Render to God
LSB Lectionary Series A • Sermon • Submitted
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Text: “21 …Then he said to them, ‘Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’” (Matthew 22:21)
Let’s start here: we need to not hear this passage with the ears of 20th/21st century Americans.
We hear, “Render to Caesar what is caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s,” and we hear Jesus this text as affirming a separation of Church and State. But that’s not what is going on here.
Keep in mind: the Pharisees are “plotting to entangle Jesus” in His words. What was the trap? To either: affirm the authority of Rome by saying that it was necessary to pay taxes and, in the process, reject God’s direct sovereignty over Old Testament Israel or to say that paying taxes was unlawful, rejecting the authority of Rome in favor of Israel’s status as God’s special possession. That, of course, would open Him up to the charge of sedition against the Roman empire.
To our ears, it sounds like He evades their trap by balancing the power of Rome and the power of Jerusalem, if you will— the authority of Caesar and the authority of God. But as one commentator put it:
Pay Caesar what is his and God what is his? Does Caesar own some things that do not belong to God? Are there things that are not the rightful property of the God of Israel, whose reign is invading the world through Jesus? No. Perceiving a balance in Jesus’ response results in an understanding foreign to the Gospel of Matthew. The only thing that “belongs” to the rulers of the world (including Caesar) is a way of being great that uses arrogance and force and power (20:25). Such ways oppose and contradict the greatness to which Jesus calls his disciples and which he himself perfectly embodies on his road that leads to giving his life as the ransom payment in exchange for the many (20:26-28).
Pushing aside the designs of his opponents, Jesus’ last words carry the weight of his response: pay God’s things to God! (Gibbs, Jeffrey A. “Concordia Commentary: Matthew 21:1 - 28:20. Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis. 2018. p. 1125-1126. Emphasis original.)
Or let me put it another way: When Joseph and Mary brought the baby Jesus to the temple, a man named Simeon famously recognized Jesus as the messiah, singing, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word…,” giving us the words that we sing after holy communion. He also said to Mary, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed 35 ..., so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed” (Luke 2:34-35). This is one of those times when the hearts of many are revealed. And they certainly seem to be.
The Pharisees here put Jesus to the test by trying to force Him to choose between the direct Lordship of God over Israel and acknowledging the authority of Caesar. But within days of this confrontation with Jesus, they would be standing before Pontius Pilate, shouting, “We have no king but Caesar!” in order to have Jesus put to death. Mary’s child not only avoided their trap here, He revealed their hearts.
He still does. Some of you have seen the website called the Babylon Bee. They put out satirical news stories— the stories are deliberately made up in order to be funny but, in the process, they often make a point about the groups that they’re satirizing. And some of their headlines really are quite revealing. For example, after the president was released from the hospital following his bout with Covid the week before last, they published a story with a headline that read: “Woman Immediately Healed after Touching Hem of Trump’s Suit Jacket.” Or, going back to a couple of years to 2017, they ran a fake op-ed from Pat Robertson under the headline: “Christianity is Not About Religion— It’s About A Personal Relationship with Donald Trump.” Now, both stories are kind of silly, but they’re also more true than we might like to admit.
Which are you more loyal to: the platform of your political party or the confession of faith of your church? When you hear statements from candidates or elected officials of the other party, how quick are you to point out the flaws and errors? Are you just as cautious, just as skeptical of pastors and teachers from other denominations? I’ve asked in the past, but it’s worth asking again: Let’s assume, for the sake of argument, that the upcoming elections turn out to be a wave of victories for candidates who are pro-life, pro-natural marriage, pro-religious liberty, would that be a crucial victory for the Kingdom of God?
I hope that none of us treat President Trump— or, conversely, that we treated President Obama— as a messiah. But what are you rendering to Caesar and what are you rendering to God?
The problem for the Pharisees— and for us, as well— is not a failure to render to Caesar. It’s a failure to render to God what is God’s.
In other words, if our attention is stuck on the likeness on the coin, we’ll overlook the one speaking, who “is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation” (Col. 1:15). The coin only bears the likeness of Caesar, but “in [Christ] all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross” (Col. 1:19-20). Unlike the rulers of this world, His “greatness” does not consist in arrogance, force, and power. But, knowing that all authority in heaven and on earth had been given to Him, that he had come from God and was going back to God [to resume His rightful place on the throne of heaven], He “rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him” (John 13:4-5). “[H]e humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8). As the religious leaders of the nation that He had not only been a good and faithful God to, but had actually been like a husband to, cried out, “We have no king but Caesar,” He, the King of kings, was suffering and dying to redeem them and to gather them back into His Kingdom.
He rendered to God perfect obedience in thought, word, and deed, every moment of every day of His life on this earth. And, finally, He went to the cross to offer Himself as the perfect sacrifice for your sin. Because He did, John the Baptist was only the first to be able to exclaim: “The Kingdom of God is at hand!”
Render to God what is God’s!
[R]epent and believe the preaching of John the Baptist, especially concerning the one who (with John) came in the way of fulfilling all righteousness (21:28-32; cf. 3:15). [Like faithful t]enant farmers[,] ...care faithfully for the owner’s vineyard by acknowledging that the vineyard and its fruit belong to God and to his Son, the rightful heir of all things (21:33-44). […H]onor the King by accepting his invitation [to the wedding feast] and paying homage to the Son (22:1-14). [B]ehold the man who stands in their midst and ...know whose Son he truly is and to follow him because in him the reign of God has come near. (Gibbs, Jeffrey A. “Concordia Commentary: Matthew 21:1 - 28:20. Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis. 2018. p. 1125-1126.)
“21 …Then he said to them, ‘Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’” (Matthew 22:21) Don’t let your attention be stuck on the image of Caesar on the coin. Not only does the one speaking also happen to be the very image of the invisible God, but “29 those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers” (Romans 8:29). “[P]ut off the old self with its practices 10 and ...put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator” (Colossians 3:9-10). “18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” (2 Corinthians 3:18).