In the Name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ and may our Lord and Savior sanctify you in the truth, for His word is truth. Amen
Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost (2011)
God and Caesar Rev. Toby Byrd
Matthew 22:21 (ESV)
"Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."
Our Lord Jesus, in today’s Gospel Reading invites us to stand back and become spectators so we might observe ourselves and society in general with the hope of learning how God wants us to interact with Him and with those who rule over us; or in other words, how we are to submit to God and to Caesar.
In beginning our observation we must first look at ourselves in the light of today’s Gospel. We know that the enemies of our Lord Jesus came to Him with malice of heart, hoping to tempt Him into making a derogatory remark against the government by asking the question, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” (v 17). They hoped that He would say that it wasn’t; and if He did indeed make such a statement, then they would be all too happy to bring the charge of sedition against Him before the Roman authorities. Of course, if He should take the opposite position and say, “Yes, it is lawful,” then they would make the charge that He was not true to His own nation and people; He was not a true Jew. The Jews had long since lost their freedom to the Romans who, as their masters, held them in utter contempt and subjection, placing them under the yoke of slavery and requiring them to pay taxes. Therefore, anyone calling themselves a Jew yearned to be relieved from this yoke of oppression. However, our Lord refuses to be entrapped by this crude Pharisaic ploy and instead lays down a divine principle in reply to their question, a divine principle that must be observed and regarded unto the end of days. When our Lord said, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's” (v. 21) he established for all time, the separation of Church and State. Therefore, from this divine principle it is evident that our Lord has established a dual citizenship for you and me, one of citizenship in His Church and the other of citizenship in this world. As such He is then going to demand from you and me dual obedience; one to the realm of the spiritual inasmuch as we are children of God, and the other to the realm of the State inasmuch as we are citizens of the land.
As I said, Jesus acknowledges the state as a divine institution willed by God. His own conduct before Pilate during His trial exemplifies this truth, in particular His words, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above” (John 19:11 ESV). His words about Caesar regards the State and our relation to it as a separate domain, and the doctrine of the separation of Church and State is thus the only legitimate conclusion to be drawn from what He says; however, Church and State are not mere parallels and equal. Our obligations to God are the whole of life, while those to the State are just one part of the whole. While Church and State are separate in the way indicated, there is no gulf between them. They are not like two ships passing in the night without knowledge of one another. The Church will always put conscience, namely governed by God, into our relationship with the State. St. Paul reminds us of this truth when he writes, “Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience” (Romans 13:5 ESV). Moreover, the Church constantly contributes to the State. What the State normally contributes and always ought to contribute to the Church St. Paul makes clear when he writes, “For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer” (Romans 13:3-4 ESV). Thus each aide the other: but the Church always aides in the higher way. When either seeks to control the other, usurping the functions of the other, chaos and havoc results as history clearly shows.
The divine principle of Jesus: “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's” brings us face to face with the problem of Church and State. Moreover, when we look at this problem, we find that there are certain duties of the government and certain duties of citizens.
The position of the Lutheran Church is clearly stated in the Augsburg Confession, Article 28, states: “Our teachers have been compelled, for the sake of comforting consciences, to point out the difference between spiritual and temporal power, sword, and authority, and they have taught that because of God’s command both authorities and powers are to be honored and esteemed with all reverence as the two highest gifts of God on earth. . . . Therefore, the two authorities, the spiritual and the temporal, are not to be mingled or confused, for the spiritual power has its commission to preach the Gospel and administer the sacraments. Hence it should not invade the function of the other, should not set up and depose kings, should not annul temporal laws or undermine obedience to government, should not make or prescribe to the temporal power laws concerning worldly matters. . . . . Thus our teachers distinguish the two authorities and the functions of the two powers, directing that both be held in honor as the highest gifts of God on earth.” These words are a good reminder to us during this heated political season.
From these words we see clearly that the duty of the civil government is to promote the welfare of the people. It is the function of the State to promote order, discipline, and peace within its borders. Where law and order, peace and quiet, prevail, there you will find a people who are individually and collectively supporting the government which rules them. This is one of the marks of Christian citizenship. Jesus demanded obedience to the government when He said, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's” It is for you and for me to offer up prayer for our government. The Apostle Paul also realized the importance of prayer for the government because he exhorted Timothy, saying, “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way” (1 Tim. 2:1-2 ESV). Moreover, to illustrate just how important this was in that day and time, St. Paul adds: “This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior” (1 Tim. 2:3 ESV).
Thus the question must be asked, “Are we being governed by the divine principle which Jesus laid down in His response to the Pharisees? Are we faithful in the exercise of our citizenship? Or are we to be classed with those who are constantly criticizing those who are in authority, criticizing the government, and yet never quite willing to assume their obligations as loyal citizens?” Of course, there are those who disagree with you when you tell them they are really being disloyal when they do not pray for the government just as when they are always looking for ways in which to avoid paying taxes while demanding the government provide for their every care. There are those whose philosophy is: “Society owes me a living, but I owe society nothing!” We wonder whether they ever stop to consider just how much the government does to safeguard their life and health. Do they stop to consider how beneficial the laws are that require safety devices in the work place, fire escapes in high rise buildings, traffic signals, food inspection, drug production, and so many more that are absolutely essential for the welfare of the people? Moreover, we are certain that these people who do not stop to consider just how beneficial the government is to their welfare, that they would be the very first to complain if such laws were not in operation. How can we hope for any order and decency within our borders if we are not willing to support the government in its administration of peace and civic righteousness?
Jesus told His enemies, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” Then, we are told that, “When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away” (v. 22). There is something about our association with God and His Word that causes us to marvel. We marvel at the goodness of God in the grace which He bestows on us through Christ, our Savior. By faith in our Savior we hold a higher citizenship than is ours in the world, we hold a citizenship in heaven. We are cleansed by the blood of Christ, made children of God, and heirs of eternal life. This is something which is always uppermost in the mind of a Christian. A Christian realizes also that without God and without His grace in Christ we can accomplish nothing, and it is only when we recognize the grace of God in our lives that we will bow ourselves in subjection to the will of God and render, “to God the things that are God's.”
We give thanks to our heavenly Father that it becomes easier for us to render unto God the things that are His because we are living in a land where religious liberty and freedom are the right of the individual. The Bill of Rights is a wonderful document; and because it is protected by the government, you and I have the right to enjoy religious liberty and freedom of conscience. No one has a right to dictate to you or me how we should worship. Clearly, within this document we see the hand of God. We have the right of freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of association to name a few, which makes is easier for us to render, “to God the things that are God's.”
Therefore, the question is, what are we doing when moral decay, political degeneracy, civil unrighteousness, intolerable dishonesty, wickedness, and corruption rear their ugly head within society and the government? What are we doing when the government or its citizens begin to support issues which are in direct conflict with the Word of God and the welfare of the nation? Are we taking our stand on the side of God and rendering unto Him the things that are His or are we looking only to our status as free citizens in a democratic society, seeking only to exercise our rights as loyal citizens to protest and address the government with our grievances?
When our Lord Jesus took on flesh and became man, He entered a world dominated by an unjust government, yet He did not rail against it or lead an opposition party in order to replace Herod or Caesar. No, on the contrary, Jesus knew that His heavenly Father had established human government to bring order out of chaos and it was to be obeyed, even though it was sometimes ruled by cruel and evil men. Furthermore, Jesus knew the kingdom from which He came was a greater and more perfect kingdom, one ruled by His Father where no evil or injustice could ever exist. He told Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world” (John 18:36 ESV).
Thus, when Jesus says, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's” we are secure in knowing that although we live in Caesar’s kingdom where injustice and cruelty exist, we need not fear because we also know that we hold a dual citizenship in a greater and more perfect kingdom ruled by our heavenly Father; through faith in Jesus Christ. By God’s grace, through faith, we have become eternal citizens of heaven.
Living as citizens of heaven, we can indeed take great comfort in the words of our Lord Jesus when He tells us, “do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:25 ESV), and again, “do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:34 ESV).
Anxiety and fear are common attributes of those who do not, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” God tells us when man fails to heed authority of any kind, then, “Their feet run to evil, and they are swift to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; desolation and destruction are in their highways. The way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their paths; they have made their roads crooked; no one who treads on them knows peace” (Isaiah 59:7-8 ESV). However, St. Paul reminds us that, “Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1 ESV). Therefore, let us pursue what makes for peace; let us pursue what is pleasing to God and beneficial to Caesar. Amen.
May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen.