Trinity 23

Matthew 22:15-22 - Trinity Twenty-Three - November 8, 2015
The Things That Are God’s

A logical fallacy is a kind of argument that doesn’t follow the basic rules of logic, and so doesn’t make any sense.   One of the most common logical fallacies that people use, and which people often fall for, is the fallacy of a false dichotomy.  It is also known as the either/or fallacy or false dilemma fallacy.  It’s when two options are presented as though they are the only two options to choose from.  It’s like if someone were to ask you whether you had breakfast or lunch yesterday.  Well, can’t you have had both?  It’s not necessarily either/or.  Or here’s a better one: it’s like if somebody asked you whether you are saved by faith or by your Baptism.  Well, again, can’t it be both?  It is both.  Faith relies on the word of God.  Baptism is the word of God attached to water.  Faith finds God’s promise where God makes his promise – not out of thin air.  To say that Baptism saves us is to affirm that we are saved by faith alone since faith trusts the promise given to us in Baptism.  Baptism saves you because faith saves you.  

I thought I’d give a useful example of a false dichotomy and how to refute one since this is such a common logical fallacy.  It is frequently used to deny the word of God.  Another quick example would be if someone were to ask you whether the cup in the Lord’s Supper is filled with wine or the blood of Christ.  Again, it’s not either/or, is it?  It’s both.  False dichotomies can stump you if you’re not prepared for them – even as they deny the plain meaning of God’s word.  Is Christ true God or is he true Man?  You should be good at this by now.  Both!  False dichotomies are dangerous! 

This was the tactic that the Pharisees tried with Jesus.  They presented him with a false dichotomy: “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” that is to say, “Or should we only pay tribute to God?”  That was the question.  But think about it.  Can’t you do both?  Shouldn’t you do both?  Do you choose between paying taxes and giving offering?  No.  Just as Baptism is a means through which God saves us by faith, so also obeying our civil authorities is the means by which we obey God.  It’s not either/or.  It’s by and through.  God demands our obedience.  How do we show him our obedience?  Well, this is why he gives us parents — so that we might obey God by obeying our parents.  All earthly authority is an extension of that parental authority which God gives to fathers and mothers.  This is why the 4^th Commandment requires that we honor and obey our rulers too. 

We should not drive an artificial wedge between the honor we owe to God and the honor we owe to those who rule over us in the same way we should not drive a wedge between God’s word and the earthly elements he uses to bless us.  What God joins together let not man put asunder. 

When we are baptized by the command and promise of Jesus, we are buried and raised with Christ and given a new birth and inheritance by faith.  That’s what the Bible says.  When we eat the bread of the Lord’s Supper, we are eating the risen and glorified body of Christ for the forgiveness of our sins.  That’s what the Bible says.  When we honor and obey our parents and others who have authority over us, we are honoring and obeying God.  That’s what the Bible says.  We don’t serve God by making up our own expressions of love and devotion – no more than we trust God by making up our own means of grace.  No.  We serve God by serving those whom he tells us to serve just as we believe in God by placing our trust in the specific promises he makes. 

God determines what obedience and devotion look like, not we ourselves. 

The Pharisees gave an appearance of obedience and devotion to Jesus.  But they were like whitewashed tombs – beautiful on the outside and full of death on the inside.   Oh, but their words really were beautiful!  They spoke the truth, after all, even if they only pretended to be sincere: “Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone’s opinion, for You do not regard the person of men.”  Jesus was indeed a Teacher sent from God who taught the true way to God because he himself was the very way, truth, and life of God.  He did not tailor his words to anyone so as to avoid unpleasant reactions.  He was fair.  He didn’t judge according to appearances.  

Of course, here we see a bit of irony.  They didn’t realize how right they were.  Jesus does not judge the face of things at all.  He discerns hearts.  And he discerned the scheming of their hearts.  Jesus, although they did a masterful job of hiding it, because he is God, saw their true intentions.  They said all of this to Jesus because they sought to trap him.  “Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” 

Now, how would they have trapped him?  This wasn’t a debate in logic here.  This was an attempt either to get Jesus in trouble with the people who adored him or else get him in trouble with the Herodians who were loyal to Caesar.  If Jesus gave an unqualified “yes it is lawful,” the people would have thought that he approved of Caesar’s oppressive taxes.  If Jesus gave an unqualified “no it’s not lawful,” the Herodians would have arrested him as an insurrectionist.  It was a clever plan. 

See, the Romans required all of their subjects to pay taxes to Caesar.  And God required all of his people to pay tribute to God.  Caesar’s tax was a direct insult on the Jewish people.  By taxing them he claimed to have divine authority – authority that belonged only to God.  But didn’t he?  Well, he shouldn’t have used it that way, but yeah.  Although we know what kind of authority our rulers have – that their authority is from God in order to punish evildoers and to praise those who do good – yet our rulers don’t necessarily understand this.  They more often than not abuse and misuse the authority God gave them.  Caesar was no different. 

But we do not obey our rulers only insofar as they are good rulers – or insofar as they understand the limit and scope and purpose of their power.  No.  We obey them despite their shortcomings and unjust decrees as we should our sinful parents.  We obey them out of respect for God who gave them their authority, even if they misuse it, even if they do not recognize God who gave it to them.  We submit, trusting that God whose rule is always just will bless us in the end.  Even our blessed Lord, when he identified where Pontius Pilate’s authority had come from, knew that he was not consenting to the mere judgment of man, but to the divine justice of God against your sin and mine, which his Father had imputed to him so that he might bear it away as our Savior: “You could have no power at all against Me,” Jesus said, “unless it had been given you from above” (John 19:11).  Could there be a more splendid example to compel us Christians to humbly submit to our rulers – evil as they may be? 

This is what makes Jesus’ retort against the Pharisees so brilliant.  Jesus didn’t come to undermine lawful authority.  He was no rebel.  He came to affirm it with his own blood.  The Pharisees sought to ensnare Jesus and spoil his reputation.  But Jesus turned their trap on them – just like the Psalm says,

Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
While I escape safely. (Psalm 141:10)

So Jesus turned the tables, silenced these hypocrites, and made them flee confounded. 

St. Paul concludes his treatment of this subject in Romans 13 with these words: “Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor” (13:7).  Now Paul is clearly commenting on Jesus’ words in our Gospel lesson, “Render therefore to Caesar …” But Jesus explains for us how to apply these words, that is, how we might determine what exactly we owe – whether it be taxes, customs, fear, or honor – and to whom – whether it be to Caesar, or the President, or Congress, or the Supreme Court, or, of course, to God.  Jesus holds up a coin and asks whose image and inscription is on the coin.  In those days, the image and inscription was that of Caesar.  So he said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 

In other words, give to Caesar what he has the right to demand.  But give to God what he has the right to demand.  So we should ask ourselves, what has the image of Caesar, and what has the image of God?  That is, what can Caesar lawfully require from us?  And what should we reserve only for God? 

Our money has the official images and inscriptions of the United States of America.  It might often be unfair that our government requires so much of it in taxes.  But it has their name on it.  The government has the right to demand earthly wealth.  And even if they act unjustly or foolishly, what is it that we really have to part with when we submit?  Extra time to fill out useless bureaucratic paper work?  Do it.  You have eternity in heaven.  Extra money to fund counterproductive social programs?  Do it.  You have all the wealth of heaven in your Baptism.  See to your own house at least as much as you are concerned about the affairs of state. 

It is a sin to rebel against lawful authority as much as it is a sin for a child to rebel against his father.  Time and money are not more precious than a good conscience before God.  It is for conscience sake that you submit to God’s unworthy servants.  It is God whom you oppose if you disregard the rule of law. 

But what if the government acts outside the rule of law and violates the supreme law of the land such as what we have in the Constitution?  Well, that’s a different story and better addressed at another time.  But suffice it to say for now that it isn’t up to renegade individuals to revolt, but for lawful representatives to correct the evil – such as what happened with our American forbears who severed the bonds of tyranny as was their right and duty. 

We render obedience to whom obedience is due.  But obedience is not always due.  That’s the point.  Sometimes the dichotomy is not false.  Sometimes it is either/or and you have to choose between obeying Caesar and obeying God.  Our rulers often act outside of their jurisdiction not just by violating the Constitution, but by seeking to violate your conscience.  The government may tax your labor.  They may tax your land, your inheritance, your savings, and there’s likely nothing you can do about it.  They make unjust laws that punish people for doing the right thing and that reward people for doing evil.  And all you can do is vote.  But what they may not do, and where you may not obey them or support them in any way is when they demand that you consent to what is sinful.  They may demand what has their image on it.  But they may not demand what has the image of God and his inscription.  They have no right to violate your conscience.  And you have no right to let them. 

Here are three ways in which they will try:

1^st Abortion.  God made man in his own image.  Caesar – or any other government – has no right to consent to the murder of innocent babies.  By supporting such a manifestly wicked industry, Caesar is seeking to smear the image of God and replace on these children his own inscription.  It is a sin to support a ruler who defends abortion.  You may render taxes and customs.  But you may not honor such a wicked man with your vote.  That is a sin. 

2^nd Homosexuality.  In the beginning God made them male and female.  This is part of the image of God in which we were made.  To deny the distinction between male and female – especially when it comes to so-called “gay marriage” or “gender-fluidity” is an assault on God.  God requires us to oppose our rulers when they support such attacks on God’s image.  Do not render to Caesar what belongs to God. 

3^rd They will usurp the authority of father and mother.  The 4^th Commandment authority that God gave parents is the source of civil authority.  It is not the other way around.  When the government presumes to treat our children as though they were primarily theirs – demanding what kind of education they receive, the government is again presuming to inscribe its own image where God’s image already is.  God gives children to fathers and mothers.  He does not give them to elected officials or courts.  And especially today when so much of what our rulers want to indoctrinate the children with denies the claim that God has made on us in our Baptism, it is our duty to resist our rulers in this regard. 

As Jesus said, “Whose image is on it?”  That’s what you must ask yourself. 

So, Christian brothers and sisters, render to Caesar what is Caesar’s.  But do not render to Caesar what is God’s.  Be careful to note what has God’s image.  Be careful to note what is a political trick and social pressure to get you to pay to man what belongs only to God.  Consider this powerful prayer that some committee inexplicably and foolishly removed from the last hymn we sang:

The world for me has falsely set
Full many a secret snare and net
To tempt me and to harm me.
Lord, make them fail,
Do Thou prevail,
Let their disguise not charm me.

The Pharisees’ disguise did not charm Jesus.  And with his wisdom, neither will we be charmed.  Our rulers can take anything that has the image of kings and presidential seals.  But cannot command your conscience.  They cannot tax what you owe to God or what God has graciously laid up for you in heaven?  They cannot tax what has God’s image and inscription. 

You are made in the image of God.  This means that God made you to be holy and righteous and to love and obey his will.  Having been born in sin this image has been smeared and corrupted.  But God sent his Son to restore this image by bearing your sin in innocence for you.  He is the express image of the Father (Hebrews 1:3) who obeyed his Father in all things – from eternity as the Son of God and here as our Substitute as our Brother and the Lamb of God.  By your Baptism he is your Father too.   This means that our citizenship is in heaven. 

Our image will be restored when we are raised to his glory – when our Baptism is completed – when our bodies will be as glorified as the body of Christ to whom we are united and of which we partake in the blessed Sacrament of the Altar.  Therefore, render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s, as the Psalm puts it:

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. (Psalm 116:12-13)

Therefore let us now call on the name of the Lord for mercy:

On my heart imprint Thine image,
Blessed Jesus, King of Grace,
That life’s riches, cares, and pleasures
Have no power Thee to efface.
This the superscription be:
Jesus, crucified for me,
Is my life, my hope's Foundation,
And my Glory and Salvation.  Amen.