Today’s passage is one that is probably familiar to many of you here today. It’s been used in a variety of contexts, not the least of which is to augment the idea of the separation of church and state. However, it does not teach that. Neither Jesus or the apostles ever taught separation of church and state. That is not a Christian doctrine, but it is decidedly an anti-Christian doctrine that has been foisted upon us by an anti-Christian government, and fortified by a misinterpretation of this passage. God is sovereign over all the world, and as such is sovereign over all governments of the world. Man only thinks that he can separate government from God.

But we will look at the correct interpretation of this passage in just a moment. First of all though let’s look at the context of this event. This event comes as part of a trilogy of trick questions, concocted by a delegation made up of representatives of every religious faction in Israel; notably the chief priests, the scribes, the Pharisees, the Herodians and the Sadducees. I will not bore you with the differences between these various factions. Just know that this was the equivalent of getting the Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Libertarians and the Tea Party to all come together and agree on something. All of these parties were traditionally political enemies or at least adversaries for religious control in Israel. So getting them together and in agreement meant only one thing, Jesus was a considered a greater enemy, a greater threat to all of them than they were to each other. So these former enemies were united by a common enemy.

The only problem was that Jesus was anything but common. And so they constantly were undone by Jesus’ wisdom which surpassed all their combined cunning and scheming. But that doesn’t seem to stop them from trying. These guys kind of remind me of Wile E. Fox on the old Roadrunner cartoons. They keep coming up with these elaborate, clever schemes, and Jesus turns them right around on them time after time. We saw that last week with the question they had concerning from where He got His authority. Jesus answered their question with a question of His own which they could not answer without revealing their duplicitous nature, so they had to plead the fifth. His wisdom is beyond their capacity to refute.

But like Wile E. Coyote, these guys don’t know when to quit. They become even more angry, more spiteful and even more cunning in their attempt to catch Him in something they can use to destroy Him. Look at vs. 19-20; “The scribes and the chief priests tried to lay hands on Him that very hour, and they feared the people; for they understood that He spoke this parable against them. So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, in order that they might catch Him in some statement, so that they could deliver Him to the rule and the authority of the governor.”

It’s interesting that Luke characterizes these spies as having to pretend that they were righteous. Even though they were the religious elite, they had to pretend to be righteous. So these spies who are pretending to be righteous come to Jesus, try to blend in with the crowd and then try to trick Jesus by asking Him a predetermined question that had been concocted by their superiors, the highest ranking officials in the religious orders of Israel. It was a question designed to trap Jesus no matter which way He answered it. As far as they were concerned, it had no right answer. They thought that there were only two ways of answering it, and one way would seriously hurt Jesus’ standing with the people, and answering it the other way would put Him in trouble with the Roman government. And they really thought He would answer it in such a way as to enable them to charge Him with sedition against the Roman government. That was really their plan. That way He would be executed by the Romans and they would seem to be innocent of the whole affair. But of course they would reap the benefits by regaining and maintaining the status quo of their religious standing.

So here is their question, vs. 21,22; They questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, we know that You speak and teach correctly, and You are not partial to any, but teach the way of God in truth. “Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”

Now we have already noted their craftiness, but notice also their flattery. Be wary of people that come to you with flattering speech, ladies and gentlemen. Righteous pretenders love to use flattery to get an advantage. Some of the greatest injury to our church has come through people who were adept at flattery. They love to butter you up by lavishing compliments on you before they stick the butter knife in your back. Beware of flattery. Note also that their own speech condemns them. They say we know you speak the truth. I love that one. Those same flatterers that I have had the pleasure of encountering can’t help but say something to the effect like “Roy is a great teacher, no one is preaching the word of God like Roy is.” And yet in the next breath they condemn you for preaching too much of it. They criticize your doctrine. One day they will be judged by their own words.

So herein lies the craftiness of their question. They really think that Jesus is just a rabble rouser. He has a rough band of disciples traveling with Him that are made up of fishermen and tax collectors and at least one or two of them are considered Zealots. The Zealots were radical insurrectionists who wanted to overthrow the rule of the Romans. So that is more than likely the association that they made with Jesus. They supposed that He would oppose paying taxes to Caesar. Now if they could get Him to say that, then they would have a hangable offense with which to charge Jesus and bring Him before a Roman court.

In fact, even though Jesus does not say that you should not pay taxes, actually quite the opposite, it does not stop them from lying and claiming that He said that when they brought Him before Pilate a few days later. Luke 23:2 says, “And they began to accuse Him, saying, ‘We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is Christ, a King.’”

But the other possible answer that they supposed Jesus would say was just as condemning. Because Caesar claimed to be divine and was considered a god in the pantheon of Roman Gods. So if Jesus supported taxation they could not only use that to hurt His standing among the common people who were handicapped by the severe Roman tax on just about everything, but they could also claim He was guilty of breaking Jewish law. Furthermore, in the law it says that you shall make no graven image and the currency of the Roman government, particularly the denarius, was engraved with the image of the Emperor. So they figured they would get Him either way He answered, and they really expected Him to side with the insurrectionists.

Look at how Jesus answers them though. His wisdom exceeds their trickery. Vs. 23-25 “But He detected their trickery and said to them, ‘Show Me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?’ They said, ‘Caesar’s.’ And He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

Now this is a brilliant answer, not only because He eludes their trap, but because He establishes truth in such a way that it becomes an enduring principle for the ages. He doesn’t just answer their question in such a way as to escape immediate judgment, or get out of the question, but He fully answers them in a way in which they cannot refute, and at the same time establishes an enduring principle for how we are to live our lives today no matter what the culture or the time period we find ourselves in. Such is the nature of the truth of the Word of God. It is timeless. It is enduring. Even 2000 years later it is still relevant, still pertinent and still true. That is why we preach the word of God, ladies and gentlemen. It is truth, it is eternal truth, and only the truth will set you free. Man’s attempts at rationalization cannot even begin to address life’s great questions, but God’s truth is able to discern between truth and error and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Jesus gives a two part answer and so I want to examine each part in turn. Each part is a principle that we can employ as we make decisions on a day to day basis as to how we are to live in a godless world. The first part of Jesus’ answer is, “render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s.” Now this is brilliant. First of all, Jesus asks them for a denarius. Matthew adds some additional information in his gospel which helps us to understand the significance of this a little better. In Matt. 22:19 Jesus says “Show Me the coin used for the poll-tax.” And they brought Him a denarius.” A poll tax was the tax levied at the census, when everyone had to register. If you remember, that was the reason Joseph and Mary had to go to Bethlehem to register for the census and pay a poll tax. So this was the particular tax that the religious leaders were addressing. And that poll tax was paid with Roman currency, which was a denarius. So Jesus asks to see the coin that was required by the Romans.

And He asks them to tell Him what image and inscription is on the coin. The answer is that it was Caesar, probably Tiberius Caesar, and the inscription even alluded to his divinity. The point Jesus is making is that this is Caesar’s money, his image is engraved on it and his inscription is engraved on it. So Jesus says, “render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s.”

Now it’s helpful I think to understand the word translated “render.” It is “ä-po-dē’-dō-mē” in the original Greek. It means to pay back a debt, to give back something that belongs to someone else, to repay. Now that helps us to understand what Jesus is saying. Not only does the money belong to Caesar’s government, but the idea is that Caesar has provided certain things as the head of the government, and that has incurred a debt on their part. They must repay that debt to the government.

Now that is a godly principle, is it not? We are to pay our debts. If we owe something to someone, Jesus said in Matt. 5, then before you go to the temple to present yourself to worship God, go make amends with the one whom you owe. In other words, you cannot worship God when you owe a debt to someone that you haven’t paid. We saw that principle when we looked at Zaccheus a few weeks ago. When he got right with God he immediately wanted to get right with those he had defrauded.

So in effect what Jesus is saying is that since you owe the government for it’s services, it’s protection, it’s roads, it’s enforcement of laws, give them what is due them. Pay your taxes because it’s a debt that you owe to the government for providing certain services to it’s citizens. See, rather than teaching the separation of church and state, the Biblical principle is that God has established government to be His ministers of justice and order and the rule of law. Paul says in Romans 13:1-2 “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.” He goes on to say in Rom. 13:5-8 “Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.” And then Paul states the overriding principle in vs. 8 “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.” That’s the royal law of God. Love your neighbor as yourself. Even to the point of loving your enemy.

Let me tell you something to help put this in perspective. When Paul wrote these words he was most likely in prison awaiting trial by none other than the Caesar of that period, who was the evil Emperor Nero. This man would one day have Paul’s head cut off. This was an emperor who castrated a young man and then married him in a public, royal, homosexual marriage ceremony. This was the same guy that used to light up his palace gardens for parties at night with Christians burning on stakes. And yet Paul says give honor to whom honor is due. As citizens we have a debt to our government that must be honored, even when it is not a God honoring government.

Now you may say well maybe Paul didn’t realize how bad Nero was. Well, Jesus certainly knew how bad Tiberius Caesar was. When Jesus looked at that denarius and said render to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, He knew full well that in just 3 days by Caesar’s government He himself would be led like a sheep to the slaughter to hang from a cross by Roman soldiers. And yet Jesus said, “render to Caesar the things that are Caesars.” Listen, it’s not for you to rebel against those whom God has given a measure of authority to. God established government for the benefit of His kingdom. And God will hold Caesar accountable for things that belong to Caesar. But He will also hold you accountable for your subjection to authority.

Peter says in 1 Peter 2:13-14, “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.” By such faithful acts, Christians “may silence the ignorance of foolish men” and be found as good citizens. We give no cause for offense to the government by disobeying the government. We owe them good citizenship. And when we do so we can silence the critics.

And that is exactly what happened here in the passage in Luke. The religious leaders were silenced by the answer of Jesus. They were unable to find fault with the wisdom of God. Luke 20:26 “And they were unable to catch Him in a saying in the presence of the people; and being amazed at His answer, they became silent.” Listen, if you want to silence your critics then rely upon the wisdom of God’s word and be obedient to God’s principles. Are you having wife problems? “Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.” Fulfill the royal law, love one another. Even love your enemy. Are you having husband problems? “Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.” Fulfill the royal law, love one another. Even love your enemy. Are you having business problems? “Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.” Fulfill the royal law, love one another. Even love your enemy. No matter what the problem in this world of relationships, the answer is the same. Owe no one nothing, instead love them. Give them what is due them. Honor them. Respect them. And you will silence your critics.

Now let’s look at the other side of the equation. “Render unto God the things that are God’s.” Now how are we to understand this principle? Well, first of all, use the same formula that Jesus used in the first principle. What did God make in His image? Man. Man was made in the image of God. Gen. 1:27 says, “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Folks, I don’t know if you have contemplated the full implications of that verse or not. But I have as far as my limited intellectual capacity allows. We looked at it extensively in our study of Genesis that we have been doing on Wednesday night.

To be made in the image of God indicates a number of things. But one thing is fundamental. We were not made to be autonomous. We were not made to be independent, free agents. We were made for God’s purposes. We were made to be the bride of Christ. We were made to be the objects of God’s love, to be like God, conformed to the image of Christ. To be one Spirit with God. To be one in fellowship and communion with God. That is why God made man. Ephesians 5 makes it clear that marriage between a man and a woman is a picture of the church’s relationship with Christ. Just as a husband and his wife are to be one flesh, so Christ and His church are to be one spirit. That is why Christ gave His life for the church, because He loved her with an even greater love than a man loves his bride. God made man for His glory, for His pleasure, to satisfy His purposes. We are not some cosmic accident. We belong to God because He made us specifically for Himself.

Now once you start to comprehend that concept, then the principle, “render unto God the things that are Gods” starts to become a little more clear, doesn’t it? At the very least, we must respond in love to God’s love towards us. We must give our lives to God, commit our lives to God. We must give back our lives for His glory. We must give ourselves totally and completely to Him, forsaking all others, being faithful only to your Him so long as you shall live… so help you God. That’s where you start. That’s what it means to render to God the things that are God’s.

That’s what it means to be a Christian, by the way. It’s not a religion, it’s a relationship. But don’t you dare take that word relationship lightly or flippantly. It’s not a flirtatious relationship, it’s not a relationship marked by infidelity. It’s not a relationship based on a casual friendship. It’s not a modern day kind of relationship where you take all you can get without commitment, without sacrifice.   But “Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.” Fulfill the royal law, “love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength and all your might.”

Listen, this passage isn’t so much a treatise on the importance of paying your taxes. It’s the message of the gospel. You were made and stamped in the image of God. You were made for communion and a relationship with God. You were made to be one with God. But sin broke that communion and relationship. Man rebelled against his Maker, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator. Man obeyed Satan’s word, and rebelled against God’s word and as such rightly brought upon himself the sentence of death. But God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whosoever believes on Him, should not perish but have eternal life.  The eternal Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us. But the world did not know Him. They rejected Him. These religious leaders, Peter said later in Acts 2, “delivered [Jesus] over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, and nailed Him to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.”

This same Jesus is now seated in heaven at the right hand of the Father, having paid the penalty for sin to those that will believe in Him. Peter said, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” This is the plan of God to reconcile man, to make him holy by the blood of Jesus, and to put His Spirit within them so that they might be one with Him.

Ladies and gentlemen, the question of the hour is simply this. Have you rendered unto God the things that are God’s? Have you given Him your life? Are you withholding from God what you rightfully owe Him? One day every knee will bow and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Caesars will bow, kings will bow, presidents will bow, all the governments will bow before the throne of Christ. But those who gave their lives in faith to Christ in this life will be seated on the throne beside Him in the next life. And those who refused to bow to Him in this life, those who refused to give Him honor in this life, those who rebelled against Him in this life, even though they may bow then, will not be part of His kingdom. But they will be cast out of the marriage feast into a place prepared for the devil and his angels, the Lake of Fire.

I trust that if you have committed your life to a marriage relationship with Christ you will be found to be a good steward today. Not only of your obligations to the government, to your marriage, to your employer, to every governing authority established by God, but also I hope you are found to be a good steward of your obligation to God. 1Cor. 6:19-20 says, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” Render to God the things that are God’s. God requires nothing less than your very life, your will, your purpose. God rightly demands it all. Give back unto God the things that are God’s.