In the Name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit There seems to be a contradiction between Saint Paul’s admonition in the Epistle and Jesus’ words to the Pharisees in today’s Holy Gospel. Paul writes to the church in Phillipi:our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus tells the Pharisees: Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.
If your citizenship is in heaven, why should you render anything to Caesar? Caesar will one day pass away with heaven and earth. The only Caesar in heaven will be God almighty. On the other hand, if you refuse to render to Caesar and only to God, then Caesar will come looking for you expecting what you must render. Then there’s the third option of rendering nothing to both. You tell both Caesar and God to take a hike. You pay no taxes and make no sacrifices. You are autonomous – you are your own law. Declaring yourself autonomous breaks both God’s Law and Caesar’s law. You know the inevitable punishment for not surrendering to the law of the land. The police will hunt you down and make you render to Caesar whether you want to or not. Worse yet is the punishment for disobeying God’s Word. Saint Paul gives the foundation for citizenship under both Caesar and God in Romans chapter 13. Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and God appoints the authorities that exist. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. If you don’t want to render anything to Caesar, expect God’s punishment. What if you refuse to render to God what belongs to God? What if you refused to listen to the Psalmist declare what shall I render to the LORD for all His benefits toward me? If you don’t want to render anything to Caesar, expect God’s punishment. Now you see the trap the Pharisees thought they could catch Jesus. If a citizen is under earthly government, yet is also a free person under the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to whom does that person owe their allegiance? If Jesus says Caesar, then He blasphemes God by refusing to render what is due to God. If Jesus says God alone, then He is a rebellious man Who seeks to cast Caesar aside. You would love to cast Caesar aside. Government seems to take everything from us and give us nothing but heartache and a light wallet in return. This past week I spent about an hour at Caesar’s feet in the Driver’s License Examining Station. My family and I waited in line for several minutes while we stated our business. The forms were not filled out correctly, so we got back in the car, drove from Bradley to Momence, filled the form out correctly as well as the discrepancy form, drove back to Bradley, waited again in line, and then sat for nearly an hour waiting for our number to be called. Our business took less than ten minutes and we were out the door on the way home. All that moving and waiting for less than ten minutes! I thought and said some very unkind words about Caesar! Every one of you has a similar story about the slow rolling train that is government bureaucracy. But what if there was self-rule? Then there would be anarchy. God despises anarchy because He is a God of order, not of chaos. There is something to be thankful for as Thanksgiving approaches. Thank God for an orderly government! It moves slow and doesn’t necessarily agree with Holy Scripture, but there is an orderly government in our country, our state, our county, our township, and our community. The last thing that comes to mind about government is this verse from the Introit taken from Psalm 85: Show us your steadfast love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation. Caesar cannot save us from the wrath of sin and death. Caesar can protect and serve by keeping you safe from what your neighbor might do to harm you. Nevertheless, Caesar is not in the forgiveness business. God is the only One in the forgiveness business. The Gradual verse from Psalm 44 says: You have saved us from our foes and have put to shame those who hate us. In God we have boasted continuously, and we will give thanks to Your Name forever. These words give us no better reason to render to God the things that are God’s. Caesar protects us through paying taxes. God protects us through the death of His Son Jesus. Our heavenly Father does not need weapons and wars to destroy the satanic foe. The sacrifice to end all sacrifices upon Calvary’s cross destroys Satan. Christ’s Blood is sprinkled on you through the preaching of His Word of forgiveness. Christ’s Blood is sprinkled on you through water and God’s Word in Baptism, calling you out of darkness into the marvelous light of Christ. Christ’s Blood is poured in your mouth with Christ’s Body going before in the Lord’s Supper. The Psalmist writes what shall I render to the LORD for all His benefits toward me? I will take up the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD. I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD. I will pay my vows to the LORD now in the presence of all His people, in the courts of the LORD’s house, in the midst of you, O Jerusalem. The sacrifice of thanksgiving is a different sacrifice than the one Jesus makes on your behalf. The sacrifice of thanksgiving happens through prayer, praise, and thanksgiving to God for what He has done for your salvation. As you prayed in the Introit: faithfulness springs up from the ground, and righteousness looks down from the sky. The sacrifice of thanksgiving is the cry of faith responding to righteousness that comes down from above. There is no contradiction between Paul’s words in the Epistle about our citizenship in heaven and our Lord’s Words to the Pharisees in Matthew chapter 22. You are citizens of heaven living as pilgrims in this world. Our Father in heaven gives us government to keep us safe. Our Father in heaven gives us forgiveness and salvation too. There are plans for you to live with Jesus, His Father, and the Holy Spirit in Paradise forevermore, where the only government is peace and joy in the presence of the Lord forever. In the Name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit Rev. David M. Juhl Our Savior, Momence, IL http://oselcmomence.googlepages.com ___________________________________________________________________________ 'CAT 41 Sermons & Devotions' consists of works that are, unless otherwise noted, the copyrighted property of the various authors; posting of such gives members of this list implied consent for redistribution _with_ _attribution_ unless otherwise specified by the author, as well as for quoting or use in a congregational setting _with_or_without_attribution_. Note: This list's default reply is to the *poster*, NOT the list. Do *not* reply to the list with your comments, but to the poster. Subscribe? Send ANY note to: sermons...@cat41.org Unsubscribe? 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