GOD'S POLITICS? PART III
VIEWING GOVERNMENT FROM A BIBLICAL WORLD VIEW
Today we continue on in our series seeking to gain a Biblical understanding of Government. So far we've established what the primary function of Government is, namely, the peace and protection of it's law abiding citizens from those who would seek to do them harm. We have begun to see at a bare minimum, our responsibility as Christian citizens to the governing authorities as well. We are to submit ourselves to them, serve them and honor them. Yet, we have also seen how the Kingdom of Man is not the Kingdom of God. God rules over them both, but in two entirely different ways. The Kingdom of Man punishes and rewards solely on merit, the Kingdom of God rewards solely by Grace through faith in Christ. One is ruled by Justice and one is ruled by Love.
Well now the question comes, what shall we do when the Kingdoms collide? How far does our submission to the Kingdom of Man go? What if the Kingdom of Man calls us to do something contrary to the Kingdom of God? We'll begin dealing with some of these questions today by looking at Matthew 22:15-22:
vs. 15-17: It is really amazing how politics can make strange bedfellows (and how things have always been that way!). Here you have two groups of people that couldn't have been more opposed to each other in every way,yet who in this instance (and only this instance) are united. Which groups am I talking about? The Pharisees and the Herodians. Let me explain: The Pharisees were the doctrinally orthodox, Jewish representatives of "the People." As the voice of the Jews, they came to Jesus as haters of "the denarius tax." Why? Because the denarius tax, although very little in amount, was essentially a tax imposed on the Jewish people for no other reason than the privilege of being occupied by Rome! The people of Judea hated (!!!) this tax, in a similar way to our forefathers in America hating the tax on tea; revolutions had actually broken out over it!
On the other side, you have the Herodians. They were followers and loyalists of King Herod. Herod was of course loathed by the Jewish population, but he was Rome's man for the puppet government of Judea. The Herodians obviously were in favor of such a tax on the people of Judea, since it would after all support Herod and Roman interests.
In this instance both Herodians and Pharisees are united by one common goal: Trap Jesus. If He just says, "Yes, you must pay the tax," then he'll lose the common folk of Judea. If he says "No, the tax is unlawful and unjust," he'll have the Roman government after Him. What is God's Politics on the matter? Jesus gives a brilliant answer that satisfies no ideologue, left or right!
18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius.20 And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They said, “Caesar's.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.”
A denarius had inscribed on it a picture of Caesar's face. On it there were three things written about him: "Caesar Son of God." "High Priest." "King." Sound familiar? Here Jesus is confronted with someone (Caesar) who claims to be what He (Jesus) actually is! Can Government take that place?
Jesus asks an interesting question: Whose "likeness" and inscription is this?" The word likeness is where we get the word "icon." We might translate this word "image." Whose image and signature are on this coin? Who owns this money? (Literally, the money of Rome, all of it, was actually Caesars. All money the people had came from Caesar's own personal chest!). Of course the people answer, "Caesar's."
"Render (pay what you owe) to Caesar the things that are Caesar's," Jesus says. What does one owe to the state? Taxes? Yes. Obedience? Yes. Submission? Yes. But not all things are Caesars! Only those things that are Caesar's are we to render to him.
God on the other hand has not just stamped a coin with Him image, but our very own persons! We are created in His likeness and He has put His signature all over us. He owns us. Here's what Jesus is saying: The state can have many things in this life from you, but it cannot have the true YOU! You may give money to Caesar, but your obedience is ultimately to God and His Word. Anything that would contradict God and His Word you must not do, because that's not Caesar's realm; he doesn't get to rule that sphere of life.
So now we've determined that indeed there is a distinction between Caesar's kingdom and God's kingdom. How does the Christian live in both at one and the same time? Next week on Tuesday, we'll tackle that topic...
Soli Deo Gloria,
Pastor Erick
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