the Lord helping me this morning
or this evening rather I direct your attention to Mark chapter
12 verse 17 the words of the Lord Jesus Christ In Mark chapter
12 verse 17, render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's
and to God the things that are God's. Let us just put the words
in context, reading from verse 13. And they sent unto him certain
of the Pharisees and of the Herodians to catch him in his words. And
when they would come, they say unto him, Master, we know that
thou art true. and carest for no man, for thou
regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in
truth. Is it lawful to give tribute
to Caesar or not? Shall we give or shall we not
give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy,
said unto them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I
may see it. And they brought it, and he saith unto them, Whose
is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar's,
And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things
that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And
they marvelled at him. Here we see the enemies of the
Lord Jesus Christ coming together in order to oppose him. And they
send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians
to catch him in his words. they would try to catch him in
his words, so that they might have something to accuse him
of. Now the Pharisees and the Herodians were men of quite differing
opinions and convictions and principles. The Pharisees were
very religious. They would fast oft, they would
make long prayer, They would compass sea and land to make
one proselyte. So zealous and so enthusiastic
were they for their religion and for their party, for their
sect. They were concerned for the minutiae
of the law. They paid tithe of mint and anise
and cumin. Outwardly they appeared righteous
unto men. They were very religious and
very pious. The Herodians, on the other hand,
were very irreligious. They were worldly men who cared
not for the things of God, only that the Jewish civil state might
be preserved. and to that end they were supporters
of the family of Herod, which the Roman Emperor had installed
as its puppet government over the Jews. This is why they were
called Herodians. They were willing to embrace
Roman customs and Roman laws, and they were willing to pay
tribute to Caesar. But see how these two contrary
parties, the Pharisees and the Herodians, unite together in
their opposition to Christ. And so it has ever been in the
history of the Church. It was so at the crucifixion
of the Lord Jesus Christ, both Jew and Gentile. conspired together to put him
to death, the Jew who had the knowledge of God and the Gentile
who was destitute of the knowledge of God. See the church at prayer
in Acts chapter 4 verse 26, the kings of the earth stood up And
the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against
his Christ, for of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou
hast anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles,
and the people of Israel, were gathered together, for to do
whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. though they were enemies to each
other, though they had different opinions and different views,
yet they were united in this, in their opposition to Christ. And even so now, the formalist
and the hypocrite will join forces with the worldly and the irreligious
in order to oppose the Lord Jesus Christ and his people and his
gospel. though they hate and despise
each other. There is something they detest
even more than each other's principles, and that is the pure and unadulterated
gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, the gospel of free and sovereign
grace. And they send unto him certain
of the Pharisees and of the Herodians to catch him in his words. They come with a question. And
it seems to them, no matter which way the Lord answers, they have
him trapped. Verse 14, And when they were
come, they say unto him, Master, we know that thou art true and
carest for no man, for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest
the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to give tribute
to Caesar or not? Shall we give or shall we not
give? Should the Lord answer in the
affirmative? The Pharisees would be able to accuse him of wanting
to submit to the Jews, or of wanting to be, or of being willing
to submit to the Jews. Sorry, wanting to submit to the
Romans, I should say. Of wanting to submit the Jews
to the Roman authority. The Jews being the people of
God. The seed of Abraham. The Pharisees would be able to
accuse him of wanting to submit the people of God to the Gentile
yoke, and therefore he could not possibly be the promised
Messiah. For the Jews, of course, were
expecting the Messiah to deliver them from their political oppressors. On the other hand, should the
Lord Jesus answer in the negative, Well, the Herodians would be
able to accuse him of being a seditious rebel against the Roman authorities,
and the Pharisees would be their witnesses. And this was one of
the accusations, of course, which was levelled against the Lord
Jesus at his trial, as we see in Luke 23, in verse 2. And they began to accuse him,
saying, we found this fellow perverting the nation and forbidding
to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ, a
king. Or see the subtlety of Christ's
enemies. They come with all the subtlety
of the serpent. and when they would come they
say unto him master master all they would pretend the deepest
respect we know that thou art true now this was of course a
downright lie they did not believe him and they did not believe
in him and care is for no man No, thou art not afraid of our
Roman governors, nor of Caesar himself. For thou regardest not
the person of men. They acknowledge him to be a
teacher, and that his teachings were true. But teachest the way
of God in truth. And they come to him as those
that will be taught and guided by him. And so they put to him
this question. Is it lawful to give tribute
to Caesar or not? Shall we give or shall we not
give? We know the Apostle Paul writes
of the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures
of wisdom and knowledge. And we see here the wisdom and
the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ in his reply to these
Pharisees and Herodians. See his knowledge. But he, knowing
their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? He knows the
hearts of all men, and there is nothing that can be hid from
him. For the word of God is quick
and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing
even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the
joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of
the heart. Neither is there any creature
that is not manifest in his sight But all things are naked and
opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. Oh, see his
knowledge, he knowing their hypocrisy! And see his wisdom! Bring me
a penny, that I may see it. And they brought it, and he saith
unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they
said unto him, Caesars. And Jesus answering said unto
them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God
the things that are God's. And they marveled at him. Now
Luke says, And they could not take hold of his words before
the people. And they marveled at his answer
and held their peace. Matthew says that they left him
and went their way. They skulked away like dogs with
their toes between their legs. They were not able to gainsay
nor resist the mouth and wisdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. Well this then is the context
we Take these words of our Lord Jesus Christ in verse 17 for
a text this evening. Render to Caesar the things that
are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And the
text naturally divides itself into two headings. Firstly, render
to Caesar the things that are Caesar's. Secondly, and to God
the things that are God's. So let us consider firstly then,
the rendering to Caesar the things that are Caesar's. The Lord Jesus says, render to
Caesar the things that are Caesar's. And we are here taught, firstly,
under this heading that the Christian religion and the gospel of the
Lord Jesus Christ is no enemy to the civil state. Quite the
reverse. It is a friend to the civil state. A good Christian will be a good
citizen and a loyal subject. The Lord's people are taught
out of the Scripture of truth to obey the laws of the land,
and to pay their taxes as required, and if it be possible, as much
as lieth in them, to live peaceably with all men. And so see, for
example, the first seven verses of Romans 13, Let every soul be subject unto
the higher powers, for there is no power but of God. The powers
that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth
the power resisteth the ordinance of God, and they that resist
shall receive to themselves damnation, for rulers are not a terror to
good works, but to the evil. Will thou then not be afraid
of the power? Do that which is good, and thou
shalt have praise of the same, for he is the minister of God
to thee for good. But if thou do that which is
evil, be afraid, for he beareth not the sword in vain, for he
is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that
doeth evil. Wherefore, Ye must need to be
subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience' sake.
For for this cause pay ye tribute also, for they are God's ministers,
attending continually upon this very thing. Render therefore
to all their dues. Tribute to whom tribute is due,
custom to whom custom, fear to whom fear, honour to whom honour. Those that would be subject to
Christ must be subject to those powers that he himself has ordained. By me kings reign and princes
decree justice. By me princes rule and nobles,
even all the judges of the earth, Christ says in Proverbs chapter
8. It is the wisdom then of kings to
submit themselves to Christ and to his gospel. Be wise now therefore,
O ye kings, be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the
Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest
he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled
but a little. It is the wisdom of kings to
submit themselves not to the church or to that which professes
to be the church, or to the Pope, but to Christ. Kiss the Son,
lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way. And it is the wisdom
of the Lord's people to submit themselves to kings, even to
such froward kings as Caesar undoubtedly was. Peter is in
agreement with Paul, of course having the same spirit, being
inspired by the same spirit of the living God, he writes in
his first epistle, in 1 Peter chapter 2, verse 13, Submit yourselves
to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether it be
to the king as supreme, or unto governors as unto them that are
sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise
of them that do well? For so is the will of God, that
with well-doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish
men, as free, and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness,
but as the servants of God. Honour all men, love the brotherhood,
fear God, honour the King. We are taught in the second place
under this heading that there is no inconsistency in paying
tribute to Caesar and serving God. Fear God, honour the king,
says Peter. Render to Caesar the things that
are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's, says Christ. Now, of course, our obedience
to the civil magistrate must always be subject to this proviso,
that we are not commanded to do anything that is contrary
to the law of God or to the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, that
we are not forbidden to do that which God has commanded us to
do. The Lord Jesus after his resurrection
from the dead, commanded his disciples to preach the gospel.
Matthew 28, verse 18. And Jesus came and spoke unto
them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and teach all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever
I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always,
even unto the end of the world. Amen. They were to begin at Jerusalem. Luke tells us that in his Gospel,
Luke 24, verse 46, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and
thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the
third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should
be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. But you know, no sooner had the
apostles begun to preach the Gospel in Jerusalem that they
met with opposition. Again in Acts chapter 4, the
beginning of that chapter. And as they spake unto the people,
the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees
came upon them, being grieved that they had taught the people
and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And
they laid hands on them and put them in hold unto the next day,
for it was now eventide. And we see in verse 18 of that
chapter, Acts chapter 4, that the apostles were then forbidden
by the council to do that which Christ had commanded them. Verse 18, and they called them
and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name
of Jesus. Let's see the reply of Peter
and John. in the next verse, but Peter
and John answered and said unto them, whether it be right in
the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge
ye. And they continued to preach
the gospel. And again, they were arrested by the authorities.
In chapter five, verse 17, Then the high priest rose up
and all they that were with him, which is the sect of the Sadducees,
and were filled with indignation, and laid their hands on the apostles
and put them in the common prison. And then we read there in Acts
chapter 5 of how the angel of the Lord opened the prison doors. And again, the apostles teach
and preach in the temple. They disregard the authority
of the state in this matter. And again they are brought before
the council. Verse 27 of Acts chapter 5. And when they had
brought them, they set them before the council, and the high priest
asked them, saying, Did not we straightly command you that ye
should not teach in this name? And behold, ye have filled Jerusalem
with your doctrine and intent to bring this man's blood upon
us. And see again. The apostles reply,
verse 29. Then Peter and the other apostles
answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. We ought to obey God rather than
men. If ever there is a conflict or
a contradiction, this must be our rule. We ought to obey God
rather than men. to insist that we must render
an absolute obedience to the state is to make Caesar God. It is to put Caesar in the place
of God. I recently read through the two
volumes of Neil's History of the Puritans. I do recommend it. It's a heavy
read. It's actually a history of non-conformity
in this country. Now, we profess to be non-conformist,
don't we? This is a history of our forefathers in the faith.
And you know, for the most part, it is a history of civil disobedience. We ought to obey God rather than
men. That was the word that they lived
by. And our forefathers in the faith
were willing rather to suffer imprisonment than to comply with
the state dictates. They would rather have their
ears cut off than obey the civil authorities. We ought to obey God rather than
men. And of course we have many scriptural
examples, Daniel for instance, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego,
as well as the Apostles. Stuart Oliot makes the point
in his exposition of Romans entitled The Gospel As It Really Is. It's
a work that's been recommended by our pastor. I was reading
what Stuart Oliot says on Romans 13, it's very interesting. I
quote, he says, where honest people are found to be living
in fear of the authorities, It is obvious that those authorities
must have overstepped their divine mandate. Where a government rules
for the benefit of its people and is both a terror to evildoers
and a praise to those who live well, it is fulfilling its divine
commission. But where it repeatedly and openly
disregards the mandate given to it by God, we are under no
obligation to obey it. In this case, those who are governed
have a right to remedy the evil. They have no right to do this
by perpetrating the greater evil of anarchy. with all the fear
and insecurity which such lawlessness brings. But where the lesser
of two evils is a revolution which intends to replace the
present government with one more obedient to the divine commission,
a believer must consider himself scripturally justified in initiating
or joining such a revolution. And that, of course, is exactly
what happened. when Oliver Cromwell came to
power and when he signed the death warrant for King Charles
I. Well, having said these things
with regards to rendering to Caesar the things that are Caesar's,
let us now turn to the second part of our text, to our second
heading. The rendering to God the things
that are God's. Render to Caesar the things that
are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. All men
are to render to God the things that are God's. The Jew must
render to God the things that are God's. Deuteronomy chapter
10 and verse 12. And now Israel walked. Doth the
Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God?
to walk in all his ways, and to love him and to serve the
Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, to keep
the commandments of the Lord and his statutes, which I command
thee this day for thy good. The Gentile must render to God
the things that are God's. We read that the wrath of God
is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness
of men. again there in Romans Romans
2 verse 9 tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doeth
evil of the Jew first and also of the Gentile but glory honor
and peace to every man that worketh good to the Jew first and also
to the Gentile all men are to render a perfect
obedience to God's law he hath showed thee O man what is good,
and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and
to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God. But you know, men
in a state of nature cannot render to God a perfect obedience of
His holy and just and good law, for men by nature are sinners
against God. They are by nature transgressors
of His law. All have sinned in Adam and all
are constituted sinners in Adam, for all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God. Now think of that word that was
preached by Joshua to the children of Israel in Joshua 24 verse
19. What a word it is! And Joshua
said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the Lord for he is an holy God he is a
jealous God he will not forgive your transgressions nor your
sins if you forsake the Lord and serve strange gods then he
would turn and do you hurt and consume you after that he hath
done you good well under that old covenant of works there was
no forgiveness of sins the law makes no allowance for the forgiveness
of sins the soul that sinneth, it shall die. And thus it was
said to Adam, of course, in the very beginning. Genesis 2 verse 16, And the Lord
God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou
mayest freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil thou shalt not eat of it, for in the day that thou
eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. no forgiveness all who are in Adam are under
that law, they are under the covenant of works and all who
are under the law and under that covenant of works are under the
curse for as many as are of the works of the law are under the
curse for it is written cursed is everyone that continueth not
in all things which are written in the book of the law to do
them And in that 24th chapter of Joshua, see how those two monsters, free
will and carnal confidence, rear their ugly heads even amongst
the professed people of God. Joshua 24 verse 21, And the people
said unto Joshua, Nay, but we will serve the Lord. Nay, but we will serve the Lord."
Did they serve the Lord their God? Did they render to God the
things that were God's? No. The parable of the husbandman
was spoken against the Jews, and particularly their religious
leaders. In the conclusion of that parable,
as we have it in Matthew's Gospel, we read, he will miserably destroy
those wicked men and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen
who shall render him the fruits in their seasons. And this is fulfilled in the
New Covenant, which is a covenant not of works but of grace. It
is that covenant spoken of by Jeremiah the prophet. Behold,
the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah, not
according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in
the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the
land of Egypt, which my covenant they break. although I wasn't
husband unto them, saith the Lord. But this shall be the covenant
that I will make with the house of Israel. After those days,
saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and
write it in their hearts, and will be their God, and they shall
be my people. And they shall teach no more
every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know
the Lord, for they shall all know me, from the least of them
unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord. for I will forgive
their iniquity and I will remember their sin no more. It is in this covenant, the new
covenant, that there is the forgiveness of sins. There is a new nature
given and hence a rendering to God the things that are God's. none but those who are partakers
of the new covenant, none but those who are in the secret of
that covenant can truly render to God the things that are God's and that which they render to
God are those things which they have
received from God and so it is that these things are called
the things that are God's They are the things that are God's
in the sense that they are the things which God has wrought
in them by his Spirit. From me is thy fruit found. From me is thy fruit found. Who are they who are in this
new covenant of grace, the eternal covenant? They are those who
are in Christ Jesus. They are those who are looking
to the mediator of the new covenant. They are those who are looking
to the blood of the covenant. As Paul says in Hebrews, but
ye are come to Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant and to the
blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of Abel. We're coming to ourselves what
we find. We find nothing but sin. and
uncleanness. We find a heart that is deceitful
above all things and desperately wicked. A heart that cannot render
to God the things that are God's. And coming to Mount Sinai we
find nothing but wrath and condemnation and death. Ah, but in coming
to the Lord Jesus Christ we find nothing but life and health and
salvation and joy and peace. He was set up from everlasting
to be the surety of that better covenant. Indeed, he is given
for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles,
to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison,
and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. It is
by virtue of the shed blood of the surety that the prisoners
go free. And so it is written in the Prophet
Isaiah, As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have
sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water. The Eternal Son of God came as
a man to fulfill his people's legal obligations, to render
to God that which was due to him on behalf of his people. and having rendered a perfect
obedience to the law of God he offered himself as a sacrifice
for all the sins of all his people and so the debt is paid. What mighty son paid all my debt
when I a bondman stood and has my soul at freedom set, tis Jesus
precious blood. I like that hymn of top ladies,
payment God cannot twice demand, first at my bleeding surety's
hand and then again at mine. Having seen then something of
our own sinful inability to render to God the things that are God's,
having seen by faith the bleeding surety We are brought to ask
that question with all the elect of God in every age, expressed
in Psalm 116. What shall I render unto the
Lord for all his benefits toward me? And the answer, I will take the
cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord. Verse 17
of that psalm, I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving
and will call upon the name of the Lord. We see it again in
Psalm 56. The end of that psalm, verse
12, thy vows are upon me, O God. I will render praises unto thee,
for thou hast delivered my soul from death. Will thou not deliver
my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light
of the living? We are not now under the law,
but under grace. And grace constrains us to walk
according to gospel rule, out of thankful, loving hearts. We work out a salvation which
God has worked in us. This is what it is to render
to God the things that are God's. For ye are bought with a price.
Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which
are God's. The Lord bless his word to us
each and may he give us understanding in all things. Render to Caesar
the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are
God's. Amen.