“WHAT WE ARE TO RENDER TO CAESAR AND GOD” (Matthew 22:15-22) The two subjects we’re told to avoid talking about is politics and religion. You can talk about the weather, you can talk about the grandkids, but stay away from politics and religion. We all know that talking about religion can stir up tension. You can be talking to someone about how the fishing is or the storm front that’s moving in, and things are breezy and light. But bring up God and suddenly the walls go up. How about politics? Right now, politics that may be even more divisive than religion, and arguing over politics is nothing new. In 1858 – just a few years before the Civil War – things got heated at a late-night session of congress where slavery and state’s rights were being debated. A Republican from Pennsylvania and a Democrat from South Carolina began insulting each other – imagine that – and soon they were shouting at each other, and then one of them threw a punch and a fist fight broke out right on the floor of the congress. 30 other congressmen left their seats and joined in on the fight before the sergeant-of-arms was able to break it up. Two years before that, a senator from South Carolina walked up to a fellow senator from Massachusetts on the senate floor and started beating him with a cane, and nearly killed him. Political tensions are nothing new, and many see parallels between our political divide today and that of the days leading up to the Civil War. Our relationship to those who govern over us presents a unique challenge for Christians because spiritually we don’t really belong to this world. Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world, and those who belong to me are not of this world.” Paul said, “Our citizenship is in heaven, from which we eagerly await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” But at the same time, while we physically live on this earth, and we are citizens of the United States, of Curry County, and of Gold Beach. We have a dual citizenship, and God wants us to be model citizens of both our heavenly home and our earthly home, fulfilling our obligations and responsibilities to both. Today we’re going to talk about politics and religion, and we’ll see Jesus delivers one of His most familiar and profound sayings – one that is timeless and very relevant to the times we are living in. In Matthew 22 we find Jesus just a few days away from His crucifixion. He has triumphantly ridden into Jerusalem to present Himself as Israel’s king. The Jewish religious leaders have long been seeking a way to kill Jesus, and by entering Jerusalem so publicly, He forces them to act on their plan, knowing that His mission for coming to earth – to die for our sins – was about to be accomplished. Throughout the book of Matthew. We’ve a seen a number of clashes between Jesus and the Pharisees – the most influential political and religious party in Israel. They resent Jesus for challenging their authority and calling on them to repent. They’re always looking for a way to trap Jesus in His words and discredit Him before the eyes of the people. Once the have the crowds on their side, they can feel more at ease with killing Jesus. In the last part of chapter 22 we find the Pharisees ask Jesus a series of questions in a last-ditch effort to discredit Him. The first question, which we will look at today, is found in verse 15-22… “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. 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?’” (15-17). This is fascinating. The Pharisees are desperate to trap Jesus, and this time they enlist the help of the Herodians. Who are the Herodians? They obviously have something to do with King Herod. Herod is the family name for a dynasty that ruled over Israel in the time of Jesus. There are several different Herod’s mentioned in the Bible, and they were like governors over different areas. While the Herod’s ruled over Israel, they were accountable to Rome and the Roman Emperor Caesar. Caesar could have sent Romans to rule Palestine, but he decided to let the Herod’s be in charge, as long as they collected taxes for Rome and kept things peaceful and orderly. The Herodians were a Jewish political party that supported the Herod’s. They thought their best bet as a nation was to keep peace with Rome and support whoever they had in power. The Pharisees were the polar opposite. They hated Rome with a passion, and resented the Herod’s that ruled over them. They detested being subservient to Rome and paying taxes to their enemy. It’s only natural that the Pharisees hated the Herodians because they were political sellouts – they were pro-Rome. The political tension between these two groups was sky-high – even more than the political tensions we see today. Now we see in verse 15 that the Pharisees and the Herodians come together to question Jesus. This would be the equivalent in our day of President Trump and Nancy Pelosi coming together on some issue. Is that a vivid enough picture for you? These guys couldn’t agree on anything, but they come together on one single issue – getting rid of Jesus. We already know why the Pharisees want to get rid of Jesus – they want a Messiah who will lead them in a rebellion against Rome and bring Israel back under the power of the Jews. When Jesus doesn’t do that, and instead tells them to repent, they’re furious. They see Jesus as a threat to their power and control over the people, and plot to kill Him. The Herodians see Jesus as someone who threatens the peaceful status-quo of the system, someone that might upset the Roman emperor and send them an even harsher ruler. They agree that Jesus has to go, so this pro-Rome group joins together with an anti-Rome group to go after of Jesus. They begin with flattery… “’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. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are’” (16). They say all this, not because they believe it, but to butter Jesus up so that He’ll walk into their trap. They’ve thought out every detail of their ruse. They say, “Jesus, you are a great man of integrity (they don’t believe it); you teach the truth of God (they don’t believe that either); you speak your mind no matter what anyone else thinks – you’re not swayed by the polls – and you don’t run from a controversy.” Do you see what they’re doing? They’re goading Jesus into answering their question directly and honestly, and if He does, He’s sure to get into trouble. The question is this: Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not? It’s a brilliant question. Just like today, paying taxes in Jesus’ day was a hot-button issue. If you were a Jewish person under Roman rule, you were required to pay a variety of taxes – there was income tax, there was property tax, there was taxes on customs and goods and trade. And like us today, they didn’t like it. They thought they were overtaxed. But what added salt to the wound is that their taxes were going to the hated Romans. Imagine another country like Russia or China coming into our country, overtaking us, and forcing us to pay taxes to the ones who conquered us. We’d be outraged. But notice that they ask Jesus about a specific tax – the imperial or poll tax. This was an annual tax paid by everyone 20 years and older and it signified that you belonged to the Romans – they not only owned the land, but they owned you. The Jewish people saw themselves as belonging to God, and the land was given to them by God. What’s worse is that this tax was used to finance the occupying Roman army – the very army that came in and ransacked you. As you can imagine, it was the most hated of all the Roman taxes. But there’s even more to this tax – the coin that was used to pay the tax was a particular coin called the denarius – a silver coin that amounted to a day’s wage. The coins were minted by the Romans and bore the image of the face of Caesar on one side, and on the other Caesar sitting on a throne clothed in robes of deity. To a Jew, this coin represented idolatry. The second commandment said, “You shall not make any false image and bow down to it.” This wasn’t just a question of money, it was a question of faithfulness. Can I as a follower of the one true God, pay a tax with this coin to Caesar who holds himself up as deity? So, Jesus, what’s your opinion? Should we pay the imperial tax or not? It’s a brilliant question because no matter how Jesus answers it, He’s in trouble.