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We’re returning to Matthew 22:15-22.
This is during the week leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion.
And we see King Jesus in the city that should welcome Him to take His throne.
But instead, He’s facing one challenge and trick question after another.
In His sovereign wisdom, these questions just end up as opportunities for Him to teach those who listen.
The opportunity that comes this morning comes as Jesus is challenged on His thoughts about taxes.
We’ll see that He truly is an amazing teacher to speak such profound truth out of an unfortunate subject.
Let’s listen to Him as we turn to Matthew 22:15-22
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. 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? 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?” 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.
Trans Intro - [Government waste]
Medicare Overpayments:
Did you know that Medicare made $60 billion in improper payments in 2022 alone
This is according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
This overspending is often caused by processing errors, fraud, & payments to dead people
Social Security Payments to the Deceased:
Speaking of funding people’s ultimate retirement, a 2015 audit by the Social Security Administration revealed they had made $17 million in payments to over 4,000 folks who are no longer alive.
These are examples of mismanagement of hard-earned money that our Federal Government collected.
They seem like reasons why we should NOT be giving money to a government that wastes resources.
And the Roman Empire which was occupying Judea was certainly worse in their idolatrous practices.
But when Jesus was asked about paying a specific tax, He kind of shrugged the issue off.
He basically said, “Give Caesar his money.”
And I’ll explain what I mean by that.
But Jesus also took the opportunity to get us thinking about how we are managing God’s resources.
My intention in sharing these examples of mismanagement is to get us thinking about how well we manage what belongs to God.
From all of this, the key ideas to think about this morning have to do with -
Title: Managing What Belongs to God
Let’s better understand what’s going on in this passage as it plays here in Matthew
15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words.
We’re told this is a plot of the Pharisees to try to trap Jesus by forcing Him to answer a question.
A lot of thought and planning went into this question they would ask.
The word entangle means to “set a trap/snare in order to ensnare.”
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.
The Pharisees send men that aren’t full-fledged members yet - their disciples (Pharisees in training).
It’s possible the thought was to try to make Jesus think they were well-meaning and truly curious.
They’re joined by some of the Herodians.
These are Jews who were actively seeking to increase the power of sinful King Herod over Judea.
Once again, this is an odd alliance that reflects the opposite views of the question that will be asked.
It may be that the entrapment of this moment was to make it appear that Jesus would help settle a debate between these two groups.
We definitely see that part of the plotting to trap Jesus was in trying to get Him to let down His guard.
Along with the odd grouping of lower-level questioners and what seemed like a genuine discussion,
The questioners flat-out lie in order to drop Jesus’ defenses with flattery or seeming admiration
They claim that they know Jesus is being honest in His teaching that that His teaching is really true.
17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”
Finally, once they think Jesus is “buttered-up,” they “spread on the garlic.”
The question about taxes is super controversial.
The specific tax that is in question would be the toll tax which is paid directly to Rome - Caesar being the head of the Roman empire.
The two groups that were represented were basically ready to spread the word to their constituency once Jesus gave His answer.
Imagine that each group had a headline ready to be on the front page.
If Jesus says, “Yes, we should be paying taxes to our Roman oppressors,” the Pharissee-wana-be are ready to spread among the Jews that Jesus wasn’t loyal to His Jewish nation.
If Jesus says, “No, we shouldn’t pay taxes to the pagan empire,” the Herodians would be ready to turn Him in to the governing officials for inciting a rebellion.
There’s another layer to the issue of this tax to the Romans that is highlighted in the next verse.
Jesus asks for the coin for the tax.
This the denarius which has the face of Caesar Tiberius on one side, which is bad enough (graven image)
But the other side of the coin has an inscription on it declaring Caesar to be a god.
So, these issues show another layer to the question of whether it’s lawful for Jews to pay the tax as it had to be paid with this specific coin.
There had actually been a tax revolt around 25 years earlier.
It had to do with the insult that it was that Jews had to pay the tax,
And what made it worse is they had to do so using the coin of the emperor himself.
As normally happens, Jesus is playing 4D chess when everyone else is stuck on normal checkers.
18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? 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?” 21 They said, “Caesar’s.”
We’re specifically told that Jesus knew of their malice (sinfulness of heart as they felt justified to lie).
The word He uses in calling them hypocrites was used for an actor in a play.
They’re just putting on a mask, trying to appear like they have good intentions.
Jesus responds from with wisdom and asks for one of the coins that are used to pay the tax.
He asks them an easy question, and they have to admit that the image of Caesar is on the coin.
Then Jesus delivers the knockout punch
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.
This is one of those mic drop moments.
When he was asked the question, it was worded “is it right to give the tax to Caesar.”
Jesus’ answer used the term render which means to “give back to Caesar what is his.”
Caesar’s face is on it because Caesar minted it.
And Jesus, “Give back to Caesar what belongs to him.”
Jesus turns the whole discussion to something far more profound (As He normally does).
He reminds all that are hearing and everyone that has read this - God is owed what belongs to Him.
From this point, I want to focus on significance of what Jesus says here.
My hope is that we might marvel at Jesus and the truth that He delivers much like His hearers did.
The term here means to be extraordinarily impressed or disturbed.
I would imagine upon hearing that you owe everything to God, if you’re living for Him, you’d ne impressed
But, if you dislike living with all surrendered to the Giver of all good things, you’d be disturbed.
When addressing this issue of the relationship of government, us, & God is a great question to ask is, What belongs to God?
What can help us answer this question is to -
1. RECOGNIZE THAT GOD OWNS EVERYTHING, INCLUDING US.
“Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
It’s pretty clear from the first statement of the oldest truth of Genesis 1:1 -
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”
The Psalmist tells us in -
* Psalm 33:6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.
God asks
* Isaiah 42:5 Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it…
As if we needed Him to answer this question for us, He says in v. 8-9
I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols. Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.”
Jesus didn’t ask, Who does this coin belong to?
Jedidiah would’ve raised his hand and said, “It’s mine. Can I have it back?”
He asked, who’s image is on this coin.
Like that coin, we’ve been stamped with an image as well
Most of you are familiar with the fact that we also have an image stamped on us.
* Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
We must recognize that God created all things for His own purposes.
* Colossians 1:16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
“All things” that were made by and for Christ includes us.
We’ve been made through Christ and for Christ.
And, Ephesians tells us, having been redeemed by Christ, we are remade in His image once again.
* Ephesians 4:24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
These truths should lead God’s redeemed to proclaim with the heavenly beings -
* Revelation 4:11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
?- Do you live your daily life with the recognition that you are created and bought and paid for by God.
?- Do you seek from Him what are His purposes for your daily life no matter where His will takes you?
I don’t know about you, but I do a lot better with this before I think I’ve had enough.
What belongs to us?
What can help us answer this question is to -
2. RECOGNIZE THAT OUR RESOURCES ARE GOD’S RESOURCES.
We’re talking here about the fact that, if God owns us, He owns all our stuff.
It’s fitting to talk about our stuff because Jesus is talking about physical resources here.
The tax is asked about and the He makes the point that the coin was minted by Caesar.
But the coin still had to be obtained through work and exchange.
The issue is still about our physical stuff and who we believe it ultimately belongs to.
So Jesus’ answer centers around the idea that we belong to God
And the stuff we have should be used for His glory.
Throughout the scriptures, we see the call to glorify God with what He’s given us.
John makes the point that we should lay our lives down as Jesus did and specifically with our stuff.
* 1 John 3:16–18 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
Jesus commanded us to send our possessions ahead into eternity by investing them in His work.
* Matthew 6:19–21 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Heroes of the faith like the Apostle Paul lived out this understanding that all our energy and efforts are to be given for God’s glory.
* Philippians 2:17 Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.
Our spiritual gifts should be used within the body of Christ for God’s glory
* 1 Peter 4:10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:
We have a symbol that we think represents how we should live in this world
The t-shirts we’ll be wearing to the Harvest Festival or wherever use 1 John 4:19 to explain the cross
* 1 John 4:19 We love because he first loved us.
God has shown us His love.
But He’s shown us more than love.
He’s shown us His righteousness, purity, justice, wrath, mercy, grace, omnipotence, omnipresence…
In love, He allowed us to see these things - opening our eyes through His holy Spirit.
Our worship is in response to His love.
And it should be summed up as loving Him.
And we’ve also been called to worship God by loving others - fellow believers and unbelievers.
The next verses in 1 John 4 get up in our business
* 1 John 4:20–21 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
Loving God means also loving others.
?- Do you look at what you have in your possession as yours to do with as you please?
?- Or do you think of all that you have as having been given to you by God to use for His glory.
That’s worshiping God with our lives.
Taking what we have (our energy, our talents, our time, our finances) and using them to glorify God
Doing our best with them as an offering to Him to do with them as He sees fit.
This means doing our best in our job or loving people well in our relationships because God wants this
Walking by God’s Spirit, can help us to live in this way.
But walking in our flesh causes us to hold onto what we have as if it belongs to us and not to God.
We can be doing the exact same job or do the exact same service for others to try to serve ourselves.
We can be planning, manipulating, or expecting that our effort or our money or our care should pay off in dividends.
When we find ourselves in this place, we need to repent.
And that most likely looks like confessing to God,
“Lord, my time, energy, talents. They all came from You, and You are worthy for me to use them for Your purposes and glory.”
Leading to the truth that all we have should be used for God’s glory, Jesus answered the question on taxes.
He tells us to pay our taxes.
I hate some of the things that tax dollars go toward.
I believe that God hates a lot more of what tax dollars go toward, just as with the Roman Empire.
The rest of the New Testament makes it clear that we are to be obedient to governing officials as long as we can do so and still be in obedience to God
* Romans 13:1 1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.
* 1 Peter 2:13 13 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme,
The truth is that all authority flows from God.
But that doesn’t mean that they’re godly authorities.
It means that everyone in authority will stand before God and give an account for how they managed His calling on their lives.
This is true of a President and a teacher and an elder and a parent.
And we need to pray for those who are in authority, knowing that they will give an account.
As God’s Word instructs us in 1 Timothy 2:1–4
1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
And so, we’re going to spend some time praying for our nation’s leaders and for the upcoming election.
We need to pray that the candidates to sense the responsibility that they have before God.
We need to pray for leaders to be elected that will stand for the protection of human life.
This is especially important for protecting those who cannot protect themselves like the unborn.
We need to pray that our nation would find healing in the truth that we were created in God’s image.
And that we would see one another as being created in God’s image for His glory.
