How Should Christians Relate to Government?

Introduction

Today, we’ll continue working through some key events in the last week of Jesus’s earthly ministry. For much of this series, we’ve seen Jesus’s extraordinary identity, teaching, and miracles. Masses of people in his day have heard of him and have been impressed by him. And yet, as Jesus has arrived at Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish festival of Passover, we see that his popularity has also made him some enemies. And the main people who dislike Jesus at this point are the Jewish religious leaders. We’ve already seen in previous sermons that the chief priests and elders have tried to challenge and discredit Jesus. But their plan didn’t work. At the end of our text last week, the Jewish leaders ran out of ideas. And so they left him and went away.

But in our text this morning, we’ll see that the Jewish religious leaders haven’t given up. They come back with Plan B. So if you haven’t already, please turn with me to Mark, Chapter 12. And I’ll be reading from Mark, Chapter 12, starting at verse 13. Before I read our text, though, let’s ask for God’s Spirit to work powerfully through the reading and preaching of His Word this morning. Please pray with me:

[Pray and Read Text]

Navigating Loyalties to Affinity Groups, Government, and God

One of the most famous figures from the American Civil War is the Confederate General Robert E. Lee. And he’s often remembered in history for his brilliance in military strategy. Even despite the fact that confederate forces were usually smaller than the Union Army, Robert E. Lee directed his troops to multiple key victories.

But here’s something you may not realize: in April 1861, before the war started, President Lincoln realized that war between the North and the South was inevitable. And Lincoln was aware – he needed armed forces to defend the capital, since Washington DC was vulnerable – right on the border between Maryland and Virginia. But Lincoln also needed a field general for his troops, since the acting general of the army was quite old, approaching retirement. And in April 1861, just before people officially took sides – President Lincoln asked Robert E. Lee to be his general.

Now when Robert E. Lee received that request, it was a difficult situation. Because, you see, Robert E. Lee was from Virginia. And it was quickly becoming clear that Virginia was going to break off from the Northern States. And so even though Robert E. Lee, personally, didn’t want the United States to split, he had to choose. Was he going to go North or South? On the one hand, he had loyally served the US Armed forces for decades. He still had a serious sense of allegiance to the Federal government and to his military companions from the North. And yet, at the same time, Robert E. Lee couldn’t imagine turning his back on his home state. If he served the Union army, he’d be fighting against his own family and his fellow Virginians. Robert E. Lee was pulled in two different directions, between two different loyalties. And eventually he made the difficult decision to go South with Virginia.

Of course, today, we’re not in the exact situation that Robert E. Lee was in. But we often face similar tensions. Because a real part of life is that we have responsibilities and loyalties, just like Lee did. And sometimes the loyalties we have to different people or institutions can come into conflict with each other. We as we’re pulled into two different directions, it can sometimes be hard to navigate – how do I balance my allegiances and priorities the right way? And one sphere were many people feel this tension is in matters relating to political policy and government. Certainly, Robert E. Lee felt that tension. And even long before Robert E. Lee, the people in Jesus’s day felt that tension.

Because back when Jesus was in Jerusalem – as you may know – the vast majority of the people were Jewish (both ethnically and religiously). But generations earlier, the Jews had been conquered by the Roman empire. Now, Caesar, the Emperor of Rome, granted a certain level of religious toleration to the Jews. But the Romans themselves were pagans and polytheists. They worshipped idols, and they even worshipped some of their former emperors as divine persons. And so understandably, the Jews were often conflicted in how to relate to the ungodly Roman government. The Jews were divided into a few different camps when it came to navigating the tensions between Jewish national loyalty, and Roman government loyalty, and loyalty to God.

And what happens in our text, is the Jewish leaders decide to use that cultural tension to get Jesus in trouble. Just briefly, before we get to the main content of our text, I want to point out three observations about the hostility of the Jewish leaders toward Jesus. Because it demonstrates how human hostility toward God often operates, even today.

First, we see from our text that hostile hearts persist tirelessly against Christ. Remember, the Jewish leaders have already attempted to take Jesus down, unsuccessfully. But in our text, they refuse to give up their grudge. And they come back again with a new scheme. Their hostility is persistent. In fact, even after this episode, the Jewish leaders don’t give up their hostility until they’re finally able to get Jesus crucified.

Now, the interesting about this, is that doing good often takes a lot of effort, doesn’t it? Being patient, taking extended time to pray, loving our family members – those things can be exhausting. We often run out of strength and resolve to keep going.

But for some twisted reason, the hostility of the human heart isn’t like this. Instead, when we’re holding on to bitterness, it’s like a wildfire that keeps burning – even when there’s not new fuel being put on the fire. Somehow, the human heart never runs out of strength to do evil. The prophet Isaiah points out the same issue in the rebellious Jews who lived in his day. And in Isaiah 57, verse 10, he says, “You were wearied with the length of your way, but you did not say, ‘It is hopeless’; you found new life for your strength, and so you were not faint.” So the hostility of the human heart is like an ultra-marathon runner. Even after running for dozens of miles, somehow there’s still strength to go on for one more. Hostile hearts persist tirelessly against Christ.

But we also see in our text that hostile hearts partner together against Christ. Because in verse 13, we’re told that the Jewish council – they sent two different groups of people to Jesus, to ask him about paying taxes. “They sent to him some of the Pharisees, and some of the Herodians.”

And it’s actually really surprising that the Pharisees and Herodians were working together. Because they were ideologically opposed to each other. The Pharisees were a faction of religious teachers and scholars. And they viewed the Romans as a political enemy, and as a threat to religious purity. Though they complied with Roman law, they did it reluctantly. And they did so with the belief that God would one day drive the Romans away and rebuild an earthly kingdom for the Jews. That’s what they were hoping for.

The Herodians, on the other hand, included Jews like the puppet king, Herod Antipas. And they were loyal to Roman rule. They believed that the Jews should mix in culturally and be avid supporters of Roman law.

This upset the Pharisees, because they believed that the Herodians had betrayed their Jewish roots. But at the same time, the Herodians disliked the Pharisees, because they were concerned that their anti-Rome convictions would get all the Jews in trouble with Caesar.

And yet despite the animosity between these two groups, they’re working together here. How do you explain this? Well, it’s because as much as they despise one another, they have a common enemy who they despise even more. They’re united in their hostility toward Jesus.

And this is often how hostile people operate. They seek out people who hate the same enemy that they do, and they bond over it. Maybe you’ve seen this at school before, where two students are constantly complaining to each other about how strict the teacher is, or how much they dislike their homework. Or maybe you’ve seen this at work, where a group of people are always grumbling together about how much they loathe their job or how unfair the manager is. It’s possible you’ve even seen this tendency in yourself. But it’s not good for your soul, or your contentment, or your relationships. Because ultimately, when hostile hearts group together like this, what they’re doing is they’re encouraging each other to grumble against God, and the situations he’s placed us in. So be careful, here. Be wary that you’re not nurturing hostility toward God, in the various life circumstances he’s leading you through.

But, here’s a third observation about hostile hearts from our text. Hostile hearts persist tirelessly, they partner together, and here’s the last one – hostile hearts often plan treachery. They pretend to be friendly, even though they have no real loyalty. Sometimes the disloyalty of sinful hearts is quite mild. But other times, this treachery takes the form of full-blown betrayal. And in our text, the plot against Jesus here is especially devious. Because verse 13 explains – the reason why the Pharisees and Herodians went to Jesus was “to trap him in his words.”

And they start this by trying to butter Jesus up. In verse 14, they say, “Teacher, we know that you’re true and you don’t care about anyone’s opinion. For you aren’t swayed by appearances, but you truly teach the way of God.” It sounds nice. But it’s already suspicious. Because if the Pharisees really thought this way, you’d think they’d be accepting everything Jesus says.

But then they pose their question to Jesus – that loaded question about politics and religion. Jesus, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?” And surprise, surprise – it’s not a sincere question. It’s designed to be a lose-lose situation for Jesus. Because the Jewish leaders are aware, if Jesus comes out in favor of the Roman tax, most Jews will be disgusted with him. And the Pharisees will accuse him of betraying his people. But then if Jesus takes an anti-tax position, the Herodians will have a hey-day bringing Jesus up on legal charges, for subverting Roman rule.

The Honoring of Earthly Government

But when Jesus gives an answer, his response takes everyone by surprise. Because he doesn’t just dodge the question, or take a wishy-washy middle position. But Jesus lays down a simple but thought-provoking statement to delineate our responsibilities to government and to God. I don’t expect that every possible political question will be answered here. But Jesus gives foundational principles, here, concerning two main ideas – #1: the honoring of earthly governments, and #2 the offering we owe to God.

So let’s first unpack what Jesus says about the honoring of earthly governments. In verse 15, Jesus sees right through the hypocrisy of the Jewish leaders. And rather than responding right away, he asks them to bring him a denarius. Now, a denarius was a Roman coin. And on the front, it pictured the Roman Emperor at that time, and it had a small caption: “Tiberius Caesar, Augustus, the Son of the Divine Augustus.” Of course, you can hear from this how the Roman people deified and worshipped former Emperors – in this case, Augustus Caesar. And many Jews particularly hated that Tiberius Caesar referred to himself as the Son of the Divine – as the Son of God. But the back of the coin was also disliked. Because it featured a picture of Tiberius’s mother, portrayed as a Roman goddess.

But in any case, as they show Jesus the front of this coin, he asks them – “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” And the Jewish leaders answer, “Well, it’s Caesar’s likeness – it’s Caesar’s inscription.” And in response, Jesus tells them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

And let’s focus on the first half of Jesus’s declaration, here. Because this statement gives us a number of helpful insights, with respect to how we should honor earthly governments. I’ll mention three:

Earthly Governments Have a Rightful Domain

First, when Jesus says, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s”, one thing he does, is he affirms that earthly governments have a rightful domain. Jesus recognizes that Caesar legitimately has a sphere of authority. And Caesar has a rightful claim to certain things on account of that authority.

And it’s worth pointing this out. Because I think many people are under the impression that the idea of earthly government is just something invented by man. They think it all started because a few strong people took control over all the weak people – something like that. But that view isn’t Biblical. Government is actually God’s idea. He’s the one who ultimately establishes and oversees earthly government. And by his design, human society can’t hold together under pure individualism or anarchy. But governance is actually an important part of human life and human flourishing.

Even before sin entered the world, God gave human beings a real role in “having dominion” over the creation. And earthly civil dominion is an extension of this. It’s God’s plan that certain people would exercise authority in government. God’s role in establishing earthly governments like this is confirmed in Romans 13, verse 1. It says that “there is no authority except from God, and those that exist (those authorities that exist) have been instituted by God.”

All this to say, earthly governments – even pagan or secular governments – have a rightful domain. And that domain isn’t just recognized by God – but it’s instituted by God.

Honoring Earthly Government Is an Element of Christian Obedience

And this leads into the second insight that we get from Jesus’s statement – that honoring earthly government is an element of Christian obedience. Because notice – when Jesus speaks, here, he’s not just sharing an opinion. He’s giving us a command: “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s.”

But practically, what does this mean? What are the things Jesus has in mind, that we should render to earthly government? Of course, one thing Jesus has in mind in this context is paying taxes. Taxes aren’t morally evil. But Jesus indicates that government workers should receive monetary compensation for their work. But other parts of the Bible explain more. Romans 13:7 says (with reference to government officials), we should “Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, [and] honor to whom honor is owed.” And so, notice, Christians are also expected to render respect to Caesar. But one more thing we’re told, is that Christians should also render their obedience to Caesar (and to all levels of government). Our posture should be one of submission to the rule of law. God’s Word tells us this in 1 Peter 2:17, when it says, “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise him who does good.” So monetary compensation, respect, and lawful obedience – these are three things Christ calls us to render to our modern-day Caesars – to our civil governments.

And keep in mind, Jesus commands us to live this way, even when our civil governments are ungodly. Don’t forget the original context, here. Jesus spoke these words, fully aware that the Roman government was pagan. The Romans were making their fair share of problematic policy decisions. They were even using tax money to fund temples for idols. It probably raised the question – if I’m paying taxes and allowing the Roman government to keep on going, doesn’t that automatically make me part of the problem? Doesn’t that make me a partner in their ungodliness?

But, you see, Jesus would say no. Honoring governments – even ungodly governments – doesn’t make you and I morally complicit with what they do. We aren’t morally responsible for the decisions made by government officials. They are responsible. And Jesus wants us to see – they will be held responsible before God for how they govern. And for citizens like you and I, we will be held responsible for how we respect them.

Before I move on, though, from this subpoint that Honoring God Is an Element of Christian Obedience, I want to remind you – the Jesus who commands us, is the very same Jesus who’s committed to our good – so committed that he was willing to be stripped naked and whipped and crucified under the burden of our sins, in order to save us. And so we can be certain, this command – even the command to honor government, here – it’s actually good for us.

In fact, it’s good in many ways. Let me just mention a few. For one thing, the command to honor civil government encourages us to remember how much of a gift government is. In our complicated world, aren’t you glad you don’t have the headache of figuring out national security, diplomacy, trade policies, law-making, budget analysis, and election campaigns? But also, the command to honor government is a reminder to honor God. It keeps us mindful of His sovereign rule over all things, which keeps us humble and calms our anxieties. A third benefit of honoring government, is it stabilizes society. In parts of the world that have political unrest and frequent regime changes – it damages the economy, it disrupts education, and it often causes human suffering. But when, together, people are abiding by the rule of law, that stability helps to protect human welfare. And then here’s one more benefit of honoring government – when we honor government, it testifies visibly to the goodness of Christ and his ways. As Christians, we should be known as people who cheerfully pay our taxes, who serve our community, who engage respectfully in the political realm, and who are patriotic and law-abiding – even when there’s no one watching. Christians should be such good citizens, that all the governments of the world would say, “We want more Christians in our nation! These Jesus-followers are the most respectful, most reliable people out there.” Honoring government testifies to Christ’s goodness. And so when Jesus says, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s,” we should embrace that second major insight – that Honoring earthly government is an element of Christian obedience.

Earthly Government Authorities Are Not God

But there’s a third major insight that comes from Jesus’s statement about Caesar. He also points out that earthly government authorities are not God. Because in Jesus’s response – notice – he clearly distinguishes between Caesar, on the one hand, and God on the other. Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” So Jesus is affirming – no matter what the Roman coins may say, Tiberius Caesar actually isn’t the son of the divine. He doesn’t have the rights that God does. And this ultimately means that there’s a limit on the authority of civil government.

Of course, that’s why Jesus doesn’t say, “Render to Caesar everything that Caesar asks for.” His domain is limited. We don’t owe obedience to Caesar if he contradicts the commands of God – just as Jesus’s followers said in Acts 5:29, “We must obey God rather than men.” Like Daniel in the Old Testament, we need to keep praying to the Lord and obeying him, even if civil authorities pass a law against it. But in some situations, it may be less objective where the line should be between subjection and civil disobedience. And sometimes, if we’re not careful, we might make our decisions more from a dislike for government, rather than a devotion to God. So we should watch our hearts, and be charitable when faithful Christians around us have differences in conscience. But the point here we can affirm is government authority has limits. Because government isn’t God.

But of course, this point that government isn’t God should also impact us a different way. As Christians, we need to remember that our hope for the future, our salvation, and the kingdom of Christ – these things aren’t contingent on earthly politics. The success of Jesus’s ultimate mission for the world doesn’t depend on the horses and chariots and thrones of earthly empires. If it did, then Jesus wouldn’t be telling us to submit to Caesar – his command would be to subvert Caesar, to infiltrate strategic positions of influence, to seize control wherever we can.

But, you see, Christ shows us here that God’s power is higher than political power. Christ isn’t so needy, such that he’s depending on earthly nations, and the coercion of the sword, in order to advance his kingdom. But Christ works by the power of His own Sword – the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. It’s by that power that Christ truly gathers a people and advances his mission for the glory of His Father among all the nations.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that politics is meaningless, or that we shouldn’t be passionate about seeking a pro-Christian government. By all means, we should pray for kings, and for all who are in high positions. It’s a good thing that we’d seek the prosperity of our country by promoting God’s wisdom, virtue, and judicial standards in the political realm.

And yet for as long as this current world remains, the power of earthly politics never has been, and never will be the hope of God’s people. We don’t owe it to Caesar to give him that much credit. Instead, we should rightly revere the unique supremacy of God.

The Offering We Owe to God

And so with that being said, in our remaining time, let’s see what Jesus says about the offering we owe to God. The offering we owe to God.

Because after Jesus says, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s,” that’s what he speaks about. He tells us to “[Render] to God the things that are God’s [things].”

Now, you may remember – part of the case Jesus made for why paying taxes was appropriate, was because the coin for the tax had Caesar’s likeness and inscription on it. It’s Caesar’s domain – Caesar’s likeness on the coin – and he has the right to receive it from his citizens.

But you and I might wonder – when it comes to God’s domain, what does God deserve from us? What do we owe to him? And as it turns out, Jesus has already given us the answer. Because just as Caesar has a right to the thins that bear his likeness, God has the right to everything that bears his likeness – which is to say – God has full rights over every human being.

Because keep in mind what God said when he created humanity. Genesis 1:26: “Then God said, ‘Let us name man in our image, after our likeness…” Then later in verse 27: “So God created man in his image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Every human being, boy or girl, young or old, even the helpless and the handicapped – all human beings bear the likeness of God himself. And this remains true, even though God’s likeness in us has been abused and disfigured through humanity’s rebellion and fall into sin. God has a rightful claim on every person. Because he’s our Creator – he’s the reason we exist. He’s been our Keeper – he’s the reason we’re still alive. And more than any earthly government, he deserves to be our King.

And at this point we’re not just talking about paying taxes, or transmitting a limited scope of respect of submission to God in certain aspects of life. But Jesus’s point is that when it comes to God the Father, he deserves our whole being. We shouldn’t imagine that God’s claim on us is limited to 90 minutes on Sunday morning. But when you’re planning out your calendar, God should be respected in all of it. Same thing with your budget. It’s the same thing with all your thoughts and attitudes, and with the way you use your cell phone, and with the types of shows you watch. God rightfully deserves to be honored in everything you do, your whole life long. And remember, Jesus doesn’t just suggest this. But he commands this: “Render to God the things that are God’s.” Are you doing this?

And if we understand what Jesus is saying here, then it’ll be clear – the answer is no. None of us are doing this fully. No one in this room has fulfilled the command of Jesus. The true Son of God – not Tiberius Caesar, but the true Son, Jesus Christ – has spoken with divine authority. He has communicated the rights that our Creator God has over us. But in our rebellion and foolishness, we have failed to give God what rightly belongs to him: ourselves.

Make sure you see this – because it’s tempting to read through Mark, and to think, “I’m right there with Jesus. I’m not like the nasty Jewish leaders, but I’m one of the good guys in the story.” But you see, the command of Jesus here reveals that we’re far more like the Jewish leaders than we’d like to believe. Because, like them, we haven’t given God his due. We’re not humble before God like we should be. We’re not happy in our obedience like we ought to be. And if God had just let us go, to wander down that road of our own choosing – it would have been death and Hell for us.

But there’s good news for us. Because when Jesus came, he didn’t just to give us moral instructions, or to point out our flaws. But Jesus came to do what we couldn’t do. He came to render perfect obedience to God the Father on our behalf. And even though we should have died a criminal’s death for our sin, Jesus came to carry all the blame for our evil. And he died that criminal’s death for us on the cross – so that we could have eternal life. And because of what Jesus has done, this changes everything for us. Through faith in Jesus, we’re made right with heaven. Through the Spirit of Christ poured out in us, the likeness of God in us is now being restored. And though we’re still imperfect in this, one of Jesus’s gifts to us is he makes us increasingly eager and able obey. He gives us a proper willingness to render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to render to God the things that are rightly his.

And when we remember all God has done, to give his Son, and to spare us from our darkness, we should be all the more eager to honor him with our whole lives, and to honor the earthly authorities that he has instituted. So as a church in Mt Pleasant, let’s be a people who seek his help in these things. Please pray with me: