Luke 20:20-26

Butler's Comments

SECTION 3

Religion and Government (Luke 20:20-26)

20So they watched him, and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, that they might take hold of what he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor. 21They asked him, Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and show no partiality, but truly teach the way of God. 22Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not? 23But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them, 24Show me a coin. Whose likeness and inscription has it? They said, Caesar'S. 25He said to them, Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar'S, and to God the things that are God'S. 26And they were not able in the presence of the people to catch him by what he said; but marveling at his answer they were silent.

Luke 20:20-22 Subtlety: Jesus told the parable of the marriage feast (Matthew 22:1-14) before the Jewish rulers could regain their composure enough to start questioning Him. Soon after He finished this parable, they were ready with their question. The Pharisees had gone to discuss among themselves (Matthew 22:15) and join with the Herodians (Matthew 22:16; Mark 12:13) to devise a plan of attack upon Jesus. The Herodians were influential men who were politically aligned with the Herod family in its campaign to retain the Jewish throne and to Romanize the Jewish culture. The Pharisees, of course, were philosophically in direct opposition to the Herodians. But they were true pragmatists when it came to any threat to their own popularity. Jesus posed a crucial threat to Pharisaic influence, so the Pharisees would compromise their vows and convictions and join with the hated Herodians to destroy Jesus. All three gospel writers positively state the motives of the questioners in this first question as entrapment, in order to get Jesus indicted by the Roman governor (Procurator). Matthew uses the Greek word pagideusosin which means literally, that which grips, binds or snares, (Matthew 22:15). Luke says they sent spies (Gr. egkathetous, those who hide in the bushes awaiting their prey). They were probably some Pharisees they thought would not be recognized by Jesus. This group pretended (Gr. hupokrinomenous, play a part, act, pretend or hypocrite) to be sincere (Gr. dikaious, just or righteous). What they said flatteringly about Jesus-' honesty and candidness was true. No doubt they said it grudgingly, but they also said it with malice aforethought. They intended to seduce Him with flattery. Flattery is a dangerous thing both for the flatterer and the recipient. Flattery ... works ruin (Proverbs 26:28); it does not help the flatterer (Proverbs 28:23); it is exploitative (Daniel 11:21-34; Proverbs 29:5; Jude 1:16). Flattery should never be a part of Christian methods! (1 Thessalonians 2:5). Jesus did not succumb to it.

This group was sure they had the perfect trap for Jesus. They asked Him one of the most loaded questions they could have asked at that time. It had both political and theological ramifications, They asked, Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not? Luke uses the Greek word, phoron, which means literally, something brought to Caesar, or a monetary tribute. Matthew and Mark use the word kensos from which we get the English word census and meant in Jesus-' day, poll tax. There were many taxes the Jews had to pay. Taxation, and especially by a foreign oppressor, was a very sensitive subject. The Jews paid the following taxes in Jesus-' time:

1.

Tributum Soil - Roman land tax

2.

Tributum Capitis - Roman poll tax

3.

Annona - Grain and cattle for Roman military

4.

Publicum - Customs, sales and salt tax for Roman government

5.

Temple Tax - Jewish tax for support of Temple

6.

Synagogue Tax - Jewish religious-education tax

7.

Herod's Tax - Taxation for Herod's public works

At first Rome permitted the Jews to coin all their own money without the image of Caesar on it. But Herod Antipas forced the Jews to strike a coin with Caesar's image upon it as an act of political flattery to the Emperor. Patriotic Jews resented this bitterly as forced humiliation and as a sign of the erosion of their national sovereignty. It was also a theological question as to whether any faithful Jew should pay taxes to a government attempting to paganize Jewish culture. The issue was highly volatile! The silver denarius was the tribute required of every Israelite by Rome. The inscription on this coin read: Tiberius Caesar, Emperor, Son of Divine Augustus, The Illustrious High Priest. When the Law of Moses was given there was no such circumstance for the Jews and so the Law said nothing about this. The Jews did pay tribute to foreign governments many times (cf. 2 Kings 17:3; 2 Kings 18:13-16; 2 Kings 23:33; 2 Chronicles 28:21) before their captivities. They certainly paid taxes to the foreign governments in whose lands they dwelt during their captivities. And the Biblical record also documents that they paid tribute to foreign governments after their captivities and their return to Palestine (cf. Ezra 4:13). They certainly did not like itthey detested it. But tribute to Caesar was nothing new!

Luke 20:23-26 Skill: Jesus does not fall into the trap of flattery. He demonstrates the very wisdom and courage they tried to use as flattery. He does not allow Himself to be impaled on the horns of their supposed dilemma. They think if He says, Yes, pay tribute to Caesar they will be able to justly indict Him for being a traitor to His own nation. They think if He says, No, pay no tribute to Caesar, they will be able to get Him indicted as a seditionist against Rome. They apparently hoped He would say No, because at His trial they accused Him (by lying) of forbidding to pay tribute to Caesar (Luke 23:2). Jesus knew their malicious intentions and very skillfully corrects their question. They said, give (Greek, dounai); Jesus said, pay (Greek, apodote). Taxes to government are paid for the value of services received. Taxes are dues (Romans 13:7) for services of enforcement of law and order and protection of inalienable human rights. There are two fundamental, inalienable (non-revocable) human rights granted by the Creator to all human beings: the sanctity of human life and the right to own property. These are sanctioned by the Bible itself from the very beginning. God had ordained the structures of human governments to protect those two basic rights by enforcement of restraint or capital punishment or restitution on evil doers and the approval of right-doers (cf. Romans 13:1-7). No real conflict existed at the time of Jesus between the obligations of the Jews to God and Caesar since the Roman government permitted the Jews complete freedom to worship God as God had revealed and the Roman government maintained proper sanctions (laws) against murder and theft and enforced them. Thus Rome was carrying out, relatively, what God had ordained human governments to domaintain law and order. The Romans had even allowed the Jews liberal measures of self-government. Jesus-' answer, Pay the things of Caesar to Caesar, and the things of God to God, is perfectbroad enough to meet the need of any circumstance in which the believer may find himself.

Old Testament political theory and practice is more liberal than the traditions of the scribes. It may be summarized as follows:

a.

The Jews were obligated by the Law of Moses to support their theocratic government by offerings and taxes (see Leviticus and Deuteronomy).

b.

God decreed the Jews would have to support their demanded monarchy with taxes and military and civil service (1 Samuel 8:9-18).

c.

The Old Testament prophets make it clear that God held all human governments (even pagan ones) responsible for maintenance of law and order, certain standards of morality, integrity to international treaties and sanctions (Isaiah 10:5-19; Isaiah 13:1-22; Isaiah 14:1-32; Isaiah 15:1-9; Isaiah 16:1-14; Isaiah 17:1-14; Isaiah 18:1-7; Isaiah 19:1-25; Isaiah 20:1-6; Isaiah 21:1-17; Isaiah 22:1-25; Isaiah 23:1-18; Isaiah 36:1-22; Isaiah 37:1-38; Isaiah 38:1-22; Isaiah 39:1-8; Jeremiah 27:1-11; Daniel 4:27; Daniel 5:17-23; Amos 1:3-15, esp. Amos 1:9; Obadiah 1:11-14, Esther, etc.).

d.

The Jews were told by the Lord to be subservient and not rebellious when they dwelt in the land of foreign people (Jeremiah 29:1-7). In fact, they were told to seek the welfare of those pagan lands in which they dwelt, and to pray for emperors and rulers (Ezra 6:10).

e.

Many Jews became important and influential officials in human governments (even in pagan ones), collecting taxes for pagan kings; Daniel and his three Hebrew companions; Nehemiah; Esther; Mordecai.

f.

Jews were commanded by the Law of Moses to enforce all kinds of sanctions, from capital punishment to personal restitutions for destruction of property. They had standing armies; fought wars against aggressors; assisted other nations in maintaining international law; and had a social welfare system built right into their religious and political structure.

The New Testament political theory and practice may be summarized as follows:

a.

In the New Testament Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-17; 1 Timothy 1:8-9; 1 Timothy 2:1-4; Titus 3:1-2 are the outstanding passages on the Christian and human government. In Romans 12:1-21, Paul discusses the rendering unto God that which belongs to Him. And in Romans 13:1-7, Paul discusses rendering unto Caesar that which belongs to him. The New Testament commands (not merely suggests) that Christians obey governments which fulfill the functions outlined in the references cited above. The two main functions of human government are the protection of human rights by the maintenance of law and order; public works for the common good of society.

b.

Rationality itself insists there must be structured governments for the very existence of human social order.

(1)

Axioms:

(a)

Law and its enforcement is necessary to the maintenance of social structure (cf. 1 Timothy 1:8-9). If you doubt this just universalize anti-social behavior such as murder, robbery, rape, etc. What if there were no laws against these acts of social anarchy at all?

(b)

Where there are no sanctions (penalties) and where penalties are not executed (speedily), there really are no laws. Laws without penalties being executed are merely writings on paper (cf. Ecclesiastes 8:11). This same principle applies to international laws!

(c)

Punishment must fit the crime. To sustain the majesty of the law against murder, there must be capital punishment (cf. Exodus 21:12).

c.

Revelation from God in the Bible commands that there shall be human governments:

(1)

Government in general:

(a)

Is ordained by God (Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-17; Titus 2:15 to Titus 3:2; Ezra 7:26; Exodus 22:28; Proverbs 24:21-22; Jeremiah 27:5-7).

(b)

Is originated for God to execute His wrath on evil doers (Romans 13:3-4); to restrain the lawless (1 Timothy 1:8-9); to provide peace and tranquility so the world may come to know God's truth (1 Timothy 2:2-4). The very first commandment God gave Noah by which to start the human race all over again after the flood was the order for capital punishment as the penalty against murder (Genesis 9:6).

(2)

Government on international level:

(a)

Nations which stand for peace, justice and tranquility, must arm themselves and ally one with the other against aggressive invasions of powerless peopleseven by declaring and fighting war if necessary.

(b)

There are no specific New Testament scriptures to this effect, except the example of Paul appealing to the government of Rome for protection against the Jewish countrymen who wanted to kill him unjustly. But there are many Old Testament scripturesand God does not change His principles (cf. Genesis 14:21-24; Joshua 8:1-29; 1 Samuel 30:1-31; Ecclesiastes 3:8; Jeremiah 48:10; Daniel 5:17-28; Obadiah 1:10-14; Amos 1:9).

(c)

There were a number of individuals serving in human governments even as law-enforcers who were Christians in the New Testament: Cornelius, Sergius Paulus, Caesar's own household, Erastus, the Philippian jailor. John the Baptist told certain soldiers not to extort, but he did not tell them to resign from the army to please God.

Any discussion of Jesus-' reply to the question of tribute usually brings up the problem of civil disobedience. Our clearest Biblical examples of civil disobedience are found in Acts 4:19-20; Acts 5:20; Daniel 1:1-21; Daniel 6:1-28; and Exodus 1:1-22; Exodus 2:1-25 (Jochebed). It is clear that Paul and Jesus did not acquiesce in the face of illegal treatment (Acts 23:1-10; John 18:19-23). Paul's attitude toward governmental authority is indicated in his appealing to his Roman citizenship for protection, (Acts 16:37-40; Acts 22:25-29; Acts 26:32). Paul was so conscientious to maintain the proper structure to social order through human government he even advocated capital punishment for himself if it could be sustained that he was guilty of a capital crime (Acts 25:10-12). Civil disobedience must not be taken lightly! It is a desperate act to be taken only when all other means fail. The Christian is bound to say that the law of God takes precedence over the law of man, if the two are in clear, unequivocal conflict. But the Christian must be very certain that there is an irreconcilable conflict before he takes the drastic step of disobeying civil lawwhether he lives under a pagan ruler like Nero or one who espouses Christianity. The devil would like nothing better than to create civil anarchy in the name of Christian civil disobedience! Jehovah is a God of order, peace, discipline and obedience. He does not condone anarchy and social disorder (1 Corinthians 14:33) and especially so in His own kingdom, the church! Of course, God does not condone compromise of His commandments, either. God has instituted the authority of the home, the church and the state. Man's individual feelings do not supersede any of these. They are not to be violated on the authority of man, but can only be superseded by the higher law of God. What about turning the other cheek (Matthew 5:38-45)? That is forbidding individual retaliation. No man, especially a Christian, has the right to hand out individual vengeance. God has ordained human governments to meet out vengeance on His behalf (cf. Romans 12:18 through Luke 13:7). Why did Jesus tell the disciples to get swords (Luke 22:35-38)? Two swords were enough to allow the disciples to defend themselves against the imminent mob-violence, but not enough to start a war of vengeance on Jesus-' enemies. What about Peter's use of the sword in the garden of Gethsemane (John 18:10-12; Matthew 26:51-54)? Jesus answered three ways: (a) I must drink the cup appointed Me; (b) If this were the time for power against My enemies I could call legions of angels; (c) Those who take the sword shall perish by the sword. Jesus meant to teach Peter not to take the law into his own hands and to predict that the murderous Jews would soon perish by Roman swords. God does a better job of avenging through His use of human governments than the individual could ever do.

A great amount of human speculation has been done on the question of religion and government. Jesus answered the Pharisees and the Herodians skillfully and succinctly. His very concise answer infers He expected His Jewish listeners to know there was a precise Biblical answer. He knew that God had revealed Himself thoroughly on the subject in the Old Testament scriptures. They should know exactly what belonged to Caesar and what belonged to God without any further details from Him! We also believe that the Bible is clear enough and thorough enough that any believer may know what his responsibility is to both Caesar and God. There can be no equivocation on this great issue of life by the Christian, The Christian can have only one conscience about church and statethat is the one which the Bible delineates! For more discussion on this subject see the special study, The Christian and War, Isaiah, Vol. 2, by Paul T. Butler, pgs. 72-82, College Press.

In Christ's brief answer, He laid the foundation for the principle of the separation of Church and State. Neither should replace or control the other. They may and do have mutual obligations. The State should maintain a peaceful and tranquil society in which the Church is free to do its work. The Church should produce the kind of character which will mean good citizenship. One sharp dividing line exists: neither should control the other or meddle in its affairs. When that prevails, society is blessed.
Not only could the Pharisees not trap Him into some faux pas and turn the multitudes against Him, they were so astounded and amazed at the truthfulness and skill of His answer they were dumbfoundedthey were silenced! They dared not pursue the subject further. What Jesus had said was complete.