roman coin had the image and seal of Caesar.  Just as Jesus determined Jews who disagreed with the poll tax must still pay the tax, so it would appear to follow from a purely scriptural perspective that Hobby Lobby would be obliged to pay for contraceptive care including the controversial "morning after" pill.  To do otherwise would be in direct violation of Jesus' instructions on such matters.