“Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. They came to him and said, ‘Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we?’ But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. ‘Why are you trying to trap me?’ he asked. ‘Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.’ They brought the coin, and he asked them, ‘Whose image is this? And whose inscription?’ ‘Caesar’s,’ they replied. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.’ And they were amazed at him (Mark 12:13-17).
With the calendar turning to July, the collective thoughts of our country inevitably turn to Independence Day and the celebration of the founding of our great country, the United States of America. Independence Day celebrations are always a lot of fun as we remember and honor all of the sacrifices that our ancestors made to establish this country and set it up as the land of the free. However, in my mind, it also brings up an issue that I think it is important for all Christians to consider: how do we faithfully live as both part of the church and the state? How do we exist as citizens of the United States and citizens of the Kingdom of God when it seems like those two realms are increasingly at odds with one another? And, I think that Jesus’ answer to the Pharisees and Herodians in this passage points us to the answer to those questions.
First, to live faithfully as citizens of both the United States and the Kingdom of God, this passage points us to the fact that we must understand how we are called to give the proper fidelity to both the church and the state; how being a Christian doesn’t give us license to escape our obligations as citizens of the United States. As Christians, the Bible makes it very clear that we are called to follow the rules and regulations of our land as established by the duly appointed government; this is certainly made clear in Jesus’ command to give back to Caesar that which is Caesar’s. However, this doesn't mean that we have to agree with everything, nor does it preclude us from speaking out against laws and policies that we feel are unfair, unjust, or just outright wrong; for example, we can certainly speak out against excessive taxation by the government, but that does not mean that we are absolved by God from paying that tax. The only time we should even consider outright breaking the law is if the law is in direct violation of Scripture; for example, if the government decided to make it illegal to own and read a Bible, we would have an obligation to break that law. Outside of direct violations of Scripture however, we Christians are commanded to submit to the laws imposed by the civil authority that is our government.
Second, this passage points us to the importance of understanding that God does not intend for us to establish a theocratic state. Too many Christians concern themselves with trying to shape and conform our government and the laws of our land to the church and Scripture; they think that it is our Christian duty to make this a Christian nation and are willing to do whatever is necessary to make that happen. But, that is not the mission that God has given His church nor is it what He wants us to be occupying ourselves with. Rather, what He wants is for us to share the Gospel, to speak His Truth, in every situation and with everyone we encounter so that they, too, might come to a saving knowledge of Him. That is our job as we await His return where He WILL set up a Kingdom that is ruled and governed by Him and according to His Law and His will. Jesus was alive during a time when the controlling government, that is the Roman Empire, was corrupt and oppressive; yet, He never once called for a revolution or a rebellion, He never called for any kind of overthrow of the government. Instead, as we see in our passage, He taught to give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s. And the reason that Jesus never called for the overthrow of the corrupt and oppressive Roman regime is because He had a much more important task, overthrowing Satan and his dominion of sin and death. Again, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t stand up or speak out for what we believe in; in fact, it is important that we do that. But what I am saying is simply that the job of every Christian is not to overthrow the government, or do any other work to establish a theocratic state, it is to spread the good news of the Gospel. Our witness to Jesus Christ will be hindered if people look at us and see us as trying to force our beliefs upon them, unwilling to follow the law of the land, and rebellious against our government. But, by showing our willingness to be good citizens while also standing up and speaking out for what we know is right and for the truth of the Gospel, we are putting ourselves in a much better position for the Gospel message to be heard and accepted. Let the state be the state and let God be its judge; our mission is to share the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, there is nothing that should take precedence over that.
Third, this passage points us to the importance of understanding that we must be unwavering in our fidelity to God and to His will. When Jesus was approached with the questioning of the Pharisees and Herodians that was clearly meant to entrap Him, He didn’t coddle His questioners, He didn’t waver in His message, He didn’t merely humor them for the sake of preserving Himself; no, He told them the truth straight. We must follow that example and stand firm and speak up for what we know to be right and what we know to be wrong according to His Word. But, we do it in a respectful way as responsible citizens so that God will be glorified and no one has the ammunition to speak against Him.
Finally, the fourth thing this passage teaches, and the point Jesus was trying to get across when He said “give to God what is God’s,” is the importance of understanding that, just as we are obligated to give the government what is theirs, that is the money that they have printed and have authority over, we are also obligated to give God what is His, that is our lives, our very selves. Our money, in many ways, belongs to our government because it bears the images of our government; we belong to God because we bear His image, because He created us in His image. Therefore, where the government can make claims on things such as our money, God makes a claim on us, on our very being; as such, being a Christian is a full-time job: It is about completely and totally devoting yourself to God, His Word, and His will; it is about understanding that there is no part of your life that is “outside” of His sovereign authority; it means sharing the Gospel even if you are nervous or scared; it means trying to live and behave like Jesus anywhere and everywhere you are and no matter what you are doing; it means that you are making time every day to spend in prayer and in the reading of Scripture no matter how busy you are or what else you have going on; it means making God the #1 priority in your life and not just fit Him in wherever you can when you have a moment of free time; it means getting up on a Sunday morning and going to church even when you want to sleep in; it means turning the other cheek and forgiving someone who has wronged you; it means submitting to the authority of the government no matter which side of the political aisle you fall on; it means treating everybody with the love and respect they deserve as children of God. THAT is what it means to give to God what is His because what is His is every breath you take, every blink of your eye, every thought you think, every word you speak; what is His is your entire life, your entire existence…so give it over to Him.
This 4th of July, as we are honoring and celebrating all of the commitment and sacrifice that it took to establish our country, let’s also remember that, while we are all citizens of the United States of America, we are, first and foremost, citizens of the Kingdom of God. And, let us remember that we are called to faithfully live out our lives under this dual citizenship.
May the blessings of the Father and the peace of the Son be with you,
Pastor Keith
