When the religious leaders sought to trap Jesus in a statement that could get Him arrested and executed, He answered in such a wonderful and wise way that it has given us spiritual instruction both for time and eternity. What is our responsibility to human government? What is our responsibility to God? Find out in this message!
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Render to Caesar and to God
Luke 20:19-26
Will Rogers once quipped, “The only difference between death and taxes is that death doesn’t get worse every time Congress meets.” Paying taxes is one of the most distasteful things we must do. It has been the cause of riots and revolts, and played a huge part in the American Revolutionary War! We just passed April 15. Did you feel cheerful and generous as you wrote out your income tax check to the IRS?!
Well, things were exactly the same in the first century. But for the Jews, paying their taxes to the Romans was particularly irksome, because Rome was a Gentile, pagan, idolatrous occupying force. In our passage in Luke 20 this morning, we are going to examine this very subject.
Luke 20 is basically a sparring contest between Jesus and the religious leaders. The religious leaders hate Jesus and want Him dead. They were particularly infuriated by Him driving out all the buyers and sellers from the temple, and then setting up shop in the temple and teaching the people. So, they are asking questions to trap Him. They are seeking to get Him to say something that will incriminate Him, get Him arrested, and ultimately get Him put to death. So, they first ask Him by what authority He cleansed the temple. Jesus stumped Him by a very wise answer, and then told a parable, letting them know that He knew they were going to put Him to death very soon, but that God was about to take away the kingdom from them, and put it into the wise hands of others, who would bring forth fruit unto God. Then the religious leaders came back at Jesus, and asked Him this question about paying taxes to Caesar.
This passage basically divides itself into two parts. We have first, the deceitful question of the religious leaders. Then we have the discerning answer of Jesus Christ. Let’s look at them together this morning.
1. The Deceitful Question of the Religious Leaders
Verse 19. “The scribes and the chief priests tried to lay hands on Him that very hour, and they feared the people; for they understood that He spoke this parable against them.”
Who was involved? Our text says, “the scribes and the chief priests.” In Matthew 21, we are told that the Pharisees sent their disciples along with the Herodians to ask the question. In this instance, you have all the religious leaders joining arms in a tremendous effort to put Jesus to death. The scribes, the chief priests, the Pharisees, and the Herodians were all in it together. What is so interesting, is that the Pharisees and the Herodians agreed together in this plot. The Pharisees and the Herodians. The Herodians were a party of Jews in Jesus’ day who were in favor of the Herods ruling in Palestine. They endorsed and accepted the government of Rome. They were in profession Jews, but in education, taste, and habit altogether Roman. They were looked on as traitors to the Pharisees. The Pharisees prided themselves on being Hebrews first and last. They said, “we have never been enslaved to anyone.” The Pharisees would have paid taxes to the Romans only under protest. So, here you have Jews who supported the Herods, and you had Jews who opposed the Herods, linking arms together to put Jesus together. Two very strange bedfellows, brought together by an evil, scheming plan.
What Did They Want To Do? Verse 19 says they tried to lay hands on Him that very hour. To lay hands on Christ is a euphemism for take him by force, or to kill Him. This is not the first time that they had schemed of a way to get rid of Jesus. In Luke 6:11, after Jesus healed the man with the withered hand on the Sabbath it says, “But they themselves were filled with rage, and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.” Later in Luke 11, the Pharisees accuse Jesus of doing His miraculous works by the power of the devil. Then at the end of Luke 11, Jesus pronounces six different woes on the Pharisees and lawyers. In verse 53 it says, “When He left there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be very hostile and to question Him closely on many subjects, plotting against Him to catch Him in something He might say.” In Luke 15 we find them grumbling because Jesus received sinners and ate with them. In Luke 16:14 it says, “Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and were scoffing at Him.” In Luke 19:39, some Pharisees demanded that Jesus rebuke His disciples and get them to stop shouting and praising Him. So you can see that the religious leaders have been very hostile to Jesus for quite some time. It has just reached its apex, and they feel the desperate need to get rid of Him as quickly as possible.
Why Did They Want To Do It? Verse 19 says it was because they understood that He spoke this parable against them. Remember, that Jesus had just told them a parable in which there was a wealthy man who planted a vineyard, removed the stones, planted a wall and a tower and a wine vat in it, and then rented it out to vine-growers. However, when he sent his slaves to receive His share of the crops, they beat the slaves again and again, and then murdered his son. Jesus says that the owner of the vineyard will destroy those vine-growers and give the vineyard to others. That is when they understood that the parable was against them. They got it! They understood that they were the vine-growers in the parable. Jesus is growing in popularity and influence with the masses, and they are decreasing in popularity and influence with the masses. Jesus is publicly rebuking them, and they are absolutely infuriated!
Why Didn’t They Do It? However, verse 19 says, “they feared the people.” The people were all hanging on Jesus’ every word (19:48). The common people loved Jesus, respected Him, and heard Him gladly. The religious leaders knew that they couldn’t take Jesus by force when the people would see it. They were afraid of some kind of mass uprising. In Luke 20:6 they said we can’t say John the Baptist’s authority was from men, because the people will stone us, because they are convinced that John was a prophet. These religious leaders want Jesus dead, but they are concerned about their own well being just as much.
What Did They Do? Verse 20 says, “So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, in order that they might catch Him in some statement, so that they could deliver Him to the rule and the authority of the governor.” At this time in history, the Jews had lost the power of capital punishment. Only Rome had the power to execute criminals. Since the religious leaders wanted Jesus dead, they needed to catch Him in a statement that would be a crime against Rome. So, they sent spies to try to catch Him. Now, these spies pretended that they were righteous. They posed as sincere truth-seekers, just wanting Jesus to inform them of the truth, and the best way to obey God’s law, so that they could do it. John Trapp, the Puritan said, “Here is a clean white glove put over a dirty hand.”
How Did They Begin? Verse 21 says, “They questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, we know that You speak and teach correctly, and You are not partial to any, but teach the way of God in truth.” Oh, how these guys knew how to butter someone up! What flattery! First of all, they called Him “Teacher.” How that word must have stuck in their craw! They hate Jesus, and want Him dead, but have to approach Him with the respectful title, “Teacher.” Now, what they said about Jesus happened to be absolutely true. Jesus did speak and teach correctly. He was not partial to any, but did teach the way of God in truth. But by them saying this about Jesus, they are hoping to pump up His ego so high, that He will stick His foot in His mouth, and say something that they can incriminate Him for. They believe that after they have flattered Jesus so highly by saying that He is not partial to any man, but always speaks the truth, that Jesus will speak the truth concerning the Romans, which will get Him arrested and executed.
What Was The Question? The question finally comes out in verse 22, “Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” Both Matthew and Mark say that Jesus was asked about paying the poll-tax. The poll-tax was a tax levied upon the people merely for existing. It was levied against every male from 14 to 65 years of age. It was levied against every female from 12 to 65 years of age. The amount of the tax was a denarius, the amount a common laborer would make in a day. The people had to pay this poll-tax annually.
Why Did They Ask Him This Question? Now, what was the design of this question? Basically, this was a Catch-22 question. There was no real way to answer this question successfully. It’s like the lawyer who asks the defendant, “Have you stopped beating your wife?” They figured they had Him whichever way He answered. If He said, “No, it is not lawful to pay taxes to Caesar?”, then the Herodians would run to the Romans and bring accusations against Jesus of sedition and insurrection. Jesus had such a massive following, that the Romans would step in quickly with force with the first hint that He was leading the people against Rome. However, if Jesus answered, “Yes, it is lawful to pay taxes to Caesar”, then Jesus would lose favor with all the Jewish people who were following Him. You see, the people all believed that the Messiah would be anti-Rome. They believed that when Messiah arrived, He would overthrow the Roman powers, and establish Israel as the great nation above all other nations. So, if Jesus told the people to pay taxes to Rome, He would lose their following and confidence in Him as their Messiah. Either way, the religious leaders win. Either way, Jesus loses. Either Jesus is arrested and executed for insurrection, or He loses His following among the people.
2. The Discerning Answer of the Lord Jesus
Was Jesus Fooled? No, verse 23 says, “But He detected their trickery.” It was impossible to deceive Christ. John 2:24-25 says, “But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.” Jesus could smell their deception a mile away. He could read their hearts. He perceived their wicked and foul motives.
How Did Jesus Respond? Interestingly, He responded to a question with a question. First, He said, “Show Me a denarius.” Perhaps Jesus didn’t have a single denarius Himself on His person, so He needed to ask someone in the crowd to show Him one. Then He asks, “Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar’s.” And He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” Now, the Jews especially hated the denarius, because it had on it the image of the Emperor, the reigning Tiberius, as well as his superscription, “Tiberius Caesar, August Son of the August God.” They would have seen that inscription as blasphemy, and the coinage as idolatry.
What Was Their Duty To Caesar? The Jews were carrying around in their pockets Caesar’s coins. These coins had Caesar’s picture and name on them. Therefore, they must belong to him. Jesus says, “Whatever belongs to Caesar, you should give back to him.” The word “render” means “give back because it is owed.” In other words, Jesus was teaching the Jews that they had an obligation, a duty, to pay taxes to Caesar. The Jews owed something to the Roman government. Why? Because of the benefits they received from it. What possible benefits, you might ask, did Rome confer upon the Jews?! I can think of three principal benefits – protection roads, and the privilege of using Caesar’s minted coinage recognized all across the Empire. The Roman empire was extremely powerful, and held at bay any enemies who might try to attack its citizens, including the Jews. Also, at this time, Rome had built an extensive system of roads all throughout the empire, so that the Jewish people could travel easily from place to place. Jesus was teaching the Jewish people, that the payment of a tax is not a gift, but a debt for benefits received. In short, Jesus’ answer was, “Yes, pay your taxes.”
What Was Their Duty To God? However, Jesus is not done yet. The religious leaders had not asked Jesus what their duty was to God, but Jesus tells them anyway. I have a feeling that this is the portion of Jesus’ answer that we should be emphasizing. We all remember, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s.” However, the really important part of Jesus’ answer was, “And to God the things that are God’s.” Here is Jesus’ reasoning. The image of Caesar is printed on all your coinage. Therefore, give back to Caesar what belongs to him. Moreover, the image of God is printed on every person. Therefore, give back to God what belongs to Him.
Conclusion
So, how should we apply Jesus’ teaching to our lives today?
- We Need To Understand Our Dual Citizenship. Jesus’ answer informs us that we have duties in two different realms – the earthly, and the heavenly. The apostle Paul describes Christians as ambassadors of Christ. Now, an ambassador is a diplomatic representative of one country while living in another. An ambassador finds that he is living under two different kingdoms at the same time. He is called upon to live under the laws and obligations of his home country, but also under the laws of his new country that he is currently living in. Jesus is teaching us in this passage how we are to faithfully discharge our responsibilities as earthly citizens as well as heavenly citizens. Heaven is our true home. However, we are living here on earth. We have responsibilities to heaven and earth.
- We Need To Obey Earthly Government. Now, I’m well aware that I’m about to say some things that some of you will chafe at, and some will probably strongly disagree. Depending on your political views, you may want to debate me afterwards! However, I need to teach what I believe the Scriptures are teaching. You and I, as part of our Christian commitment, must obey earthly government. The apostle Paul brings this out very clearly in Romans 13:1-7, “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience´ sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.” Paul echoes the words of the Lord Jesus here – “render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.”
Peter also expresses the very same truth in 1 Peter 2:13-15, “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.” Peter and Paul speak exactly the same thing, and are in complete harmony with the words of Jesus Christ. And keep in mind, the emperor that was in power when Peter wrote, was most likely Nero, a vicious, Christian-persecuting emperor. To that emperor, Peter wrote, obey every human institution; honor the king.
So, how do we apply, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s”? We pay our taxes. We obey the laws of the land. We respect our governing authorities, our President, and congress. We are respectful and obedient to police and fire department officials. Even when we find we can’t respect the person, we respect the office. We refrain from name-calling, and casting insults at those placed over us. As long as our government does not require us to do something which would violate God’s clear commands to us, we obey them. If the government ever made laws stipulating that we could not pray, or read God’s Word, or meet together, or evangelize, then we would have to exercise non-violent resistance. But until that time comes, we are to be excellent citizens of this world.
- We Need To Devote All That We Are To God. Jesus said, “Render to God the things that are God’s.” Since we were created in the image and likeness of God, we belong to God. Therefore, it is our duty to give ourselves back to God. This is the duty of every person in this world, Christian or non-Christian. It doesn’t matter who you are, because God made you in His image, your duty is to give yourself to God. Well, what are the things that are God’s? This would include your time, money, abilities, worship, and obedience. All of these things belong to God. Because He made you, you owe Him all of those things. Jesus is saying, “render them to God!” Christian man or woman, this is your great duty. Give yourself, and all that you are to God.
Realize that all of your time is His. He gave it to you, and expects you to use it to bring honor and glory to Him. All of your money is His. Use your money for His glory. You are His money-manager. Make sure that when you stand before Him to give an account, He will commend you for it. I fear that far too many professing Christians are using their money however they want, without even giving a thought to whether God approves or not.
Realize that your abilities are His. He gave them to you. He expects you to use your abilities for His glory. If you have a talent to sing, sing for His glory. If He has blessed you with musical talent, use that ability for His glory. If you can sew, or cook, or draw, or are good with computers, use those talents for His glory. Find a way to bring Him honor with your abilities.
Realize that because God created you, and gave you life, and then sent His Son to redeem you, that you ought to worship Him. In our modern age, we worship all kinds of things: the SF 49ers, movie stars, rock stars, money, power, sex, beauty, etc. God made man with an innate need to worship. Our problem is that we worship the wrong things! Our great sin is idolatry. Instead of finding our joy and satisfaction in worshiping Him, we true to find our joy and satisfaction in worshiping a thousand other things. Augustine once wrote, “Thou hast made us for Thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in Thee.”
Realize that all your obedience is due to Him. Since He gave you life, He deserves your obedience. If you had made yourself, you might do whatever you like. But if your life was given you from Another, you owe that Person your obedience.
I really believe this is the great lesson that we are to take away from this passage. Render to God the things that are God’s! Are you rendering to God the things that are God’s? Are you increasingly submitting every area of life to the lordship of Jesus Christ? Even as I am speaking, is the Holy Spirit bringing an area of your life to your mind that you are not submitting to Him? If that is true, then repent of your disobedience this morning, and devote yourself afresh to God and to bring Him glory.
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