God’s Authority and Caesar’s
One day the Pharisees “…sent out unto him [Jesus] their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men.” (Matthew 22:16) After this attempt at flattery, they tried to trap Him by asking, “Tell us, therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute (basically, tax) unto Caesar, or not?” (Matthew 22:17)
If Jesus had said it was lawful, the Jews who didn’t like Roman rule would be offended. If He said it wasn’t, the Pharisees could report Him to the Romans for encouraging sedition. Jesus knew what was going on. He asked, “Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? Show me the tribute money.” (Matthew 22:18-19) They brought a penny. He asked whose image and superscription were on it. They said “Caesar’s,” and He said, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.” (Matthew 22:21)
The term “Caesar” refers to government. To “render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s” is to be law-abiding, as people should be. God ordained human government: “…the powers that be are ordained of God.” (Romans 13:1) However, God has absolute authority, not the government. That’s why Jesus also said to render “…unto God the things that are God’s.”
Human authority should never try to overstep God’s authority. One classic example is the preaching of the gospel. Jesus told His followers before He ascended into heaven, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15) This command is called the Great Commission, for Christians in every generation to obey. It is Jesus’ order for His people to tell others how He died for sins and rose again, and that He forgives sins, saves souls, and changes lives.
Not long after Pentecost, the apostles were busy telling others about Jesus. The Jewish council arrested them and ordered them to stop. They replied, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29) They weren’t refusing civil authority that was acting in its rightful place. They were refusing civil authority that was trying to override God’s authority.
The Founding Fathers obviously understood the idea of Caesar’s limited authority. The First Amendment says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; Christianity is not the official religion of the U.S. Being a non-Christian is not illegal, nor should it be. Jesus made it clear that becoming a Christian is a personal choice. Forced religious conversion of any kind is not a conversion at all. Conversion is a decision of the heart.
Yet the Constitution also does not forbid the free exercise of religion. In Christianity, that exercise includes preaching from the Bible. Bible preaching will often offend, especially when it addresses people’s need for Christ or some sin they enjoy. No one wants to hear that he is a sinner headed for hell, or that some sin he enjoys is wicked before a holy God. It’s good that the Constitution has these provisions, but ultimately, Christians don’t have the right to share God’s Word because of the Constitution. They have the right–actually, the duty to do so–because God commanded it. This command is why Christians in countries with oppressive governments will risk prison or even death in order to share God’s Word and meet for worship.
Many Constitutionally-protected forms of speech help no one, and many people are likely offended by them. Profanity, for instance, is legal, but no one’s life is helped because of it. Flag-burning is also Constitutionally-protected, but no one’s life benefits from it. Some forms of expression seem almost an in-your-face, “the Constitution says I can do this so there” form of expression, such as one protest in the past where participants wore hats depicting private body parts.
Bible preaching, however, is expressly to benefit the hearers: to turn people to Christ and from sin. When people turn to Christ, they have hope for eternity and a purpose to live and love. Bible preaching, by its nature, is sometimes an act of “tough love.” If someone you love were ruining his life with alcohol, gambling, sexual sin, or other destructive conduct, wouldn’t you love him enough to say something? How much more does God, in His love, want to turn us from destructive behaviors?
By God’s grace, we live in a nation where the word of God has free course and we can share it freely without fear of government interference. Let us avail ourselves of this blessing and share God’s Word faithfully with others, great and small. If you have never seen in the Bible how to be sure of a home in heaven, please go to www.clevelandbaptist.org, click “Helpful Links,” then “How Do I Go to Heaven?”
Brian Miller 3/12/2021
Cleveland Baptist Church 4431 Tiedeman Road, Brooklyn, Ohio 44144 216-671-2822