Latest / Reformed Thinking / Render to Caesar the Things That Are Caesar's and to God the Things That Are God's | John Piper

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Render to Caesar the Things That Are Caesar's and to God the Things That Are God's | John Piper · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome to The Deep Dive, the show where we take a stack of
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sources and really unpack the most compelling insights for
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you. Today we're embarking on a new
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deep dive looking into a a really foundational biblical
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passage. It's a moment in the Gospels
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that, well, it's echoed through centuries, hasn't it?
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And it's challenged believers across all sorts of cultures.
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We're zeroing in on Jesus's teaching.
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Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the
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things that are God. 'S That's specific one from
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Matthew 22 versus 15 to 21. Exactly, and our aim with this
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deep dive is, you know, to extract the core knowledge.
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The insights give you a clearer comprehension of the layers in
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Jesus response. It was masterful, really.
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Oh, definitely. Especially considering it was a
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response to what was for him, a very real and frankly incredibly
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clever trap. Just imagine the scene for a
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moment. You've got the dusty streets of
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Jerusalem, tension thick in the air, Roman legionaries
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patrolling nearby. Yeah.
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And then this seemingly innocent question gets posed to this
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teacher who has absolutely captivated the crowds.
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But it wasn't innocent at all, was it?
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Not in the slightest. It was a perfectly laid trap.
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You could almost call it a master class in political
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maneuvering, designed to either silence Jesus or, you know,
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expose him as a revolutionary. Right back him into a corner.
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And yet, what actually happened wasn't Jesus walking into their
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snare. Instead, He just turns the
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tables with this single clear statement that still speaks to
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us today through millennia. It really does so.
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Today, we're pulling back the curtain on that specific moment.
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Yeah, and that's certainly right.
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This passage it reaches far beyond just a simple question
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about paying taxes, which is how many people might initially read
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it. Right, the surface level.
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Exactly. It digs into these fundamental
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questions of authority, like who truly owns what, and where does
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our ultimate allegiance, you know, But where should it reside
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in this world? This teaching holds genuinely
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radical implications for how followers are supposed to
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conduct themselves living as citizens really in two kingdoms
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simultaneously. Two kingdoms.
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That's a key concept it. Is think about it, we live in a
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world where nation states often demand ultimate loyalty, right?
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Where economic systems can feel all consuming and cultural
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trends kind of dictate behavior. And into that this teaching
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offers a truly counter cultural framework.
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It's not just about what you do with your money, but about who
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you are fundamentally and who you honor when you face these
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competing claims on your life. There's about identity too.
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Very much so. We're talking about the very
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bedrock of a believer's worldview, how they interact
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with government, their personal finances, even their very
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identity, like you said. OK, so let's unpack this
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calculated snare. Then let's start with the setup
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the scene laid out for us in Matthew 22.
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It's quite the strategic maneuver by Jesus's adversaries,
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isn't it? Oh yeah.
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Carefully planned. The passage tells us the
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Pharisees who were, let's be honest, always looking for a way
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to trip Jesus up constantly, they went and plotted how to
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entangle Jesus in his words. That's the phrase he used, and
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it says plainly that Jesus was aware of their malice.
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He saw right through it. He did.
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They really intended to put him to the test, to force him into
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one of those no win situations. They believed there was no
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escape. Yeah, they weren't looking for
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truth. Not at all.
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No, they were seeking his downfall, plain and simple.
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Precisely. And what makes this scene so
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striking is the unusual alliance behind the interrogation.
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It's a collaboration born out of shared opposition to Jesus.
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That's. Interesting.
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Who were they? Well, on one side you have the
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Pharisees, a group known for their, you know, meticulous
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adherence to Mosaic law, their dedication to Jewish tradition.
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Right. Often clashed with Jesus.
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They did. They often found themselves at
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odds with his teachings, viewing his interpretations and actions
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as well undermining their authority in the established
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religious order. Then alongside them you have the
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Herodians. Herodians OK.
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They were a Jewish political party.
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Their very name tells you something.
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Their allegiance was to inherit and to pass, and by extension
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really to Roman rule. So more politically and
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motivated maybe? Pragmatic.
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You can say that these Herodians were distinct because they
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actively supported the Herodian dynasty and the Roman presence.
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They were often political pragmatists who saw cooperating
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with Rome as the best way to maintain order and, frankly,
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their own influence. OK, so these two groups,
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Pharisees and her audience, they wouldn't normally be allies,
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would they? Not typically, no.
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One group was deeply religious and nationalist, the other
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politically aligned with the occupying power.
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For them to come together against Jesus, it really
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underscores the severity of their shared objective.
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Which was? To discredit him, yeah, once and
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for all to neutralize his growing influence among the
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people. It truly shows you the extent of
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their apprehension about. Him.
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Wow. OK, so they approach him, this
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unlikely alliance with this politically supercharged
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dilemma, they ask. Tell us then what you think.
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Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?
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Such a loaded question. Totally.
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And for the Jewish people living in their homeland at that time,
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this wasn't just some casual query was.
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It not at all. They were under direct Roman
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rule, often brutal, always resented.
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And Caesar wasn't just a king, he was emperor, claiming divine
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status. Even that must have been a huge
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affront to Jewish monotheism. A massive affront, this direct
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rule over their promised land by, you know, Pagan Romans.
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It stirred this deep indignation.
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It was a constant searing reminder of their subjugation.
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A wound to their pride, both national and religious.
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Exactly. Every interaction with Roman
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authority, every tax collected, every legionary walking the
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streets, it was a painful echo of their lost sovereignty.
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So this question about the tax goes right to the heart of that
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pain. It does, and it truly put Jesus
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on the horns of a dilemma. It was a scenario specifically
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designed to guarantee his downfall one way or the other.
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OK, explain the two horns. What happens if he says yes?
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Right horn #1 supporting the taxes.
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If Jesus had simply said yes, that it was lawful to pay taxes,
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he would have immediately undercut his popular messianic
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support. Why?
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Because people hated the tax. Yes, but it was deeper than just
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hating taxes. You see, for many Jews, paying
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taxes to Rome wasn't just a financial burden, It was seen as
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a profound religious offense. A religious offense?
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How so? Well, the Roman occupation
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itself was considered an illegitimate gentile domination
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of God's chosen land and people. That was the baseline.
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Furthermore, the coins themselves, the ones used for
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paying the tax, they bore the image and inscription of the
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emperor. The emperor who claimed to be
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divine. Exactly.
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Claiming divine status. So using those coins, paying
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that tax, was viewed by many as idolatrous.
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It was like a tacit acknowledgement of Rome's
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authority over God's chosen people, even in a religious
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sense. OK, I see.
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So a yes from Jesus would have alienated the very crowds who
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are hailing him as a potential Liberator.
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It would have cast him as a collaborator with the hated
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Roman regime. Undermining his spiritual
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authority. Completely.
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It would have looked like a compromise of their faith and
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their national identity, a disaster for his popular
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support. OK, so that's one side of the
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trap. Saying yes alienates his
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followers, but the genius, or maybe the malice of their plan
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was the other side. That's right, the other horn of
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the dilemma. What if Jesus said no?
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Yeah, what if he said no, it's not lawful?
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Well, if Jesus had simply said no, that it was not lawful to
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pay taxes, then the Herodians remember.
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Them the pro Roman ones. Exactly the ones keen to
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maintain their position, they can immediately charge him with
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being a revolutionary. Sedition.
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Precisely. And this wasn't just a minor
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accusation. Challenging the tax was seen as
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an act of open rebellion against Roman authority.
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And the Romans didn't take kindly to rebellion.
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Not at all. The punishment was execution,
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and not just eventually, but swiftly.
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The Roman authorities would move quickly to suppress any hint of
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insurrection. So it was designed so that no
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matter his answer, he faced severe consequences.
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Exactly. Either loses influence with the
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people making his claims seem hollow, or lose his life to
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Roman authority, ending his public ministry.
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It really was a no win scenario from their perspective.
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The stakes couldn't have been higher for Jesus in that moment.
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That's the perceived brilliance. They're trap.
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It just seemed inescapable. But then Jesus in turn does
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something interesting. He asks them Show me the coin
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for the tax. Right.
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He turns it back on them. And they brought him a denarius.
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Now, what's compelling here is the specific coin.
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It was very likely a silver denarius of Tiberius Caesar.
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Tiberius OK so the emperor at that time during Jesus ministry.
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Mostly yes. Tiberius ruled from AD 13 to 37,
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covering most of Jesus adult life.
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Caesar Augustus was emperor when Jesus was born, but Tiberius was
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the current Caesar. And this coin, the denarius, it
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wasn't just currency, was it? No, it was packed with meaning,
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a visible symbol of the whole conflict.
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You could even call it a miniature piece of Roman
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propaganda they had to carry around.
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A powerful visual symbol, then, and probably a daily affront for
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many Jews. Absolutely.
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The denarius featured a portrait of Tiberius, his head on one
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side. Just the picture itself, a
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graven image, was a direct violation of one of the 10
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commandments for devout Jews. OK, the image itself was a
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problem, but there was more right the inscription.
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Yeah, the inscription around his head read Chai Caesar divi
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AVGSAVGVSTVS. Which means it translates.
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To Tiberius Caesar, son of the divine Augustus.
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Son of the Divine Augustus. So not just a title, but a claim
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to divine lineage. Exactly.
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Openly asserting Caesar as the son of a God?
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Yeah, a direct challenge to Jewish belief.
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Wow. And what about the other side of
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the coin? The reverse side typically had a
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feminine image, possibly the Empress Olivia, depicted as the
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goddess Roma, or maybe Pax, the goddess of peace, and it often
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had the words Pontiff Maxim. Pontifex Maximus, high priest.
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Correct. Signifying Caesar as the high
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priest of the Roman state religion.
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So he's claiming political power, divine lineage, and
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supreme religious authority all on one little coin.
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Precisely. It wasn't just a title.
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It was a claim to spiritual authority that directly
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challenged the Jewish understanding of God is the sole
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divine authority and the temple priesthood as his appointed
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spiritual leaders. So the Roman Empire actively
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used these coins to promote emperor worship.
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It did. It was a tool to assert their
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dominion, not just politically and economically, but
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religiously as well. So the very coin they used to
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pay taxes was a direct physical representation of this Pagan
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cult. Which made paying the tax for
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many devout Jews not just a financial burden.
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But a deeply offensive religious act, Like you said earlier, it
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was like forcing them to carry a mini idol in their pocket.
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A spiritually compromising thing every single day.
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OK, so they produce this coin loaded with all this meaning.
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What's Jesus's first move? Well, when they produce the
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coin, his initial response just cut through their plotting with
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surgical precision. He didn't answer their question
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directly at first. What did he say?
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He said. Why put me to the test, you
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hypocrites? Straight to the heart of it.
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Right. He immediately discerned their
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malicious intent. He saw right past the deceptive
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words to the deceitful hearts behind them.
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It was a swift call out of their true motivations, laying bare
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their hypocrisy for everyone there to see.
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So he exposes them first, then what?
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Well, what's fascinating here is that Jesus did not dodge the
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question as some might think. He didn't fall into either horn
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of their dilemma. He found a third way.
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You could say that after they identified the likeness on the
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coin as Caesar's, answering his question about the image, Jesus
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delivered his pivotal statement therefore rendered to Caesar the
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things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are gods.
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The famous line. The famous line, and it wasn't
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an invasion at all. This answer, it forces us to
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think, doesn't it? To really consider the scope of
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his words. Also, he didn't just give a
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simple yes or no. That would have either alienated
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his followers or condemned him. Instead, he gave an answer that
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completely elevated the discussion.
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To a higher plane. Exactly.
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A spiritual plane. He reframed the entire question
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they posed. He moved it from the realm of,
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you know, petty political maneuvering to the realm of
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ultimate reality. Now this is where Jesus really
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pulls back the curtain on a clear spiritual truth moving way
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beyond their political game. He doesn't just say Casey's or
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his due, He immediately adds that second, really electrifying
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clause. And to God, the things that are
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gods. And the unspoken assumption
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there, the one that must have hit his listeners like a ton of
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bricks, is surely that everything belongs to God.
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Isn't that the real moment of insight here?
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Absolutely. You've hit the nail on the head.
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That second command isn't just like an add on, it's the
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interpretive key for the whole statement.
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How does that work? Well, if you accept the biblical
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premise, you know the earth is the Lords of the fullness
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thereof. From Psalm 24, then it logically
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simply follows that whatever belongs to Caesar also belongs
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to God. Ultimately, this isn't just a
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clever retort to profound theological statement.
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It's rooted in the very first verses of Genesis.
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If God created everything, then by definition, everything
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belongs to Him. The air we breathe, the ground
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under our feet, the resources we manage, even the authority that
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Caesar wields, it all originates from and ultimately belongs to
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the Creator. It echoes the Psalmist, doesn't
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it? The earth is the Lord's, and the
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fullness thereof the world and those who dwell therein.
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Exactly that. Yeah.
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So Caesar might have stamped his image on a coin claiming
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ownership in a sense, but the ultimate owner, the one whose
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image is stamped on creation itself and on humanity through
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the Imago day. The image of God in US.
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Right, that's God. So your act of rendering to
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Caesar paying the tax is in a deeper sense an act of rendering
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to God. It clarifies A mundane civic
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duty as potentially an expression of ultimate
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allegiance. So it's not just about money
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anymore. Not at all.
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It's about fundamental reality. Who truly owns it all?
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That's fascinating. So Jesus isn't merely
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distinguishing between two separate realms, you know, the
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sacred and the secular, saying this bit is for God, that bit's
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for Caesar. No, it's more integrated than.
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That he's actually sort of subsuming Caesar's realm under
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God's, showing that even Caesar's authority and
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possessions are ultimately derived from God and accountable
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to God. That's a great way to put it.
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He's subordinating earthly authority to divine authority.
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Which fundamentally reshapes how a believer views all earthly
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authority, doesn't it? It suggests this kind of radical
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dual citizenship, where our citizenship in this world is
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always held in tension with and subordinate to our heavenly
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citizenship. Precisely.
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It's a citizenship that holds 2 allegiances in tension, but with
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a very clear hierarchy. God's allegiance comes first.
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Always we are called to honor and obey earthly authorities.
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Yes, because their authority, even though it's flawed and
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temporary, is ordained by God for maintaining order in a
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fallen world. Paul talks about this in Romans
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13. But that obedience is always
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relativized, always limited by our ultimate allegiance to the
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King of Kings, to God. So our service to Caesar, our
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civic duties, are ultimately done in service to God.
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Ideally, yes, Unless, and this is the crucial exception, unless
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Caesar's cans directly conflict with God's clear commands.
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That's where the tension really emerges.
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And where believers throughout history have faced difficult
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choices. Exactly.
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Think about the early Christians.
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They were generally loyal citizens of the Roman Empire in
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many ways, but they absolutely refused emperor worship.
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Why? Because it directly conflicted
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with their primary allegiance to Christ.
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Right. Render to Caesar what is
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Caesar's. But worship belongs only to God.
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Precisely. Or think of later figures like
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Dietrich Bon Haffer in Nazi Germany, trying to navigate the
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horrific demands of a totalitarian regime while
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holding fast to his higher calling.
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So this principle, it fundamentally redefines
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citizenship. It's not just an obligation.
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No, it transforms it into an act of worship and discernment.
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It's not about ignoring earthly laws, not at all.
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But it is about filtering them through a higher divine lens.
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We participate, we contribute, we live peaceably as much as we
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can, but our ultimate identity, our ultimate loyalty, and our
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ultimate hope reside not in the transient kingdoms of this
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world. But in the eternal, unshakable
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Kingdom of God. Exactly.
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This brings us to a really crucial point, then, about
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Jesus's own absolute authority over everything.
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You know, when we think about the crucifixion story, it's easy
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to see Caesar, or rather the Roman Empire, represented by
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Pilot, as the dominant force in that moment.
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Earthly power certainly seemed supreme.
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But the claim here, the theological reality, is that
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even though the earthly power of Caesar stood behind the
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crucifixion of Jesus, Jesus is the supreme Lord over Caesar.
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That's a remarkable claim, especially given the
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circumstances he was in when he spoke these words.
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It is remarkable. And Jesus knew this truth even
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when He seemed at His absolute weakest, hanging on the cross.
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His post resurrection declaration confirms it was
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stunning clarity. Remember Matthew 28.18?
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All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
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Exactly. All authority, heaven and earth,
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that signifies his universal dominion.
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He is above all of Caesar's authority, above all earthly
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rulers and systems for all time. So rendering to God the things
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that are gods ultimately means what rendering to Jesus?
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Yes, ultimately it means rendering to Jesus the honor of
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absolute ownership and authority over everything, and that
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includes all that is Caesar's. So our obedience to earthly
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powers is always in light of his ultimate rule.
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Exactly. It is, in essence, an act of
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obedience to Him, the one who establishes and dismantles
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nations, who raises kings and brings them low.
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Every coin, every realm, every rain, ultimately, it all points
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back to Him. And this authority isn't
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separate from the fathers where you mentioned John 1030.
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He and the Father are one. Precisely.
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There's a unity there, and John 5.2223 says the Father has given
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all judgment to the Son. That all may honor the Son, just
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as they honor the Father. Right.
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This clarifies why when Jesus said render to God, he was
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implicitly including himself, even though he didn't explicitly
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name himself in that context during his earthly ministry.
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It points to a unified divine authority.
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A singularity of purpose and dominion between the Father and
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the Son. Honoring 1 means honoring the
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other. There's no division in that
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supreme authority. But during his earthly ministry,
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Jesus didn't always wield that authority openly, did he?
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No, and that's important to understand.
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During his earthly ministry, Jesus consciously abstained, you
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might say, from exercising the right and the raw power to
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subdue his enemies by force. He chose instead to lay down his
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life. Yes, his somewhat subtle answer
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about Caesar and God reflected this intentional humility, this
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self limitation. He was here in his first coming
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to suffer and die to accomplish a specific saving work.
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Not to rule openly as an earthly king at that point.
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Not yet. He knew the day would come when
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he would rule openly, sitting on his glorious throne before all
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the nations, as Matthew 25 describes it, judging all
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humanity. But in that moment, with the
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Pharisees and Herodians, he modeled a kind of humble
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submission, even while subtly asserting his ultimate
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supremacy. Exactly.
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His present humility didn't negate his future ultimate
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authority, it actually set the stage for it.
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He chose the path of the Suffering Servant first, a quiet
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power that would ultimately achieve a victory far greater
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than any earthly conquest. And we see that ultimate source
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of all earthly authority a clearly stated later, don't we,
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when Jesus stands before Pilate, the Roman governor, who has
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immense temporal power? The power of life and death,
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seemingly. Jesus tells him you would have
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no authority over me at all unless it had been given you
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from above. That's John 19.11.
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A stunning statement in that context.
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It establishes such a profound truth all human authority likes.
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Caesars like pilots, is warranted only because it is
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indirectly God's. It comes from God, but it is not
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God. That's the key distinction,
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yeah. It makes earthly authority
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legitimate in its proper sphere, but never absolute.
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It has a rightful place, a necessary function for order in
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a fallen world, but it's not the highest place.
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So every decree, every law, every government structure
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operates under this divine allowance, accountable to the
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one who grants them their temporary power.
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That's the biblical framework. It acts as is both a validation,
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yes, government has a God-given role and a critical limitation
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for any earthly rule. OK, so because God and Jesus as
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one with the Father, hold absolute allegiance, then all
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other allegiances to nation's rulers, even employers or
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families, they're all relativized by the supreme
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allegiance? They have to be.
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Earthly allegiances are warranted.
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They're legitimate, but they are always limited and shaped by
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this first primary allegiance to God and God.
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Actually wills that we recognize these earthly authorities.
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Yes, as God ordained, Paul is clear on this and that we
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shouldn't proudly kick against what he has put in place for the
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sake of order. Even when those authorities are
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flawed or even unjust. That's the hard part, isn't it?
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But the principle holds. Submission is generally the
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posture, unless obeying man means disobeying God directly.
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This perspective transforms how we view our civic duties.
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They aren't just grudging obligations.
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But acts that when rendered appropriately, can indirectly
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honor God. Right.
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This divine ordering gives us a framework for how believers
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should engage with the world systems, even the ones that seem
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unjust or oppressive. It's a call to both submission
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and discernment. Recognizing that while God has
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ordained earthly rule for order. He alone is the ultimate
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sovereign. This raises a really vital
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question for you, listening. There's often this perceived
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risk, isn't there? This natural apprehension we
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feel about submitting to the demands of worldly authority,
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especially when that authority seems unjust or burdensome, like
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Caesar's tax felt to the Jews. We worry about what governments
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might take, what freedoms might be curtailed.
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Exactly. The inconveniences, the burdens.
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But listen to this really startling insight that comes
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from reflecting on this passage, one that completely reorients
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are thinking. The danger to our soul from
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unjust secular governments is nowhere near as great as a
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danger to our soul from the pride that kicks against
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submission. That turns our usual worries
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inside out, doesn't it? It really does.
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It suggests the real ultimate threat isn't always external
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oppression. That.
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Distinction is so critical, it truly gets to the heart of what
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Jesus was conveying and what Paul later elaborated on.
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Think about it. No amount of mistreatment from
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Caesar, no unjust law from Rome or any government since, has
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ever in itself sent anyone to hell.
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Physical oppression, financial burdens, even martyrdom.
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Right. These are external hardships.
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They can harm the body, they can drastically impact our worldly
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circumstances, but they cannot by themselves condemn the soul.
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But pride and rebellion, these internal postures of defiance
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against God's established order, against God himself, that is
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what sends people to hell. Everyone who doesn't have a
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savior. Wow, so it reorients our focus
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completely away from just the external political pressures or
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frustrations with earthly rulers.
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And on to the internal state of our own soul, our humble
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submission first and foremost to God's ordained order,
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recognizing His sovereignty above all.
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So God wills that we glorify Him as the only supreme sovereign.
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Yes, the king of all kings. While also recognizing and not
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proudly rebelling against the authorities he has put in place,
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knowing their legitimacy, however limited and imperfect,
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comes ultimately from him. That's the balance.
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This teaches us that true freedom, true spiritual safety,
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isn't found in justifying all authority.
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It's found in a humble, righteous recognition of the
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ultimate authority that rests with God alone.
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So the greatest battle, then, is often not against the external
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Caesars of our time. But within our own hearts,
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against the sin of pride and rebellion.
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OK, so to kind of recap our deep dive today, Jesus answer to that
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seemingly simple but actually very loaded question about
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taxes. It fundamentally redefined the
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question itself, didn't it? Completely shifted the ground.
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It moved from being a political trap to becoming this profound
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declaration of God's absolute ownership over all things, and
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that includes Caesar's domain. Caesar's realm is contained
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within God's realm. So rendering to Caesar, paying
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your taxes, fulfilling civic duties, it ultimately becomes an
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expression of rendering to God. It's acknowledging His ultimate
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sovereignty over all creation. Yes, and it reminds us that even
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the mundane acts of civic duty are ultimately, or should be,
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expressions of our allegiance to the King of Kings.
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OK, that brings us to a final thought, something for you, the
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listener to consider beyond our discussion today.
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Yeah, chew on this perhaps. How does really recognizing
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God's absolute ownership over everything, and I mean
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everything, even the things we tend to think of as ours?
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Our time, our money, our talents.
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Exactly our very lives. How does internalizing that
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truth alter our perspective on our daily choices?
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On how we handle our possessions?
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On where our true allegiances lie in today's complex world.
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When we truly grasp that everything is God's, how might
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that genuinely change the way we steward our resources, or pursue
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our aspirations or engage with the demands society places on
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us? It's a question worth pondering
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deeply. It is we really encourage you to
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reflect on this powerful biblical account, Matthew 22,
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and how it prompts a spirit of humility and maybe a re
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evaluation of what or who truly claims your ultimate allegiance.
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Thank you so much for joining us on the Deep Dive on Reformed
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Thinking.