Topics – Kingdom of God, Nationalism
Jesus was being set up by some schemers who were trying to trap Jesus. They asked him whether or not Jews should pay taxes to Caesar or not. His answer undermined the game the schemers were playing and will challenge the way we relate to our own government.
Focus Scripture – Luke 20:20-26HIDESHOW
20 Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be sincere. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor. 21 So the spies questioned him: "Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. 22 Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"
23 He saw through their duplicity and said to them, 24 "Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription are on it?"
"Caesar's," they replied.
25 He said to them, "Then give back to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."
26 They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public. And astonished by his answer, they became silent.
Extended SummaryHIDESHOW
Jesus was being set up by some schemers who were trying to trap Jesus. They asked him whether or not Jews should pay taxes to Caesar or not. If Jesus had answered yes, then many in the crowd would turn against him because the common view of the messiah was that he would be a nationalistic and political hero who would free the Jews from captivity much like Moses bringing them out of Egypt. If Jesus answered no, that the Jews should not pay taxes, then the schemers could turn Jesus over to the authorities who would punish Jesus as a political zealot.
As we know, Jesus evaded this trap with an insightful—but radical—answer. Since the money of the day had the likeness of Caesar on it Jesus said that we should give to Caesar what is Caesar. This is denouncing any concern for the money and who gets to keep it or not. But then he followed that up with the assertion that we ought also to give to God what is God’s. By this Jesus was saying that all that we are and all that we own are God’s and it is to God alone that we answer for how we use it.
The main point of Greg’s message was that we (Christians) do not have dual allegiance or dual citizenship. We have only one Lord and that Lord’s kingdom is not of this world. Often the church has confused this by giving the impression that we serve both God and country. That being a good American is part of being a good Christian. This is not what Jesus taught. Read through the verses in the “Key Scriptures” section before engaging the questions that follow.
Practical Applications (homework)HIDESHOW
In our modern Western culture, many Christians believe that we have “dual citizenship” – as citizens of the Kingdom of God and as citizens of our country. But Jesus makes it clear that we’re only to serve God as our master. He instructs us to obey laws, but when a conflict arises between our faith and our capitalism, our democracy, or our American-ness, we should be unwilling to compromise. This is an extremely controversial and challenging viewpoint in our culture! Here are two ideas to help you apply these ideas in your life:
- Are there problems in the world that you’re trusting government to solve, when you could be helping create a solution as a member of the Kingdom of God? Do you spend more time reading and thinking about government plans to help the poor than you do praying for the poor? What about healthcare? Abortion? For a week, try to stop yourself from reading or watching news about government policies, and instead just say a simple prayer for those people the policies are meant to help. If you’re really bold, give up the news for a month and volunteer somewhere instead!
- Remember that we’re meant to look and behave differently from people around us, since we’re “foreigners and exiles.” In what ways do you stand out from our culture? With someone close to you, agree to each make a decision about something specific that will set you apart from our culture. It could be a purchase, the way you spend your weekend, or the response you give to a neighbor or coworker who has mistreated you. Set up a time to talk about the decisions you’ve made with each other afterwards.
Reflection QuestionsHIDESHOW
- What stood out to you most from this message and the supporting texts?
- What kind of government does God ultimately want for us? Consider the two passages in 1 Samuel.
- When we focus our loyalty on our patriotism what does this do to our loyalty to God? Consider Matt. 6:24 and other passages listed above.
- Should we pay taxes then? Discuss what Greg said about obeying the government. How does this jive with the thrust of the rest of this message?
- What would it mean for us today to “Give to America what is America’s and give to God what is God’s”?