Fighting
against the Idolatry of Politics
Matthew 22:15-22 (English Standard Version)
Paying Taxes to Caesar
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.
As
the (infamous) impending election approaches, there are many who are ready for
it to be finished already; I am such a person. In my interactions with various
people, it is clear to me that some hold politics dearer to their hearts than
others. I am careful not to elevate politics to the level of God and, thus,
make it an idol; yet, that is precisely what many Americans do. I certainly
have political stances and issues on which I disagree with others. Nonetheless,
political issues are often secondary. For example, I am adamant that socialism
is an ignorant way of life and one that holds greater potential to cause harm
to a society than that of a Republic, as should be the United States according
to our Constitution. I am, however, willing to admit that there is nothing
inherently evil about socialism, i.e. nothing in Scripture supports such a
claim so to declare Christianity a religion that inherently fights against
socialism would be to lie. Why then do so many people passionately offer hatred
and disdain to those of different political persuasions, often even more
passionately than their own theological holdings or responsibility to share Christ
with the world? Perhaps, it is because many in our society have made politics
an idol without even realizing it.
In this
passage, Jesus is not caught off guard when the Pharisees try to trap him and
reveals the fact that the kingdom of God is at the forefront of his mind and
indeed his entire life while political issues (including taxes) are secondary.
He does so to the point where he concedes to pay taxes. “…render to Caesar the
things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s,” (v. 21) he
says. To the logical Christian, it is apparent that everything belongs to God
so even in paying taxes, one is not taking money from God. According to Romans
13, governmental authorities are set in place by God no matter the setting and
no matter the evil that might dwell within their hearts. Paul, in fact, lived
under some of the most evil regimes in history and yet preaches to submit to
governmental authorities. That is because he knew that nothing exists apart
from God’s sovereign command and that he will ultimately have his way even in
the midst of evil.
Moreover, Paul suggests
to the Corinthians to be all things to all people (1 Cor 9:19-23). He
understands the need to keep secondary things secondary and the kingdom of God
at the forefront, particularly when we only have limited time on this earth. We
must all be reminded of this during this time of incredible political
discourse. Perhaps, many who idolize politics as if they have nothing else for which
to live do so because they do not love God. Therefore, politics literally is
all they have for which to live. In this passage, Jesus, in essence, diminishes
the issue of paying taxes as if to say, “Just do it; it is a secondary issue.
The kingdom of God is primary, and nothing else matters.” Let us keep God and
his kingdom at the forefront of our minds and lives and not loose focus of its
importance with the many political distractions flung at us each day.
