Bible Passage: Matthew 22:15-22
Pastor: Joel Jenswold
Sermon Date: October 22, 2023

Bulletin October 22, 2023

In the name of, and to the eternal glory of, Jesus,

You have likely all heard the old saying that there are two subjects to avoid when talking to strangers:  religion and politics.  Maybe some of you here can think back on times in your life when you learned that lesson the hard way.  You made a confession of what you as a Christian believe, or you offered your political opinion, and someone said, “Them’s fighting words!”

This is nothing new.  Religion and politics have always been “hot button” topics.  Even at the time of Jesus.  Jewish religious culture had liberals and conservatives.  There were conservative Pharisees and liberal Sadducees.  There were competing schools of rabbis, each with their disciples.  The Jewish political culture was a powderkeg, too!  The Romans were in charge, and some of the Jews hated this, and some supported the Romans.  But in our text today, we see that Jesus Wasn’t Afraid to Talk Religion and Politics.

It is precisely because religion and politics were so volatile that Jesus’ enemies wanted to draw him into talking about them.  That is how our text begins.  The Pharisees are mentioned.  The Pharisees were ultra-religious.  They were all about the Torah of the Lord.  And they were ultra-nationalistic.  They hated that Rome was ruling the land the Lord had promised to Abraham and his descendants.  In our text, the Pharisees form an alliance with the Herodians.  The Herodians were very secular.  As their name hints, they supported Rome’s occupation and Rome’s puppet king, King Herod.  But these two groups who were miles apart RELIGIOUSLY and POLITICALLY agreed on one thing:  they didn’t like Jesus!

So they plan a trap for Jesus.  It would involve a “political” and “religious” question.  Was it lawful for Jews to pay taxes to Caesar?  At first one might say, “Of course!  It would be breaking the law not to pay.”  But there is more to the question.  Is a Jew obeying God’s Law if he pays taxes to this heathen, Gentile government?  They think they got Jesus!  If he says “no” then the Romans may want to have a talk with Jesus.  If he says “yes” many faithful Jews turn on him!

Jesus isn’t afraid to talk religion and politics.  He knows the sinister motives behind the question.  You hypocrites!  (v. 18)  He asks them to show him a coin.  They present him with a denarius.  “Whose face and inscription are on it?”  “Caesar’s,” they answer.  Therefore, give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. (v. 21)  Jesus’ answer undercut their whole premise!  They were approaching the matter as an “either/or.”  EITHER you are loyal to God, OR you are loyal to the government.  Jesus’ answer reveals that it’s not “either/or”!  It’s “both/and.”  It is God’s will that we honor and serve BOTH God AND government!

We are to give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s (v. 21).  What are “Caesar’s things?”  Paul helped us with that in our second lesson today from Romans 13.  Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities. (Romans 13:1)  So we owe obedience to Caesar.  Also in Romans 13:  Give everyone what you owe him:  If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. (Romans 13:7)  These are all “Caesar’s things.”  Obedience, honor, respect, taxes.  Christians understand this.  Christians through the ages have been good citizens and good neighbors and good soldiers!

We do that because we understand where civil government comes from.  It comes from God.  If Adam and Eve had remained perfect and holy, confirmed in the “imago Dei,” the image of God, no government would be necessary!  Think about it!  We would all be perfect and pure and holy.  A city doesn’t need police and courts and a hangman if all the citizens are holy!  A nation does not need an Army and Navy and Air Force if all its neighbors are pure and holy.  Government was given by God to preserve a degree of law and order in a world that is now overrun with fallen people who hurt and harm their neighbors.  And so we Christians say, “Thank you, God, for good government!  Dear God, please bless our government!”

We owe these things to Caesar.  AND Jesus says, Give…to God the things that are God’s. (v. 21)  What things are “God’s things”?  I think of the answer Jesus gave the man who asked him what the greatest commandment is.  Jesus said, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind. (Luke 10:27)  God gets heart-soul-strength-mind love!  And all that goes with that!  We think of the Explanation of the 1st Commandment from our Catechism:  “We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.”  God gets respect, love, and trust that are “above all things,” even government.

We’re not always so good at giving Caesar what is Caesar’s and God what is God’s.  We disrespect the government; we speak of it with contempt.  Or, we fail to trust in God and then look to the government to be God for us.  How thankful we can be that in Jesus we have one who didn’t just talk about religion and politics.  Jesus did perfectly what he says we are to do!  He gave to Caesar the things of Caesar.  He honored and obeyed his government.  In the Garden of Gethsemane, he told Peter to put his sword away.  Jesus would not rebel against his government!  And Jesus gave to God “God’s things.”  Jesus loved his Father with heart, soul, strength and mind.  Again, in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus prayed to his Father, Your will be done. (Matthew 26:42) And it was his Father’s will that his one and only Son die for the sins of all people.  And so Jesus, loving his Father with heart, soul, strength, and mind, gave his Father the sacrifice that paid the debt for all sin.  Jesus was the perfect Son in two kingdoms!  Because of Jesus, we now live as grateful citizens in both the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of state.

So even though it may be considered bad form to talk religion and politics, those who love and follow Christ will never be ashamed to say, and live, his words:  To Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s. 

Amen.