Saying No To Caesar: We Can't Give What Is Not For The Taking
Text: Matthew 22:15-22
In the
name of Jesus. Amen.
So, what is your responsibility to the government – the state? What do you owe the state?
While you are contemplating that question, ask yourself this: what is your responsibility to God – the church? What do you owe the church?
Now, as we contemplate these two questions, you may be tempted to put all your eggs in one basket, as they say. In other words, you may be tempted to put all your trust, energy, and devotion exclusively in either the state or the church.
And so, if you lean towards the state, if the state says, “Jump!” you will then expect everyone – including the church – to jump! And if people do not jump, you will wave your finger at them and tell them to obey proper authority. Or, if you lean towards the church, and the church says, “Sit!” you expect everyone – including the state – to sit. And if people do not sit, you wave your finger at them and tell them to obey proper authority. …But there is a fundamental flaw in this kind of thinking.
You see, Jesus says that we are to give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that belong to God. And so, Jesus does not choose the state over and above the church, and He also does not choose the church over and above the state.
So, what this means is that you, as a Christian, are not a secularist only reporting to the state. Also, as a Christian, you are not a monk who reports only to the church. Beware of being a secularist by exclusively looking to the state. Beware of being a monk by exclusively looking to the church.
In our reading from the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus was obviously challenged over the situation between God and Caesar, or how we like to say it, church and state. Keep in mind the Roman Empire during that day and age was pagan. The state was full of covetousness, fraud, sexual misconduct, self-pleasure, and so forth. It was by no means a wholesome government. The Romans were heathens; they knew nothing of correct worship or God’s Word. And yet, Jesus clearly shows that a Christian does not have to withdraw from the secular heathen realm. We do not have to become a monk or a nun. In fact, Jesus may surprise us a bit. He calls Christians to give unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s. In other words, give Caesar what is his!
Ah, but this is where we must be extremely careful. What belongs to Caesar? What belongs to the state?
The obvious answer is that it all belongs to God because God has established the state for the sake of keeping good order. However, because God has established the church and the state for the sake of good order and blessing mankind, what things properly belong to the realm of the state and what things properly belong to the realm of the church?
It should be self-evident that things such as money, possessions, property, taxes, roads, jobs, laws, mandates, and so forth belong to the state. And the things that belong to the church? Well… your soul, your faith, your worship, the divine services, the sacraments, the Word, confession, and so forth belong to the church.
But as you know, this doesn’t always work very well. History has shown us that the church, has at times, called people to give Caesar’s things to the church. The church has wandered away from its proper calling and dabbled in the realm of the state in the past. We can obviously think of the many abuses by the Roman Catholic Church and the Pope in the past – where the church gobbled up the state.
But today, what is perhaps a bigger concern than the church gobbling up the state is the threat of the state demanding Christians to give unto Caesar the things that belong to God.
Fortunately for us, North Dakotans, all the past executive orders, city mandates, and state mandates of 2020 have provided exclusions for the church. As Christians, we must applaud our North Dakota governing officials for not overstepping into the realm of the church. They have been very wise in recognizing the realm of the state and the realm of the church.
So, just to be crystal clear. All of the adjustments that we have made here at St. Paul’s this last year to accommodate for Covid-19 are not because of executive orders, mandates, or laws made for the church. There are no mandates, laws, or executive orders directed at the church. Everything we have done at St. Paul’s has been done on our own voluntary will - to try, and best serve our members.
But what if that day comes along that the state does make mandates, laws, or executive orders that include the church – mandates, laws, and executive orders that infringe on our worship, prayers, and piety? Then what?
Perhaps a very appropriate biblical story to consider is the book of Daniel. Some 600 years before Jesus, Daniel was in a kingdom called Babylon. And as was Daniel’s custom, three times a day, he would get down on his knees before his upper open window and pray towards Jerusalem to give thanks to God.
However, as things came about, a royal decree was made that over a period of 30 days, no one should be able to pray to any god except the King of Babylon.
So after this decree, an edict was established with the King’s seal; it was a done deal! No more praying to God for Daniel!
Now, keep in mind that Daniel tended to be the type of person who crossed his T’s and dotted his I’s with all the laws of governing authorities. Daniel was no crazy radical rebel looking to pick a fight or stir the pot. And so it makes sense that Daniel did not indulge in some sort of heated protest after the decree came about. Daniel did not start a riot. He did not go down to the local marketplace and trash a person’s pottery business or overthrow a person’s table of fresh fish. He did none of this. Instead, Daniel went home, he went to the upper chamber, he opened the window, and he prayed towards Jerusalem, giving thanks to God. Daniel. Did. Not. Change. Anything. One. Bit.
I suppose Daniel could have kept the window shut and prayed quietly with a hushed voice. He could have waited for the evening when everyone was asleep to pray. And he could have given up his prayers, convincing himself that it was only a 30-day fast. But he didn’t.
Now, the reason why Daniel did not change his custom of daily worship and prayer was that this prayer and worship were not things that belonged to King Darius. That is to say; Daniel was called to give unto King Darius what belonged to King Darius, but prayer and worship did not belong to King Darius but belonged to God. And so, Daniel could not give to King Darius that which was not for his taking. Daniel did not bow or respect or even seem to listen to King Darius’ edict and decree because King Darius did not have the authority to make such an edict and decree in the first place.
And so it’s quite clear, if and when the state makes decrees, mandates, and laws that infringe on the church, we Christians are not breaking the Fourth Commandment when we peacefully resist.
Please hear this clearly; we must be ready as Christians for the time when the state does overstep, for when the state does overstep, we must guard ourselves against grabbing pitchforks with a riotous spirit or rationalizing our faith away to the point of giving the state the green light to overstep its bounds. If the state oversteps, we need not rise up with pitchforks or roll over with weakness but be ready to calmly continue with our worship of God, knowing that we are not disloyal citizens but faithful to God and not man.
And if there are consequences or suffering for not honoring the state (if and when it oversteps), we shall trust the favor of God and His deliverance to sustain us as we live holy lives in this Valley of tears.
Remember, you are not a secularist living only and exclusively by the authority of the state – you are a Christian. You are also not a monk living only and exclusively by the authority of the church – you are a Christian. You are citizens of both the state and the kingdom of God. You give unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar and unto God what belongs to God.
And when the church gets greedy, taking what is Caesar’s? You shall resist with calm resolve. And when the state gets greedy and takes what belongs to God? You shall resist with calm resolve.
Both the state and church must be sharply distinguished while respecting their roles so that they are not opposed to each other. They both find their origin and authority in the Lord as they work together in harmony, side-by-side. Two separate kingdoms – two realms – but ultimately servants of the Lord for our benefit.
In the
name of Jesus. Amen
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