Our Christian Duty to God and Country

Matthew 22:15-22 On November 8th, 2016 we went to the polls and cast our vote for a new president.  How did you feel on November 9th? Did you think that the world had come to an end?  Or did you believe that it was the beginning of a new day?  Did you love the fact that Republicans were in control of the government or did you hate it?  Did you trust that our new leaders would do the right thing for our nation or did you doubt it?  Were you hopeful for our nation’s future or did you despair? 

No matter how you felt on November 9th, you probably felt just the opposite four years before-joy and hope in one election, despair and fear in the other.  But here’s the thing, words such as trust and hope and fear really have to do with our life with God—not the government. 

            In the First Commandment the LORD says:  You are to have no other gods before me.  The Hebrew literally says:  You are to have no other gods before my face.  That is a powerful image, isn’t it?  In other word, when the LORD’s face is turned towards us-- and our life as citizens, and how we think about what politics can and can’t do, and how we act in political victory or defeat, and how we regard our leaders, what does he see? 

Does he see that some part of the love and fear and hope and trust and confidence in the future that ought to belong to him alone, is given over to-- or taken away by-- some candidate for office, or political party, or election result?  Does he hear from us hateful speech for those we didn’t vote for-- or the defense of sin in those we did vote for? 

If so, he looks upon Christian citizens who have not done their duty either to him or to the state.   And so then…

How is the person who is both a citizen of the kingdom of God and a citizen of the United States to live out their lives in a way that gives to both God and the state that which is their due?  This is not a new question or a difficulty unique to us—believers have always faced this pull that comes from being part of two different kingdoms.  The Bible says that:

The Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle Jesus in his words.  And they sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians…

            It’s hard to imagine two groups farther apart on the political spectrum as were the Pharisees and the Herodians.  Both groups were Jewish but the Pharisees saw the secular rulers as enemies of God’s people and dreamed of a religious Jewish kingdom. 

The Herodians were essentially secular Jews who (even though they were no fan of the Romans) had made peace with the powers of the day and enjoyed the influence that came with their political support of Herod. 

As far apart as they were politically—what united them was their opposition to Jesus because he pointed the people (not to a political agenda and earthly power which is what both of them were all about) but to the one thing needful:  a life with God. 

The Pharisees wanted to throw off Roman rule.  The Herodians were happy to go along to get along.  Both groups were mistaken because they saw life primarily through the lens of politics and power.  So it still is today among too many Christians in our own country.

A few years ago the religious right seized power in the Republican Party using abortion is the catalyst.  These days, we are told by those in the religious left that Christians should support the welfare state and immigration reform because Jesus says to care for the poor and the outcast.

People are still trying to use, and misuse, Jesus Christ for their own political ends-- just like the Jews did that day.  They said to 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.

            Even if their motive was impure—their words about Jesus were true.  Jesus embodied the truth- and he taught the way of God faithfully- and did not change with the times or the person that he was speaking to.  He did not adapt himself to a sinful culture.

What that means is that, if you want to know the truth about:  marriage and the value of all human life--about God’s concern for those on the margins of society—about God’s expectation on how we are to live our life as citizens--listen to Jesus. 

Jesus’ guideline that we are to “render to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s” is the truth about Christian citizenship because his words ARE God’s Word to us.  The Jews asked him:  Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”

When the Jews asked him:  Is it lawful—what they were really asking was:  is it right in God’s sight to pay taxes?  Taxes were already the law of the land.  The Pharisees hated them and saw them as pagan oppression.  The Herodians supported them because it increased their political power.  Both parties had political reasons for their actions and attitudes.  But what was God’s perspective on the whole thing?  That was their question.

Now we know that they didn’t really care one way or the other.  They weren’t willing to change their politics because of the words of Jesus.  They just wanted to trick Jesus--to use him, if they could, for their own political purpose.  If Jesus told the people not to pay their taxes the Herodians would have Jesus arrested.  If Jesus told the people to pay their taxes, the Pharisees would accuse him of siding with Rome.

Both parties had no use for Jesus because he upset their political goals.  But what they received a real answer about what God thought about Christian citizenship.  The Bible says that:

Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 

You will notice that even though they claimed to despise Roman rule they certainly weren’t above benefiting from it.  They had a Roman coin readily available. 

Rome’s currency was a stable, fixed form of economic exchange backed by the greatest power of the day.  Their earthly, economic life was built upon it.  They may not have liked seeing that coin come out of their pocket and go to Rome in the form of taxes --but they sure weren’t opposed to having it in their pocket.  There’s a lesson here for us.

The state is given to us by God for our temporal benefit and no matter how much we may dislike our government and her leaders—no matter how much we may kick and scream about our taxes--we all benefit from the government.  There are countless blessings that come from God’s good gift of the state. 

When Jesus asked the Pharisees for the coin he made an important point about Christian citizenship:  that we ought to be thankful to God for all of the temporal blessings we receive in the gift of government-- even when there are hardships that come with living under the rule of imperfect men like Caesar-- and our own leaders of both parties.  The Bible says that:  Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said, “Caesar's.”

Here was the face:   of the man who was their conqueror—a man who despised their religion—a man who looked upon them with contempt.  We can understand what that answer cost them when we think about our own visceral reactions to either Obama or Trump.

We live in one of the most politically divided, acrimonious times in our nation’s history.  American citizens—including Christians-- on opposite sides of the political spectrum do not trust one another.  The growing hatred for political opponents in our country is sinful. 

When Christians engage in hateful rhetoric against the government and elected leaders they show that they do not understand God’s word about the state:  that those who govern are God’s ministers for our good. 

This does not mean, and God has never promised, that we will be ruled by those we like- or those who share our faith- or even by those who are admirable.  We won’t!  Nevertheless, God expects Christian citizens to give them that which is their due. 

Jesus says:  Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's.  And so what do we owe the state as Christian citizens?  First of all, we pray for our leaders and those in authority over us.  We do that every Sunday here in this place. 

Second of all, we give our obedience.  There are limits to that—but unless the government commands us to do something that God plainly forbids, we obey our government.

Thirdly, we pay the taxes and revenues and fees required of us.  Finally, we give the honor and respect that is due to those who serve as God’s servants for our temporal good even while we refuse to give them that which is due to God alone.  Jesus says: Render to God the things that are God's.”

Christian citizens must not give the state that which belongs to God.  We are to fear, love, and trust in him above all things—even above the country we love. 

And so then, our hope for the future is not in the next election or the promises of some political party—it is in God’s promise of a new heaven and a new earth.  Our faith and trust is not in not in some political candidate—it is in Jesus who died and rose again for our salvation.  And our love—our first love—is not for our nation, it is for the God who has given us this good land and expects us to live in it as pilgrims and aliens—fearing, loving, and trusting him above all else. Amen.