Caesar in the Park

Matthew 22:15-22

Jesus teaches our right response to government: submit to government authority whenever you can, submit to God always. Christians should be the most respectful servant-hearted citizens of all, EXCEPT where the government would contradict God’s Will and Way. We walk in this now in the park, respectfully obeying God’s leading and call over Northglenn’s silly park rule. As governments change, we can expect new conflicts between Caesar and God. May Jesus give us wisdom to give Caesar his due, and give God everything always.

Rebel Without a Cause

This one time… we stayed up WAY past midnight.

True story.

It was at Conference, and that’s a bunch of church leaders and their children gathering from around the country to hang out for a week at a college campus. As a teenager, this was magical. Do I want to hang out for a week with a bunch of my friends on a college campus… largely unsupervised? Yes, yes I do.

There was a curfew, something like 11pm. And in retrospect that was a good rule. And there were folks tasked with making sure all us teenagers were in by the curfew. Again, in retrospect, these were adult volunteers struggling to stay up, wandering around in the dark with flashlights, just trying to keep everyone safe and all.

But in our mind, that was the MAN! And we found ourselves out after curfew, having too much fun, but making our way back to the dorm… and from far away we spot the flashlight of The Man coming.

So we, there’s a group of 6 of us, we run and dive into a ditch. Then peeking out over the ditch, we saw “the Man” look the other way, and we run out of the ditch, behind the building and make it safely inside the dorm.

Well… most of us did. One of my friends, Heidi, she had her head down when the rest of us got up and ran. So she didn’t see us. I guess didn’t hear us. She stayed in the ditch. And “the MAN” came over, probably having seen a bunch of ninja teenagers run out of this ditch, and shined his flashlight right at her.

But it’s okay, she came up with a brilliant cover story. She goes “Oh… what? What time is it? I fell asleep????!!!”

Brilliant. Amazing acting. Yeah, we all got called in front of the disciplinary board and had to explain our adventure to our parents.

That was my great teenage rebellion.

When is it okay to break the rules? Is every teenager right that the “rules are dumb” and surely don’t apply to us and we know better?

When is it okay to break the law?

And, obviously this is super topical, as last week I received my first criminal citation for our reckless rule breaking. Pastor Ron got one on Tuesday.

When is it okay to break the rules?

Pharisees and Herodians

There are a couple groups in our story that have radically different answers to this question.

Pharisees - Are all about NO compromise with Rome or Hellenism more generally. That’s why they mostly live out in Galilee.

The only ones more removed, more separated, are the almost monastic Essenes, whom John the Baptist may have been associated, from whom we inherit the “Dead Sea Scrolls.”

Then there are the Herodians. As in the people of Herod. Herod the Great, best friends with Caesar. Convinced Caesar, with a healthy donation, to give him rulership over the Judean region. Total cooperation, integration, capitulation to Rome and Hellenism.

So the fact that we have the Pharisees AND the Herodians conspiring together on the very subject that so divides them… we see enemies uniting against Jesus.

Matthew 22:15–16 ESV

15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. 16 And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances.

Good old flattery. Butter up the Jesus and maybe he won’t notice the coming trap.

You’re not afraid, are you Jesus? You are so brave, you are so willing to say the hard thing, the true thing, surely you aren’t afraid of offending half the people, all the people, right?

Matthew 22:17–18 ESV

17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites?

Not a generic insult. “Actors.” You pretend like you are asking, but you aren’t. You pretend like you don’t have your own answer to this question, but you do. In fact, you know for a fact that this very question will get at least half the audience up in arms.

It’s like you have a nice collection of Democrats and Republicans at a party, and you ask an “innocent question” about the second amendment, or abortion.

They are intentionally stirring the pot to get Jesus in trouble.

Matthew 22:19–20 ESV

19 Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20 And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?”

Here is the coin. Each Emperor, each Caesar, stamping their own head on new coinage.

Matthew 22:21–22 ESV

21 They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22 When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.

They “marveled.” Why? Not only because he had escaped their trap, but he had revealed the path of wisdom so clearly, so concisely, visually, obviously once He said it.

Truth bomb. No response possible.

Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.

That’s clear. At least when it comes to coins with Caesar’s actual face on it. Let’s break this down.

What is God’s?

Everything is God’s. Full stop. He made it all, the Universe and everything and everyone in it from NOTHING. Ex nihilo. Full stop. That’s a narrative above every other Creation story they knew about, the Greeks, the Romans, their gods are born from the gods before, and them from the “stuff” before, it’s turtles all the way down.

But the True God was before all Creation. All that is is because He spoke it… and so He owns all of it. More fully and truly than you or I have every owned anything in our lives. It’s all His.

So to God what is God’s? That would be… everything.

We could use that as a trump card to get out of giving Caesar anything at all. Is that what Jesus intended?

What is Caesar’s?

He started by showing Caesar’s picture on the coin. The clear implication? The coin is Caesars.

And they might ask, what has Caesar done for us? With the implication that Caesar has done nothing for them. If Jesus had said that it would have gotten a big cheer from the Zealots, from most of his disciples, likely, from the Pharisees, but NOT from the Herodians. They were fans of the Romans and the creature comforts they brought.

The Romans brought hospitals, everywhere they went. They brought roads. They brought Peace, Pax Romano, the Peace of Rome, enforced by the sword, brutal yes… but a Peace that lasted for centuries. They brought entertainment, they brought plumbing, they brought sewers, those are MAJOR life upgrades.

And in return, they ask for taxes.

And Jesus’ implications is that Caesar is due his taxes. That it is in some measure fair and appropriate, he provided the coinage, so give taxes back to him. Elsewhere he talks about carrying the soldier’s packs an EXTRA mile when they legally force you to go one mile.

This is not the talk expected from a Messiah. What kind of a revolutionary is this??? I kind of imagine Judas and Simon the Zealot are FREAKING out right now. This may well be a big part of the people of Jerusalem turning on him in the next couple days. And even Judas’ betrayal, it’s our best guess to a human “why”.

For the last hundred years under Roman rule the temple has wrestled any bit of power and influence they can get. The synagogues in all the small towns, trying to protect their little measure of power and influence and authority. And every power of Rome comes at the cost of their own, so they resent every tax, every new rule, every power of the government… and long for the day they can throw off Rome.

Here is what Jesus presents. It is ALL God’s, and within God’s domain there is the legitimate purview of Caesar. As well as the Temple, which Jesus already cleaned out and prophetically judged. And the religious leaders… which like fruitless fig trees, Jesus has prophetically judged as well.

So when Rome is set in governing authority… obey Rome as far as it is in line with God’s law, God’s will.

Is there a circle of authority Rome has that God doesn’t have? Nope. So ANY order that is outside of Rome’s rightful authority is ALSO out of Rome’s rightful authority.

I’ll make this claim:

We are to obey government unless it conflicts with God’s Commands.

I don’t think it’s any accident that what is coming is the Great Commandments.

Great Commandment?

Sneak preview of what’s coming, the Great Commandments, just down a few verses here. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, strength, soul. Love your neighbor as yourself.

And when and where the laws of Rome, the commands of Rome’s Empire conflicted with those great laws… and all the laws summed up by them, the early church stood firm in dissent.

Peter - God Over Government

Hear Peter teach on this, likely writing in Rome itself:

1 Peter 2:13–17 ESV

13 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

Peter isn’t alone, Paul writes the same in Titus 3, in Romans 13. We see the same principle writing in the Babylonian exile from Jeremiah, from Daniel.

Remember, this is Peter who, while he may not have been a zealot, was ready and willing to bear the sword against the Roman guards when they arrested Jesus. He was a spitfire, cutting ears off as needed.

Yet he writes. “Honor the emperor.” I don’t think he would have been caught dead saying that in his years of immaturity, even at this time in Matthew following after Jesus. But the Spirit working in him, teaching him patience, teaching him to fight the RIGHT fight.

“Be subject for the Lord’s sake...” Not because those governments get it all right, or are themselves worthy of submission. They aren’t. Especially that Roman government. WAY worse than anything we have going on yet.

But what about when their IS a conflict between the will of God and government?

What about when there is attention between “Fearing God” and “Honoring the emperor?”

But when it comes to a conflict, hear Peter and the apostles:

Acts 5:27–29 ESV

27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, 28 saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” 29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.

And he preaches pure gospel to them. And they beat them and sent them off and then:

Acts 5:41 ESV

41 Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.

And, speaking of a tension between “Fearing God” and “Honoring the Emperor”, Peter was eventually crucified in Rome, crucified upside some traditions tell us, preaching Jesus… obeying God rather than men.

Citations in the Park

So where does our current “Civil Disobedience” in the Park stand?

Shouldn’t we “submit to all governing authorities” of which Northglenn is certainly one? Yes. When and wherever we can, as fully as we can.

Here is the authority structure as I see it. We have the division of authority between municipal, state, and Federal… all of those operating within and constrained by the Constitution.

To be clear, I believe on these grounds alone, the “park rule” we are supposedly breaking fails on this front. It is a violation of our right to free speech, our right to assemble, and above all our right of religious expression.

But look, here’s God’s Domain again. Rome is still in there, sure. And the US Constitution. And little bitty bitty there is Northglenn. Shall we obey and submit to Northglenn’s laws and rules everywhere we can? Absolutely.

But here, we believe we are doing what God has called us to do, where God has called us to do it, in the way God has called us to, loving who He has called us to love.

That Second Greatest Commandment? Love our neighbors… that’s our call.

Can we love in another way, another place and time? Yes, and if God leads us to that we will.

And at the very least, we will and are and have been, shine light on the unfortunate fact that the city wants very explicitly to shut down this act of love, this religious exercise done in the name of, for the love of, for the glory of Jesus.

Speaking before City Council. Speaking before the DISE board. Speaking in a couple weeks to the Parks board.

This is one way, one moment. But I do believe that more of this is coming. When our first loyalty to our King of Kings, our first citizenship of His Kingdom will come at odds with what governing authorities tell us is allowed or not allowed.

This may come as you learn to be a bold witness for the name of Jesus and people want to shut your mouth.

This may come as you are led to opportunities to love on the outcasts, the hurting and hungry, the condemned, the broken, the tax collectors and prostitutes. People will make rules against associating with them and condemn you for it. Footsteps of Jesus.

Where we will need wisdom to see what is good. To see where God is. To be light and salt in this world.

“We must obey God rather than men.”

God give us wisdom to see it, to recognize when we are in it… and then the simple courage to ignore the noise and follow Christ.

Follow him to the cross. Follow him to the end. Follow him no matter what.

Because it’s all His Domain, His World, His footsteps we walk in… and my life is His.

“We must obey God rather than men.”