Questions from Hypocrites: Faith in a Political World

How to ruin a party

You want to know how to ruin a party?

Start a conversation about religion or politics, especially in the month of October in an election year.

Well, we are going to talk about both today! Aren’t you glad you came to church?

Here is the reason we are going to talk about politics and faith today.

Because it is the next passage in our journey through Matthew.

We didn’t plan this to fall 9 days before election day.

But in God’s providence, this is where we are and it is my prayer that this passage will be a help to all of us as we navigate this season in our country.

A few disclaimers:

This is not an exhaustive sermon on faith and politics. We are letting the passage guide us like we do every week. I won’t answer every question you have, and might not even have an answer to some of your questions at all.

You won’t hear me endorse a candidate or a party (other than Cyd Cook for school board, you gotta write her in for Hartford).

You might try to draw some line to candidates or parties from what I am saying, but you are inferring those, they are not my lines.

The pulpit on Sunday morning isn’t the place to tell you who to vote for, it is a place for drawing our attention to God’s Word so that the Spirit might guide us to all truth, that we can navigate through decisions like who to vote for.

Finally, there is a lot of division and a lot of emotion tied to these topics, but as Christians, love and unity is our calling and our mission, so let’s not lose sight of that today, in the coming weeks, and beyond.

Hypocritical Questions #1

We are in a section of Matthew were Jesus is clashing with the religious leaders of the day.

Jesus came to Jerusalem on what we call Palm Sunday and He immediately caused a stir among the religious elites by turning over tables in the Temple and kicking out the money changers.

Last week, Jesus was confronted by members of the Jewish ruling class, asking who gave Him the authority to do such things.

Jesus told them 3 parables, each revealing their heart as hypocrites

This next section consists of 4 questions that the religious leaders are seeking to use to give them a reason to have Jesus arrested and done away with.

These are the Questions from Hypocrites, and this first one has to do with the intersection of faith and politics, and paying taxes.

Matthew 22:14–22 CSB

14 “For many are invited, but few are chosen.” 15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to trap him by what he said. 16 So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are truthful and teach truthfully the way of God. You don’t care what anyone thinks nor do you show partiality. 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” 18 Perceiving their malicious intent, Jesus said, “Why are you testing me, hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin used for the tax.” They brought him a denarius. 20 “Whose image and inscription is this?” he asked them. 21 “Caesar’s,” they said to him. Then he said to them, “Give, then, to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22 When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.

I want to share three Exhortations/Encouragements from this passage as we consider how we are to navigate the intersection of faith and politics in our world.

1. Beware of the LURE of political PROMISES. (15-17)

Matthew tells us there were 2 groups that plotted against Jesus, seeking to set a trap for Him.

The Pharisees are not a new group for us; they were the religious zealots of the day.

They were serious about the Law and sought to help people understand, apply, and live out the mandates of the Law in all aspects of life.

They were deeply religious and not very big fans of the Roman government.

The there were the Herodians, who were Jews who had hitched themselves to the political family represented by Herod.

They were sympathetic to the Roman government and much more secular in the way they viewed the world and they way they lived.

These 2 groups really had nothing in common and were most often not on peaceful terms

But when it came to Jesus and their fear of Him, they had found a cause that brought them together.

They attempt to trap Jesus with a question about paying taxes to Caesar.

There question was about the Tribute/Poll, a tax that went straight to Rome.

It was a tax the Pharisees would have hated and would have even spoken out against it.

But the Herodians would have saw it as a necessary part of being a citizen of Rome.

This is where heart of their trap.

If Jesus answers “no” to their question, that it is against God’s law to pay the tax, then the Herodians have a reason to arrest Jesus.

He is a revolutionary, plotting against the Roman government to lead people to not pay their taxes.

On the other hand, if He says “yes” it is lawful to pay the tax, the Pharisees will accuse Him of being a sellout to Rome and will discredit Him among His followers.

This is a good representation of the tension that exists between political and religious ideas and obligations.

Believers today face similar traps in our modern world.

When what we believe and how we live is tested by what the culture around us teaches is normal and expected.

Neither of these groups were being guided by what they believed was true and right.

They were being guided by what they had decided was most advantageous to themselves.

It required both groups to compromise their values in order to accomplish what they thought would make their lives easier, or less threatened.

They believed the promises and were willing to sell out to receive them.

There are a lot of promises and visions of a better life being sold to us in our culture today.

Not just in politics, though that is that is front of mind today.

The temptation is to sell out to those promises, set our hope on them, and compromise our Biblical convictions, rather than fix our hope what we know is true and right.

What happens in 9 days is important and will affect our lives in a variety of ways, but it shouldn’t change our hope.

2. Seek WISDOM and TRUTH instead of BIASED RHETORIC. (18-19)

Jesus calls them hypocrites here, meaning “someone who pretends to be something they are not”.

He saw through them from the start.

He knew the Pharisees' weren’t genuinely seeking a truthful answer.

They were using flowery language to try to lure Jesus into a trap.

His awareness of their malice underscores a divine discernment that Christians are also called to exercise.

This illustrates the importance of wisdom and insight when engaging with political issues.

Jesus’ ability to discern hidden agendas teaches us to engage thoughtfully, carefully, biblically, and prayerfully.

Are the ideas and policies being presented expressing the truth and values of the Bible?

There are some issues that are directly spoken about in the bible

There are others we can find guiding principles

And there are others the bible seems to be silent on.

We need to have the discernment to hear with biblical ears.

Are we praying for wisdom and for insight into who we are voting for and why we are voting?

Party loyalty should never be more important than faithfulness to God.

Like Christ, we must engage with the world with spiritual insight, seeking wisdom and understanding from God when encountering political ideas, and avoiding getting caught up in deceitful arguments and reactionary rhetoric.

3. Don’t compromise DEVOTION to God for DEVOTION to man. (21-22)

Jesus’ famous response, "Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s," highlights the dual responsibilities Christians hold.

Notice Jesus’ wisdom in differentiating between what belongs to Caesar and what belongs to God.

Jesus seems to be telling them that they should pay their taxes as the Roman government has commanded.

It is a civil duty and a reflection of Jeremiah 29 7

Jeremiah 29:7 CSB

7 Pursue the well-being of the city I have deported you to. Pray to the Lord on its behalf, for when it thrives, you will thrive.”

But Jesus is also saying that our ultimate allegiance isn’t to Caesar or any other earthly person or nation. Our ultimate allegiance is to God.

By saying give “to God what is God’s” Jesus is placing Caesar under God.

Though Caesar’s face might be on the coin and it be right that we engage with societal institutions like government, taxes, and elections, those people and institutions are ultimately under God.

This verse teaches the importance of fulfilling our earthly duties while prioritizing spiritual obligations.

We, as followers of Jesus, must learn to balance our roles as citizens and Christians, ensuring our role as citizens of our country reflects and doesn’t overpower our allegiance and obedience to God.

By voting, we have a voice in shaping the values and priorities of our society.

It’s not about placing all our hope in human systems, but about doing our part to shine God’s light into the world and to advocate for leaders and policies that reflect the values of His Kingdom.

Our ultimate loyalty is to God’s kingdom, and as Christians we must live faithfully within society without compromising our devotion to God.

3 Practical Suggestions

I am not hinting, suggesting, or endorsing any candidates in these suggestions.

I am not afraid of government pressure, cultural consequences, or someone here getting offended.

But I have read, studied, discussed, prayed, and am wrestling with these very arguments right now in my own heart and mind, so none of these are meant to highlight any candidate above another.

1) Don’t IGNORE or EXCUSE character.

Proverbs 14:34 CSB

34 Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.

No one is perfect and there is no perfect candidate in any election.

We are not voting for Jesus, but that doesn’t mean character shouldn’t be a factor in our choice of who to vote for.

I have heard people point to Matthew 5 and Jesus words about us being “salt and light” as being the reason we can excuse the character of a candidate.

But if we as Christians are making excuses or blatantly ignoring the character or a candidate in order to talk ourselves or others into voting for them, how does that shine the light of Jesus into our culture?

How can we be preservers of Godliness and righteousness if we don’t acknowledge the outward sinfulness of someone running for office?

Character MUST be a consideration and a factor for us Christians as we vote.

2) Don’t MINIMIZE or OVERLOOK evil.

Paul tells us in Romans 12:9 to “Detest evil and hold fast to what is good.”

And in 1 Thess 5:21-22 he tells us to “Test all things. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil.”

I want to be clear here.

The democratic party has been clear where the party as a whole stands in regards to abortion, homosexuality, and transgenderism.

We cannot minimize or overlook the realities of the policies that are being promoted and enacted in our country in regards to abortion, homosexuality, and transgenderism.

These are tragic errors wreaking havoc on society, and we can’t be silent on them because we want our party to win.

There are examples unGodly policies and ideas in the both the major parties, but don’t fall into the trap of minimizing what can only be labeled evil.

Call out expressly evil things. Don’t minimize them or overlook them just because you want your party to win.

3) Don’t FORGET the MISSION.

Jesus doesn’t tell us to go and win elections, but to go and make disciples.

We live in a country that has historically been safe and welcoming of the Christian message, but that is shifting.

And with that shift, we can feel the pressure and anxiety to try to curb that shift by emphasizing political engagement over mission, but that is not the way.

We should get involved in government. We should vote. And we should promote and defend biblical values and the freedom of religions in our country.

But we do not do these things at the expense or in the place of sharing the name of Jesus with our neighbors and friends.

And here is the reality that might be hard to swallow, but it is a reason to not give up or lose hope:

The gospel thrives in closed and dangerous places.