Matthew 22:15-22
God and Country

Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?"

But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, "Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax." And they brought him a denarius. Then he said to them, "Whose head is this, and whose title?"

They answered, "The emperor's."

Then he said to them, "Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's." When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.

New Revised Standard Version

At one level, this is a fascinating account in the intellectual battle between Jesus and the religious leaders of his time. They had sent representatives both from the temple and from the government to bait Jesus with a "no-win" question--as it concerned the pragmatic issue of taxes, should the people of Judah be subject to Rome, or subject to God? In answering the question, Jesus pointed out the difference between political authority and religious authority, and directed people to respect each authority in an appropriate way. The Pharisees must have been angered by his response, for not only did he escape their trap, but he attacked their desire to have both political and religious authority, as seen in their expectations of a military Messiah that would overthrow Roman rule.

This meditation is written for Sunday, July 4, 2004, Independence Day in the United States, and this is certainly a day when it is appropriate to celebrate--to give to America what is due to America. I am blessed to have been born a citizen of this "land of opportunity," and I am awed to think back over all the opportunities this nation's legal system and culture have allowed me to explore. Paul reminded us in Romans 13 that the source of all governmental authority, even for the most corrupt and oppressive rulers, comes from God. How marvelous, then, when a nation builds its foundation on principles of freedom and the respect for every person, principles that allow God to be worshipped with our whole beings without fear of reprisal from the government!

On this July 4th, we all should follow this teaching from Jesus in Matthew 22 in how we give to our countries and to our God what is due. In particular, we should be on guard that we don't fall short and do just one or the other. If we worship God but reject or defy our nations, we are disobeying God, encouraging anarchy, and telling the world that God's plan can be achieved by political means. If we honor our nations but do not worship God, we are denying the heavenly and permanent for the earthly and temporal, and we are lost to sin.

The more insidious way this balance is distorted is when we, like the Pharisees, blend politics and religion, assuming we can serve both at the same time by the same actions. The Pharisees wanted to recreate the golden age of King David and King Solomon, when God ruled that nation through God's servant, the king. To them, the theocratic kingdom was the goal! Instead, Jesus knew that the purpose of Judah had always been as a way for God to reach the world--any kingdom was merely a tool that God could use to achieve a much higher goal. Sometimes we do the same today, figuring that if political power can mandate holiness, we will have achieved God's goal. Sometimes, we fail to make the distinctions between what are God's commands and what are our nations' laws, and we find ourselves worshipping our countries, or assuming that anything that isn't illegal must be pleasing to God. Sometimes we approach God with the same cynicism with which we view national politics. Instead, let us give to our nations what is due our nations, and give to our God what is due to God.

So, happy American Independence Day to you! I am grateful to be living in a country whose National Anthem declares it "the land of the free". More than that, I am eternally grateful to God for making us free, for when God has set us free, we are free indeed!