Sixth Sunday after Pentecost - Proper 9 (2026)

WHAT MAKES CHRISTIANS DIFFERENT?

Part One: WE BELONG TO CHRIST

Matthew 22:15–22 Daniel 1:3–21; Romans 13:1–7

GOAL

That believers would faithfully fulfill their earthly responsibilities while joyfully confessing that their highest allegiance belongs to Christ, whose kingdom is eternal.

MALADY

We are tempted to confuse the two kingdoms. Sometimes we expect government to provide what only Christ can give—hope, identity, righteousness, and salvation. At other times we neglect our earthly responsibilities or compromise our Christian identity in order to fit comfortably into the world around us.

MEANS

Jesus Christ perfectly rendered to His heavenly Father everything the Law required and willingly submitted Himself to earthly authorities—even to the point of death on the cross. Through His perfect obedience, death, and resurrection He has made us citizens of His eternal kingdom. Through His Word and Sacraments He continually reminds us that we belong to Him and equips us to serve faithfully in both kingdoms until He comes again.

INTRODUCTION

"WHOSE ARE YOU?"

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

This weekend our nation celebrated a remarkable milestone.

Two hundred and fifty years ago, fifty-six men signed the Declaration of Independence.

Across our country there have been fireworks, parades, flags, family gatherings, patriotic songs.

And rightly so. As Christians, we thank God for the blessings He has bestowed upon our nation. We thank Him for the freedoms we enjoy. We remember with gratitude those who have sacrificed—and those who continue to sacrifice—to preserve those freedoms. And as St. Paul urges us, we pray for those whom God has placed in positions of authority over us.

These are all good things.

This morning we also begin a brand‑new sermon series entitled: “What Makes Christians Different?”

From the outside, Christians look much like everyone else. We work the same jobs. Drive the same roads. Shop in the same stores.

But beneath those ordinary activities something extraordinary has happened.

The Holy Spirit, through God’s Word, has given Christians a completely new identity. We belong to Christ.

And because we belong to Christ, we are to see life differently. Think differently. Act differently. In short, we live differently because we belong to someone different.

This morning, on this Independence Day weekend, we begin by asking: What makes Christian citizens different?

And Jesus asks us an even bigger question: “Whose are you?” That is really the question hidden beneath today’s Gospel reading.

The Pharisees think the issue is taxes. But Jesus knows the issue is identity. They ask,

“Should we pay taxes to Caesar?”

Jesus asks,

“Whose image is on the coin?”

I pray that by the time we go home we’ll discover Jesus is really asking another question altogether: Whose image—and whose Name—is upon you?

Because that question changes everything. It is what makes Christians different.

We belong to Christ. And as Christians we live in two realms simultaneously:

—the spiritual realm of the Church

—and the temporal realm of society

and God reigns as Lord over both.

So let’s unpack this to understand whose we are.

IDENTITY BEFORE VOCATION

One of the great gifts of Lutheran theology is what we call the Doctrine of the Two Kingdoms.

Unfortunately, it is often misunderstood.

Some imagine that God has divided the world into two competing realms—as though the Church belongs to one god and government belongs to another.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Because there is only

One God. One Lord. One King. He simply governs His Church and the world in two different ways.

Think of it as His left hand and His right hand:

Through His left‑hand kingdom—the kingdom of this world—He preserves order in this fallen world.

He works through parents, teachers, employers, police officers, judges, military personnel, elected officials.

Through these vocations God restrains evil and promotes peace so that communities may flourish.

But through His right‑hand kingdom, God does something no earthly government can ever accomplish. He forgives sins. Creates faith. Bestows eternal life. Rules through His Gospel. Works through His Word. Feeds His people with His own body and blood.

The same Lord rules both kingdoms, but for different purposes.

Now here’s the important point. The doctrine of the Two Kingdoms does not begin by asking,

“How should Christians live?”

It begins by asking,

“Who do you belong to?”

Identity, you see, comes before vocation. Who you are determines how you live.

Daniel understood that.

Our Old Testament reading takes us into Babylon.

Jerusalem has fallen. The Temple has been plundered. Young Daniel has been carried hundreds of miles from home into a pagan culture.

The pagan king wants Daniel educated in Babylonian literature and language. Daniel doesn’t resist, he agrees.

The king appoints Daniel to serve in the royal court. Daniel agrees.

Daniel is not trying to escape living in the civil pagan kingdom. He studies diligently. Works faithfully. Serves with excellence. He becomes one of the finest public servants in all of Babylon.

Then suddenly Daniel draws a line. The king assigns him food and wine from the king’s table. Here Daniel refuses.

Why? Not because the menu looked unappetizing. The real issue was identity and loyalty.

The meat and wine from the king’s table likely went against God’s dietary laws and were probably tied to pagan rituals. To eat it in that context would have signaled that Daniel was willing to blur the line of who he belonged to.

Daniel 1:8 NIV84

But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine.

So he respectfully drew a line.

But notice what Daniel didn’t do. —He didn’t start a rebellion. —He didn’t insult the king. —He didn’t withdraw from Babylonian society.

Instead, he respectfully sought another way. And God blessed it.

Daniel lived in Babylon. But Babylon never lived in Daniel.

That, dear friends, is what makes Christians different.

God has not called us to withdraw from this pagan world.

Nor has He called us to become indistinguishable from it.

He has called us to live faithfully—that is, knowing where to draw the line— within the pagan world as Christians because we belong to Him.

And that is exactly what Jesus teaches in our Gospel.

WHOSE IMAGE? WHOSE NAME?

The Pharisees thought they had Jesus trapped.

If He said, “Don’t pay taxes to Caesar,” He could be arrested for rebellion.

If He said, “Pay the taxes,” many would think He had sided with Rome against Israel.

It looked like a perfect trap.

But Jesus saw something they completely missed.

“Show me the coin used for paying the tax,” He said.

Someone handed Him a denarius. Then Jesus asked a simple question:

“Whose image and inscription is this?”

They answered, “Caesar’s.”

Of course it was Caesar’s. His image had been stamped onto the coin. It belonged to his treasury. It circulated through his kingdom. It was used to support his government.

Then Jesus spoke those unforgettable words:

Matthew 22:21 NKJV

Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.

For years I read those words primarily as a lesson about taxes. Certainly they include that. Christians should pay taxes. Christians should honor lawful authority.

St. Paul says as much in Romans 13: government is God’s servant for our good. It restrains evil, promotes peace, protects our neighbor. That is part of living faithfully in God’s left‑hand kingdom.

But Jesus’ answer goes much deeper.

He begins with the image on the coin.

Which naturally leads us to another question:

Whose image is upon you?

From the beginning, humanity was made in the image of God. Yet sin has terribly marred that image. But then something remarkable has happened to you.

In Holy Baptism, God did more than wash away your sins. He restored you.

He placed His own Name upon you. The Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

You are not someone who merely believes in Jesus. You belong to Jesus. As the coin bears Caesar’s image. You bear God’s Name. That changes everything.

Before you were an American… Before you were a North Dakotan… Before you belonged to your family or your vocation… God claimed you as His own.

Your deepest identity is not found in your citizenship, not your occupation, not your political party, not even your last name.

Your deepest identity is this: You belong to Christ. And because you belong to Christ, He shows you how to live in both kingdoms.

That identity gives remarkable freedom. It frees us from making politics our religion. It frees us from expecting government to do what only Christ can do. No government can forgive sins. No constitution can promise eternal life. No election can save a soul. Those things belong to Christ alone.

At the same time, our identity in Christ also keeps us from neglecting our earthly responsibilities. Because we belong to Christ, we become good citizens. We pay our taxes. We pray for our leaders. Not because government is our savior, but because Christ is. Our citizenship in heaven teaches us how to live faithfully on earth.

CHRIST BELONGED PERFECTLY TO THE FATHER FOR YOU

If we’re honest, however, we have not always lived this way.

Many times we’ve expected too much from this earthly kingdom—

looking to politics for hope, to government for security, to prosperity for happiness.

Other times we’ve neglected the earthly kingdom altogether— by failing to pray, failing to serve, failing to love our neighbors.

And if the truth be told, there have been moments when fitting into this pagan culture seems more important than remaining faithful to Christ.

Like Israel, we often find ourselves fashioning golden calves. Not out of gold, but out of comfort, popularity, success, security. Our identity becomes wrapped up in things that cannot last.

Think about Daniel again. Imagine if he had simply said, “You know what? It’s just food. Everyone else is eating it. Why make this awkward?” On the surface, it would have looked like such a small compromise. One meal. One decision. One quiet way to fit in. But underneath, something far greater would have been happening. He would have been saying with his actions, “Belonging in Babylon matters more than belonging to the Lord.” That’s exactly the temptation we face. Our “king’s food” may not be meat and wine, but it might be going along with what everyone else is saying, laughing at what everyone else laughs at, staying silent when we should speak, withholding forgiveness when Christ calls us to forgive, or bending our convictions just enough so we don’t stand out. On the outside, it often looks small. But inside, it’s a question of whose we are.

Eating the “king’s food” is blending in when we should stand firm.

Do we act more like citizens of this world than citizens of Christ’s kingdom?

And so today’s Gospel would crush us… if it only told us what we must do. But thanks be to God… Jesus did not merely teach these words. He lived them.

Jesus rendered to Caesar what belonged to Caesar. He paid the temple tax. He respected lawful authority. He stood before Pilate. He submitted to Roman soldiers. He allowed Himself to be crucified under Roman authority.

Yet never once did He surrender His identity. He belonged completely to His Father. He rendered to His Father everything His Father required: perfect obedience, perfect holiness, perfect love, perfect trust— in every moment of His earthly life He kept the Ten Commandments perfectly.

Then He rendered something else. He rendered Himself. His innocent body. His holy blood. His perfect life. Upon the altar of the cross.

For sinners. For idol‑makers. For people who have failed in both kingdoms. For people like us, who have eaten the kings food.

That is why St. Paul can say that our citizenship is in heaven. Not because we earned it, but because Christ purchased it. He brought us into His kingdom through His death and resurrection.

And then He marked us as His own in Holy Baptism. He continues to strengthen us through His holy Word and feeds us with His own body and blood.

Every Lord’s Day He reminds us again:

“You belong to Me. I have redeemed you, purchased you, called you by name. You are Mine.”

Because you belong to Christ, you are free to live faithfully in both kingdoms.

CONCLUSION

What makes Christians different is that we know whose we are. We belong to Christ.

And because we belong to Christ we can love our country without worshiping it.

We can honor our leaders without placing our hope in them.

We can serve our neighbors without forgetting our Savior.

We can forgive others, not because they deserve it, but because Christ has forgiven us.

If we feel we have have been wronged the world would urge us to not let them get away with it. The world would have us make them pay.

But we belong to Christ and He teaches us a different way. Instead of seeking revenge, Jesus calls us to forgive, not once, but 70 times 7 times (Matt. 18:21-22).

We don’t forgive this infinite number of times because the person deserves it. But because Christ has already borne your sin and their sin in His own body on the cross.

We forgive as He has forgiven us.

This weekend, give thanks for our nation.

Pray for those who lead it. Exercise the responsibilities of citizenship with humility and wisdom.

But remember this above everything else:

When every earthly kingdom has passed away… One kingdom will remain forever.

And dear Christian, through Christ, you belong to that kingdom.

Caesar’s image was on the coin. But the Name of the Triune God is on you. When you were baptized, God Himself answered the question, “Whose are you?” He said, “You are Mine.”

Brothers and sisters, You belong to Christ. And because you belong to Christ, you are not confused about which kingdom you belong to.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Prayers of the Church

Let us pray for the whole Church of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs. 

Heavenly Father, we thank You that in Holy Baptism You placed Your holy Name upon us and claimed us as Your own. Keep us steadfast in the faith, that we may never forget whose we are. When the world seeks to shape our identity according to its values and priorities, remind us that we belong to Christ and are citizens of His everlasting kingdom. Lord, in Your mercy, Hear our prayer.

Lord Jesus Christ, through Your Church You continue to call sinners to repentance and faith. Bless all pastors, missionaries, teachers, and church workers who proclaim Your saving Gospel. Grant them courage and faithfulness to preach Your truth with clarity and love, so that many may hear Your voice and follow You. Lord, in Your mercy, Hear our prayer.

Almighty God, ruler of heaven and earth, we thank You for the blessings You have bestowed upon our nation and for those who have sacrificed to preserve the freedoms we enjoy. As we reflect on our nation's history, grant wisdom, integrity, and humility to all who serve in positions of civil authority. Guide them to uphold justice, restrain evil, protect the vulnerable, and promote peace for the good of all people. Lord, in Your mercy, Hear our prayer.

Father of all mercies, teach us to live faithfully in both kingdoms. Give us hearts that gladly honor lawful authority, pray for our leaders, serve our neighbors, and carry out our earthly vocations with diligence and integrity. Keep us from placing our ultimate hope in governments, political movements, or earthly institutions, and fix our confidence firmly upon Christ, whose kingdom shall have no end. Lord, in Your mercy, Hear our prayer.

Gracious Lord, as You preserved Daniel in Babylon and enabled him to remain faithful without compromising who he was, so strengthen us in our own day. Give us wisdom to know where to draw the line when the values of this world conflict with Your holy will. Grant us courage to stand firm in our confession while showing respect and love toward all people. Lord, in Your mercy, Hear our prayer.

Merciful Father, forgive us for the times we have sought our identity in earthly things rather than in Christ. Forgive us when we have remained silent when we should have spoken, compromised when we should have stood firm, or sought acceptance from the world rather than faithfulness to You. Renew us daily through Your Word and Spirit, that we may live as Your redeemed people. Lord, in Your mercy, Hear our prayer.

God of all comfort, remember those who suffer in body, mind, or spirit; those recovering from illness or surgery; those receiving medical treatments; those burdened by chronic pain, grief, anxiety, loneliness, or uncertainty. According to Your gracious will, grant healing, strength, comfort, and peace. Remind them that they belong to Christ, who has redeemed them and called them by name. Lord, in Your mercy, Hear our prayer.

Lord Jesus, You have taught us a different way than the world. When we are wronged, grant us hearts willing to forgive as You have forgiven us. Keep us from bitterness, revenge, and resentment. Help us to reflect Your mercy in our relationships, remembering that You bore both our sins and the sins of those who have sinned against us. Lord, in Your mercy, Hear our prayer.

Gracious Savior, as we gather around Your gifts today, strengthen us through Your holy Word and Sacrament. Remind us again that we are Your people, purchased by Your blood, marked with Your Name, and destined for Your eternal kingdom. Keep us faithful until the day when every earthly kingdom passes away and we stand before You in everlasting glory. Lord, in Your mercy, Hear our prayer.

Into Your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in Your mercy; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Amen.