Should Christians Obey the Government?

I like “yes or no” options. However, we should never allow ourselves to be backed into such a corner. “Have you stopped beating your wife?” That is a lose-lose predicament, the classic unfair question.

Jesus recognized their evil intent (11:15) and would not be manipulated by their game.

Mark 12:15-17

The moment of truth has arrived. All eyes were on Jesus, and people held their breath to see what He would say.

276He begins by exposing their hypocrisy, something He was well aware of (11:15), with a question: “Why are you testing Me?” This is the same word Mark used in 1:13 when Satan “tempted” our Lord in the wilderness. There is demonic intent in their motivation to destroy Jesus, like the efforts of the Devil to get Him off track from His mission. And as Satan failed in the wilderness, the Pharisees and Herodians will fail in the temple.

Jesus asked for a denarius, the required tax and a day’s wage for a typical laborer in Israel. Ironically, He does not have one, but they do! He then asks, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They said to Him, “Caesar’s.” On one side of the coin was a bust of Tiberius Caesar with the inscription, “Tiberius Caesar Augustus, Son of the Divine Augustus.” The other side had an image of Tiberius’s mother Livia with the words, “Pontifex Maximus,” meaning “High Priest.” The Jews found this to be idolatrous: a man claiming to be a god and a woman a priest—blasphemy!

Jesus then said some of the most significant words in history. Their impact on Western civilization is mammoth: “Give back to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” They never saw it coming!

By His reply Jesus acknowledges the legitimacy of human government. He is no anarchist. God has ordained the family, the church, and human government. It has the right to levy taxes, and we have the responsibility to pay. It has the right to make laws, and we have the responsibility to obey. Other writers in the New Testament, especially Paul and Peter, reaffirm and expand on this statement of Jesus, even though they lived when the lunatic Nero (ad 54-68) was emperor. Note the following:

Christians have legitimate responsibilities to the government, and as long as those obligations do not interfere with our ability to honor and worship God, we are to fulfill them. It is our Christian duty.

Jesus also said, “Give back ... to God the things that are God’s.” He refused to be trapped by an either/or proposition. Once more He “amazed” them with His teachings.

If the coin has Caesar’s image on it, then it belongs to him. So give him what is rightfully his. However, as humans, you all bear the image of God (Gen 1:26-27). You must give to God what is rightfully His—your entire life. We have a duty to the government, but we have an even greater duty to God, who has created us and redeemed us. As 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for God’s glory.”

In Acts 4:19-20 Peter and John say, “Whether it’s right in the sight of God for us to listen to you rather than to God, you decide; for we are unable to stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” And again in Acts 5:29, “But Peter and the apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than men.’” Kent Hughes says, “The statement by our Lord was not only astound-

ing the instant it was uttered, but is even today universally acclaimed to be the single most influential political statement ever made in the history of the world” (Mark, 2:103). With one simple maxim Jesus put everything in proper perspective. He put Caesar in his place, and He placed God where He rightfully belongs in our lives as well. All the people could do was stand back and look on in amazement!

Adopting something of a manifesto, I think we can say at the very least the following:

This last point, while true, needs some further clarification. (1) The law being resisted must be unjust and immoral, clearly contrary to the will of God, and not just inconvenient or burdensome. (2) Legal means of changing the unjust situation must have been exhausted. Civil disobedience is a method not of first resort, but of last resort. (3) The act of disobedience must be public rather than secretive or hidden. (4) There should be some hope of success, as my intent is to produce changes in laws and institutions. (5) As I consider civil disobedience, I must be willing to accept the penalty for breaking the law.

Mark Dever says it precisely: “The legal establishment of Christianity for many nations, centuries after the apostles, reflected an already distorted understanding of the gospel and led to terrible confusion as the church279 wielded the sword” (“Jesus Paid Taxes”). The Christian has only one God: Jesus. The Christian longs for only one kingdom: the kingdom of God. The Christian has only one sword: the Word of God.

So, as a devoted follower of Jesus, I will say yes to obeying the government and paying taxes to Caesar, but I will say no to disobeying the Word of God and worshiping a man or institution. Independence Day for the Christian is not marked by a flag. No, our independence day is Easter, marked by a cross and an empty tomb.