TAXES & OFFERINGS; CAESAR & GOD

TAXES & OFFERINGS; CAESAR & GOD Matthew 22:15-22 April 15, 2007 Given by: Pastor Rich Bersett [Index of Past Messages] Introduction I am holding a quarter, an attractive coin made of copper and nickel, worth 25 cents, a fourth or quarter of a dollar, 2 bits. Five of them might get you a cup of coffeeIt doesn’t buy a lot, but I can remember getting a bottle of RC Cola and a Slim Jim for a quarter—and I think I got 2 cents in change! That would cost you more than ten times that now. I also remember when I had my first job. A quarter paid federal taxes on about $6.00 in wages. Now with Social Security and Medicare a young man declaring no deductions will owe Uncle Sam about six quarters on six dollars of wages. And I remember attending Catholic Mass as a boy. My regular offering back then was a nickel. Of course that went up to a dime when I got my paper route. I was impressed one Sunday when I saw Mikey Hoffmann put a quarter in the basket. You’re looking at a picture of the Illinois state quarter from its inaugural minting in 2003. It commemorates the statehood of Illinois which was granted in 1881—back when a quarter had the buying power of almost ten bucks. That’s an image of Abraham Lincoln stamped on the face of the quarter. We tend to put images of past great leaders on our coins; but in Jesus’ day emperor’s put their images on their country’s coins while they were still alive—sort of an ego trip. Tiberius was no exception. One day Jesus held in His hand a coin with the image of Tiberius on it. It was one memorable day when He outsmarted and publicly humiliated a group of temple and government leaders with His wise answer to their trap door question. Let’s read the account at Matthew 22:15-22. Narrative Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. The Pharisees proper are not in this encounter as they had been before. It would not have been politically correct for them to be seen fraternizing with these political hooligans, the Herodians. So they sent “their disciples” with their carefully-composed question for Jesus. This other group was a politically savvy bunch, loyal to Herod, the local governor (or king)—hence, the Herodians. These two groups are strange bedfellows, and when they arrive someplace together you know something’s up, the disciples of the Pharisees representing the religious perspective, and the Herodians who represented government concerns. It’s sort of like a church & state rumble, only they’re on the same team playing tag team against Jesus. And their goal: to trap him in his words. “Teacher,” they said, “we know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are.” ‘Talk about buttering someone up! They have broken out a big tub of Parkay and they are laying it on thick! Jesus didn’t need to use on any divine power to discern the schmooze going on here. He’s well on His guard. Whenever a snake starts complimenting you, it’s time to step back out of his striking range! The Bible gives similar advice in Proverbs 29:5 – Whoever flatters his neighbor is spreading a net for his feet. Notice how they try to set Him up: they make a big deal out of His being His own man, and not kow-towing to popular notions or the opinions of powerful people. They’re trying to set Him up to speak treasonous words against the emperor and his tax laws. Tell us, then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? (Matthew 22:17) If He doesn’t oppose paying taxes to Caesar, He’ll look like a loyalist, siding with the Herodians. If He does oppose the tax, He will come across as a religious fanatic who speaks against Rome. Then they’ll have grounds to do what they want with Him, which we know from Matthew 21:46, was to arrest Him. Now they’ll get Him—or so they thought! But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, “Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription? “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then he said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away. It must have shocked the connivers when Jesus shot a response right back at them. I imagine they were expecting to see Jesus looking nervous after posing such a question for Him. They probably expected Him to hem and haw and scratch His chin and say, Uh, well, uh, let’s see, that’s a tough one… Instead, He takes the verbal rebound and heads down court. And what a stinging reply: You hypocrites! Suddenly the hunters become the prey; the spoilers are spoiled. Instantly he has them eating out of His hand. He says, Let’s see the coin used for paying taxes. C’mon, c’mon, you know—a denarius—give me one. And they pony right up—uh, sure, sir, here’s one right here! Jesus explains with wit and wisdom the key truth of the matter concerning taxes, citizenship, church & state—you name it—He shakes out every wrinkle with a few well-chosen words. The Awesome Wisdom of God: Simple, True, Satisfying Hey, guy (if he was Randy on American Idol, He’d say, Okay, look here, dog!), it’s real simple—if it’s got someone’s name and picture on it, it belongs to that guy! Read my lips—Tiberius Caesar minted the coin; if he wants it back, give it to him! And, by the way, if you see anything around you that God made, or bears His imprint, dude, it’s His! And if He asks for it back, I wouldn’t hesitate! Text: They were amazed! Brilliant! Genuine wisdom is so cool! So simple, so true, so satisfying. You know, I love it when Jesus turns the tables and makes the worldly wise look foolish! I can’t help it—some primal joy deep within me wells up when that happens. Jesus is the immortal, almighty, omnipotent God; Jesus is my Savior; Jesus is my Lord; but, when I read this story, He’s also my Hero! Now these men had probably stayed up half the night with their mentoring Pharisees, carefully crafting the perfect question for Jesus. They probably said, Yeah, that’s it! We’re forcing Him to answer one of two ways, and either way, we’ve got Him! He’ll incriminate Himself whichever way He answers. Now, we want the Herodians there with you, and make sure there is a good size crowd watching. This is the mother of all trick questions, and you are going to NAIL Him! But with one swift reply, just a coin, two questions and a command, Jesus unravels the entire tapestry of their scheme. I want to quickly point something out here. Part of the charm of the way Jesus handled these scammers is that He used the illustration of the coin to not only answer their question in a most incisive way, but He answered a lot of other questions at the same time. He used both sides of the coin, in a manner of speaking. But this was not mere expediency or diplomacy. You know, it wasn’t like He was out to please everybody. No, He was out for truth—pure, unmitigated truth. He said it is right to give to Caesar what is his and to God what is God’s. That is utterly profound in its simplicity. Jesus wasn’t even trying to be impartial or clever. He was just being RIGHTEOUS. When they heard this they were amazed. So they left him and went away. When real truth is released, evil intenders and evil doers are stunned into silence. We’re on the sidelines, cheering with the angels, Yeah, so what do you have to say to that? There isn’t anything to say when God makes His perspective plain. So, outsmarted, outclassed and out of ideas, the tag team of Pharisites and Herod’s boys tuck their tails, turn and head home. Unpacking the Message for Us And we’re left standing here, basking in the glow of wisdom’s triumph, reveling in truth’s victory over deceit and worldly ideology. But you know as well as I that we’re not done with the Bible’s stories and glories until we’ve applied the truth to our lives and started obeying it. What do we take away from this encounter? Let’s review the truth that we enjoyed watching Jesus nail His enemies with, and let’s see what message is left for us. Let our prayer be, Lord, let us be amazed also! Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s. What about taxes? (How appropriate is this theme on April 15?) We Christians know we are citizens of another Kingdom, that our true home is not this world. We also know there are a lot of things that go on in government and politics we simply cannot endorse—laws that protect and promote ungodly behavior, rulings that increasingly impinge the constitutional rights of God-fearing people, and even our precious freedoms which permit both the virtuous and the vile to go public. Sometimes it seems like it would be easier to just opt out and say I don’t think I want to support this government any more! And I don’t know anyone who is happy about the inequity of our tax system, and I know very few who don’t think they are paying too much. But when Jesus said, Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, I don’t think He was kidding. Elsewhere the Word of God is very clear on this. God is not interested in His children tainting their witness to others by being bad citizens. And it holds true in the affairs of state, as it does in all other areas, that God has some things for us to learn in the discipline of obedience. Romans 13:7 goes right to the point: …if you owe taxes, pay taxes… The principle appears in Ecclesiastes 8:2 – Obey the king’s command, I say, because you took an oath before God. It is out of reverence for God that we obey the law of the land. Paul wrote to the Romans, …he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves . . . it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment, but also because of conscience. (Romans 13:2, 5) The apostle Peter commanded even those Christians later in the first century who were being systematically terrorized and even killed in the early Neronian persecution: Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men…. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king . . . it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. (1 Peter 2:13, 17, 19) Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s wasn’t just forensics to Jesus; it wasn’t just a derivative point in a larger argument. Obedience to civil authority, including taxes, has a place in God’s divine economy in our lives, in our governments and in His Kingdom. Conclusion: Gracious Giving Give to God what is God’s. When approaching the question What is God’s? there are clearly two answers: 1. EVERYTHING is God’s. The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it… declares the opening verse of Psalm 24. 2. THE FIRSTFRUITS are God’s. In the older covenant, it commanded of everyone that he give the “tithe” (10%) right off the top of all his increase to the Lord. And it must be the very best of what they had. That principle did not die with the arrival of the New Covenant in Christ. I don’t mean the “tithe,” but the first fruits principle. God wants our very best, the first and the best of what we have. There is no command in the New Testament that even hints Christians are under obligation to give the 10% of their income. Why was it a command in the Old Testament and not in the New? Of course it would be a command in the Older Covenant—everything God wanted the Jews to do he had to make into a commandment! Their hearts were sinful, their motives were selfish and their ability to do anything good or worthwhile for God on their own was nonexistent! That’s right—they were just like you and me! But then, that’s why Christ redeemed us: to make a pure and righteous people who would glorify Him in their good deeds. His plan all along was to give humanity a new heart and to write His law, His expectations, on our hearts. His plan from the beginning was to redeem a people in whom He would place His own dear Spirit, who would teach them to want to do good and empower them to do it! Now, why in the world would God resort to a tired old commandment to motivate His people to give when His own Spirit is alive in them, working to will and to act according to his good purpose?! (Philippians 2:13) Preacher Adrian Rogers makes a great point when he says, "Any (Christian) who will let a Jew do more under the law than he would under grace is a disgrace to grace!" I think He's right. Why doesn’t God just “tax” His people ten percent and get it over with? It would be so simple, wouldn’t it? He is not going to command a tax of the people He has saved through the grace of His Son for the same reason we don’t tell our loving spouses what to give us for our birthday. Maybe He doesn’t give us a dollar figure for the same reason that we resent the imposed gratuity at a restaurant when we have a group of five or more. I’ve heard it a thousand times: Well, if 18% is all they want, then that’s all they’ll get. If they hadn’t told me what to tip, they’d have gotten a lot more from me! When it comes to financial stewardship, I want you to know that your Pastor trusts the Spirit of God in you, and I will not beg or browbeat, manipulate or manhandle, complain or coerce you. I leave that to God. Here is what I will do: I will teach and preach; I will pray and model; I will encourage and exhort. That’s my job—that’s what I do! But Rich, you’re not answering the question for me: How much should I give? You visit with the Lord about that, and remember what Jesus said, Give to God what is God’s. Meanwhile, I’ll be bringing you teaching and reminders from God’s Word that will help you conclude what you personally ought to give to Him. Give generously. Give cheerfully, not under compulsion. Give sacrificially. Give gratefully. Give regularly. Give to God, not to get. Give to grow. Give to see the gospel extended to all people. Give secretly. Here’s a quick summary: Give til it hurts and give til it feels good. Do your best to find the intersection of those two ideals, and give to God what is God’s.   [Back to Top]