21st Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 24) – October 22, 2023
Trinity Lutheran Church, Block, Kansas
Rev. Joshua Woelmer
Text: Matthew 22:15–22
“Render to God”
Theme: Jesus directs us to honor and give due to the authorities in the earthly and spiritual realms, and He gives us true peace by the spiritual kingdom of the Church.
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
They say that the only two topics that you shouldn’t talk about in polite company are religion and politics. Presumably, this is because they are the two topics that people have the strongest opinions about. And, strong opinions tend to lead to arguments.
I wonder if this is why the Pharisees gave Jesus a backhanded compliment while they were trying to trap him: “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances” (16). Translating this to today’s speak, they’re calling him an Alex Jones. Jesus, you don’t care what other people think, you just say what’s on your mind. They don’t really think that he’s true or teaches the word of God truthfully, but well, that’s what you say when you’re buttering up someone you think is a crackpot.
Here’s their question: “Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” (17). The reason this is an interesting question is that they are assuming that Jesus is like them: that he cared about his popularity and what people thought of him. So, they tried to catch him in his words by pitting the civil law against his popularity. They even brought their enemies the Herodians along to witness all this. These Herodians worked for King Herod, who stayed in power only because he collected and sent massive amounts of taxes back to Rome.
You see, if Jesus encouraged the people not to pay taxes, these Herodians would tell King Herod, who would have Jesus arrested and killed for treason. But, if he advocated for paying taxes, well, we all know what happens to approval ratings when someone proposes raising taxes.
In addition, these Pharisees are making a theological argument. Caesar claimed to be a god. How could Jesus advocate for giving allegiance or honor to a false god? Is that something God would approve of?
But Jesus turns this question on its head by asking for a tax coin, a denarius. He asks a very important question about the likeness and inscription on it. They answer that it is Caesar’s. And here, Jesus has actually trapped them instead. You see, the Greek word for likeness there is also translated as idol. In the first commandment, not only does God say, “You shall have no other gods before me,” but he also includes the making of idols, “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above” (Exod 20:4). What is this saying about the Pharisees if they are carrying around little idols in their moneybags? What is it saying about them if they care about money that much?
And so, Jesus says, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (21). As usual when Jesus turns the tables on the Pharisees, they are stunned silent. These words should speak to us as well. Caesar was a heathen. Pontius Pilate was a governor of Caesar, so you could say that it was under the authority of Tiberius Caesar that Jesus was put to death. The later emperors Caligula, Claudius, and Nero were certainly no friends of Christianity. And yet, Jesus’ words “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s” still rings out today for each one of us.
God desires that we submit to the authority of government. Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s. Pay your taxes. Obey the laws. Honor the authority of the state. Show respect to the governing leaders. This falls under the Fourth Commandment by honoring those who are in authority over you. We honor Father, Mother, and all in authority over us because they have been put there to protect us from evil.
What results from not honoring authority is worse than any government, and that is anarchy, where everyone does whatever he pleases to anyone he pleases. The strong bully the weak, and the weak have no recourse. Anarchy runs counter to everything God stands for. He is not a God of chaos, but a God of order.
There are many Bible passages that speak to what God has given the civil authorities to do. One of which is in Romans 13, where Paul says that they have the duty to punish criminals so that they will be afraid to commit their crimes against others. Three times Paul calls the authorities God’s ministers, his servants. Just as God uses various means to feed us, he uses various means to protect us and to punish evil in this world: lawmakers, police officers, judges, and jailors. Paul then echoes Jesus’ own words: render to them taxes, customs, fear, and honor.
We are also to pray for them. Paul says, “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).
And yet, while we give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, we don’t give him any more than that. Don’t give to Caesar what belongs to God alone. When civil authorities lay claim to authority that is not theirs, they transgress a line and must be resisted. The government may lay claim to our property by requiring us to pay taxes. It may require us to obey its laws, even ones we don’t like or understand. But it may not require us to do anything contrary to God’s word. It may not interfere with the preaching of the gospel. It may not lay claim to the affection and devotion that we owe to God alone.
Many rulers want to step into this boundary. They are not content with their citizens following the laws and living their lives. Rulers often want the hearts and minds of their citizens. Many throughout history have called themselves gods in order to receive this sort of honor. This is called totalitarianism. It demands everything from you—your worship included. The typical example of this was the Soviet Union. But since its fall in 1989, we can now look to North Korea as an example of a communist state where the leaders are literally worshiped and idolized.
This is where our doctrine of Church and State is helpful to consider. Church and state overlap in their concerns because they are both part of God’s rule in this world. We call them the Right and Left-hand Kingdoms. The Kingdom of the Right Hand is the Church, through which God rules with his Gospel, Word, and Sacraments. The Kingdom of the Left Hand is earthly government, how God rules in this world through kings, princes, and presidents. They are distinct and should not be confused or mixed.
You see, the difference between the Kingdom of the Left and the Kingdom of the Right is how they exercise the authority that has been given to them. The Kingdom of the Left must use coercion and force to make people do what they don’t want to do. It must break evil desires in this world by threatening punishment. It must threaten the sword to stop evil acts. But not so in the Kingdom of the Right.
The kingdom of Christ does not rely on coercion. It doesn’t depend on force. Instead, the kingdom of God exercises its authority through the Holy Spirit. It changes hearts. Where does the power of this kingdom come from? It comes from the crucifixion of Jesus. When the civil authorities put Jesus to death on the cross, Pontius Pilate knew that Jesus was sinless. He, the governor, even put a sign about Jesus that said, “This is King of the Jews.” He didn’t realize how right he was. Pilate didn’t understand the impact of his own words, but they were true.
Even Caesar recognized Jesus as an innocent king even as he put him to death. And yet, as Jesus said, “My Kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). Christ’s kingly power was exercised there on the cross as he defeated our enemies of sin, death, and the devil. Christ’s power was shown as he rose victorious on the third day. He did not need armies or banners or cavalry to win this battle. He won it through humility. He won the battle by shedding his own blood. By that blood he has bought us. We were baptized into his death and resurrection. By his blood and baptism he has made us citizens of another kingdom.
So then, if we should Render unto Caesar, what does it mean to Render to God the things that are God’s? If you pay your taxes with the images of our earthly rulers printed on them, then consider that you are made in the image of God. Render back to him this image. That is what Christ is saying. What are the things that are God’s? Well, everything, including your whole self. Rendering to God means rejoicing that you belong to God and that all of your life is pleasing to Him in Christ. Rendering to God means believing in Jesus and rejoicing in his salvation.
Now, you shouldn’t take away from this that you need to give more money or do more work around the Church, as if these things would satisfy God. What you need, like the Pharisees, is a change of perspective. You need to reevaluate your worth in the light of the fact that God has inscribed his image upon you through Holy Baptism. He has declared you righteous.
Giving back to God is not only what you do through charity, but all of you belongs to God, and you are giving your whole life to God. Raising children, mowing your lawn, and doing your job, as well as coming to Church to receive the Sacrament, and sometimes just slapping a frozen pizza onto the table for your family because it’s been that kind of a day—this is all service to God. There is no part of your life, no part of your income, no part of your work, that isn’t. There isn’t one part that is holy and another that is neutral. All of you belongs to God. Your works don’t have to be specifically religious to be holy.
This is the wonderful doctrine of vocation. Now that you have been redeemed by God, you belong to him, and he has placed you in different callings to serve those around you. This includes in the family, as I’ve mentioned, but it also means a calling as a citizen of our nation. It means you can vote. Pay taxes. Talk with elected officials. Recognize that you are in a greater kingdom than the United States of America. Your heart has been changed within that kingdom.
This is why Christians make good citizens. We don’t expect the government to do for us what only God in Christ can do. But we submit to the authority of the government, whether it is fair or unfair, wise or foolish, because we know that such obedience is a gift to our God who calls us to fear, love, and trust in him above all things. If the government goes too far, then we can petition a change and eventually say “no” to its godless demands.
At the end of the day, the civil government belongs to God. The spiritual government of the church also belongs to God. God uses both to bring about peace. External peace is good as far as it is achievable, but the greater peace is given through the work of the Holy Spirit in your hearts. So then no matter what goes on in this world between various governments, we can know that we have a Lord who transcends all of it who is preparing to take us to a greater, heavenly kingdom of peace
Now may the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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