I am indebted to Jeffrey F. Barr for a perspective of this well known passage found in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. I have condensed his writing here. If you would like to see his full essay please go to Render Unto Caesar
Paying Taxes to Caesar
“The the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his talk. And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s.” When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away. – Matthew 22:15-22.
Christians have traditionally interpreted this famous passage to mean that Jesus endorsed paying taxes (keep in mind that one of God’s ‘Top 10’ rules for a just society requires governments to protect private property – 8th Commandment) But did Jesus really mean for his followers to provide financial support to Tiberius Caesar – man who in his personal life, was a pedophile, a sexual deviant, and a murder and who as emperor, claimed to be a god and oppressed many and whose armies deprived millions of the right to self determine, including Jesus’ own?
Historical Setting
First, some historical background to this scene is in order. In 6 A.D., Roman occupiers of Palestine imposed a census tax on the Jewish people. The tribute was not well received, and by 17 A.D., Tacitus reports in Book II.42 of Annals, “The provinces, too, of Syria and Judea, exhausted by their burdens, implored a reduction of tribute.” A tax-revolt, led by Judas the Galilean, soon ensued. Judas the Galilean taught that “taxation was no better than an introduction to slavery,” and he and his followers had “an inviolable attachment to liberty,” recognizing God, alone, as king and ruler of Israel.
The Romans brutally combated the uprising for decades. Two of Judas’ sons were crucified in 46 A.D., and a third was an early leader of the 66 A.D. Jewish Revolt. Thus, payment of the tribute conveniently encapsulated the deeper philosophical, political, and theological issue: Either God and His divine laws were supreme, or the Roman emperor and his pagan laws were supreme.
All three gospel writers place the scene of this passage immediately after Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem in which throngs of people proclaimed Him king. All three writers agree this scene takes place near the celebration of the Passover, one of the holiest of Jewish feast days. Passover commemorates God’s deliverance of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery.
A Plot to Trap Jesus
The questioners pose their malevolently brilliant question: “Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?” That is, is it biblical under the Torah to pay taxes to the Romans? If Jesus says that it is lawful to pay the tribute, He would have been seen as a collaborator with the Roman occupiers and would alienate the people who had just proclaimed Him a king. If Jesus says the tribute is illegitimate, He risked being branded a political criminal and incurring the wrath of Rome. With either answer, someone would have been likely to kill Him.
Jesus is well aware of the trap. He exposes the hostility and the hypocrisy of His interrogators and recognizes that His questioners are daring Him to enter the temporal fray of Judeo-Roman politics.
The Coin
Instead of jumping into the political discussion, though, Jesus curiously requests to see the coin of the tribute. It is not necessary that Jesus possess the coin to answer the question. He could have easily responded without seeing the coin. But, His request to see the coin suggests that there is something meaningful about the coin itself.
The denarius was truly the emperor’s property: he used it to pay his soldiers, officials, and suppliers; it bore the imperial seal; it differed from the copper coins issued by the Roman Senate, and it was also the coin with which subjected peoples, in theory, were required to pay tribute.
J. Spencer Kennard, in his book Render to God, argues that the denarius’ circulation in Judea was likely scarce. The only people to transact routinely with the denarius in Judea would have been soldiers, Roman officials, and Jewish leaders in collaboration with Rome. Thus, it is noteworthy that Jesus, Himself, does not possess the coin. The questioners’ quickness to produce the coin at Jesus’ request implies that they routinely used it, taking advantage of Roman financial largess, whereas Jesus did not. Moreover, the Tribute Episode takes place in the Temple, and by producing the coin, the questioners reveal their religious hypocrisy – they bring a potentially profane item, the coin of a pagan, into the sacred space of the Temple.
Imperial Propaganda
Kennard makes the magnificent point that coins of the ancient world were the major instrument of imperial propaganda. One side of the denarius shows a profiled bust of Tiberius crowned with the laurels of victory and divinity. Circumscribed around Tiberius, in Latin, is “Tiberius Caesar, Worshipful Son of God, Augustus”
On the opposite side of the coin sits the Roman goddess of peace, Pax, and circumscribed around her is the abbreviation, “Pontiff Maxim,” or “High Priest.” The brilliance of the Romans is obvious here. Coins excelled all other media. They went everywhere and were handled by everyone. Their subtle symbolism and propaganda pervaded every home and indoctrinated the peoples of the empire with the deity of the emperor as “the Son of God”. Picture of Denarius
In the most richly ironic passage in the entire Bible, all three synoptic Gospels depict the Son of God and the High Priest of Peace, newly proclaimed by His people to be a King, holding a tiny silver coin of a king who claims to be the son of god and the high priest of Roman peace.
The Counter-Question
After seeing the coin, Jesus poses a counter-question. “Whose image and inscription is this?” It is noteworthy that this counter-question and its answer are not necessary to answer the original question of whether it is appropriate to pay tribute to Caesar. That Jesus asks the counter-question suggests that it and its answer are significant.
By asking a counter-question, Jesus intends to avoid a trap and draw a response that not only exposes the hypocrisy of their question but makes their position vulnerable to attack (this approach worked as well with the woman caught in adultery) thus enabling Him to refute their hostile question.
Because the hostile question was a direct challenge to Jesus’ authority as a rabbi on a point of law, His interrogators would have expected a counter question grounded in scripture, in particular, based on the Torah. Two words, “image” and “inscription,” in the counter-question harkens to two central provisions in the Torah, The First (Second) Commandment and the Shema.
God Prohibits False Images
The First (Second) Commandment prohibits worship of anyone or anything but God, and it also forbids crafting any image of a false god for adoration. God demands the exclusive allegiance of His people. Jesus’ use of the word, “image,” in the counter-question reminds His questioners of the First (Second) Commandment’s requirement to worship God first and its corresponding prohibition against creating images of false gods.
The Shema Demands the Worship of God Alone
Jesus use of the word “inscription” alludes to the Shema. The Shema is a Jewish prayer based upon Deuteronomy 6:4-9, 11:13-21 and Numbers 15:37-41 and is the most important prayer a pious Jew can say. It can be translated “Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God – the Lord alone.” This opening line stresses Israel’s worship of God to the exclusion of all other Gods. The Shema further requires worshipers to “inscribe” the words of the Shema in their hearts, to instruct their children in them, to bind them on their hands and foreheads, and to “inscribe” them conspicuously on their doorposts and on the gates to their cities. The words to the Shema were to be metaphorically inscribed in the hearts, minds, and souls of God’s children.
Matthew and Mark both recount Jesus quoting the Shema in the same chapter just a few verses after the Tribute Episode.
In the Tribute Episode, it is only after Jesus’ counter-question is asked and answered does He respond to the original question. Jesus tells His interrogators,
“Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God, the things that are God’s.”
This response begs the question of what belongs to Caesar and what belongs to God? In the Hebrew tradition, everything rightfully belonged to God. By using the words, “image” and “inscription,” Jesus has already reminded his interrogators that God was owed exclusive allegiance and total love and worship. Similarly, everything economically belonged to God as well. For example, the physical land of Israel was God’s, as He instructed in Leviticus 25:23, “The land [of Israel] shall not be sold in perpetuity; for the land is mine, and you [the Israelites] are but aliens who have become my tenants.” In addition, the Jewish people were to dedicate the first fruits, that first portion of any harvest and the first born of any animal, to God. By giving God the first fruits, the Jewish people acknowledged that all good things came from God and that all things in turn, belonged to God. God even declares, “Mine is the silver and mine the gold.”
The emperor, on the other hand, also claimed that all people and things in the empire rightfully belonged to Rome. The denarius notified everyone who transacted with it that the emperor demanded exclusive allegiance and, at least, the pretense of worship – Tiberius claimed to be the worshipful son of god.
Mutual Exclusivity
With one straightforward question, Jesus skillfully points out that the claims of God and Caesar are mutually exclusive. If one’s faith is in God, then God is owed everything; Caesar’s claims are necessarily illegitimate, and he is therefore owed nothing. If, on the other hand, one’s faith is in Caesar, God’s claims are illegitimate, and Caesar is owed, at the very least, the coin which bears his image.
Choosing an Allegiance
Jesus counter-question simple invites his listeners to choose allegiances. No one can interpret the Tribute Episode as Jesus’ support of taxation. To the contrary, one can only understand the Tribute Episode as Jesus’ opposition to unlawful Roman taxation.
The scene of the woman caught in adultery and the Tribute Episode are similar. In both, Jesus is faced with a hostile question challenging his credibility as a Rabbi. In each, the hostile question has two answers: one answer which the audience knows is morally correct, but politically incorrect, and the other answer which the audience knows is wrong, but politically correct.
In the scene of the woman caught in adultery, no one roots for Jesus to say “Stone her!” Everyone wants to see Jesus extend the woman mercy. Likewise, in the Tribute Episode, no one hopes Jesus answers, “Pay tribute to the pagan, Roman oppressors.” The Tribute Episode, like the scene of the woman caught in adultery, has a “right” answer – it is not appropriate to pay the tribute. But Jesus cannot give this “right” answer without running afoul of the Roman government. Instead, in both Gospel accounts, Jesus gives a quick-witted, but ultimately ambiguous, response which exposes the hypocrisy of His interrogators rather than overtly answering the question posed by them. Nevertheless, in each instance, the audience can infer the right answer embedded in Jesus response.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Who will cast the first stone?
In John 8 we find the story of the woman caught in adultery. The Pharisees and the teachers of the law brought her before Jesus and asked,
“The Law of Moses commanded us to stone such a woman. Now what do you say?” – John 8:5
I must confess my initial response to Pelosi and the Democrats passing socialized health care is similar to that of the Pharisees with the woman caught in adultery. “We have the proof we need, let them be condemned. “
But, by what standard am I measuring Pelosi and those of her party? Am I using the same standard to measure them as I use to measure the senators and congressmen I voted for? Jesus responded to the teachers of the law and the Pharisees this way,
“If any one of you is without sin let him be the first one to throw a stone at her.” John 8:7.
I am afraid if we miss this lesson November 2010 is going to bring more pain. Let’s put our stones away. If we don’t learn from our past, we could end up replacing the current group of collectivist democrats with a new group of collectivist republicans. Is that what we want?
The Health Care Bill has passed the House and the lawmakers that are supposed to have the closest connection to the voters are responsible for it. I don’t know about you but the conclusion I draw is our congressmen were simply doing what we wanted. The people wanted government to solve the health care crisis without regard to morals or law. We no longer expect our government to secure our unalienable rights. We no longer believe there are consequences to ignoring the highest laws of our land. Our friends and neighbors have yet to understand the cause of the health care crisis . . . us and our support for government regulation.
If we don’t care about law how can we complain about justice? But we don’t want justice; we want to live off the labor of our neighbor. That includes 60 million church going Americans who are not yet aware that using government force to take their neighbors property to provide them with health care, medicare, welfare, social security, unemployment, food stamps , FDIC insurance , home loan guarantees, bailouts, education or farm subsidies is immoral. It is not just Pelosi that supports these programs, Bush, Gingrich, (insert your favorite republican's name here) did as well.
Since government isn’t the source of health care, their requirement that health care be provided imposes an obligation on another citizen to provide it. If we are created equal then how can one person force another to do so? Force is immoral. Our government is only authorized to use force to defend our unalienable rights. If, as the Declaration of Independence states, governments job is to secure our unalienable rights, why aren’t we holding it accountable to do so? Perhaps we don’t understand the highest laws of our land . . . Biblical or Constitutional.
Brothers and sisters, the 8th Commandment is higher law from our Creator. It is one of His "Top 10" laws for a just society. It is an absolute and can only be violated at our own peril In Exodus 20:15, God tells mankind that private property is sacred. It is not a "great suggestion", it is a commandment. God is sovereign over all Creation and expects his laws to be followed in all jurisdictions, self government, family government, church government and civil government.
Are you angry or surprised at Pelosi and the Democratic Party? Did they run as Constitutional candidates? Did they do something George Bush, and the Republicans haven’t done (Bailouts, Patriot Act and 500B Prescription Drug Act, 250B Farm Subsidy Bill, failure to renew the Budget Enforcement Act of 1990)? Which of us can point to one Republican who has kept his oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution? (If you can think of one please share with the rest of us.)
Is this what we want, government to fix things for us? Do we really want them to bring the same "successful" record of victory to bear on Health Care Reform as they have brought to bear on the “War on Drugs”, the “War on Poverty”, the “War on Terrorism” and the wars in Vietnam and Iraq? Our lawmakers are simply a reflection of what you and I are demanding, something for nothing. Hey, that describes me to a “T”. For the past twenty eight years, that is how I've been voting. Please forgive me.
Our Democratic and Republican lawmakers are ignoring the highest laws of our land because we are, Biblically and Constitutionally. Let’s face it, most of us were STATE educated. That should explain some of the problem. The Democrats might be ignoring their lawful authority as enumerated in Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution, but do you think the Republicans are any better? Don’t give the Republicans too much credit on this one, they don’t care about their oath to uphold the Constitution either. They are being motivated on this issue by what it will take to be reelected. Their votes wouldn’t have made a difference here.
Unfortunately, the Health Care Victory tonight belongs to you and I. Let’s face it, we bought it. Things will change when we begin to understand that we are the problem. I would guess that most of us have been voting for candidates who have no respect for the oath they took to uphold our Constitution. Actually to be fair to the lawmakers, they probably don’t understand the Constitution any better than we do. Many still believe it is a living document and “General Welfare” means doing whatever it takes to serve someones “specific welfare”.
Would you be willing to go to a church where the pastor kept interpreting the bible differently than how the apostles taught it? Why then do we accept unjust and immoral interpretations of the U.S. Constitution from our public servants?
Let me ask you four questions;
1. Whom did you vote for President, Senator and Congress in the last election?
2. Had they consistently upheld the U.S. Constitution prior to your vote?
3. When was the last time you read the U.S. Constitution?
4. What action have you taken to return your country to the principles that made us the most free and prosperous nation in the history?
We are the root that allows these branches to grow. We are still in control, we just need more education and these type of votes are finally waking us up. We need to address the root issue, our education.
“If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never shall be.” - Thomas Jefferson
“The danger to America is not Barack Obama but a citizenry capable of entrusting a man like him with the presidency. It will be easier to limit and undo the follies of an Obama presidency than to restore the necessary common sense and good judgment to an electorate willing to have such a man for their president. The problem is much deeper and far more serious than Mr. Obama, who is a mere symptom of what ails us. Blaming the prince of the fools should not blind anyone to the vast confederacy of fools that made him their prince. The republic can survive a Barack Obama. It is less likely to survive a multitude of fools such as those who made him their president - Author Unknown
We have a crisis in health care and I want it fixed as much as you, but it will not be fixed by more government. Let’s put our stones away. Government is the problem, not the solution. The solution is free markets and limited government, something Americans gave up on in the 1930s. Anyone ready to try it again?
Eric holds other funny perspectives (i.e. the earth is round, the moon is made of cheese, dogs go to heaven but cats do not, chocolate isn’t bad for you it just makes your clothes shrink, the bodily resurrection of Christ , salvation by faith alone and he is already against the next war)
“The Law of Moses commanded us to stone such a woman. Now what do you say?” – John 8:5
I must confess my initial response to Pelosi and the Democrats passing socialized health care is similar to that of the Pharisees with the woman caught in adultery. “We have the proof we need, let them be condemned. “
But, by what standard am I measuring Pelosi and those of her party? Am I using the same standard to measure them as I use to measure the senators and congressmen I voted for? Jesus responded to the teachers of the law and the Pharisees this way,
“If any one of you is without sin let him be the first one to throw a stone at her.” John 8:7.
I am afraid if we miss this lesson November 2010 is going to bring more pain. Let’s put our stones away. If we don’t learn from our past, we could end up replacing the current group of collectivist democrats with a new group of collectivist republicans. Is that what we want?
The Health Care Bill has passed the House and the lawmakers that are supposed to have the closest connection to the voters are responsible for it. I don’t know about you but the conclusion I draw is our congressmen were simply doing what we wanted. The people wanted government to solve the health care crisis without regard to morals or law. We no longer expect our government to secure our unalienable rights. We no longer believe there are consequences to ignoring the highest laws of our land. Our friends and neighbors have yet to understand the cause of the health care crisis . . . us and our support for government regulation.
If we don’t care about law how can we complain about justice? But we don’t want justice; we want to live off the labor of our neighbor. That includes 60 million church going Americans who are not yet aware that using government force to take their neighbors property to provide them with health care, medicare, welfare, social security, unemployment, food stamps , FDIC insurance , home loan guarantees, bailouts, education or farm subsidies is immoral. It is not just Pelosi that supports these programs, Bush, Gingrich, (insert your favorite republican's name here) did as well.
Since government isn’t the source of health care, their requirement that health care be provided imposes an obligation on another citizen to provide it. If we are created equal then how can one person force another to do so? Force is immoral. Our government is only authorized to use force to defend our unalienable rights. If, as the Declaration of Independence states, governments job is to secure our unalienable rights, why aren’t we holding it accountable to do so? Perhaps we don’t understand the highest laws of our land . . . Biblical or Constitutional.
Brothers and sisters, the 8th Commandment is higher law from our Creator. It is one of His "Top 10" laws for a just society. It is an absolute and can only be violated at our own peril In Exodus 20:15, God tells mankind that private property is sacred. It is not a "great suggestion", it is a commandment. God is sovereign over all Creation and expects his laws to be followed in all jurisdictions, self government, family government, church government and civil government.
Are you angry or surprised at Pelosi and the Democratic Party? Did they run as Constitutional candidates? Did they do something George Bush, and the Republicans haven’t done (Bailouts, Patriot Act and 500B Prescription Drug Act, 250B Farm Subsidy Bill, failure to renew the Budget Enforcement Act of 1990)? Which of us can point to one Republican who has kept his oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution? (If you can think of one please share with the rest of us.)
Is this what we want, government to fix things for us? Do we really want them to bring the same "successful" record of victory to bear on Health Care Reform as they have brought to bear on the “War on Drugs”, the “War on Poverty”, the “War on Terrorism” and the wars in Vietnam and Iraq? Our lawmakers are simply a reflection of what you and I are demanding, something for nothing. Hey, that describes me to a “T”. For the past twenty eight years, that is how I've been voting. Please forgive me.
Our Democratic and Republican lawmakers are ignoring the highest laws of our land because we are, Biblically and Constitutionally. Let’s face it, most of us were STATE educated. That should explain some of the problem. The Democrats might be ignoring their lawful authority as enumerated in Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution, but do you think the Republicans are any better? Don’t give the Republicans too much credit on this one, they don’t care about their oath to uphold the Constitution either. They are being motivated on this issue by what it will take to be reelected. Their votes wouldn’t have made a difference here.
Unfortunately, the Health Care Victory tonight belongs to you and I. Let’s face it, we bought it. Things will change when we begin to understand that we are the problem. I would guess that most of us have been voting for candidates who have no respect for the oath they took to uphold our Constitution. Actually to be fair to the lawmakers, they probably don’t understand the Constitution any better than we do. Many still believe it is a living document and “General Welfare” means doing whatever it takes to serve someones “specific welfare”.
Would you be willing to go to a church where the pastor kept interpreting the bible differently than how the apostles taught it? Why then do we accept unjust and immoral interpretations of the U.S. Constitution from our public servants?
Let me ask you four questions;
1. Whom did you vote for President, Senator and Congress in the last election?
2. Had they consistently upheld the U.S. Constitution prior to your vote?
3. When was the last time you read the U.S. Constitution?
4. What action have you taken to return your country to the principles that made us the most free and prosperous nation in the history?
We are the root that allows these branches to grow. We are still in control, we just need more education and these type of votes are finally waking us up. We need to address the root issue, our education.
“If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never shall be.” - Thomas Jefferson
“The danger to America is not Barack Obama but a citizenry capable of entrusting a man like him with the presidency. It will be easier to limit and undo the follies of an Obama presidency than to restore the necessary common sense and good judgment to an electorate willing to have such a man for their president. The problem is much deeper and far more serious than Mr. Obama, who is a mere symptom of what ails us. Blaming the prince of the fools should not blind anyone to the vast confederacy of fools that made him their prince. The republic can survive a Barack Obama. It is less likely to survive a multitude of fools such as those who made him their president - Author Unknown
We have a crisis in health care and I want it fixed as much as you, but it will not be fixed by more government. Let’s put our stones away. Government is the problem, not the solution. The solution is free markets and limited government, something Americans gave up on in the 1930s. Anyone ready to try it again?
Eric holds other funny perspectives (i.e. the earth is round, the moon is made of cheese, dogs go to heaven but cats do not, chocolate isn’t bad for you it just makes your clothes shrink, the bodily resurrection of Christ , salvation by faith alone and he is already against the next war)
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Jesus is Involved in Politics
In my last post I shared what I felt was “the root” problem of our nation’s demise – me, and my lack of education. I shared how my failure to apply biblical principles to the God ordained institution of civil government made me and others like me, culpable for much of the suffering and poverty we face today. Our lawmakers are merely “branches” and we are the “root” that allows them to grow. But enough about the problem, everyone can see a problem exists – what is the solution?
In this post, I share the critical role of the church and especially our pastors.
• The problem is best fixed by the church
• The battle can be won without having to convince a single non-Christian
• Jesus was involved in politics and therefore so must our pastors.
The Problem is best fixed by the church
While there are a number of moral people who are not Christian, our dilemma at its core is a spiritual one. Sin is not our problem. Our desire to create unjust laws and use politics to live off the labor of our neighbor is simply a product of our sinful nature. If I am correct in this assertion then only Christ and the church hold the solution. John Adams shared . . .
Government can only rule in the physical realm it cannot rule in the spiritual realm. Contrary to public opinion, government laws cannot change a man's heart, only Christ can rule there. We should pity the man or government who dare intrude in Christ’s jurisdiction. This has been the failure of governments throughout history when they attempt to replace Christ as head of the church (See King George III and the American Revolution).
Only in Christ can man find victory over his sin nature and only in scripture do we find the guidelines and principles for how this entity, called “the state”, is to operate. Some of my friends will challenge me on this point stating that they do not need to be Christians to believe these truths. While I agree one doesn’t have to be a Christian to be moral, these truths find their origins in the scriptures and as such they carry Christ’s authority. To disconnect the King from his principles is to remove from them his authority. When we remove Christ as the source and authority of our view of civil government, our opinions are reduced to mere opinions. They carry no more weight than that of the non-believer.
The battle can be won without having to convince a single non-Christian
We need not look outside the church to put our nation on back on track. My wife gave me a wonderful book this week, Jesus Is Involved in Politics by Neil Mammen. Mammen says,
Jesus was involved in politics and therefore so must our pastors
Many in the church today believe Jesus never got involved in politics. Mammen addresses this issue as well. Who were the politicians of Jesus day? Were they only those senators to the north in Rome? While the Empire was ruled from Rome and had its seat of government there, Rome gave a great deal of autonomy to Judah. Despite being an occupied territory, Judah enjoyed a greater level of self governance than most. Judeans in 33 A.D., had a fully functioning political system that included their own executive, legislative and judicial powers. They had their own police officers and public jails.
Was Jesus involved in interacting with the Roman Senate? No. He was not a Roman citizen and he was 1,422 miles away. He could not influence them any more than a citizen of occupied Iraq could influence our lawmakers in Washington. However, being a Jew and living in Judah, he could and did influence his own lawmakers, the Sanhedrin.
The Sanhedrin combined the legislative branch and judicial branch into one entity. But who were these guys? Do we ever read about them in the bible? Did Jesus ever talk about them or with them? Did he stay far removed from them and remain silent?
The lawmakers and politicians of Jesus day that made up the membership of the Sanhedrin were the Pharisees and Sadducees. Did Jesus interact with them? You bet he did. He warned them about corrupt laws and twisted interpretations of their original law. Jesus was so involved with his lawmakers one can’t speak about him without including his interaction with them.
One may complain, “The Sanhedrin was only in charge of religious laws.” Mammen says this is false. Jewish historian Reifmann tells us:
Jesus even insulted his chief political leader by calling him a “fox”, Luke 13:31. He called his Senators “hypocrites” and “slimy snakes", Mathew 23:27, 33. He was confrontational. This is the negative side of politics that we must speak against.
Was Jesus only addressing their mistakes in theology? Although, he was concerned about their spiritual condition, he also cared about their physical condition. He demonstrated concern for such issues as oppression and social justice. Unjust laws and immoral politics have a negative effect on the innocent. Jesus addressed the legal basis for divorce and the legality of paying taxes to Caesar. These issues, coupled with the woman caught in adultery, were civil, not religious.
It just goes to show how far we have gotten off message. Our pastors are key. If they will jump onto the field, the body will as well. What do you think?
I am gleaning a number of fresh, new insights from Mammen’s book, Jesus Is Involved in Politics. I encourage you to pick up two copies. Once for yourself, and one for your pastor or elder.
Jesus was Involved in Politics
In this post, I share the critical role of the church and especially our pastors.
• The problem is best fixed by the church
• The battle can be won without having to convince a single non-Christian
• Jesus was involved in politics and therefore so must our pastors.
The Problem is best fixed by the church
While there are a number of moral people who are not Christian, our dilemma at its core is a spiritual one. Sin is not our problem. Our desire to create unjust laws and use politics to live off the labor of our neighbor is simply a product of our sinful nature. If I am correct in this assertion then only Christ and the church hold the solution. John Adams shared . . .
Government can only rule in the physical realm it cannot rule in the spiritual realm. Contrary to public opinion, government laws cannot change a man's heart, only Christ can rule there. We should pity the man or government who dare intrude in Christ’s jurisdiction. This has been the failure of governments throughout history when they attempt to replace Christ as head of the church (See King George III and the American Revolution).
“We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion…Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” - John Adams message to Officers of the First Brigade of the Massachusetts….
Only in Christ can man find victory over his sin nature and only in scripture do we find the guidelines and principles for how this entity, called “the state”, is to operate. Some of my friends will challenge me on this point stating that they do not need to be Christians to believe these truths. While I agree one doesn’t have to be a Christian to be moral, these truths find their origins in the scriptures and as such they carry Christ’s authority. To disconnect the King from his principles is to remove from them his authority. When we remove Christ as the source and authority of our view of civil government, our opinions are reduced to mere opinions. They carry no more weight than that of the non-believer.
The battle can be won without having to convince a single non-Christian
We need not look outside the church to put our nation on back on track. My wife gave me a wonderful book this week, Jesus Is Involved in Politics by Neil Mammen. Mammen says,
“The battle for American can be won without ever having to convince a single non-Christian or non-Conservative about anything. The battle for America begins and ends with Christians and Conservatives.”and . . .
“… There are more than 60 million evangelical Christians of voting age in America. Some 24 million of them are not even registered to vote. Of the 36 million who are registered to vote, not all do.” – David BartonChristians are not participating in the political process. A football team with six of its twelve players stuck in the locker room cannot win on the field. While we are sitting on the sidelines, presidential and senate seats are being won and lost by a few hundred thousand votes, or as in Florida in 2000, by 200 votes. The battles for who leads our nation and writes our laws are being won and lost while our churches and pulpits are silent. Perhaps the suffering we face today is God’s judgment for “voting for the lesser of two evils”. Perhaps the suffering we face today is due to our failure to come out of the salt shaker properly influencing civil government for good. Many are saying that church and politics don’t mix. I say we should have nothing to do with the immoral practices of lawmaking, but everything to do with the activity of writing just laws and punishing evil.
Jesus was involved in politics and therefore so must our pastors
Many in the church today believe Jesus never got involved in politics. Mammen addresses this issue as well. Who were the politicians of Jesus day? Were they only those senators to the north in Rome? While the Empire was ruled from Rome and had its seat of government there, Rome gave a great deal of autonomy to Judah. Despite being an occupied territory, Judah enjoyed a greater level of self governance than most. Judeans in 33 A.D., had a fully functioning political system that included their own executive, legislative and judicial powers. They had their own police officers and public jails.
Was Jesus involved in interacting with the Roman Senate? No. He was not a Roman citizen and he was 1,422 miles away. He could not influence them any more than a citizen of occupied Iraq could influence our lawmakers in Washington. However, being a Jew and living in Judah, he could and did influence his own lawmakers, the Sanhedrin.
The Sanhedrin combined the legislative branch and judicial branch into one entity. But who were these guys? Do we ever read about them in the bible? Did Jesus ever talk about them or with them? Did he stay far removed from them and remain silent?
The lawmakers and politicians of Jesus day that made up the membership of the Sanhedrin were the Pharisees and Sadducees. Did Jesus interact with them? You bet he did. He warned them about corrupt laws and twisted interpretations of their original law. Jesus was so involved with his lawmakers one can’t speak about him without including his interaction with them.
One may complain, “The Sanhedrin was only in charge of religious laws.” Mammen says this is false. Jewish historian Reifmann tells us:
“All religious matters and all civil matters not claimed by Roman authority were within the Sanhedrin’s attributions; and the decisions issued by its judges were to be held inviolable.” – Reifmann, Sanhedrin, Heb. (Berdichef, 1888) xi 2-4.Jesus talked with the various members of the Sanhedrin, trying to influence them, calling them to account, showing them that many of their laws, both civil and religious, were wrong and overly numerous. (See the unjust application of law as it applied to the woman caught in adultery). Jesus also used civil disobedience to show the injustice and bankruptcy of various laws when he and the Apostles picked and husked wheat on the Sabbath and later when they healed on the Sabbath.
Jesus even insulted his chief political leader by calling him a “fox”, Luke 13:31. He called his Senators “hypocrites” and “slimy snakes", Mathew 23:27, 33. He was confrontational. This is the negative side of politics that we must speak against.
Was Jesus only addressing their mistakes in theology? Although, he was concerned about their spiritual condition, he also cared about their physical condition. He demonstrated concern for such issues as oppression and social justice. Unjust laws and immoral politics have a negative effect on the innocent. Jesus addressed the legal basis for divorce and the legality of paying taxes to Caesar. These issues, coupled with the woman caught in adultery, were civil, not religious.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices – mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the most important matters of the law – justice, mercy and faithfulness.” - Mt 23:23.Jesus cared about the suffering of the poor, widowed and orphaned. Politics is religious at its base because our laws come from our morals and morals come from religion. (Note: The atheist has a religion and morals as well) Does it seem reasonable to you that lawmakers such as Joseph or Nicodemus who respected Jesus's wisdom, when meeting with him, would not seek his opinion on the challenging issues of thier day? Do you think that Jesus was silent and unresponsive?
It just goes to show how far we have gotten off message. Our pastors are key. If they will jump onto the field, the body will as well. What do you think?
I am gleaning a number of fresh, new insights from Mammen’s book, Jesus Is Involved in Politics. I encourage you to pick up two copies. Once for yourself, and one for your pastor or elder.
Jesus was Involved in Politics
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Tim, you ask a thoughtful question and one I appreciate. However, I have a slightly different take on what the “root” of the problem is.
“There are thousands hacking at the branches of evil to the one who is striking at the root.”
– Henry D. Thoreau
I do not see our lawmakers as the root of the problem as much as I do myself. If my lawmaker is the problem then I have no hope because I have little control over him. However, if I am the problem, then I am still in control and have hope. From my perspective the lawmaker is merely a “branch” and I am the “root” that allows him to grow. My lack of understanding of scripture, law, early American history and economics have kept me from seeing that my faith, properly applied to civil government, was the only safeguard to a just society.
Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. . . Where is the security for life, for reputation and for property, if the sense of religious obligation desert?”
-John Adams
What we see today is a silent church, with little understanding of the 1st Amendment. Believers are not being taught proper application of biblical principles (6th & 8th Commandments) to civil government and as a result believers are unknowingly supporting immoral domestic and foreign policies. Unjust lawmakers are merely a consequence of our misunderstanding,
God ordained civil government. See Romans 13:1. That is sufficient warrant for a pastor to teach on it.
I therefore feel the solution lies in education (ideally from pastors in pulpits as our founders enjoyed from their pulpits in New England) and from education must flow positive action. Hitler loved having a silent church in Germany. It made it much easier to manipulate the people who misunderstood Romans 13 and accepted the lie that all civil leaders were God’s servants. Remember, a civil magistrate is only God’s servant when he is a punisher of evil and a not a terror to good conduct (Romans 13:3).
“If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never shall be.”
– Thomas Jefferson
I can’t merely confess Christ, I must walk with Him, pursue Him and steadily become conformed to His image (thankfully it is He who works in me). Part of being conformed to His image involves applying Biblical principles to how I influence civil government.
One may ask . . . “Why are we so uniformed?”, “How did we get this way?” That is just as thoughtful of a question, and one I take a swing at here. My faith points me back to my sin nature. I want something at the expense of others. Life is easier living off the fruits of my neighbor’s labor than my own. I want government subsidized home loans, government social security, government welfare and government paid education. Never realizing that what government has to give me it must first take from my neighbor. For a Christian that should raise an instant moral dilemma, the 8th Commandment comes to mind, but unfortunately it does come to the mind of most . Laws are only just if they are moral and a Christ follower should not follow unjust laws (see the lives of Moses parents, Hebrew Midwives, Esther, Daniel etc…)
“If they [political authorities] command anything against him [God], let it go unesteemed. And here let us not be concerned about all the dignity which the magistrate possesses.”
– Calvin, Institutes, IV: XX: 32
"Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal."
— Martin Luther King, Jr., Letter from a Birmingham Jail, page 5.
*I add this as a footnote, as King was writing from his jail cell to eight prominent clergyman in Birmingham who condemned his peaceful opposition and his stand for just law. King should have had the support of the church. His actions were just and moral.
When the church becomes silent on an area of life it should be informing (i.e. civil government) we become indoctrinated in a worldview that doesn’t cohere with our faith. We then carry this false worldview into our various roles as teachers, judges, lawmakers, journalists and pastors. As a Teacher, I condone it and pass it on to your children in the classroom. My friend, The Judge, perpetuates it and unknowingly perverts justice at the courthouse. My friend, The Congressman, passes unjust laws at the seat of government. My friend, The Journalist, perpetuates a false perspective in the media. And finally, my friend, The Pastor, not having an understanding of the 1st Amendment, naively accepts his 501(c) (3) designation and proclaims the whole counsel of God except the practical application of those principles to civil government.
I think you and I and our failure to apply biblical principles to the operation of civil government is the root of the problem and any solution must begin here.
In short we are not receiving the instruction we need to properly influence our government in a godly direction. This is exactly what the world wants, a church that leaves the proper ordering of government to the “experts”. It only takes a generation to remove God and principle from a society. However, it is also true, it only take a generation to put God and principle back in. I have been re-educating myself these past two years, but I am failing on proper action. I am afraid I may lose a couple friends here, but my heart is becoming inclined to step up. I am becoming inspired more and more by the examples of Patrick Henry, Gandhi, Luther and Martin Luther King. I am not the radical, I only appear radical to those whose minds are held captive by the false philosophies that once held me.
Eric
Eric holds other funny perspectives (i.e. the earth is round, the moon is made of cheese, dogs go to heaven but cats do not, chocolate isn’t bad for you it just makes your clothes shrink, the bodily resurrection of Christ , salvation by faith alone and he is already against the next war)
“There are thousands hacking at the branches of evil to the one who is striking at the root.”
– Henry D. Thoreau
I do not see our lawmakers as the root of the problem as much as I do myself. If my lawmaker is the problem then I have no hope because I have little control over him. However, if I am the problem, then I am still in control and have hope. From my perspective the lawmaker is merely a “branch” and I am the “root” that allows him to grow. My lack of understanding of scripture, law, early American history and economics have kept me from seeing that my faith, properly applied to civil government, was the only safeguard to a just society.
Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. . . Where is the security for life, for reputation and for property, if the sense of religious obligation desert?”
-John Adams
What we see today is a silent church, with little understanding of the 1st Amendment. Believers are not being taught proper application of biblical principles (6th & 8th Commandments) to civil government and as a result believers are unknowingly supporting immoral domestic and foreign policies. Unjust lawmakers are merely a consequence of our misunderstanding,
God ordained civil government. See Romans 13:1. That is sufficient warrant for a pastor to teach on it.
I therefore feel the solution lies in education (ideally from pastors in pulpits as our founders enjoyed from their pulpits in New England) and from education must flow positive action. Hitler loved having a silent church in Germany. It made it much easier to manipulate the people who misunderstood Romans 13 and accepted the lie that all civil leaders were God’s servants. Remember, a civil magistrate is only God’s servant when he is a punisher of evil and a not a terror to good conduct (Romans 13:3).
“If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never shall be.”
– Thomas Jefferson
I can’t merely confess Christ, I must walk with Him, pursue Him and steadily become conformed to His image (thankfully it is He who works in me). Part of being conformed to His image involves applying Biblical principles to how I influence civil government.
One may ask . . . “Why are we so uniformed?”, “How did we get this way?” That is just as thoughtful of a question, and one I take a swing at here. My faith points me back to my sin nature. I want something at the expense of others. Life is easier living off the fruits of my neighbor’s labor than my own. I want government subsidized home loans, government social security, government welfare and government paid education. Never realizing that what government has to give me it must first take from my neighbor. For a Christian that should raise an instant moral dilemma, the 8th Commandment comes to mind, but unfortunately it does come to the mind of most . Laws are only just if they are moral and a Christ follower should not follow unjust laws (see the lives of Moses parents, Hebrew Midwives, Esther, Daniel etc…)
“If they [political authorities] command anything against him [God], let it go unesteemed. And here let us not be concerned about all the dignity which the magistrate possesses.”
– Calvin, Institutes, IV: XX: 32
"Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal."
— Martin Luther King, Jr., Letter from a Birmingham Jail, page 5.
*I add this as a footnote, as King was writing from his jail cell to eight prominent clergyman in Birmingham who condemned his peaceful opposition and his stand for just law. King should have had the support of the church. His actions were just and moral.
When the church becomes silent on an area of life it should be informing (i.e. civil government) we become indoctrinated in a worldview that doesn’t cohere with our faith. We then carry this false worldview into our various roles as teachers, judges, lawmakers, journalists and pastors. As a Teacher, I condone it and pass it on to your children in the classroom. My friend, The Judge, perpetuates it and unknowingly perverts justice at the courthouse. My friend, The Congressman, passes unjust laws at the seat of government. My friend, The Journalist, perpetuates a false perspective in the media. And finally, my friend, The Pastor, not having an understanding of the 1st Amendment, naively accepts his 501(c) (3) designation and proclaims the whole counsel of God except the practical application of those principles to civil government.
I think you and I and our failure to apply biblical principles to the operation of civil government is the root of the problem and any solution must begin here.
In short we are not receiving the instruction we need to properly influence our government in a godly direction. This is exactly what the world wants, a church that leaves the proper ordering of government to the “experts”. It only takes a generation to remove God and principle from a society. However, it is also true, it only take a generation to put God and principle back in. I have been re-educating myself these past two years, but I am failing on proper action. I am afraid I may lose a couple friends here, but my heart is becoming inclined to step up. I am becoming inspired more and more by the examples of Patrick Henry, Gandhi, Luther and Martin Luther King. I am not the radical, I only appear radical to those whose minds are held captive by the false philosophies that once held me.
Eric
Eric holds other funny perspectives (i.e. the earth is round, the moon is made of cheese, dogs go to heaven but cats do not, chocolate isn’t bad for you it just makes your clothes shrink, the bodily resurrection of Christ , salvation by faith alone and he is already against the next war)
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