Submit is Not a Dirty Word!

If you have your Bibles, I want to find Luke 20:20.  I want to share a message with you entitled, “When Worlds Collide…”

 

If you are a guest with us this morning, we are in a long-term study of Luke’s Gospel.  As a matter of fact, when we finish this summer, it will have been 30 months or so…two and a half years since we started in January 2024.

 

Here in Luke 20, it is Passion Week.  That is the last week of Jesus’ earthly life before His death.

 

On Sunday, He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey colt.  On Monday, He cleared the temple.  Every day, He was teaching in the temple and preaching the gospel.

 

Some commentators believe that we have now moved to Wednesday of Passion Week.  However, we are still in Jerusalem, and Jesus is still dialoging with the Jewish Religious Leaders, and today’s text is about one of their conversations.

 

 

1. A Demonstration of Treachery, Luke 20:20-22

20 So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor.  21 Then they asked Him, saying, “Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly, and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth: 22 Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” 

 

In this first scene, let’s talk about the players if you will.  It seems they are the Jewish Religious Leaders noted in Luke 20:1 and 20:19.

 

1 Now it happened on one of those days, as He taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel, that the chief priests and the scribes, together with the elders, confronted Him.

 

19 And the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on Him, but they feared the people—for they knew He had spoken this parable against them.

 

So let’s put all this together to get the fullest picture.  The Chief Priests were in charge of the temple and the temple services.

 

The scribes were experts in the Old Testament.  The elders were senior family members in the city, and all three groups made up the Sanhedrin. Again, these were Jewish Religious Leaders.

 

Let’s not only think about the players, let’s also consider their plot.  In 20:1, they confronted Jesus.  In 20:19, they wanted to beat Jesus up, but didn’t.  In 20:20, they concocted a plan to trick Jesus.

 

It involved spies.  It involved deception.  They were trying to trap Jesus like an animal or catch Him like a fish on a hook.

 

They wanted to know if the Jews should pay taxes to Caesar.  This was a head-tax on any one and every one living under the Roman Empire. 

 

If Jesus said yes, the crowd would be in an uproar.  There would be chaos.  A yes answer would affirm Roman domination of the Jews.

 

However, if Jesus said no, He and His followers would be accused of being insurrectionists.  He would then be quickly arrested by the Romans for defying their authority.

 

 

1. An Illustration of Insincerity, Luke 20:23-24

23 But He perceived their craftiness, and said to them, “Why do you test Me? 24 Show Me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?”  They answered and said, “Caesar’s.”

 

Jesus smelled a rat.  Verse 23 says He perceived their craftiness and their desire to test Him. 

 

In verse 21, they had called Him Teacher, but they didn’t follow His teaching.  They were flattering Him. 

 

In verse 24, He asked to see a denarius which was a single coin that represented a day’s wages.  This was a Roman Coin that was comparable in size to our dime.

 

Ironically, they had one on them.  I wonder why since according to Exodus 20:4, they shouldn’t have been close to one.  Their insincerity was on full display.

 

4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

 

Jesus took the coin and asked whose image was on it.  It was that of Tiberius Caesar.  One side was inscribed with “Son of the Divine Augustus.”  The other side said “Chief Priest.”

 

What would come next?  What would Jesus’ answer be?

 

 

• The Application of Authority, Luke 20:25-26

25 And He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”  26 But they could not catch Him in His words in the presence of the people. And they marveled at His answer and kept silent.

 

In verse 25, Jesus told them to give to Caesar what was due Caesar.  That would include the head-tax that was previously mentioned.

 

However, don’t miss this.  He also said to give to God that which was due God.

 

Their attempts were foiled.  Jesus had amazed the crowds again with is answer.

 

 

Conclusions

So, here is the main idea of today’s text and my message.  Followers of Christ are to be submissive.  That includes how relationship to the government and to God.

 

Submissive means recognize authority.  It doesn’t mean weak or inferior, and being submissive to both, generally speaking, is not mutually exclusive.

 

We are to give to the government what is due them.  We should submit from traffic laws to paying taxes.

 

Please hear me this morning.  We are meeting like we are today because we should…not because we have to.

 

Of course, the exception would be anytime our government requires us to violate Scripture or conscience that was determined by Scripture.

 

Romans 13:1-7, 1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. 5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.

 

AND, we are to be submissive to God.  As the coin had Caesar’s image, and Jesus told the Jewish Religious Leaders to pay that which was due Caesar, our soul has God’s image on it. 

 

We are made in the image of God.  See Genesis 1:27.

 

Genesis 1:27, 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

 

Therefore, we are to submit our lives to God, and His way is best.  His plan for marriage is best.  His plan for parenting is best.  His plan for money is best.  His plan for relationships is best.  His plan for life is best.    

 

Invitation

• Submit to God for salvation
• Submit to government for sanctification