When is Patriotism An Idol?

Matthew 22:15-22

In today’s reading allegiance to the empire and to God is the issue. Jesus’ patriotism is being called into question.

It was toward the end of Jesus’ ministry, just before his death. From the teachings of Jesus that surround this text, there is a feeling of urgency, and of confrontation with questions that probe the depth of one’s being.

In the teachings that surround this text, there are several references to the consequences of one’s decisions. Jesus is saying that someday we will be held accountable for what we do.

This sets the stage for the “taxes to Caesar” story. What Jesus had been saying challenged the listeners’ thinking, their belief system, their traditions, their allegiances, their positions of privilege, their patriotism.

So, they put Jesus to the test. They wanted to get Jesus to comment and say what they thought he was saying, so they could discredit him and prove to the audience that he was a revolutionary that should be silenced. They suspected in their hearts that he was soft on patriotism, so they went after his Achilles’ heel.

“What do you mean God may take the kingdom away from us and give it to another nation? Are you suggesting that our faith, our religious values, our leaders are wrong and are leading us down the wrong way?” They are upset because Jesus exposes their hypocrisy, their idolatry. So, they pick an issue he has alluded to and they try to pin him to the wall. Patriotism – that’s a sacred cow that he has failed to worship. Let’s ask him about allegiance to the empire, to government authority. That will get people stirred up. They’ll stop listening to him if we can expose his lack of patriotism. We’ll get this radical teacher to say something that will call his patriotism into question. Let’s force him to reveal his lack of allegiance to Caesar.

“Teacher – we know you are true and teach the way of God.” You don’t seem to care what the polls say, what popular opinion is. You are not that impressed or care what a person’s title is or how many degrees one has or where one hails from. Tell us, is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?

They knew Jesus taught the way of justice, cooperation and partnership. Caesar stood for power over others, acquisition of wealth, dominance over others and manipulation. Jesus was polls apart from Caesar in his teachings about loving one’s enemy, suffering on behalf of others, respecting all people. There was no doubt in their mind where Jesus stood regarding Caesar and his politics, his economics, his warring madness. So, in their crafty manner they plot to test Jesus to see if he will say it.

Jesus knew what they were up too. “Why put me to the test you hypocrites?” I know what you are doing, and I’m not playing your game. Jesus answers but he does not really answer their question. Instead, he throws the question back at them. He announces to the audience that he’s up to their tricks and he won’t get sucked in.

Without first understanding this, we may use this text for all kinds of bad theology and faulty interpretation of the Bible. This text has been used by some to defend the separation of church and state and to defend keeping politics out of the church. It has been used by some to defend uncritical allegiance to government authority, even when it goes against your conscience. It has been used by some to defend civil religion, giving divine status to the empire. Few passages in the Bible are more misused than this one.

A faulty interpretation of this text can lead the church into all kinds of behavior that is contrary to the teachings of Jesus. It can leave us with a gospel that is empty of power to change society’s exploitation of creation. It can lead Christians into a kind of uncritical submission to all authority in violation of one’s conscience, a kind of idolatry of the empire. The church has often been unable or unwilling to serve as a social conscience to society because of a faulty interpretation of this text.

This is one of those texts where those who are following, the teachings of Jesus will know what Jesus was saying because of what he had been saying. Those who are in tune with what Jesus stood for will marvel at how he answered them without answering their question. On the other hand, those who are religious may use Jesus’ answer to support any number of beliefs about civil authority and allegiance to the empire. He made it clear that you cannot serve two masters. You cannot serve God and money, God and Caesar, God and the empire, God and something else. You must choose where your ultimate allegiance is.

Friends, we do not serve two gods We do not split our ultimate allegiance in two directions. That’s not what this text suggests. We need to come to grips with this as we grapple with life’s choices and values. There is nothing, not even taxes or orders from Caesar to go to war, that can escape passing through the test of my allegiance to God.

The ultimate issue at stake here is the first commandment. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind. If Jesus has suggested by his answer that some things belong to Caesar, no matter what, it would have been in direct violation of the first commandment. He would have made an idol of patriotism. Nothing belongs to Caesar that does not first and ultimately belong to God. Remembering this helps us see the irony in Jesus’ answer.

Here is a great temptation we often face. It is a temptation to violate the first commandment, to have other gods, other allegiances that take precedence over our allegiance to God. Not that we would stop believing in God. That’s not a temptation for most of us. But the great temptation is to put Caesar alongside of God, and in essence say – In some things I follow Caesar, in some things I follow God. It is the temptation to serve God and Caesar at the same time with equal or shared authority over our conscience. And let me tell you, it’s seductively tempting; it’s powerful. Sometimes you don’t know you are being tested until it’s all over.

When Jesus was tempted to turn stones into bread, when he was tempted to jump from the temple, to prove the power of God, when he was tempted to bow down for a moment so that his goal could be achieved, it was no easy decision. There were forces – circumstances and rational arguments for going along with the suggestions. Jesus’ temptations were very real. They were tempting.

Patriotism is a good thing. Every nation needs people who are committed to its security, its survival and its wellbeing. It is good and natural to love one’s homeland. The question is, when does patriotism become an idol, something that competes with my allegiance to God.

The great temptation, the one that is the ultimate test, the one that shapes everything we do, is the temptation to idolatry. The temptation to serve two masters. The temptation to give part of our ultimate allegiance to Caesar and part to God. The temptation to bow our knees before two altars – the flag and the cross.

It is a powerful temptation. It is real for every one of us. If we have not wrestled with it, maybe we have already given in to it. If we do not recognize this temptation with its modern application, it may be a sign that we have not come to grips with what it means to follow Jesus. No one wants to be considered unpatriotic. Everyone should love and serve their own nation with honor. We are thankful for what our country has given us. Patriotism is good except when it becomes an idol.

There is strong pressure to try to have it both ways. We want God and we want national security and prosperity. We want God and we want the benefits of Caesar’s policy. So, we try to separate our religion and our politics. There is strong pressure to delay our decision of ultimate allegiance, put off choosing, being silent, hoping that somehow, we won’t have to decide, take sides, reveal our true master.

There are certain moments in life when we are confronted, tested, tempted. Will our ultimate allegiance be to God and the conscience God has given us, or will we divide our allegiance and try to live with two ultimate authorities to get along, to avoid conflict. The choices seldom seem to be black and white. We are confronted when we are most vulnerable. It’s not easy.

We must answer the question as to where our ultimate allegiance lies with God or Ceasar. You Can not serve two Masters. Amen.