Latest / Reformed Thinking / Render to Caesar the Things That Are Caesar's as an Act of Rendering to God What Is God's | John Piper

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Render to Caesar the Things That Are Caesar's as an Act of Rendering to God What Is God's | John Piper · Reformed Thinking

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  You are listening to Reformed thinking and this is your deep
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  dive. So how do you how do we balance
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  our deepest convictions with, well, all the demands the world
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  throws at us? What do you do when what Caesar
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  asks what the government or society requires seems to really
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  clash with what God requires? Yeah, it's not a new question,
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  is it? Not at all.
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  It's something Christians have wrestled with for centuries,
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  really from the very beginning right up to today, and still
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  feels very relevant, very weighty.
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  For us, welcome. To your deep dive, what we try
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  to do here is take your sources, your notes, all that information
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  and well, distill it. We want to offer some clarity,
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  help cut through the noise and get to the core truths.
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  And for this deep dive, we're unpacking a really fascinating
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  discussion around Christian allegiance, our civic duties,
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  and even sometimes the idea of faithful disobedience.
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  Right. We're looking at some key
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  teachings, especially from Jesus, about how believers
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  relate to earthly authorities. So what are our main sources
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  today? Well, our main guide comes from
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  how people have understood Jesus commands, particularly that
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  really key passage in Matthew 22.
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  You know the one about taxes. Render into Caesar.
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  Yeah, exactly that one, but also other related bits from the
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  Bible that fill out the picture. The material we've got unpacks
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  how our our fundamental loyalty to Jesus Christ shapes how we
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  deal with governing structures. It looks at times when
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  submission is right, but also, just as crucially, times when
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  resistance actually becomes the faithful thing to do.
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  So this deep dive, it's really designed for you listening and
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  we hope it brings some clarity, maybe some confidence in
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  figuring out how to live your faith and what's often a pretty
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  complicated world. Yeah, navigating those tensions.
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  You should get a richer sense of what it means to be a citizen of
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  two kingdoms, figuring out when to obey earthly powers and when,
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  respectfully. You might need to resist always
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  keeping that ultimate loyalty to God front and center.
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  That's the goal. OK, let's dive in then.
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  Let's set the scene. Matthew, Chapter 22, you paint a
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  picture for us. What's happening here?
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  Right. So picture Jerusalem.
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  It's buzzing. Lots of religious, political
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  tension in the air. Jesus's public ministry is
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  really peeking high profile, very high profile.
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  And you've got these groups, the Pharisees, known for being very
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  strict on the law and, well, not fans of Roman rule at all,
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  definitely not. And then you have the Herodians.
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  They're more of a political group, kind of aligned with
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  Herod, who was, you know, appointed by Rome.
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  Strange bedfellows, the Pharisees and Herodians.
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  Very strange. Usually rivals, but here they
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  team up. They have this one malicious
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  goal. Trap Jesus.
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  Catch him out in his own words. So it's a setup.
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  Absolutely a setup. They send their disciples along
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  with these Herodians to approach Jesus and they start with
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  flattery. Right Teacher, we know you are
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  true. Trying to butter him up.
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  Classic tactic, yeah? And then comes the question.
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  It's not genuine curiosity, it's a snare.
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  Tell us then what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to
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  Caesar or not? And that question was incredibly
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  dangerous, wasn't it? Like A2 edged sword.
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  Precisely a real catch 22. Because if he says yes, pay the
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  tax, what happens? Well, he alienates loads of
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  Jewish people. They hated that Roman poll tax.
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  It wasn't just money, it felt like collaborating with
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  occupiers, a symbol of their subjugation.
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  A yes. Makes him look like a Roman
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  stooge. OK, so that's one edge.
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  What about the other? If he says.
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  No. If he says no, don't pay, then
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  he's immediately an enemy of Rome, that sedition, rebellion.
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  That can mean arrest, trial, even crucifixion.
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  So either way they think they've got him, he either loses the
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  support of the people or he gets handed over to the Roman
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  authorities. Seems like a perfect trap.
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  No way out. But Jesus, he sees right through
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  it, doesn't He? He knows their hearts, their
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  their ill. Will he calls them out
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  immediately, you hypocrites. He knows it's a test.
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  And then he does something interesting.
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  He doesn't just answer, he asks for something.
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  Right, he says. Show me the coin for the tax.
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  They bring him a denarius. And this coin, the denarius,
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  that's significant too, isn't it?
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  It wasn't just any old coin. Not at all.
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  This is crucial. The denarius at the time
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  typically had Emperor Tiberius image on it and an inscription
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  something like Tiberius Caesar, son of the divine Augustus.
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  Son of the divine Augustus. Wow.
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  So for many Jews, that's a huge problem.
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  Huge. First, the graven image violates
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  the commandments. Second, the inscription itself
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  claims Caesar is divine or son of a God.
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  That's blasphemy for anyone believing in the one true God.
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  So even just carrying the coin, let alone paying taxes with.
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  It it was deeply offensive to many.
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  So when Jesus asks them to produce the coin, they have to
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  pull out the symbol of Roman power and idolatry.
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  He turns it back on them. They have to handle the very
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  thing causing the controversy. Exactly, it's a masterful move
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  before he even answers the question directly.
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  So the show on the coin, he holds it up, this symbol of
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  Roman rule. Roman claims to divinity and
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  asks. He asks simply whose likeness
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  and inscription is this? And they have to say it.
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  They have to say Caesar's. And then comes that famous line.
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  Therefore, render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's.
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  And to God the things that are gods.
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  And that response, it just resonates down through history.
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  It really does. And like you said, it's so much
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  more than just, you know, tax advice.
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  It really sets a framework, doesn't it, for how Christians
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  are supposed to interact with earthly powers?
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  Absolutely. It establishes this fundamental
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  distinction, this guiding principle.
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  So let's unpack that principle more, this idea of allegiance.
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  What's the foundation here? The absolute foundation, the
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  core principle that comes out of this and other teachings is that
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  all our earthly loyalties to family, to nation, to rulers,
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  they are all secondary. They're subordinate to and
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  shaped by our ultimate loyalty to Jesus Christ as King.
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  King of Kings. King of Kings.
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  Any other loyalty we have is only permitted, only valid in so
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  far as it fits under that supreme bond to Jesus.
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  That's the starting point for a believer in relating to anything
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  else, including the government. OK, so loyalty to Jesus is
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  paramount, but the sources also say something about earthly
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  authority itself, right? That Caesar, the government has
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  a place. Yes, that's the other side of
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  the coin, if you will. Caesar, meaning earthly
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  governing structures, holds authority because God in his
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  Providence has designed it that way.
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  Not that every ruler is good or every law is just, but the
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  structure of governance itself has a divine warrant.
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  Exactly. God Institute's government for
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  order to restrain evil, to promote measure of peace in a
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  fallen world. So there's a general exectation
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  for us to, well, follow the laws, to respect the structures.
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  That's where proper civic engagement comes from.
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  And this feels like a really important But that authority
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  isn't absolute, is it? Not even close.
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  That's the critical counterpoint.
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  While government authority is from God, governments themselves
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  are made-up of sinful humans, and they often misuse or distort
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  that God-given authority. So when Caesar oversteps.
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  That's where render to God the things that are God's kicks in
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  with full force if Caesar commands something God forbids
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  like idolatry and justice denying Christ, or if Caesar
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  claims a lordship that belongs only to Jesus.
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  Like saying Caesar is Lord. Precisely if Caesar demands
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  worship or ultimate allegiance, believers simply cannot comply.
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  They must refuse because only Jesus is Lord.
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  And this is where conflict can arise.
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  Inevitably, Jesus knew this. He warned his disciples it would
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  happen. Yeah, you mentioned those
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  warnings earlier. Can you remind us what he said?
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  It sounds pretty stark. It is stark.
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  Think about Luke 21. Jesus tells his disciples.
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  They will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering
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  you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought
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  before kings and governors for my name's sake, he even says.
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  Some of you they will put to death.
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  Wow, that's intense. It is.
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  And those warnings only really make sense if Jesus is telling
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  them, implicitly or explicitly, that there will be times when
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  they cannot give Caesar what Caesar demands.
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  Their loyalty to God will put them at odds with earthly power.
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  It sets up that potential clash, Yeah.
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  Loyalty to God limits loyalty to Caesar.
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  Exactly. It puts a clear boundary on
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  Caesar's claims. And Jesus didn't just warn about
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  this, did he? Didn't he model this kind of non
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  compliance himself? He absolutely did.
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  The sources point this out clearly.
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  Think about his trials. When Herod questioned him, Luke
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  tells us Jesus gave him no answer.
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  Silence. Silence is resistance.
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  Same with Pilot in Marks account.
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  Pilate was amazed Jesus wouldn't defend himself against the
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  charges. And even before the high priest,
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  Matthew tells us Jesus was initially silent when challenged
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  Underoath only speaking when necessary to affirm his divine
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  identity, which itself was an act against their misuse of
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  authority. So these weren't just passive
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  moments. They were deliberate choices not
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  to comply when compliance would have compromised God's will or
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  truth. Right.
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  He demonstrated that there are times when faithful resistance,
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  a kind of civic non compliance, is the right response.
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  It's baked into his own life and teaching.
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  OK, let's shift slightly then. We've talked about the limits.
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  Let's go back to the rendering, the paying taxes, the obeying
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  part. There's this intriguing idea in
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  the material about how even proper submission actually in a
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  way, dethroned Caesar. Can you explain that?
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  It sounds paradoxical. It does sound paradoxical, but
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  it's quite profound. The idea is this, when a
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  Christian obeys Caesar, pays the tax, follows a just law.
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  Why are they doing it? Well, because Jesus said to
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  render to Caesar. Exactly.
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  They obey Caesar not because Caesar is the ultimate
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  authority, not because Caesar is inherently worthy of that
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  obedience in himself, but because Jesus, their true Lord,
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  commands it. So the motivation is key.
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  Motivation is everything here. The ACT might look like simple
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  compliance on the outside, but the inner reason, the ultimate
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  allegiance, is directed towards Jesus.
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  This transforms the ACT. It becomes an expression of
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  Jesus supreme rule over Caesar. So by obeying Caesar for Jesus's
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  sake, you're actually saying Jesus is Lord, not Caesar.
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  Precisely. You are acknowledging Caesar's
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  God-given limited authority, but denying any claim he might have
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  to ultimate authority or divinity.
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  It strips Caesar of those pretensions.
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  That's why the source material calls it potentially seditious
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  toward rulers with pretensions of deity, not seditious in a
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  violent overthrow the government way, but.
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  But seditious in the spiritual sense.
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  It undermines the rulers claim to be ultimate by obeying the
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  earthly ruler. Because the heavenly king says
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  so. You're constantly pointing away
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  from the earthly ruler to the true king.
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  It's a quiet but powerful statement.
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  That reframes the whole act of paying taxes or following laws.
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  It's not just civic duty, it's an act of discipleship.
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  Yes, you're essentially serving Jesus.
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  By serving Caesar appropriately, you're acknowledging that Caesar
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  himself and his government ultimately belong to God and are
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  under Christ's authority. Is there an example of this kind
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  of thinking in Jesus ministry? There is actually the temple tax
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  incident in Matthew 17 is a great illustration.
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  OK, remind us of that story. So collectors of the two drachma
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  temple tax. This was a Jewish tax for the
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  temple upkeep, not Roman. He asked Peter, does your
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  teacher not pay the temple and. Peter says.
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  Peter says yes, maybe a bit quickly, but then Jesus pulls
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  Peter aside and asks him, What do you think, Simon?
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  From whom do earthly kings collect taxes?
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  From their own sons or from others?
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  And Peter says from others. Right.
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  So Jesus says then the sons are free.
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  His point is, as the Son of God whose father owns the temple,
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  technically he and his followers, the children of the
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  Kingdom, are exempt. They shouldn't have to pay a tax
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  for their own father's house. So they're free from the
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  obligation in principle. In principle, yes, they have
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  that freedom as children of the King.
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  But then Jesus says the crucial thing, however, not to give
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  offense to them. Go to the sea and cast a hook.
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  And he tells Peter how to miraculously find a coin in a
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  fish's mouth to pay the tax for both of them.
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  Not to give offense. That's the key reason he pays.
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  That's the stated reason. It wasn't because the collectors
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  had an absolute right to demand it from him.
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  The Son. It was a choice made out of
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  wisdom, freedom and love to avoid creating an unnecessary
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  stumbling block for others. OK, so how does that apply back
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  to Caesar's tax? Well, the principle is similar.
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  God owns Caesar. God owns the whole government.
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  Believers are God's children, the sons who are ultimately
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  free. Caesar's demand for taxes isn't
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  absolute in itself, based on his ultimate authority.
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  But we. Pay anyway.
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  We pay anyway. Why?
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  Because our Father God, through Jesus, bids us render to Caesar
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  the things that are Caesar's. We do out of obedience to God,
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  for the sake of order, and often, like with the temple tax,
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  to avoid unnecessary offense and maintain our witness.
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  It shows how God's ultimate ownership guides even our
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  submission. So submission isn't based on
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  Caesar's inherent right, but on God's command and wisdom for
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  living in this world. Exactly, It's God directed
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  submission which is fundamentally different from
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  Caesar worship. OK, that covers obedience and
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  submission. Yeah, now let's tackle the
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  harder part. Disobedience.
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  When is it necessary? And how is it shaped by this
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  same allegiance to Jesus? Right.
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  This is where things get really challenging.
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  But the principle remains. Even when disobedience is
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  necessary, it's still shakes by Jesus lordship, even over
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  Caesar's flawed or distorted authority.
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  It's not about anarchy or just doing what we want.
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  It's. Principled resistance rooted in
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  all. It's rooted in Jesus commands,
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  particularly those about love, servanthood, and even care for
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  enemies. Christian disobedience isn't
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  driven by self-interest, revenge, personal safety, or
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  protecting our stuff. The sources emphasize this.
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  So it's not about I don't like this law or this is inconvenient
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  for me. No, it's supposed to free us
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  from worrying about our own comfort or possessions.
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  Instead, it should spring from a desire to live for others.
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  Protecting the oppressed, yes, but somehow, incredibly, also
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  seeking the good of the oppressor.
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  Loving the persecuted and the persecutor.
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  That sounds incredibly difficult.
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  How does that connect with Jesus teachings like turn the other
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  cheek? Because that sounds very
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  passive. Yes, the tension in Matthew 5.
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  It's a real point of discussion on one side versus 3842.
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  Talk about not resisting evil, turning the other cheek, going
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  the extra mile, giving your cloak to that sounds like
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  absolute non resistance, right? Willingness to suffer
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  personally. It does, but then right after
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  that. Right after verses 4348, talk
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  about active love. Love your enemies.
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  Pray for those who persecute you.
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  Seek their good actively like God sends rain on everyone.
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  That sounds like positive action, not just passive
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  acceptance. So which is it?
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  Is passive compliance always the most loving action, especially
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  if, say, someone else is being harmed?
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  Can you just turn their cheek, metaphorically speaking?
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  That's the crucial question, and the understanding from the
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  sources is that true Christ, like love, has to weigh justice
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  and mercy for everyone involved. Sometimes passive compliance,
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  especially when it enables repeated harm to others, isn't
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  love. It might actually be cowardice
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  or enabling sin. So love itself might demand
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  resistance when? Love compelled resistance when,
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  for example, someone else is being systematically harmed, not
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  just you personally or critically, when obeying
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  Caesar's command would make you an active participant in evil.
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  Can you give an example of that? The sources use strong examples,
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  like would you give your coat to someone if you knew they were
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  going to use it immediately to strangle a baby?
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  Or would you just go along with orders that clearly support
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  bloodshed or gross injustice? No.
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  Of course not. Those seem like clear lines.
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  They're intended as flashpoints, moments where love for God and
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  neighbor compels you to say no, perhaps even actively intervene,
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  moving beyond purely passive non resistance.
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  Think of Jesus clearing the temple.
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  That wasn't passive acceptance of wrongdoing.
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  It was active, zealous love for God's house and righteous anger
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  against exploitation. OK, so there are times when
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  disobedience is required by love, but what should that
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  disobedience look like? What's the character?
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  The tone. This is absolutely key.
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  The demeanor of Christian resistance should be the polar
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  opposite of, say, loud, angry, destructive protest driven by
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  hate or pride. Why?
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  Because we're followers of the crucified Christ, People of the
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  cross, as the sources put it. We remember Jesus willingly
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  suffered to save his enemies. We're also forgiven sinners.
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  That reality leaves no room for arrogance or self righteousness
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  and our stance against injustice.
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  So humility is essential. Absolutely.
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  Before considering disobedience, the call is to self examination.
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  Remove the log from your own eye first.
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  Acknowledge our own sin, our own complicity.
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  Perhaps this should lead to humility, maybe even sorrow or
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  tears even when taking a stand. It softens the anger.
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  It transforms indignation into something different, a humble,
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  quiet but unshakable. No, the focus isn't just winning
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  or changing a law, though that might be a goal.
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  The deeper contest is becoming the kind of people Jesus wants
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  us to be, people shaped by humility, love, and
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  faithfulness, even in resistance.
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  That's a very different picture of protest or disobedience than
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  we often see. It is.
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  It's fundamentally shaped by the cross and resurrection.
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  So wrapping this up then this deep dive into Render unto
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  Caesar, what's the main take away?
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  The main take away is that this command from Jesus isn't just
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  about taxes. It fundamentally establishes
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  God's supreme rule, Christ's lordship over everything,
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  including all earthly powers. It gives a basis for obeying
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  earthly authorities, yes, but it also clearly limits that
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  obedience and shapes how we should live under those
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  authorities. Both obedience and disobedience
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  are framed by loyalty to Jesus. Exactly.
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  Our loyalty to earthly powers is warranted, limited and shaped by
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  our ultimate loyalty to Him. And understanding this, it frees
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  us, doesn't it, to live in this world, but as citizens of
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  another Kingdom. Precisely.
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  It means we don't have to just escape the world, nor do we just
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  blindly conform to it. We lit out the difference that
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  King Jesus makes in every relationship, including our
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  relationship with the state. Living in that creative tension.
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  Living faithfully within it. So maybe a final thought for you
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  listening. What might it look like in your
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  own life, your own context, to embody that humble, quiet yet
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  unshakable no when necessary. A resistance rooted not in
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  self-interest, but in love for God and others, always holding
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  firm to Jesus as your ultimate Lord.
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  Something to consider. Thank you for joining us on this
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  deep dive. We hope this exploration has
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  offered some clarifying insight as you navigate these important
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  questions. Until next time, keep seeking to
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  know and live by God's truth.