Pentecost 23 - Matthew 22:15-22

Score a point for Joe the Plumber. Joe Wurlzebacher a plumber near Toledo Ohio, recently asked Barak Obama a question about his tax policies. It seems Joe was thinking about buying a plumbing business and was concerned that Senator Obama’s tax policies would affect his bottom line. John McCain picked up on the exchange and suddenly Joe the Plumber found himself on center stage as the topic of discussion at the third and final presidential debate this past Wednesday night. Joe the Plumber became the dividing line between the tax policies of Barak Obama and John McCain.
Taxation is only one of many issues that concern your average American voter this election season. If Joe the Plumber is worried about taxes, perhaps is Joe the college student is worried about the environment, or maybe Joe the Car Salesman is worried about health care, or Joe the dad with a son in the military is worried about the war. There are lots of issues that lots of people are concerned about this election season and there are lots of things that voters are looking to the candidates for, hoping to find solutions.
Jesus walks right into the middle of all of this and in our text this morning he makes the following statement. “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.” For all of the election issues on the table that our candidates have been debating, Jesus answers all of our questions and all of our fears by reminding us what is truly of most importance.
We have heard a little bit about those who show up at campaign rallies to try to trip them up and disrupt the rally. Well, if our presidential and vice presidential candidates have their hecklers, Jesus also had his. Today we have the 527’s like the Sierra Club or Citizens United, Jesus had the Pharisees and the Herodians.
It seems that the Pharisees and the Herodians sent a delegation of their disciples to Jesus to ask him a trick question and hopefully to trip him up in his words – to secure a sound bite that they could use against him. They thought they found the perfect issue – taxes. After all, no one likes to pay taxes, everyone hates to pay taxes – especially Jewish nationals who are occupied by a tyrannical Roman government. They thought they had him. There was no way Jesus could give a right answer. Either he denounces the tax and gets in trouble with Rome or he supports the tax and he looses popularity with the people.
They say Barak Obama is unflappable – cool under pressure – he is no match for Jesus. Jesus saw the trap a mile away. He knew what was in their hearts and what was in their minds. Instead of getting caught up in a political debate, Jesus went right to the heart of the issue. While no one likes to pay taxes, while we would all prefer to keep our tax dollars in our own pockets, Jesus reminds us of our duty to honor and respect our authorities, even when we don’t like them, don’t approve of them, and don’t agree with them. “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”
If we could but follow that simple command, all of our campaign issues would be a lot less complicated.
There are two parts to Jesus’ command. The first is that we give to Caesar what is Caesar’s. The second is that we give to God what is God’s.
Of course, you and I don’t call our president Caesar – but the rule still applies. Jesus is giving to us a command that has to do with our government. We could just as easily insert “president” or “king” or “prime minister”. The point is, give to your government what is due to your government.
So what do we, what do you and I, what does Joe the Plumber owe to his government?
From Jesus’ own comment we can infer that we aught to pay taxes. After all, the question that was asked to Jesus was about taxes. This is hard enough. After all, no one likes to pay taxes. But we all owe taxes. We all should pay from what God has given to us whatever amount has been set by the government to contribute to the general welfare of our nation. It costs money to run the government. It costs money to build roads, maintain order, defend our borders, prosecute and punish lawbreakers. We all benefit from these provisions; these things are all gifts from God so we all should pay our fair share. Whatever that fair share may be. All the candidates are doing is discussing how to divide that pie fairly among the citizens of our great country.
But we owe them more than taxes. In St Paul’s letter to Romans (13:7) he says this: “Pay to (the governing authorities) what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.” In addition to taxes we owe our leaders respect and honor.
And then Paul says again in 1 Timothy 2 that “prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, [2] for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. [3] This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior.”
In summary then, what we owe to our rulers, our judges, our police officers and to our president, (whoever that winds up being) is honor & respect, our prayers, and yes, even taxes.
But that is only ½ of what Jesus commands. That is really the easy half of Jesus’ command. The more difficult portion of his command is the second half. While we owe to Caesar what is Caesar’s we also then owe to God what is God’s. It is far easier to give Caesar his due than it is to give God what is due to him.
God doesn’t need our taxes. Sometimes Christian’s think of the money they put in the plate for an offering on Sunday is the same as the taxes they pay every April 15. You’ve got to pay your dues. It keeps the lights on and the pastor in the pulpit.
Caesar needs your money. Without it he can’t operate. God doesn’t need a thing from any of us. He already owns it. Our offerings are not for His benefit, they are for ours. God permits us to give Him what He does not need so that it can be a means for us to worship Him and thank Him for all that He has done for us. When we do not give our offering, we do no harm to God we harm only ourselves. So, no, God need to assess a tax.
What God does want from us is our hearts. In the explanation to the commandments from the Small Catechism we confess that we should keep the commandments because “We fear, love, and trust in God.” God wants our love, our respect and our trust.
So often we are more prepared to give those things however to our elected officials.
Look at the election issues. We want a president who will save the environment. We want a president who will end the war in Afghanistan and Iraq. We want a president who will quiet our financial markets. We want a president who will provide good health care for our children and families. Can a president really do any of these things? Not even close.
While God calls on us to be good stewards of the world that he has given to us, the weather patterns, the temperature, the oceans and the waves are not controlled by presidents. Whenever you are tempted to believe that we control the weather you should go back to the Psalms. Read Psalm 104. There God says, “He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind; [4] he makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire.” He opens his hand and satisfies the desires of every living thing.
When ever we are tempted to believe that our president can control violence between the nations and that our presidents have the power to end war we should go back to Psalm 46 where God says that “He breaks the bow and shatters the spear and that he burn the chariots with fire.” Or in Psalm 2 where God says that he looks down from heaven and laughs at the kings of the earth who gather their armies together.
When we are tempted to think that a president can take office, implement a few policies and all of a sudden the economy will turn around we ought to remember Matthew 6 where Jesus says that God is the one who feeds even the birds of the air and clothes the grass of the field and that He is the one who provides for all of our needs.
When we are tempted to believe that a president can wave his hand and provide for the health and well being of the citizens we aught to remember that Jesus is the great physician of both body and soul. That he can heal whatever illnesses effect our bodies and that ultimately he is the one who can heal our souls. Jesus can do those things because he suffered our infirmities, because he took on himself our sorrows, because he carried all of our sins and guilt on his own shoulders to the cross.
While God works in this world through kings and presidents and prime ministers, their reach is very short and their power is very limited. But God? His power is limitless and he extends his righteous right arm to us to care for all of our needs. He provides for every physical need that we might have, he keeps us safe from evil and from our enemies, and best of all he has saved us even from ourselves, from the sins that cling to us so closely that no one on earth could ever begin to take away.
One of the great things about being president is that the president is awarded the executive privilege of pardon. He can call the worst offender in the most secure prison into his audience where he can then at his own pleasure set them free from their guilt. While a president can do that here on earth, only God can do that in heaven. Because you see, Jesus himself through his own death and resurrection has earned the executive privilege of pardon, He has called you and me into his audience where he declares us free from all accusations so that we can go free to love him and to serve him.
While we exercise our right to vote, we realize that whoever is voted into office deserve our honor, our respect, our prayers and even our taxes- yet God himself deserves to be feared loved and trusted above all things.