As you all know, our nation is at war. We’ve been expecting it to come for several weeks, but this week it finally came. And whenever war comes, it comes as a tragedy for all involved.
And the dilemma for me as a pastor is what to preach about today. I’m sure many pastors will be interrupting their preaching schedules to give their own opinions about the war with Iraq. I’m sure some will be using the pulpit as an opportunity to speak out against the war. And I’m sure some will also be using the pulpit to speak out in support of the war.
And I could do that. I could use this opportunity to share my own convictions. I could use our 35 minutes together to talk about the fact that I used to be a Christian pacifist, but after having children I rethought my views. I could talk about my commitment to the "just war" position.
But then again some of you could stand up here and tell a different story. My views on this conflict are nothing more than that: my personal views. And we’re a diverse enough congregation that I’d be naïve if I thought that everyone in the church shared my own views on this issue. Our "Issues and Christianity" group that meets during the 11 AM service on Sundays has been talking about Christians and war for the last few weeks. And they’ve identified at least four different positions on war that have been held by Christians down through the ages. And I suspect we have people in our congregation who embrace all four of these positions. At times I fear that our convictions about these things are more of a reflection of our zip code and our social and economic standing than they are of our commitment to Jesus Christ.
So I realize that I have a higher calling than to simply talk about my opinions today. God as not called me to simply talk about my opinions. He’s called me to teach God’s Word.
Fortunately I also have a strong belief in God’s working in circumstances. So as I came to the text in the book of Mark that I was scheduled to preach on all the way back in August, I find that this text is especially relevant for us as Christians living in a nation at war. Now we’ve been in a series through the New Testament book of Mark called Following Jesus in the Real World. In this series we’ve been looking at Mark’s biography of Jesus Christ, and how we can live as followers of Jesus in our world today. How can we live as followers of Jesus in a time of war? That’s what we’re going to look at today.
Originally I was scheduled to speak on vv. 13-44 of Mark chapter 12, which is a very long section. Found within these verses are four controversies Jesus has with the religious leaders and then the a teaching about giving when a poor woman gives all she has to the temple treasury. But in light of the events of this week, I’m going to only focus on two of the four controversies.
1. Rendering to Caesar (Mark 12:13-17)
The first controversy in vv. 12-17 is a debate about Roman taxation of the Jewish people. Jesus is in the temple courts the day after he makes a scene by clearing out the money changers. I suggested that Jesus’ scene was a symbolic statement of judgment against the Jewish temple, that Jesus’ action was intended to tell people that the temple’s days were numbered. Last week we saw that the religious leaders sent a delegation to Jesus, demanding to know on what authority he made the scene. Jesus answered their question with his own question, and then with the parable of the wicked tenants.
Continuing the narrative here we see several sub groups of religious leaders try to trip Jesus up. Now the Pharisees and the Herodians were very strange bedfellows. In fact, about the only thing Pharisees and Herodians could agree about was that Jesus was a threat to them both. The Pharisees were totally against Roman taxation. They believed that it was unjust for the Romans to extort taxation from the Jewish people. They viewed Roman taxation much the same way we might view an organized crime gang that forces business owners to pay a fee for protection. They paid it, but they paid it grudgingly, and believing that it was unjust and immoral.
But the Herodians were all for Roman taxation. You see, the Herodians were supporters of the Roman king Herod. So they were all for it. For Jesus to speak out against taxation, the Herodians would report him to the Romans as a troublemaker. But for him to speak out for taxation, the Pharisees would discredit him as being disloyal to the nation of Israel.
They think they’ve put Jesus in a no-win situation, much like he put them in earlier, as we saw last week. Jesus responds by asking for a Roman coin called a denarius. The Roman denarius was a silver coin that was the equivalent of a day’s wage for a day laborer. It had a portrait of Tiberias Caesar on it, with the inscription read, "Tiberius Caesar, son of the divine Augustus." Many Jewish people felt that the denarius was blasphemous because it claimed the Roman Emperor was divine. In fact, some radical Jewish people felt that merely possessing a denarius was a form of idolatry, having an image of a false god.
Jesus asks who’s image and inscription is on the coin, and they say, "Caesar’s." Jesus’ response here is brilliant, because he doesn’t answer the question in a way that incriminates himself, but he answers it honestly. Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, but also be sure to give to God what belongs to God. Jesus’ answer is become a proverb down through the ages.
Now think about Jesus’ answer. Everything belongs to God, doesn’t it? Psalm 24:1 says, "The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it." But Jesus’ answer seems to suggest that even though everything belongs to God, that God has entrusted certain things to the government. Many scholars believe that this saying in v. 17 is the seed that grew into the New Testament doctrine of Church and State.
So here we find a principle that’s especially relevant to us today.
FOLLOWERS OF JESUS SUPPORT THEIR GOVERNMENT IN WAYS THAT ARE CONSISTENT WITH THEIR FAITH IN CHRIST.
For those of us here today who are Americans (and not all our church members are American citizens), that means supporting our American government. God has entrusted certain things to our government, so as followers of Jesus and children of God, we render to our government what our government is due.
But of course this begs the question of what truly belongs to the government and what doesn’t? What kind of support of our government is legitimate and what kind of support isn’t? Jesus doesn’t answer this question for us here, but the rest of the New Testament fills in the blanks.
The rest of the Bible says that one legitimate way we support our government is by paying taxes. The apostle Paul said in the Bible’s book of Romans, "This is why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing" (Romans 13:6 NIV). So part of giving to Caesar what belongs to Caesar is paying our taxes. Now it’s important to mention that when Paul called government authorities God’s servants here, there were no Christians in government service. So these people are God’s servants merely by the position they hold, not because they necessarily know God or even love God.
Another legitimate way we support our government is by obeying just laws. In that same chapter of Romans Paul says, "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established… Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted…" (Romans 13:1-2 NIV).
Disobedience of just laws is rebelling against God’s own authority because God has entrusted some aspects of his authority to human government. Now granted, some laws are just silly. For example, there’s a law on the books in Santa Monica that people may not play percussion instruments on the beach. There’s a law in Temecula that ducks have the right of way to cross Rancho California Street at all times. In Los Angeles, it’s illegal to cry on the witness stand or lick a toad.
But the majority of laws are important. We support our government by obeying laws and by respecting the rule of law in our government.
Another kind of legitimate support is prayer for government leaders. The Bible says, "I urge then first of all that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone-for kings and all those in authority, that we might live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness" (1 Timothy 2:1-2 NIV).
Clearly we owe Caesar our prayers. This is why we’re calling our entire church to prayer on Tuesday night, here in the worship center. Our elders will be leading a special time of prayer for our nation and our world, and if you consider yourself part of this church, you should be there. This is a very specific way we can give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar.
We’re also putting together a list of family members of church members who are in combat. My nephew Matt is on the U.S. aircraft carrier U.S.S. Constellation. If you have a family member serving in the military right now, could you write his or her name on your Keep In Touch card, so we can compile a prayer list for Tuesday night?
We also legitimately support our nation when we support the legitimate use of military force against evil. Romans 13 says, "He [the government ruler] does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer" (Romans 13:4 NIV)
The Bible recognizes a nation’s right under God to use force against evil. Now whether our current war in Iraq qualifies for this, I realize, is an issue of debate. Some feel that without United Nation backing, that we shouldn’t be doing what we’re doing. Others feel that previous resolutions from the U.N. and the events of September 11th are enough to legitimize our actions. I have my own opinions on this, but I recognize that it is an issue of debate.
But I believe the deeper question from this point is how we as Christians should best support our government when it’s at war. Some Christians feel that the teachings of Jesus prohibit them from in any way supporting or participating in the use of force against evil. These are Christian pacifists, and you’ll find pacifism today in Mennonite, Quaker, and Brethren churches. You’ll also find Christian pacifism in some mainline protestant churches. For these Christians, support takes the form of prayer for our nation, and that’s it.
Other pacifists feel the freedom of conscience to serve in the military as noncombatants. These are people who are against the personal use of violence, but who can support a just war effort in ways that don’t require violence. One of our pastor’s brothers served in this way during the Korean war.
Others who adopt a "just war" view support the legitimate use of military force in other ways, even to the point of enlisting to fight themselves. How far you should go in supporting our government is up to your own conscience.
Finally, we give our nation legitimate support by fulfilling our civic responsibilities. "Give to 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 NIV).
Our nation asks us to be responsible citizens by voting, fulfilling civic obligations like jury duty, and so forth. These are legitimate ways followers of Jesus can support their nation that are consistent with their faith in Jesus Christ.
But what are some of the illegitimate ways? It would be illegitimate to pledge absolute loyalty to our government. First Corinthians says, "For us there is but one God…and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ…" (1 Corinthians 8:6 NIV). This is why when the Roman emperor demanded that Christians present an offering to his image and say, "Caesar is Lord" as a pledge of their loyalty, they refused. Christian author C. S. Lewis says, "He who surrenders himself without reservation to the temporal claims of a nation, or a party, or a class is rendering to Caesar that which…most emphatically belongs to God" (The Weight of Glory, p. 45). This is why when Adolf Hitler declared himself to be the head of the churches in Germany that Christians gathered in 1934 and drafted "The Barman Declaration" to oppose Hitler. Any government that claims our absolute loyalty is asking for something that we can only give to God.
It would also be illegitimate to demand obedience to unjust or immoral laws. In the book of Acts, the apostles Peter and John say, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God?" (Acts 4:19 NIV). Peter and John had been legally forbidden to talk about Jesus Christ, and they said they’d obey God instead of that unjust law. When a government presumes to command us to do something God forbids or it forbids us from doing something God commands, we are not under obligation to obey that human law. This qualification paved the way for the civil rights movement here in the U.S. Refusing to obey an unjust law doesn’t mean we reject our government’s authority entirely, but that we refuse to obey that specific law.
Finally, we’re not bound to support unjust military force. Paul says, "He [the government leader] is God’s servant to do you good" (Romans 13:4 NIV). God’s role for human government is to preserve the good by restraining lawlessness and creating social stability. When a government uses force in an evil manner, we’re under no obligation to support that.
Now it’s important to say that for a nation to use force isn’t wrong in and of itself, because Romans 13 tells us that God authorizes the state to use force. So it’s up to us to discern through what kinds of use of force are legitimate and what kinds aren’t.
Christians down through the centuries have struggled to define when a government is justified to use force. This is the origin of what’s now called the "just war" theory. If you’re interested in this idea more, you might want to read Darrell Cole’s book When God Says It’s Right to Fight. This idea of a "just war" is that a government can be justified to use force in certain circumstances and not justified in other circumstances. The roots to this view actually go back to the writings of the Greek philosopher Plato and the Roman writer Cicero. Later Christians like Augustine and Thomas Aquinas articulated a Christian version of the just war theory.
So Jesus’ point here is that we should give to our government any kind of support that’s consistent with our faith in Jesus Christ. There’s nothing wrong with being patriotic as a follower of Jesus Christ, so long as in our patriotism we don’t render to our government something that doesn’t belong to it. But that begs the question of what belongs to God?
2. Rendering to God (Mark 12:28-34)
Let’s skip to the third controversy in the temple courts in v. 28-34. The teachers of the law were the Bible scholars and theologians of Jesus’ day. This Bible scholar is so impressed by how Jesus deals with the previous controversies, that he blurts out an honest question that’s been bothering him. "Which of all of God’s over 600 commandments is the most important?" he asks. This was actually a burning question in Jesus’ day, and many rabbis and Bible scholars debated it. Most of the time their debates centered in on the ten commandments, which of the ten was the most important.
But Jesus doesn’t go to the ten commandments; instead he goes to a foundational text from the book of Deuteronomy. The text is a command for God’s people to love God with all that’s within them, with their heart, soul, mind, and strength. It’s a command to give our full devotion to God, to not be half-hearted in our love for God.
The other command on the heels of it is to love our neighbor as ourselves. This comes from the book of Leviticus, and in its context it’s describing Jewish people loving their fellow Jewish person. The whole verse reads, "Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself" (Leviticus 19:18). But Jesus in his teachings broadened this command to apply to all people. When a legal expert asked Jesus who his neighbor was, Jesus answered with the parable of the good Samaritan. The lesson? Your neighbor is anyone who has a need that you can meet. Jesus goes even further when he tells us to love our enemies, to pray for those who hate us, to bless those who shout curses at us.
These two commands are even more foundational than the ten commandments. When you really think about it, the command to love God wholeheartedly covers the first four of the ten commandments. How do you love God wholehearted? By having no other gods in your life, by not making any images of God, by honoring God’s name, and by keeping the Sabbath. This is how God commanded the nation of Israel to love God. And how do you love your neighbor as yourself? By honoring your parents, by refusing to murder, by keeping your marriage vows, by refraining from stealing, by telling the truth, and by guarding your heart against coveting. The last six of the ten commandments summarize how to love your neighbor.
Jesus’ answer amazes this Bible scholar, and even though his group is officially opposed to Jesus, he blurts out his amazement. He sees that obedience is more important than the temple and the sacrifices of the temple. This leads Jesus to recognize that this Bible scholar is a seeker, that he’s close to faith in Jesus and entering into God’s kingdom.
In this controversy in the temple, we find what belongs to God alone. Followers of Jesus reserve their devotion for loving God and people.
WE GIVE OUR SUPPORT TO OUR GOVERNMENT, BUT WE RESERVE OUR DEVOTION FOR LOVING GOD NAD LOVING PEOPLE.
So many Christians today love God halfheartedly. We love God when it’s convenient, or in religious ways like singing songs of love when we’re in church. But we don’t love God with all that’s within us, with our time, with our resources, with our passion. We don’t love him with our minds by thinking deeply about the important things in life. And so many affections clutter our hearts that our affection for God often is diluted and half-hearted. You know this is true, even in your own heart at times.
And so many Christians love people selectively. We tend to love people who are like us, and withhold love from people who aren’t like us. We’re content with what the Greek philosophers called "friendship love," the kind of love people who are like each other share. So we love people who look like us, vote like us, dress like us, act like us. We love Honda riders, but not Harley riders, or vice versa. We love Dodgers fans but not Giants fans. We love white Americans but not Arab Americans. We love American citizens but not French citizens. We love Jewish people but not Palestinians.
But devotion to God is loving people we’re not drawn to. It’s demonstrating with our loving actions and attitudes, that God’s love is not discriminating. It’s even loving our enemies, people who hate us and would like nothing more than to see us destroyed. That’s not friendship love, that’s amazing, God-kind of love. In fact, it’s the same kind of love God has for us, because before we came to faith in Jesus, we were God’s enemies. And he loved us and showed us his love while we were still his enemies, but sending his son to die for us. We didn’t deserve his love, but he loved us anyways.
And God wants us as people who bear his name and confess our loyalty to him to love in the same way he loves, to love those who hate us, those who don’t like us, those who want to destroy us. In fact, Jesus said, "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you…If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that…But love your enemies, do good to them…and you will be called sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your father is merciful" (Luke 6:27-36 NIV).
This command isn’t to nations or to governments, it’s to individual followers of Jesus Christ, people like me and you.
Now obviously learning to love God and people in this way is a process. It’s a process that we’re all at different stages in in our own spiritual development. This is why our mission statement says what it says. Our mission statement as a church says, "God has called us to reach unchurched people from the Inland valley and beyond with Christ’s love and to help them grow into fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ, who wholeheartedly love God and others."
As we tell potential new members in our Meet LBF (101) seminar, this is our congregation’s definition of success. This is the business we’re in as a church. Everything we say and do in ministry rises or falls on whether it’s fulfilling this mission or not.
And friends being at war doesn’t change or alter our mission as a church. Several years ago the Christian author C. S. Lewis gave an interesting speech called "Learning in War Time." Lewis was a patriot, a war veteran from World War I, committed to his government as a British citizen. He gave that speech during World War II about how we should act during war time as people, and especially as Christians. He said,
"The war creates no absolutely new situation; it simply aggravates the permanent human situation so we can no longer ignore it. Human life has always been lived on the edge of a precipice…We are mistaken if we compare war with ’normal life.’ Life has never been normal" (The Weight of Glory 42-43).
I think Lewis is right, that times of war are not times for the church to do anything other than what God has called it to do in times of peace. For us to reach unchurched people and help them grow in full devotion of Jesus Christ.
When you walked in the doors today, above the doors to the worship center were the words "Helping people love God and others." The Scripture reference next to that phrase was from here in Mark 12. That’s what we’re about, now and until Christ returns.
Conclusion
God wants us to give Caesar our support, so long as that support is consistent with our faith in Jesus. We need to render to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God. And different Christians will have different convictions about what kind of support is appropriate and which kind isn’t. We should show charity and love toward Christians who’s convictions of what kind of support they can give is different from our own convictions.
But more importantly, we need to give God our devotion, our wholehearted love for him and love for other people. The day we stop doing that, God help us, because we will cease being the church God wants us to be.
