Trinity 23 2020
Matthew 22:15-22
November 15, 2020
Zion Lutheran Church + Nampa, ID
For centuries, Jesus statement, “Render to Caesar that which is Caesar’s and to God that which is God’s” has been used to define and explain things like separation of church and state. Even Luther used it in that sense, developing what we refer to as “the theology of the two kingdoms.” He called God working in time through civil government the “Left hand kingdom,” and God’s working into eternity through the church the “Right hand kingdom.” He also argued that the Roman Empire should keep its nose out of the Church while at the same time affirming God gives the gift of government for the purpose of establishing good order so the church can function in society.
But this is not the intent of Jesus’ words against the Pharisees and Herodians. This phrase is not really about the government. It’s not about giving ten percent to the Lord and fifteen percent to Uncle Sam. It’s not about separation of church and state. Often when this verse is quoted, it is done so in the context that we ought to pay the right honor to the government. Jesus’ focus isn’t on Caesar; the focus is on God and paying to God that which is His.
The funny thing about this passage is that Jesus never actually answers the question about taxes. Because that isn’t really the issue here. The Pharisees aren’t interested in tax laws, but in trapping Jesus into saying something that will give them justification for getting rid of Him. They don’t want Him to be their Lord and they don’t want the kind of kingdom that He is ushering in. Jesus is not placing Caesar on one side of the spectrum and God on the other, then asking people to decide whether your dollar goes to one place or the other. To put Caesar on the same plane as God is a ridiculous impossibility. Caesar does not own anything that does not first and foremost belong to and come from God. But Rome certainly tried. If you were to look at a denarius, the coin of the realm at the time of Jesus, it would have been struck with Caesar’s profile and an inscription that read, “Caesar Augustus, Son of a god, Father of the Country.”
Jesus is throwing their idolatry back into their faces, showing that this is really an issue of the First Commandment. The Christian faith is centered around the fact that Jesus is the Son of God, and that He is Lord. It is in His incarnation, death, and resurrection that the freedom and true life are found and applied as His name and likeness are inscribed through baptism. To pay to God what belongs to God is to behold Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God who has come into the world to redeem the world. To pay to God what is God’s is to follow Christ. To pay to God what is God’s is to follow His Son in obedient, faithful discipleship. In a word, “pay to God” means repentance and faith in Christ. God who gives all of Himself for you, to present you to the Father without spot or wrinkle of any such thing, that you might be holy and without blemish (Ephesians 5:27).
The Jewish leaders and the Herodians missed it. They confuse the earthly kingdom in which they live with the heavenly kingdom to which Christ brings, – they were too busy trying to trap Jesus, too caught up in the things of this world, to receive Him as Messiah.
We have to be careful of the same. There is a danger of confusing patriotism with fidelity to Christ and His Word and putting the state on the same level as God. Both are good, and God rules both, but they are not same thing, and confusing the two is the dangerous trap. The United States of America is not God, and it is not the modern equivalent of ancient Israel. Modern Israel is not the equivalent of ancient Israel. It is the Church of God, elect and glorious, holy nation and chosen race, who are called as God’s own special people. Through faith in Christ, sinners are made into royal priests and heirs of grace (LSB 646:1 “Church of God, Elect and Glorious).
Note where St. Paul directs our hope in Christ in our Epistle today. Our true citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Our hope is not in the things of this world, or in this life here and now, but it is directed to the resurrection, to the transformation of our lowly bodies to be like Christ’s glorious body by the power that enables Him to subdue all things to Himself.
Entrusted with the truth of God’s Word, marked with Jesus’ likeness and inscription as the cross is traced over us and His name applied when we are baptized, we are to boldly confess that Jesus is Lord of all to a world that is vying for ideological dominance. Do not apologize for faithfulness to God’s Word nor in giving God the things that are God’s. We are to exhibit the objective goodness and supremacy of God’s righteousness in Jesus Christ. That doesn’t mean that we are indifferent to Caesar. On the contrary, it's precisely because we do not trust in princes that we engage in the world. We fully recognize that princes are mortal, that political leaders come and go, but their policies have a profound impact on our lives here and now.
God’s Word teaches that His Church holds an important role in holding princes to their responsibilities in the civil kingdom, or the Kingdom of the Left. Caesar oversteps his bounds when he demands devotion, allegiance, or action that only belongs to God, or puts Himself in the place of God. In those times, peace may not be had, but resistance and faithfulness to God’s Word. We fight when fighting is called for, we speak for those who cannot speak for themselves, and we are courageous, knowing that we must fear, love, and trust in God above all things. It is our job as citizens to do as much as we can to see to the preservation of good government, most specifically so that we can lead quiet and peaceful lives in a national context where the Gospel can be freely preached and taught for the sake of the salvation of the world (1 Timothy 2:1-6). When we shrug our shoulders or do nothing while piously saying all things are in God's hands, we forfeit this very important part of our identity, we neglect our Christian duty and hold back what God has already given us.
I don’t know about you, but I get tired sometimes. This is hard work, and it is part of the cross that Christians are to bear. But also don’t Caesar too much credit, nor too much blame. The brokenness of the world, the brokenness that exists in our hearts. But there is an answer. The answer isn’t in a yes or no the trick questions that the world throws at Christians trying to trap us in our words in order to have an excuse to silence. The answer lies in the cross and the empty tomb, in Jesus giving all of Himself so that you may live.
But the Gospel always invigorates, always renews, for Jesus takes our burdens upon Himself and gives us His rest. The Gospel will not be heard in the world, and you should not expect it there, though you should fight and promote its place in this fallen world. But you will find the Gospel here, always and every time. This is why it is more important than ever in most of our lives to come to church, to hear the Word of God’s forgiveness for you, to receive His the strength and comfort and healing that comes through the body and blood of Christ, and to pray for the whole church of God in Christ Jesus, for Caesar, and all people according to their needs.
Portions of this sermon are adapted from writing by Dr. Peter Scaer and the Rev. Jonathan Meyer, https://crossesandwoodshavings.blogspot.com/2020/10/render-to-god-that-which-is-gods.html?m=1&fbclid=IwAR3xqoGZX2hgvEnvqLiXHu8WVC930eTRhuQVr88i8s9-cdX7vqiBLmU9nn0