Sunday Sermon

"Pay Your Taxes"
[Mark 12:13-17]
August 27, 2006 Second Reformed Church

You are wrong if you believe that you can obey God and not obey the government. You are wrong if you believe that obeying the government is all that God requires. You are wrong if you believe you can pick and choose what of God's Word to believe and follow. You are wrong if you believe you should follow anything and everything that the government says to do.

What is the relationship of the Christian to God and the state? If you blindly quip, "There is a separation between church and state," you are wrong, both as a Christian and an American.

We have in this morning's Scripture, two groups which approach Jesus: the Pharisees and the Herodians. I would guess most of us glossed over that fact -- and that's because we don't know who they were. We don't know how shocked people would have been to see the Pharisees and the Herodians working together on anything. We don't automatically know in our culture that what we see in this morning's Scripture is an example of the saying, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend."

Remember, Israel was a Roman colony while Jesus was on earth -- she was under Roman rule. And the opinion of the people, as one might expect, varied regarding that fact. The Pharisees, the ones who had been set apart for the work of the temple believed that the Law of God -- as they interpreted it -- took precedence over the law of Rome. If there was a conflict between what they wanted the Scripture to say and what Rome commanded, the Pharisees' interpretation won. On the other hand, the Herodians we Jews who followed Herod in believing that it was good that Israel was a colony of Rome, so, not matter what the Law of God said, it had to submit to Rome and her law. Two very different responses and people. But this morning we see them come together and put their differences aside for a common goal: the destruction of Jesus.

The Pharisees wanted Jesus in prison or dead, because He criticized them and their representation of the Law of God to the people. The Herodians wanted Jesus in prison or dead, because He seemed to threaten Herod and the Roman rule of Israel. These two opposite peoples came together "to catch [Jesus] by his word."

And they asked Him this seemingly innocent question: "Is it lawful to pay tax to Caesar or should we not pay them?" But Jesus knew, even with them buttering Him up, "Oh, teacher, You're so wise. You don't care what other people say about You. You don't base Your teachings on the way that others look to You or how Your teachings will look to others. You just speak the truth. You teach the way of God to all people. You are so wonderful, Jesus." They were sickeningly sweet. It was the sweetness that causes the heart to wrench up in pain.

"Is it lawful to pay tax to Caesar or should we not pay them?" They had learned well how to craft a question, because if Jesus answered "yes," they would have cause against Him, and if He said "no," they would have cause against Him. If Jesus said, "Yes, we ought to pay taxes to Caesar," the Pharisees would accuse Jesus of neglecting the Law of God, putting the pagan Romans ahead of the commands of God -- and the Herodians would, reluctantly, back up the Pharisees. And if Jesus said, "No, we should not pay taxes to Caesar," the Herodians would accuse Jesus of being against the Roman government, of inciting disobedience to the law of Rome.

So Jesus, by the Wisdom of God, asked to see a denarius -- a common coin of the day -- which had the face of Caesar imprinted on it. Jesus asked them who was on the coin and they told Him that it was Caesar, and Jesus told them, "Give to Caesar Caesar's and to God God's." And the mouths of the Pharisees and the mouths of the Herodians and those of the crowd dropped open, and they were amazed. Jesus had completely circumvented their trap and stated the truth of the matter.

We are to give to Caesar, Caesar's. We are to obey the laws of the government unless they go against the clear teaching of the Scripture. Paul wrote to the Roman Christians, "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgement. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 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, honor to whom honor is owed" (Romans 13:1-7).

The Roman Christians had mistakenly thought that since the Roman government was pagan and Jesus was returning for His people soon, they didn't have to pay taxes or obey those in authority over them. Paul tells them that they are mistaken, and we are mistaken if we think we do not have to obey those in authority over us in the world. For this reason, every person that is put in authority is put there by God. President Bush, Governor Corzine, Mayor Smith -- were all put in their positions by God to carry out God's Will.

Now, let's not get confused: they are to be obeyed and respected and prayed for for the sake of their office. President Bush, Governor Corzine, and Mayor Smith have not done all things perfectly after God's Will. They are sinners, just like us. The point is not that they sin, but that God has put them in authority over us.

Understand, I, like many of you, can get worked up about the stupid and awful things that occur in government, and I believe we are taxed outside the realm of all reason. However, we are to obey those in authority. If we do, we have nothing to fear from them. And they, as we're told, are to protect us and punish evil. Of course, we ought to be involved -- voting, writing letters, etc, when we disagree with what our leaders do.

But we are not allowed -- by God -- to cheat those in authority, to dismiss the law because the government is corrupt or because "everybody does it." I was quite taken aback in a conversation with a number of ministers when I asked about an income tax issue and what it meant, to have them, one after another, admit that they cheat on their taxes. We must give Caesar Caesar's.

Another reason, that you may have already gathered, that we must give Caesar Caesar's is that we are to give God God's. If those in authority over us were put there by God to do God's Work, then obedience to the government, is ultimately obedience to God. That is part of obeying God.

Do you obey God? Do you give God God's?

Statistically, there is no difference between the actions of a non-Christian and a Christian. So, what are we saying? How are we living? We are just as obedient as those who have no desire to obey God, and, in fact, hate Him.

"Well, I thought Christianity was about loving God and believing in Jesus, not a list of dos and don'ts."

The longest of the Psalms, Psalm 119, is a hymn about the beauty of God's Law. There is a verse for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. If we really love God and believe in Jesus, we will love God's Law and give God God's.

"Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the way of the Lord Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways! You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes! Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments. I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules. I will keep your statutes, do not utterly forsake me!" (Psalm 119:1-8).

Christianity is not a list of dos and don'ts, it's about falling in love, and being so in love that you want to do anything and everything you can to please your God and Savior. Do you love Him? Do you wake up in the morning and pray that today, you would please Him? Do you pray that you would fall more deeply in love with Him and find Him all the more glorious, more greatly to be desired above every thing on earth? Do you open His Word and read and desire more of Jesus?

The second verse: "How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I shall seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statues! With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth. In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word" (Psalm 119:9-16).

"Well, I don't have a good memory, so I don't waste my time."

Look, I don't have a good memory, but coming before God and reading His Word and reading it again and again and again as it sinks down into your soul as imprints you and changes you and grows you and enlightens you -- the psalmist said that there is nothing better -- not even all riches.

Do you love God?

Then pay your taxes. Obey the laws and those who govern over you, unless they go against the clear teaching of Scripture. And spend time in God's Word, reading God's Word, talking to God, falling more deeply in love with Him and in obedience and devotion to Him.

Let us pray:
Almighty God, we have not obeyed those You have put in authority over us. We have ignored You, or at best, given You our leftovers. God forgive us. Make us a people who stand out by obeying for Your Sake and in Your Name. And may we give back to You what is already Yours in love and obedience, ever deepening. In Jesus' Name, Amen.