A little boy wanted $100.00 very badly, so he prayed for two weeks but nothing happened. Then he decided to write God a letter requesting $100.00. When the postmaster received the letter addressed to God, U.S.A., she decided to send it to the President.
The President was so impressed and amused that he instructed his secretary to send the boy $50.00. Mr. President thought that this would appear to be a lot of money to the little boy.
The little boy was delighted with the $50.00 and immediately sat down to write a thank you note to GOD that read: “Dear God, thank you very much for sending me the money. However, I noticed that for some reason you send it through Washington, D.C., and, as usual, those devils took half of it.”
This little story illustrates the way many Americans feel about taxes and politics—that our tax system is unfair and that our government is filled with scoundrels. The story also highlights the way many Americans approach God—as a cosmic Santa Claus who should give us whatever we ask. This is why so many people believe that “God is on my side but the government is against me!” This is obviously a false dichotomy, but one thing is for sure: the relationship between politics and religion has always been complicated.
Philip Ryken, the former senior pastor of the Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia and the current president of Wheaton College in Illinois, says:
If you want to start a good argument, start talking about religion, or politics—either one. But if you want to start a war, then bring your religion into your politics.
Few things seem to cause more difficulty than an unholy alliance between political power and religious faith. This is as true of Christianity as it is of any other religion. Think of the Crusades, or the Inquisition, or apartheid. Or think of the way Christianity was used to defend slavery. Then think of all the trouble we have doing evangelism today because when people hear about Christianity, they immediately associate it with a political perspective.
In America, the close identification between the evangelical church and conservative politics makes it more difficult for secular people to give a fair hearing of the gospel. Then when we go abroad, where America is typically regarded as a Christian country, we find that people’s attitudes about Christianity are deeply affected by their opinion of U.S. foreign policy—often to the detriment of the missionary work of the gospel.
My point is not to advocate this or that political philosophy, but simply to say that it is hard to get politics and religion right, and that when we get them wrong—as people often do, including Christians—it causes not end of trouble. (Ryken 362)
It certainly is difficult to get the relationship between politics and religion right. We have seen this very clearly during this election cycle. But, in this morning’s Scripture reading, Jesus goes a long way to help us resolve the issue!
Trapping a Lion
Let me remind you that Jesus is now in the final days before his crucifixion. He has already ridden into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and the people have hailed him as the king who comes in the name of the Lord. He cleansed the temple of thieves and robbers who were extorting the peasants who came to worship the Lord. He taught publicly in the court of the gentiles and everyone hung on his every word. The religious leaders were jealous and felt threatened, so they began to challenge his authority. Jesus rebuked them with a scathing parable that exposed their hypocrisy and predicted their culpability in killing the Son of God.
As you can imagine, the religious leaders were livid, and as fire flamed in their eyes and smoke seeped out of their ears, verse 19 tells us, they sought to lay hands on him that very hour. How dare this country preacher from Galilee challenge their religious and political authority!
But the problem was that Jesus had become so popular with the people, that they could not get dispose of him and maintain their outward reputation. They needed to find a clever way to discredit him. So, they sent some spies from their ranks to infiltrate Jesus’ band of disciples so that they might catch him in something that he said and bring charges against him in front of the Roman governor, who had the authority to pronounce a sentence of execution.
These spies were crafty. They set their trap by buttering him up with empty words of flattery, “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and show no partiality, but truly teach the way of God.”
Let me pause for a moment and give you some free advice: Always beware of the motives of someone who strokes your ego and fills your head with words of flattery. My wife does this to me all the time. She says, “Have I told you lately how smart and handsome…? And I interrupt her mid-sentence and say, “What do you want this time?”
Then the spies show the depth of their guile by asking him a question that is not only politically charged and religiously controversial. How do you make a public figure uncomfortable? Back them into a corner where the walls of politics and religion meet! And this is exactly what they did to Jesus when they asked him, “Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?”
This was an explosive question in those days, and the answer one gave was potentially fatal. (It was worse than asking Hilary Clinton about her e-mails or Donald Trump about his tax returns!) The tribute was the basic Roman tax imposed upon every Jewish citizen—the price one paid for the privilege of living and working in the Roman Empire. The tax was highly unpopular, as most taxes are. This was not just for economic reasons, but also for political and religious reasons. The tax, to some extent, forced the Jews to participate in an oppressive government and a pantheistic religion. Thus, some zealous Jews considered the payment of the tribute to be a sin because the Romans were robbing money that rightly belonged to God. That is why, on occasion, the imposition of the tax had stirred up violent uprisings in Israel. (Ryken 364)
This question was a catch 22 for Jesus. It set him between the proverbial rock of religion and the hard place of politics. If Jesus supports paying the Roman tax, his allegiance to the Jews will be questioned. If he sides with the Jews, then the Romans would be called.
Although the spies devised a brilliant plan, once again they did not realize who they were dealing with. They were not clever enough to outfox the Son of God. Their nets were not strong enough to trap the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Jesus saw right through their smoke and mirrors and turned the tables back on them when he asked them to show him a denarius and asked, “Whose likeness and inscription does it have on it?”
The Roman silver coin, used for paying the tax, bore the portrait of the emperor and inscription “Tiberius Caesar, son of the divine Augustus, Augustus.” Strict Jews therefore regarded it as idolatrous and so refused to use it; copper coins were available for daily commerce. By getting the religious leaders to produce a denarius, Jesus exposed their supposed patriotism as nothing more than hypocrisy. Their money proved that they were part of the Roman economy, and thus that Caesar had a claim on their economic lives. (France 321)
Then Jesus gave his dramatic response to their diabolical question: “Then render unto Caesar what is Caesars, and to God what is God’s.” Once again, Jesus silenced his foes and slipped through their trap. During the process, he also established the proper Christian attitude toward the relationship between politics and religion. The people could hardly object to giving Caesar the coin that already bore his image, but not the worship he tried to claim by using a divine title. Although Caesar’s image was inscribed on the coin, God’s image is inscribed on every human being. Jesus is saying that it is possible to be both a faithful Christian and a responsible citizen: the kingdom of God can coexist with the Roman Empire.
Therefore, my friends, Jesus wants his people, both then and now, to first and foremost, be faithful to God; and we also need to be good and responsible citizens of the state, even if we don’t like it or disagree with its leadership, policies, or practices. So, what does this practically mean for us? Let me highlight a few implications of Jesus’ famous statement by asking what is Caesar’s and what is God’s?
What is God’s?
Since it is easier for us to identify, let’s begin with what belongs to God. As Christians, we already know that everything belongs to God, but sometimes we need specific reminders about Christian trifecta: time, talent, and treasure. How are we using the resources that God has given us to love and serve him? He is our Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer, and we own him everything!
What is Caesars?
1.) Pay Our Taxes!
This is the most obvious and immediate application of Jesus’ words. If Jesus advocates for the Jews to pay taxes to Rome, which was far more cruel and oppressive than most governments throughout history, he certainly wants us to do this today. For those of you who may protest because our government is using our tax money to promote ungodly policies, get over it! You may hate that some of your money goes to support war, abortion, or some other activity that you find morally repulsive, but that is not your decision! That being said, if you don’t like something, I encourage you to get involved in legitimate ways of changing it! So, if you want to honor Jesus, pay your taxes!
2.) Pray for Our Leaders
We all know how easy it is to criticize our political and civic leaders when we don’t walk in their shoes. It is much harder to humble ourselves and get down on our knees and pray for our leaders, especially the one whom we didn’t vote for. The New Testament calls on all Christians to pray for their governing officials. So, if we want to honor Jesus, pray for our political leaders!
3.) Practice Civil Obedience
God wants us to respect and obey the laws of the land, even the ones we find ridiculous or trivial. This is how an orderly society is maintained. In the words of the Augsburg Confession: “The Gospel does not introduce any new laws about the civil estate, but commands us to obey the existing laws, whether they were formulated by the heathen or others, and in this obedience practice love.” (Article 16) There are, of course, times when the government may force Christians to act against God’s Word and moral law. Civil disobedience should only be considered as a last resort, when all attempts to honor the law have been exhausted!
4.) Participate in Public Life
God has called his people to be salt and light for him everywhere we live, work, and play! For too many Christians have adopted a “Christ against culture” philosophy where they barricade and isolate themselves from society with the hopes that their “holy huddles” will prevent them from being influenced by the evils in the world around them. To render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s includes Christians serving their broader communities; not just their churches. Jesus is honored when Christians serve in civic positions, public schools, healthcare fields, justice initiatives, agricultural enterprises, and a host of other ways. How are you participating in public life? At the very least, I hope you will vote on Tuesday!
In the light of Jesus’ words here, let me conclude this sermon by offering a brief reflection on Tuesday’s election: For those of you who think our country is doomed in Hilary Clinton is elected, fear not! For those of you who think that our society will fall apart if Donald Trump is elected, take courage! Jesus, the Son, is still seated on the throne! And if the kingdom of God could endure the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Nero, Domitian, and a host of other tyrannical political leaders throughout history, it will certainly endure four years of Clinton or Trump! So, cheer up and remember that God is in control!