Render unto God

Introduction

I believe that today will be an important sermon for us. There are times that when I preach, I put a flag into the ground. And I will come back to it consistently. Today is one of those days.

However, in this text, I may not say everything that you want me to say. There are two errors that I have seen in pastors who preach this text: They do to much,or they do too little. My hope is to relay nothing more than what the text says or applies and also nothing less than what the text says or applies.

So think today building a foundation, not necessarily putting on the finishing touches of the building.

Luke 20:19–26 ESV

19 The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people. 20 So they watched him and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, that they might catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor. 21 So they asked him, “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and show no partiality, but truly teach the way of God. 22 Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?” 23 But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them, 24 “Show me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar’s.” 25 He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 26 And they were not able in the presence of the people to catch him in what he said, but marveling at his answer they became silent.

I want to show you a picture of my dad, my mom, and I when I was little. And my little boy looks so much like me. It is unmistakeable and undeniable.

You can see a lot of my father in me. And you can see a lot of me in Henry. The reason I show you that is today, we are going to be talking about the Imago Dei. It is the doctrine that we are created in God’s image.

Explanation

Set the stage:

Jesus influence and power is growing quickly, and it has panicked the scribes and priests. They send people to trick Jesus with a difficult question.

They wouldn’t go themselves for the risk it would bring to them, but they sent people could ask a politically charged question in a seemingly casual way.

Side Note: Just because someone says something kind about you - flattery - doesn’t mean that they intend good for you.

Flattery and selective truth telling are ways that someone might attempt to disarm you into saying or doing something that isn’t wise. (another sermon for another day)

Kent Hughes says two powers bind and fuse people together: love and hate.

The Mark account of this story has a different set of individuals asking Jesus these questions: the Pharisees and Herodians.

The Pharisees wanted the nation of Israel to rise up and take themselves back from the Roman Empire.

The Herodians wanted to keep things just as they are, because they were becoming rich over siding with Rome all the while compromising their nation.

It is telling that both sides hated Jesus. The fact that both were united against Jesus shows that hatred can bind seemingly opposite people.

Tell the story:

They asked a question, “Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?”

What is a tribute? A tribute is a tax or money given.

Why was this a politically loaded question?

If Jesus answered that you should not pay taxes to Caesar, he would have been immediately arrested and tried for sedition. He was speaking against the state. The Herodians would have run back to Pilate, who dealt with even an insurrection with steel and legions. They didn’t play about such words.

If Jesus answered that you should pay taxes to Caesar, he would have lost favor with the people because they loathed paying this tax to their occupier. It was anti-Israel to pay this tax in the eyes of the Israelites.

Be careful about fitting Jesus into a particular political framework. Jesus informs is about our politics. Our politics ought not inform us about Jesus.

So often, we begin to look like our politics when politics becomes our God.

Yet, we ought to look more and more like Jesus.

And when we look more like Jesus out politics will be changed to reflect Him instead of his changing to reflect our politics.

One is the core of who we are, and the other is the application. Jesus is the core, and he is applied to everything else.

Jesus answers them, “Show me a denarius” and asked, “Who’s image is on this denarius?”

Now, I have a picture of a Roman denarius. This is what it looks like.

The image on the denarius is Tiberias who was Caesar at the time. Tiberias was known as a good emperor. He was a great administrator, and his provinces flourished under his reign.

This did not just have the face of Tiberias, but this coin is what the poll tax was explicitly paid with.

Give the punchline:

When they answered, Caesar, he said, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and render to God the things that are God’s.”

Jesus answer was stunning for many reasons. That isn’t my subjective opinion… the people around him are completely silence.

People marvel at how clever this answer was. And we can delight in how God obliterates earthly logic and wisdom. However, there is more than Jesus evasiveness at play here.

APPLICATION: In fact, it is very fitting for the season that we are in. We can learn several principles from this text. How do we live as citizens of a particular nation AND more ultimately citizens of heaven.

Whose image is on the coin? Tiberias, but ultimately God’s.

When Jesus displays that coin, he uses the word likeness. The Greek word for likeness is eikon which means, “image.” This is important, why? Well, image is a very important word in the Scriptures - mainly because it draws upon a text that is familiart to many of you.

Genesis 1:26 “26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.””

You do not bear the image of a political leader. You bear the image of Christ. And that political leader also bears the image of God and will one day answer for their lives, just as you will!

Jesus commands us to submit to our governing authorities - “render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s.”

We are called to obey our leaders. Romans 13:1 “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.” God gave us every leader, and we are to obey them.

We live in a unique day. Jesus, the disciples, and the people Jesus was teaching did not have a voice of dissent concerning political matters, nor did they have the First Amendment by which they could speak freely. That is a unique freedom birthed by our constitution, but ultimately, granted to us by God as those created in the image of God. The applications for this reality are endless. But we start with a Biblical foundation and move from there.

More than that, we ought respectfully pray, intercede, and give thanks for “all people” including kings and rulers so that we can live peaceably with the people around us.This sentiment is echoed in 1 Timothy 2:1–4 “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

Our action must be motivated by our prayer.

We pray for government leaders and those in authority over us, and we live a citizen life through the conviction, love, and warmth we gain from time with Jesus.

God is perfectly pleased in your quiet life. You don’t have to have a perfect political system to please God.

Take comfort in the fact that God is ultimately ruling over every ruler and principality in the world. Proverbs 21:1 “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.”

If you don’t like this - just remember something. Anything you render to Caesar, you render ultimately to God. For there will not be a ruler in authority over any inch of this earth for a minute longer than God wills it.

Rendering to Caesar is limited, and it is subordinate to rendering to God.

Jesus commands us to submit to God above any governing authority - “render unto God what is God’s.” Well, what is God’s? EVERYTHING!

While we are commanded to submit to the authority around us, we are ultimately called to submit to God. If we must violate one, we would violate the rulers in authority over us instead of God.

Christ followers should always refrain when asked to violate a command of God.

Christ followers must never do an immoral act commanded of them by an authority.

Christ followers must never go against their Christian conscience to obey the government.

Christians

John Piper says it this way, “God sends us to worldly institutions as sojourners (one without a home), so that we would bear witness to them that they are not ultimate, but God is.

Kevin DeYoung makes a great point be a good citizen even when you struggle with what your government is doing.

I know we are living in a strange day. As Christians, we should look at the state of America and feel a little homeless, even a little out of sorts.

Just because the government doesn’t do good doesn’t mean you abdicate your responsibility to be a good citizen.

Make your community a better place, love Jesus, and share the gospel with your neighbor. *read For Election Day (p. 364)

Invitation

Our King is bigger, better, and greater than any king of the earth.

Not only does he rule, but he submitted himself to His father and sacrificed himself so that others could go free.