Last week, we kicked off this series called \u201cPolarized\u201d with the understanding that Christianity is an inherently political faith- that the message and the example of Jesus, both in his day and in ours, had inherently political implications. <\/span><\/p>\n Politics, we learned, is literally defined as caring for the affairs of the city and the people in it, and religion, according to the Bible, is caring for \u201cwidows and orphans in their <\/span>affiliations<\/span>\u201d, in other words, caring for the people that are most <\/span>vulnerable<\/span> in our communities, cities, and world. <\/span><\/p>\n As much as it makes so many of us uncomfortable, often for good reason, if we are going to be serious about following Jesus in our modern world, we must carefully look at Jesus and his teachings and ask how they should impact how we engage in our modern society at every level- from electing political leaders to engaging in individual acts of kindness in our day to day lives. <\/span><\/p>\n Today, I want to take us on a journey through Jesus\u2019 life to answer two primary questions:<\/span><\/p>\n From these two questions, it\u2019s my hope that we will be able to walk away with a better of understanding of how <\/span>we <\/span>should engage politically and ethically, not just in elections, but in our <\/span>everyday<\/span> life. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n In Luke 20, we have a familiar scene. Jesus is walking about Jerusalem, the seat of both political and religious power in ancient Israel, teaching openly to the public about this idea he called \u201cthe Kingdom of God\u201d. <\/span><\/p>\n The Kingdom of God, according to Jesus, is the world as God intends it to be. It effects every level of existence, from how people act in their personal relations, to how the society is ordered politically. <\/span><\/p>\n This idea was considered highly dangerous by both the religious and political leaders in Jesus day- those who listened in heard him quite clearly declaring that God intended, through him, to overturn the unjust political system and social ordering, and create a new world order. <\/span><\/p>\n As Jesus gained more popularity and more disciples, the powers of his day began to get increasingly nervous- would he cause an uprising? Would he seek to overthrow the governor and the Sanhedrin?<\/span><\/p>\n It is in the context of this tension that we find Jesus in our Scripture Passage this morning. This is what is written: <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSo [the chief priests]\u201d who are politically appointed by <\/span>Caesars<\/span> governor, by the way, \u201cwatched him and sent spies to trap him by what he said, so as to hand him over to the jurisdiction and the authority of the governor.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Do you see what\u2019s happening here? <\/span><\/p>\n In the ancient world, just as in our world, religious powers had mingled with political power, and the religious leaders had become tools of the State. In this particular arrangement, the Jewish leaders we free to practice their religion in Israel as they saw fit, as long as they continued to honor <\/span>Caesar<\/span> through acts of <\/span>exaltation<\/span>, paying taxes, and submitting to his governors. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n This deal sounded good to the religious leaders- they were granted a level of political power over their people, and the governor treated them with wealth and status so long as they kept the peace through ensuring their people did what <\/span>Caesar<\/span> desired. <\/span><\/p>\n But as is often the case, when greed and power is motivation, the deal that is cut is usually really good for those at the top, but pretty terrible for the people at the bottom. <\/span><\/p>\n The Jewish people worshipped only one God, and they believed that God was the King and Ruler over all. They were not to pledge their allegiance to anyone other than God, this was written into their commandments. <\/span><\/p>\n They were especially hesitant to obey and pledge allegiance to a ruler that was currently unjustly occupying their land, that had oppressed their people for centuries. <\/span><\/p>\n The people were distrustful of their religious leaders, and rightfully so. In the first century, uprisings were common. People were ready to rise up and topple the Roman Empires grip on their lives, their land, and their religion. Anytime a person rose up claiming they had a vision to overturn the empire and the anointing of God, folks would follow them. <\/span><\/p>\n After all, this is what God had promised them. A Messiah, who was a divinely appointed political leader who was to liberate the Jewish people and bring justice to the four corners of the earth. <\/span><\/p>\n People were desperate for a messiah to come and save them- and many did come, claiming this divine title, but were crushed time and time again by the Roman Empire. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n So,<\/span> when Jesus comes on the scene, the religious leaders are very aware of what he is trying to do. In their mind, he\u2019s just another one of the revolutionaries and would-be Messiahs who they simply need to wait for to cross a legal boundary- namely speak directly against <\/span>Caesar<\/span> or declare an uprising- and they will deliver him over to be executed. <\/span><\/p>\n By the time our passage in Luke 20 happens, the religious leaders had a good reason to believe an uprising by Jesus was <\/span>imminent<\/span>. Just a few days earlier, one chapter previous, Jesus rode into the city on a donkey, with people waving palm branches and declaring him to <\/span>be<\/span> a king. <\/span><\/p>\n This seems like a very clear action of someone who is about to try to overturn the government and set themselves up as the new ruler, does it not?<\/span><\/p>\n So,<\/span> the religious leaders are watching Jesus closely. Our passage begins by telling us they sent spies to listen, to ask him hard questions, and to try to get him to announce his anti-imperial resistance so they could arrest him. <\/span><\/p>\n The passage continues:<\/span><\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>So,<\/span> they asked, \u201cTeacher, we know that you are right in what you say and teach, a<\/span>nd you show deference to no one, but teach the way of God in accordance with truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emporer or not?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n These are sneaky suns-of-guns, <\/span>aren\u2019t<\/span> they? <\/span><\/p>\n It was the common Jewish teaching, as I\u2019ve already said, to only \u201cpay deference to God\u201d and not to any human being. This was seen as generally acceptable by the Roman Empire, as long as folks continued to \u201cpay deference\u201d literally, through taxes. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n When the spies ask Jesus this question, they are really hoping for him to say something like \u201c<\/span>No- we shouldn\u2019t pay taxes to <\/span>Caesar<\/span>, for he is not the true King, I am.\u201d<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n Those words would be a death sentence. They would be treason. <\/span><\/p>\n And for our purposes, I want to point out the question under the question here. <\/span>What Jesus<\/span> is being asked is \u201c<\/span>Should his followers participate and respect government<\/span>?\u201d- even governments that may not reflect their values. <\/span><\/p>\n With that lens, let\u2019s hear Jesus\u2019 response. The text continues:<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBut Jesus perceived their craftiness and said them: \u201cShow me a denarius (which is a typical Roman Coin). Whose head and title does it bear?\u201d They said, \u201cThe <\/span>emperor\u2019s<\/span>.\u201d He said to them, \u201cThen give to the <\/span>emperor<\/span> the things that are the <\/span>emperors<\/span>, and give to God the things that are God\u2019s.\u201d And they were not able in the presence of the people to trap him by what he said; and being amazed by his answer, they became silent.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The way Jesus answers here <\/span>are<\/span> simply brilliant, and outlines a general principle for how Jesus\u2019 followers should engage the political system.<\/span><\/p>\n Remember, Jesus was perceived to be a Messianic figure by many of his followers- they expected him to come and topple the empire and establish a new one. <\/span><\/p>\n Indeed, Jesus <\/span>was <\/span>a Messianic figure, but the way he desired to establish a new empire was entirely different from what his people wanted and expected. The Kingdom that Jesus proclaimed didn\u2019t come from the top down- it wasn\u2019t about making Jesus the new <\/span>emperor<\/span> in\u00a0<\/span>literal, immediate sense- but it began first within individuals, then moved towards communities, then to society, and eventually to the whole world.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The way Jesus sought to transform the world was through transforming individual lives and empowering those lives to go and restructure their communities, and then those communities could restructure cities, and cities could restructure nations, and nations could restructure the world in alignment with the vision of the Kingdom of God. <\/span><\/p>\n In this passage, Jesus brilliantly shows how his vision of societal transformation is both more powerful than political leaders could ever understand, but also worked well within political systems: <\/span><\/p>\n The question is whether they should pay taxes to <\/span>Caesar<\/span>. These are likely Jewish people asking a Jewish Rabbi who <\/span>knows <\/span>that the only honor and worship belongs to God, whether they should keep paying taxes to a political leader who sees himself as a god. <\/span><\/p>\n Jesus has them take out a coin, and he asks whose head and whose name is on it. On every piece of currency, <\/span>Caesars<\/span> face was affixed with the phrase \u201c<\/span>Caesar<\/span> is Lord\u201d. <\/span><\/p>\n Everyone knew this. It was an effective piece of political propaganda- everyone used these coins every day to buy and sell and live a normal life in the city. <\/span><\/p>\n The spies answer that it is <\/span>Caesars<\/span> name and <\/span>Caesars<\/span> face on the coin- of course. <\/span><\/p>\n And Jesus responds: \u201cThe give to <\/span>Caesar<\/span> the things that belong to him. But also give to God that which belongs to him.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n This is a trick statement. <\/span><\/p>\n Jesus says, these mere coins, even as important as they may be in their society, are things made by the empire. They are temporary, just like the empire is. So, as long as the empire stands, in order to live a normal life, give to the empire the things that belong to it. <\/span><\/p>\n Play the game. Mere coins don\u2019t offend God. <\/span><\/p>\n But as you play the game of live under the empire, remember also to give to God what is due to God. <\/span><\/p>\n And what is due to God? <\/span><\/p>\n Everything. <\/span><\/p>\n Do you see what he did there? He said- \u201cSure, give the coins that <\/span>Caesar<\/span> made back to <\/span>Caesar<\/span>. Respect the rules and the system that we live in. But then live your life with your deepest allegiance and affections postured towards God. Give your deepest honor to God alone. Live your life according to God\u2019s laws and God\u2019s principles.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n Jesus says this because he knows two things: The empire could never stop individuals and communities giving their lives in worship to God, for there was no way for them to see the posture of the heart of the people who live in reverence to God. <\/span><\/p>\n The second thing is that Jesus knew when people engaged in the seemingly harmless acts of justice, mercy, and charity that God calls them to, the society will necessarily be transformed. <\/span><\/p>\n Time and time again Jesus teaches, along with all of the Prophets of the Hebrew Bible, that acts of justice and charity are meant to be done\u00a0<\/span>regularly <\/span>and <\/span><\/em>quietly<\/em>. <\/span>They are meant to be done <\/span>humbly. <\/span>Not so others can see and give you praise for these actions. But so that God alone can see and extend the reach of God\u2019s Kingdom through you.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n To translate this into principles in our own day- Jesus says to <\/span>participate and respect <\/span>the political system- and I think we can also say that if the world Jesus was living in was democratic, he\u2019d so \u201cvote for the candidates that best reflect <\/span>not your own <\/span>self-interest<\/span>, but the principles and values of God.<\/span>\u201d Engage in the human systems of governance, as imperfect as they are. <\/span><\/p>\n Jesus wanted his disciples to be a part of society. In the world, not of the world, as John later writes. We\u2019re not called to silo ourselves in little <\/span>boroughs<\/span> where we try to live an alternative existence- no, we\u2019re called to live the values of the Kingdom in the midst of governments and societies that fall woefully short of God\u2019s heart. <\/span><\/p>\n This is literally what it means to be \u201csalt and light\u201d- how can we share the light of God\u2019s <\/span>love;<\/span> how can we flavor and preserve our society if we\u2019re not engaged in it?<\/span><\/p>\n To be effective disciples of Jesus, we\u2019re called to engage in our society and in culture. This also means, clearly from <\/span>today\u2019s<\/span> text, engaging in the political systems and structures.<\/span><\/p>\n One other caveat on this point- this <\/span>doesn\u2019t <\/span>mean that we blindly e<\/span>ngage with things the government<\/span> does that is unjust or against the values of the Kingdom of God. Part of the reason that Jesus is on the radar of the religious and political leaders of his day is precisely because he speaks clearly and boldly, calling out injustice and lies. <\/span><\/p>\n The Jewish tradition is chock full of prophets who literally stand up and speak powerfully against politicians <\/span>by name <\/span>as an act of God. They literally name political leaders, name their sin, and call them to\u00a0<\/span>repentance or else face \u201cGod\u2019s judgement\u201d which literally means the consequences of their actions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Jesus is a faithful teacher in this tradition. When <\/span>Caesar<\/span> or the Governor or Religious Leaders do something wrong, he is not afraid to name them and call them to account. <\/span><\/p>\n This, then, is also our responsibility as Christians. If we are to be prophetic agents of transformation in our world today, we must be willing to speak against leaders who act unjustly as an act of faith. <\/span><\/p>\n As another side note here, I want to have a quick frank discussion. Sometimes, from this pulpit, I and others have named particularly our current President and called out blatant sins he has committed. In our hyper polarized culture, <\/span>it\u2019s<\/span> easy to see this action as a partisan or divisive. It\u2019s easy to feel uncomfortable, especially for those in our midst who may align politically with the President. <\/span><\/p>\n I want you to hear me clearly: <\/span>This has nothing to do with Democrat or Republican. You can be a Republican and still clearly stand against immorality by the President, and in fact, most Republicans in our nation do. You can also be a Democrat who condemns immorality by the President and still respect Republicans political positions as valid in our country. <\/span><\/p>\n But the tradition that the Christian faith comes from is a prophetic tradition \u2013 it\u2019s one that <\/span>\n