10/30/2026
JESUS' POLITICS Sermon on Matthew 22:16-22
TEXT: 15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. 16 And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone's opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20 And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They said, “Caesar's.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” 22 When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.
Charles Dudley Warner, Mark Twain’s friend, observed in 1870 that “politics makes strange bed-fellows.” Our text today illustrates the point. “The Pharisees…sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians.” These two parties among the Jews had little in common. The Pharisees were devoted to strict adherence of the law and the rabbinic traditions, and thought Israelites should live apart as a holy people (the word “holy” means set apart). The Herodians, on the other hand, wanted the family of Herod to return to ruling Judah. They were nationalists who knew the benefits of the political spoils system, and were willing to compromise on Jewish laws to get a piece of the pie and have one of their cronies in power. But although they might disagree fundamentally with each other, both regarded Jesus and His movement, talking about the Kingdom of God, and turning the other cheek, preaching nonsense about the poor being blessed and the meek inheriting the land as a threat to their own interests. And after Jesus’ triumphant welcome on Palm Sunday two days before, both Pharisees and the Herodians sought to “entangle Him in His words.”
They thought they had the perfect question, “Whether it is right, lawful, to pay taxes to Caesar?”
Taxing has been a perennial political issue for millennia. Pharaoh Shemsu Hor about 3000 B.C. collected taxes in kind in order to build a pyramid at Giza. The Code of Hammurabi has about 280 rules regarding taxes and tariffs. The Law of Moses established an annual head tax in support of the tabernacle/temple establishment, and the Jewish writer Josephus, in recording his history of Pontius Pilate’s administration called him “Procurator” which signifies the chief collector who procures Roman taxes.
Government tax always involves politics. What is politics? Politics is the process of resolving conflicting agendas. When a family decides to eat out there is often a political debate because some family members want to eat right away, and others want to go to that nice place 25 minutes away. Some want clean and healthy, others want cheap and greasy. In that situation some are tempted to bully their way and others to dismiss or belittle the desires of the others.
Roman taxes were on average about 4 or 5% of the gross national product, quite low by modern standards. Their taxes on wealth, on sales of slaves, and on trade were less troublesome than their rather low head tax, which caused resentment among the poor who often could not see any benefit to themselves. The Pharisees and Herodians planned to denounce Jesus no matter which way He answered. If He said that taxes to Caesar was wrong, then they could denounce Him to the Romans and have Him arrested. If He said they were right, they could denounce Him to the poor, and to the patriotic who regarded the tax as aiding their oppressors.
Our Lord was not deceived by the flattery that preceded their attempt to trap Him in words. He demanded to be shown the coin used for the tax, a coin issued by Caesar. His concise answer, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s,” impressed the listeners and discouraged the Pharisees from confronting Him publicly again. However, we should note that Christ’s answer here did not prevent the mob who brought Him to Pilate three days later from accusing Him of claiming to be a king and telling people not to pay tribute to Caesar.
Let us give thought today to how we understand Christ’s words. What things belong to Caesar? What things belong to God?
The first thing to realize is that money, or what it represents, belongs to Caesar, that is, to the government. We say that money is the means of exchange, and that means that money represents value. When I got my first job and earned $6 an hour, my $2400 used car represented 400 hours of work. My father was making about $20 an hour so the same car represented only120 hours of work to him. My parents urged me to study hard in school and gain skills and knowledge so that my time would be worth more than a measly $6/hour. I also learned from my first job that I had to pay taxes because I knew enough math to realize the amount on the check was less than my hours times rate-of-pay. My parents explained that the roads I drove on, the protection that the police provided, and the standby firemen who were always ready to stop the incendiary destruction of my home and neighborhood were some of what I was helping to pay for with my taxes.
St. Paul explains the Christian view of government, that the rulers are God’s servants for our good, suppressing evil and encouraging good. In Isaiah chapter 45 God speaks through the prophet to declare Cyrus, a pagan king of the Medes and Persians, to be His anointed to bless His people Israel. This shows that Christians can be ruled by non-Christians. The ruler is to serve the common good, common to believers and unbelievers. This common good is a temporal good, the distribution and use of the people’s common property for their temporal good. The operative part of God’s law that pertains to Caesar’s realm is the Second Great Commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Let me lay this on your conscience this political season. Jesus said, “Do unto others what you would have them do unto you.” This means that we need to treat our fellow citizens whether Moslems or Jews, socialists or MAGA people, as we would like to be treated. That is with respect, with honesty, with truth, and with that love that helps our neighbor in his need. This does not mean that we do not make the best case for our beliefs, political or economic understanding, or our chosen candidates or party, but it does require us as followers of Christ to practice and discuss politics in a manner different from that which we see in the world around us.
Now, let us give thought to what the Lord meant when He said, render to God the things that are God’s. Unlike this passing temporal world, the things of God are eternal. That is the life He invites us to live. To realize that God is the most important, most lasting, most valuable aspect of our lives helps us see other things in perspective. So many people see in politics the solution to all our problems, when only God is that solution. Some people yearn for something bigger than themselves to be a part of and fall into radical political beliefs or even cult-like cells that urge sacrificing everything for a merely political cause, like group revenge, or class envy. That yearning to be part of something that transcends space and time is what the Kingdom of God is for. This is what Jesus preached and established by His death and rising again. He has promised the Holy Spirit, the presence of God in our lives, to lead us through this life’s adventures and dangers to our heavenly rest, and feast!
Those who render to God the things that are God’s, which is to surrender our wills to His gracious will, walk in newness of life, with new desires as we grow in understanding of His Word. With this new understanding, this new perspective on what is important in life, we can return to politics in a fruitful way. Unlike Jesus’ day when the rulers had little accountability to most of the people they ruled, we live in a time and place where government is accountable to us. It is our duty to participate in the political process, thinking about the laws and customs which constitute the social contract, unwritten rules that enable us to live together. One of these customs which I hope is not controversial is that of driving on the right side of the road. It could be otherwise (as in England), but here the custom and the law require us to avoid accidents by always driving on the right.
As we work for the common good, holding our elected officials accountable, we are guided by certain values or insights that are revealed in the natural law, and laid out in the Scriptures. For example, human life is to be preserved and respected. Science tells us that the zygote in the womb is human life with a genetic code that is different from the mother’s, and thus the issue of abortion is of deep concern to all thinking people. Similarly, mammals have two genders and these have to do with engendering new lives, and therefore matters of sexuality and gender require the recognition of what all other cultures have recognized as traditional marriage. There is a set of basic values, revealed in the Scriptures, taught in the catechism, and studied by believers which inform every believer’s political thinking.
But how to get there from here, what policies will work best in our community, and just what are the priority issues at stake in an election- these are matters where sincere Christians may differ. If you have ever attended a church meeting where people argued over what they could afford and what they could not afford, you know that sincere Christians will differ on many questions. My own commitment to life led me to affiliate with one party over the years, but I lived in a neighborhood of Christians who felt that helping the poor was the priority issue in most elections. I think they were mistaken, but nevertheless, sincere Christians.
There are those who rightly recognize our Lord’s concern for the poor, the refugee, and the stranger in our midst. Everyone of us should respond to human need. But does that pan-handler really need $10 from you for a bottle? Is yet another school holiday what that child needs? I served on the State Board of Education and the state superintendent told me that with only 6 hours in the school day the multiplication of special programs often reduces the focus and efficiency of public schooling. Is bringing a sugary cake to your diabetic grandpa really a kindness? So many moral claims are made about government programs which have failed to improve the lives they were supposed to help. Those who look to the government and ask “What would Jesus do?” often fail to examine the Lord’s own statements on politics which were very few.
One interesting example of religion in politics in the New Testament is John the Baptist’s confrontation of Herod over Herod’s marrying his brother Philip’s wife. John does not fault Herod for failing to feed the poor, but for the very public sin the King committed. John was arrested and eventually martyred for this intrusion into politics. Our Lord Jesus commended John as the greatest of Old Testament prophets, but did not make this issue (Herod’s adultery) His own. This suggests to me that God calls some of us to concern ourselves with certain political issues, say drug abuse, and others with other issues, say child exploitation.
Let us return to Jesus’ teaching: “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” We humbly pray for wisdom and the Holy Spirit’s guiding so that we may discern the difference between the temporal things which may be rendered to the governing authorities, and that concern for eternal truth which defines our lives, hopes, and desires.
May the peace of God which contrasts with chaos of the world with its politics keep you ever in the true faith, to eternal life in Christ, our Lord. Amen.
