Render unto Caesar
Matthew 22:15-22
“Render unto Caesar or as other’s put it “Give Caesar his due” is fairly well known. Jesus’ answer to the Pharisees and Herodians does not stop there, of course. But people in this world are more generally concerned about this world’s matters than the next. They also fear government far more than they do God. This is true among many Christians as well. Outside many church buildings in this country, the American flag flies over the Christian flag. The pledge might say “One nation under God” but the message of the flags say “One God under nation.” We must seriously examine what Jesus is really saying in this passage.
The first thing that has to be noted is that the Pharisees were insincere in asking this question. Even though they try to flatter Jesus as a great teacher come from God, their intentions were far from benign. There were four groups that we need to look at. One was the Pharisees themselves. The Pharisees were a religiously conservative party who were closely aligned with another party called the Zealots. The Zealots hated Roman rule over their country, and the Pharisees hated the influence of Graeco-Roman culture which the Greeks and Romans brought. Many felt that it was treason to pay taxes to Rome. They had to walk carefully, though. The Romans had put down a previous tax revolt with utmost cuelty. The perpetrators were hung on crosses on the Jericho Road as a warning to the people. Later on, the Zealots would get the war they wanted, with disastrous results. Jerusalem and the Temple would be destroyed and the survivors led into slavery.
The other two groups were the Sadducees and the Herodians. The Sadducees and the Herodians both loved Greek and Roman culture. They liked the theatres and the sports in the gymnasiums. The Sadducees were in charge of the Temple which made them a great deal of money. They had a vested interest in keeping the racket going. Jesus really threatened this when he cleansed the Temple just a few days earlier. The Herodians were more secular. They supported Herod who was a client king to Caesar. They prospered under the carrot and stick approach which the Romans imposed upon captive lands like Palestine. They would get a share in the tax revenues of the state. Once their contracted amount of tax was collected, they could keep the rest. Anyone who tried to upset this arrangement would incur the wrath of this party. If left unchecked, they would lose their client status, and rule would then come directly from Rome. This had already happened in part of Palestine. The Romans had revoked their rule over Judaea and installed a Roman governor. At this time, the governor was Pontius Pilate whom Jesus would face in just a couple of days.
The fact that the Pharisees conspired with the Herodians in this case proves that they hated Jesus even more than they hated the Herodians. Jesus would do the impossible in the next few days and unite all four groups into destroying Jesus. So from this, we can see that the Pharisees were laying a trap for Jesus. The common people who followed Jesus despised Roman rule. If Jesus were to say to pay taxes, He would lose His base of support. If He said not to pay taxes to Rome, the Herodians who were witness would have arrested Jesus and carried Him away for trial and execution. So thy ask Jesus whether it was lawful to pay taxes to Rome or not.
Jesus knew this was a trap and called out their hypocrisy. He could not simply ignore the question. He would soon be arrested, tried and crucified, but on His terms, not theirs. So Jesus asks for someone to show Him a coin. We do not know if the coin came from the Herodians or the Pharisees, but if it was the Pharisees, one might ask these purists what they were doing being in possession of dirty Roman money. Jesus asks whose name and superscription was on the coin to which the answer was “Caesar’s.” This is when Jesus answers: Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s, but unto God the things that are God’s.” The audience realized that Jesus has answered wisely. By His sage answer, Jesus sets aside the trap that was set. We, too, are constantly asked insincere questions that are set to entrap us. This is why we need to listen for the answer that comes from the Holy Spirit rather than foolishly trying to engage such questions. James tells us when we lack wisdom to ask God who will liberally help us. We must believe that God will give us what to say in these circumstances.
The question of whether we should pay taxes to Caesar or not can be asked sincerely. What if Pater had asked the question? We know of another occasion Peter was asked whether he and Jesus had paid the required Temple tax according to the law of Moses which was half a shekel. Peter seemed to answer that question, “Of course we do.” But Jesus rescues Peter and tells him to cast a hook. The fish he caught would have a silver shekel in its mouth, enough to pay the tax for both Jesus and Peter. Even this was a Jewish tax enacted by the Law, Jesus affirmed the validity of paying the tax, even though the collected money was all too often used for corrupt purposes, just like the tax money we pay is used to line the pockets of politicians and their cronies or spent on ungodly programs. So this question of render unto Caesar is most relevant. What should we do.
The New Testament is abundantly clear that followers of Jesus are to pay their due respects to the state. Both Peter and Paul deal with this issue at length. The leaders are to be treated respectfully according to their rank. Taxes, customs, and duties are to be paid. We are to be peaceable citizens and not lawbreakers. If we must suffer, it should be for doing right and not for evil doing. These passages were written under the emperorship of Nero, who was one of the most wicked emperors Rome ever had. If any leader ever deserved to be disrespected, it was Nero. Yet, Christians are ordered to be respectful anyway. The taxes that were paid went to pay for the luxuries and debauchery of the court, for wars, and to decorate Pagan temples. Some of it went to good use also, I might add. Christians are not accountable of how tax money is spent. In a democracy such as America, we can hold our leaders accountable to some degree at the voting booth, but in reality, corruption goes on mostly unchecked.
Now we need to look at the rest of what Jesus said here. “Render unto God the things that are God’s” This should be the Christian’s primary focus. As it is said in the Westminster-Shorter Catechism, the sole duty of man is to “Glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” Sometimes we get into the position where we have to obey God rather than man. When Peter and John were strictly commanded not to teach, preach or heal in the name of Jesus Christ, this was their answer. We do realize that all authority ultimately derives from God. Even when we pay Caesar his due, we are ultimately paying respect to the God who has ordained the authority. It is these authorities who must render account for their actions. If they abuse their authority and are unjust, it is up to God and not us to execute vengeance.
Caesar is to be given no more honor than that is due to him position as a minister to the Sovereign God. The trouble is that they often demanded divine honors be paid to themselves as a god. The emperors called themselves the “king of kings and lord of lords.” This is utter blasphemy. These honors belong unto God alone. No Christian is to honor secular rulers with divine titles. The city of Rome was considered by the Romans to be a goddess, the eternal Rome. But only one city is worthy of that title, and that is the city being prepared for us from God in heaven made without human hands. So “render unto God” does trump the wrongful claims of the emperor and state. We render the lesser things unto them, but not more. In this we honor God.
But the time comes that when they demand divine attribution, we must politely refuse to do such. We do not rise in revolt against them but willingly suffer for Christ’s sake to maintain this distinction. We looks to Jesus as an example. How did He witness the good confession before Pontius Pilate? He acknowledges that Pilate as an agent of Caesar had the right to try and execute malefactors. Jesus does not deny Pilate’s authority, but correctly answers that the only reason he has authority over Jesus is that it came from God and not Caesar who was just an intermediate agent as was Pilate. Jesus does not deny that He is King. Instead He acknowledged the truth that He is the King of Heaven, and therefore above Caesar. He lets Pilate know that if His kingdom were of this world, then His servants would have fought for Him and not allowed Him to be taken prisoner. He could have called a legion of angels to protect Him. When He sent the troops that had come to arrest Him, he could have easily killed them as having them fall upon their backsides. Jesus knew who He is and where He came from. Yet, He submits to the judgment of the Jewish nation as well as Roman authority to the horrible death of the cross.
As followers of Jesus, we should never forget who we are. The state cannot take this away from us. Yet we are called to submit ourselves to the authority of the state as a witness to Jesus. All of Caesar’s stuff shall soon pass away. All the money in the world cannot save your soul. We should instead fix our gaze upon what cannot be taken away from us. As the song “Onward Christian Soldiers” reminds us: “Crowns and thrones may perish, kingdoms rise and fall.” As a matter of fact, they all will in the end. Instead we look at what comes next: “But the Church of Jesus constant will remain.” The heavens and the earth will be shaken some day. That which cannot be shaken shall remain. So be a good citizen of your country in the lesser affairs of this life. But we are also citizens of a far greater country. One day in this life we shall die. If we are a veteran, our country bestows special honors upon our dead bodies. The flag is carefully folded and given to the next of kin. The presenter will say this flag is given by the president and a grateful country. But we are no longer enrolled among the citizens of this country. But we shall always be citizens of the greater country, a Kingdom we press onward for. So whether we are rendering to God the things that are God’s through the intermediate agency of the state or directly though our Lord Jesus Christ, we are rendering all glory to God.
