Jesus, Death, and Taxes

[Below is the message presented during worship with the people and friends of Living Water Lutheran Church in Centerville, Ohio, this past Sunday. Also, you can watch live stream video from both worship services.]

Matthew 22:15-22

Today, we’re going to do something we don’t ordinarily do on Sunday mornings. We’re going to talk about politics.

Now, don’t worry. I’m not going to pretend to know how God wants you to vote in elections or what political party you should back. (How would I know that?)

I think that there are only three circumstances under which the Church and its pastors should speak on matters being debated in the political sphere:

(1) When governments command Christians to do anything contrary to the will of our Lord.

(2) When we see injustices perpetrated against others.

(3) When governments or politicians justify their policies or proposals on the bases of the Bible or the Christian faith. They have no right to do that.

But our Gospel lesson for this morning, Matthew 22:15-22, compels us to address questions about the relationship of Church and State, the relationship of Christians and their governments, and the teaching of Christ and the Bible about what we Lutherans call, “the two kingdoms.”

Both of these two kingdoms–the Kingdom of God, presided over by Jesus Christ by His grace and the Kingdoms of the world, presided over by earthly kings, presidents, prime ministers, and “Dear Leaders,” using the coercive means of laws, armies, and police forces--are appointed, authorized, used, and presided over by God Himself.

Governments exist to prevent people who don’t live with repentant faith in Jesus from abusing or killing their neighbor.

And Christians have an interest in ensuring that there be earthly governments. Without them, Martin Luther said, Christians would live as innocent lambs among ravenous wolves.

This is why the Bible says: “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established… Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.” (Romans 13:1-2)

In one of his sermons on this particular Gospel lesson, Luther says that often unjust rulers are imposed by God on people because of their unrepentant sin. Luther said that in Biblical times, “Avarice [that is, greed], usury [lending money to neighbors to make money off of them], licentiousness [sexual immorality of all kinds: adultery, premarital sex, homosexuality, rape], pride, luxury, and other sins, were sweeping along like a mighty wave. What could our Lord God do under these circumstances?” Then Luther asks, “Should He protect them, [while] they did not in the least care for His Word? Should He secure to them their rights, [while] they would not even bend a finger for Him and His service?”

God sometimes imposes bad governments on believers to drive them to repentance for sin and renewal of life with God through faith in Jesus.

So, how are we Christians supposed to relate to governments, good, bad, or indifferent?

In our gospel lesson for today, Jesus is confronted by representatives of two groups of people. Matthew tells us: “Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. ‘Teacher,’ they said, ‘we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. [This is called buttering up.] You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?’” (Matthew 22:15-17)

The Pharisees, of course, were Judaism’s strictest and most widespread sect. They were the sect closest to Jesus in theology. For example, they believed in the resurrection of the dead. But they advocated a kind of “salvation by good works” theology. They hated it when Jesus taught that sinners are graciously forgiven when they repent and trust in Him alone.

The Herodians, as far as we can tell, didn’t care much about religion and supported the puppet government of King Herod, a government set in place by the Romans hated by the Pharisees and other Jews.

Ordinarily, the Pharisees and the Herodians would have nothing to do with each other. But because both groups are afraid of Jesus, they pose this trap of a question.

Why was this question such a trap?

The trap in the question is this: If Jesus says that it’s lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, He’ll arouse the violence of those who hate the Romans and want Jesus to lead a rebellion against these overlords and set up a Jewish government with Him as a secular king.

If, on the other hand, Jesus says that Jews shouldn’t pay Caesar taxes, He’ll anger the Roman governor Pilate and kill Jesus.

Either way Jesus answers, these two groups figure, He’s a dead man.

And that’s precisely what they want.

But Jesus refuses to get sucked into a political debate.

His answer isn’t meant to be clever or to avoid trouble. After all, this is Holy Week! Jesus has come to Jerusalem to get into trouble! He’s come to die. He knows that, no matter what He says, in a few days, He will in God’s sovereign authority, offer Himself to be crucified anyway. Jesus isn’t avoiding controversy; He’s being faithful to God.

So, Jesus says in verse 18: “‘You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me?” Though the Pharisees and Herodians tried to butter Jesus up, He does not return the favor.

He calls them hypocrites, ὑποκριταί, in the Greek in which the New Testament is written, literally “stage players, pretenders.”

And the word translated here as trap, what Jesus is accusing them of trying to set for Him, comes from the Greek verb peirazo, the very word for tempt or test used of what the devil did to Jesus in the wilderness.

Like Satan, these human enemies of God want to trip Jesus into sin and condemnation. They want to steer Him into sin and away from fulfilling God’s mission for Him.

They want to be the rulers of the world.

They want to be like God, like us.

They think this life is all there is and they intend to be in control.

They want no talk of a Savior, Who is also God, Who sets people free of sin and death as a free gift.

Jesus tells them: “‘Show me the coin used for paying the tax.’ They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, ‘Whose image is this? And whose inscription?’ ‘Caesar’s,’ they replied. Then [Jesus] said to them, ‘So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.’ When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him [literally, separated or divorced themselves from Jesus] and went away.”

It’s Caesar’s image on the coin, Jesus is saying, so give Caesar his money.

But here’s what’s important to remember in this passage. Someone else’s image is imprinted on you and me, on every human being, however distorted by sin that image may be. Genesis 1:27 says that, “God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them…” 

Friends, in this world, for the good of our neighbor and the countries in which God places us, we must pay taxes to Caesar. But our call is to give our lives to the One Whose imprint is on us as human beings, the One Who made us, the One Who was enfleshed and died for us to give us life with God that never ends.

We do this not as a religious work that we think will earn us a place in God’s kingdom. We do this because we know that Jesus, God the Son, gave His sinless life to save us from ourselves and the damnation and divorce from God we deserve.

By His death on the cross, Jesus makes us innocent in the eyes of God. Only Jesus, Who covers us with His perfect righteousness, justifies us by His grace through the faith in Him that His good Gospel Word creates within us.

This is the gift He gives to you: Through Jesus Christ, all your sins are forgiven. Every single sin! All the debts you owe to God for your sinful actions, sinful impulses, and sinful thoughts have been paid in full. That’s why Jesus’ words from the cross are for you: “It is finished!”

In this world, Jesus is saying, pay your taxes. Pay down your debts. Honor your spouse. Take care of your kids. Obey the speed limits. Help your neighbor. Respect the government. Pray for your leaders…even those you can’t stand. And in the midst of it all, everywhere you go and in everything you do, follow Jesus.

It’s His image you bear.

It’s He Who bought you out slavery to sin and death through the expenditure of His body and blood.

It’s you He saves to live now and eternally in the freedom of forgiven sin and life with God, no matter what this dying world may do to you.

You can do all of this with confidence and joy because the most this world can do to you and me is make us pay taxes and take away our earthly lives. That’s all.

But Jesus gives you life with God forever. That’s His promise to all who repent and believe in Him.

And, I have found this out, Jesus is always good for His promises! Amen

1 Pastor's Response to Yesterday's Executive Order

Yesterday, over on Facebook, I posted this reaction to an executive order signed yesterday that promotes and legitimizes the exercise of political influence by churches and other religious entities.

As a Christian and a pastor, not to mention as an American, I am deeply disturbed by the executive order signed today. 

The Church is not a political institution, nor can one draw a straight line from Jesus and a set of political convictions. 

To push a political agenda in the name of the God revealed in Jesus Christ is to take God's name in vain. 

The mission of the Church is to make disciples, bringing transformation and new life to all who believe. 

Churches that seek votes rather than pursuing Christ's great commission are faithless.
Church political engagement is also ineffectual because transformed lives can't be legislated or coerced. 

People and societies can only be transformed as a result of the work of God in the lives of people who voluntarily believe in and follow Christ. 

This is not a political statement. It's a plea for the Church to refrain from dishonoring Christ through political activity. 

This executive order is bad for the Church and bad for America.

I later added these comments to the post, as it appeared on a page frequented by colleagues:

We [as Christians] know that the world finds the gospel of Christ offensive.

But political activism by the Church makes Christianity odious to non-believers for the wrong reasons.

This order will encourage those who undertake political activity in Jesus' name to extend their activities, harming the spread of the gospel.

Any time the Church receives special treatment from the State, the Church's proclamation of Christ is hurt.

[Blogger Mark Daniels is pastor of Living Water Lutheran Church in Centerville, Ohio.]

What to pray in election seasons

While this piece was produced in the United Kingdom to advise Christians how to pray regarding the EU referendum coming there on Thursday, its simple points are good for all Christians to keep in mind during election seasons.

Preachers and Politics: Billy Graham as a Case Study

A recent issue of TIME magazine excerpts a book that looks at evangelist Billy Graham's relationships with eleven US Presidents--from Harry Truman to George W. Bush.

But it does more than recount incidents from Graham's experience as presidential pastor.

Senator and former First Lady Hillary Clinton, one of the collection of one-time White House occupants who Graham knows best, told the authors that Graham is also a "political junkie." "He loved elections because he knew that you had to tell a story, you had to connect with people--all the things we talk about in politics," she says.

The President to whom Graham, a lifelong registered Democrat, was personally closest was Lyndon Johnson. As Graham recounts in his autobiography, his counsel often went way beyond the spiritual. Graham offered LBJ advice on the President's War on Poverty program and in fact, seriously weighed an offer to leave his evangelistic ministry to become Johnson's anti-poverty czar.

Graham is probably most well-known for his relationship with Richard Nixon, to whom he imparted advice and to whom he sometimes gave a prominent place at his crusades.

"But," Gibbs and Duffy write, "on the heels of Graham's crushing experience with the Nixon Administration, the evangelist recalibrated his relationship with the White House and kept his distance."

As some evangelical Christians started what became known as the Moral Majority or the Religious Right, Graham said:

Evangelicals can't be closely identified with any particular party or person. We have to stand in the middle, to preach to all the people, right and left. I haven't been faithful to my own advice in the past. I will in the future.

I identify with Billy Graham. I'm a political junkie and I've likened the excitement I feel on election nights to what I felt as a kid on Christmas Eve. I was a Social Studies major and to this day, I love reading biographies and histories recounting the political leadership and maneuvering of pols. I keep up with current events. In a former life, I ran a congressional campaign and worked for the State House of Representatives in Columbus.

Three years ago, I made what I recently have described as one of my biggest mistakes as a pastor. Concerned about public school funding in Ohio, I ran for the State House of Representatives myself. The congregation I serve as pastor was okay with my making the bid. I'm sure that I could have juggled my schedule to have continued full time as a pastor and still served in the House.

But, in all honesty, I'm glad that I finished fourth in a five-way primary contest. Had I been elected, I might well have forfeited my ability to fulfill my call as a preacher of Jesus Christ's Gospel. As Graham puts it, we preachers are to reach out "to all the people, right and left." And everywhere else on the political spectrum.

I encourage Christians to be involved in the political process. To inform themselves about issues and candidates. To pray about what's right. To get involved in political campaigns. To vote.

But it's almost never the job of a pastor or of the Church as an institution to express a political preference.

What does God think about the War in Iraq? Or immigration reform? Or US terrorism policy? Or capital gains taxes? I don't know for sure and I don't know anyone else who does.

My job as a preacher is to invite people to turn from sin and follow Jesus. If I mix my political preferences in with my proclamation, it confuses people about the true content of God's message for us and, most dangerously, may unnecessarily alienate some people from Christ. Preachers who do politics make people feel excluded from Christ.

Some people will feel alienated from Christ and His Gospel anyway. The Gospel we preachers share isn't all happy talk. "When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die," Lutheran theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote. The "old Adam" and the "old Eve," our inborn sinful selves whose prime impulse is to look out for ourselves, others be damned, must die.

A big part of following Jesus thus entails living in what Martin Luther called "daily repentance and renewal," bringing the old self and our sins to God, asking for cleansing, and the power to live this day in love for God and love for others.

All of this entails surrender, something that any audience a preacher might address will find difficult to swallow anyway. The preacher who then adds things to her or his proclamation, things like, "Oh yeah, to be right with God, you also have to vote this way or support this candidate," is adding an unnecessary obstacle to people having a relationship with God. They're diluting and changing the Gospel message they were called to proclaim. In that sense, they become no better than your friendly neighborhood peddler of cults.

Preachers should not, except in the most extreme circumstances, express political preferences. We have bigger fish to catch. Our focus should be to act as mouthpieces for Jesus' call that we die to sin, so that we can rise to live with God forever.

But there will be times when, in the political realm, the conflict between complete evil and good is so clear that a preacher will have to speak out. That was what happened to Bonhoeffer in Nazi Germany. Adolf Hitler's hatred was so obvious, so contrary to Christ's Gospel of love, that it was clear that every Christian preacher and leader should oppose it.

Few found the courage to do so. Bonhoeffer did. He joined a plot to overthrow Hitler and in the waning days of World War Two, after an extensive period of imprisonment, was executed.

Only those of the most extreme politics would suggest that we have faced a Hitler in US politics in recent years. I remember hearing a "Christian preacher" during the 1996 election cycle, saying that if Bill Clinton were re-elected to the presidency, it would be the last free election we ever had in America. We've had several since.

And today, people concerned about the expansive interpretation of executive power followed by the Bush Administration, compare the current president to Hitler. But it appears that our elective process is continuing to unfold and that, if the polls are credible, the 2008 presidential election race is the Democrats to lose.

Christians in this country and people in the country at large don't need to hear about the political preferences of preachers. Inquiring minds could care less.

What they really need to know from us is..

that God is for them when life doesn't make sense,
that God wants to help them make the most of their lives,
that God can forgive the sins that cause them shame, and
that they can be made new.

They need to know that God wants to be with them now and forever.

Like Graham, I haven't always followed my own advice, although I've never expressed a political opinion from the pulpit. (Not that I know of, anyway.)

But that won't prevent me from befriending politicians, either. Whether the general public knows it or not, politicians are people too.

There's one local pol with whom I have regular contact. A few months ago, we had lunch together. I asked him if he'd like to pray before we dug into our Chipotle burritos. He said yes. I thanked God for our food and our time together and then I asked God to bless and guide my friend in his important work.

After we'd said, "Amen," I looked across the table and saw that his eyes glistened with tears. As he dabbed his eyes with his napkin he said, "I just can't get used to it. I'm always so moved and humbled when people pray for me. Thank you."

And when all is said and done, praying for politicians of both parties is one of the best things we can do for them, for our flocks, for our country, and for the world. Through prayer, we can ask God to go to leaders and counsel them. As the great Frank Laubach wrote years ago, "We can do more for the world with prayer than if we were to walk into Whitehall, London, or the Kremlin in Moscow, and tell those men [sic] what to do---far more! If they listened to our suggestions, we would probably be more or less wrong [emphasis mine]. But what God tells them, when they listen to Him, must be right. It is infinitely better for world leaders to listen to God than for them to listen to us."

Preachers would do well to emulate the course that has been Billy Graham's since the humiliation he experienced on learning that Richard Nixon, the President he most publicly embraced, had been so decidedly un-Christian in the conduct of his presidency. He's befriended pols and he's prayed for them. But he's decoded to act only as their pastor and preacher, not their counselor, confidante, or advocate.

Gibbs and Duffy conclude their TIME magazine excerpt:

Graham recalled these [presidential] friendships with the humility that comes with experience. "As I look back, I feel even more unqualified--to think I sat there and talked to the President of the United States," he said. "I can only explain that God was planning it in some ways, but I didn't understand it." He doesn't expect to make it back to the White House anytime soon, but he watches out for its occupant the best way he knows how. He does daily devotions, and whoever sits in the Oval Office will always have a place in his prayers.

[Also see here.]

[THANKS TO: Article 6 Blog for linking to this post. Written by John Schroeder, also of Blogotional, the piece also takes a prominent fundamentalist theologian to task for his views on these matters.]

This isn't a good thing

Here.

Any time the state has a hand in the direction of a church, it has a deadly impact on the life of the church. While there are some signs of life in the state churches of Europe, by and large the commitment of the members is negligible and in some cases, those churches have been mere lap dogs of the government.

Of course, the dangers to the church's faithfulness are even greater in China, whose government is among the most repressive in the world.