The Christian: A Member of Two Kingdoms
Matthew 22:15–22
Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle [Jesus] in His words. 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 to God the things that are God’s.” When they heard it, they marveled. And they left Him and went away. (ESV)
Prayer
Dear heavenly Father, we thank you for all the blessings that you give us in this life. Grant us humility and preserve us from selfishness. Give us true freedom in Christ, so that we may serve you gratefully in both kingdoms, promoting good government and morals, and giving honor to Jesus who graciously bestows forgiveness and life to us, until we are called from this world to his everlasting kingdom. Amen.
Dear Christian-sojourners living in a foreign land, eagerly waiting for your Savior to welcome you to your homeland of heaven,
“The most important distinction in this world is the distinction between distinct and separate.” Professor Teigen repeated this statement numerous times as we began our study of the Two Kingdoms in our Lutheran Confessions class. Many people mistakenly understand our First Amendment to the United States Constitution to reflect Luther’s teaching on the two kingdoms. However, our understanding of the two kingdoms is not the same as the separation of church and state (despite what James Madison thought). “The most important distinction in this world is the distinction between distinct and separate.”
Christians live in the world, but they are not of the world. Christians are citizens of heaven (Phil. 3:20), and yet they are also live as citizens in this world. A Christian is a member of two kingdoms: the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the world. These are both kingdoms, but they couldn’t be more different.
The kingdom of God is a kingdom of grace and blessing. The Lord rules his kingdom by the Gospel. It’s a kingdom unlike any other. The kingdoms of this world are supported on the backs of its subjects, but not God’s. The burden and weight of the kingdom was laid upon God’s Son who carried our debt of sin to the cross. Christians are members of this kingdom by faith. This kingdom will last for all eternity.
The kingdom of the world rules by the sword and it is made up of believers and unbelievers. It sets up its laws through human reason and operates by work and reward. The kingdom of this world is temporary. As part of this world, God has established rulers and governments for our earthly blessing. To serve and honor earthly authorities does not go against giving God what is God’s, in fact, it follows from it.
The Pharisees wanted to trap Jesus. They wanted to destroy him. They were afraid that they would lose their influence if Jesus established a Messianic kingdom. The Herodians were afraid of losing political influence. The Herodians were a political group that supported King Herod and sought to further his dynasty. The Herodians and the Pharisees were enemies. But they made this strange alliance because they both hated the Roman Government and Jesus. With flattering lips, they came to trap Jesus.
“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?”
This either-or question was a clever trap. If Jesus answered in Rome’s favor it would cost him popular favor—the Jews did not like being ruled by the pagan Roman’s. However, if he answered in favor of the people, it would get him into serious trouble with Roman authorities, who could charge him with disloyalty to Rome. No matter how Jesus would answer, this would be a win for the Pharisees and Herodians, or so they thought.
Unlike us, Jesus is not fooled by flattery. He was aware of their treachery, but he also saw there misunderstanding of the two kingdoms. And so, Jesus used this as an opportunity to teach them about the kingdom of the world and the kingdom of heaven. While they are different from one another, they are not separate. On this earth, Christians are simultaneously members of each. Each require different service; each bring us different benefits and blessing from God. The important thing is to distinguish them and not confuse them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.”
The kingdom of this world refers to all things temporal or earthly. This kingdom has been ruined by sin, but God has not allowed the devil and our sinful natures to destroy all goodness and peace. God curbs the evil in this world; he preserves some knowledge of right and wrong, to help guide people in our lives with others. God also has established earthly authorities—parents and government. All the benefits and blessings we have in this life are due to God’s Fatherly providence. While sin and unbelief remain dominant influences in the world, God restrains evil through conscience, laws, and earthly authorities. Because God saves and preserves us in this world, Christians should not despise it, but rather thank God for what is good, and pray for good laws and leaders, so that we may lead quiet and peaceable lives.
Jesus teaches the Pharisees and Herodians to honor Caesar because he is the rightful authority. All governments deserve the duty we owe as citizens. As Paul teaches in Romans 13, “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” (Romans 13:1).
The Pharisees did not understand the two kingdoms. They confused them. They thought that they could bring about God’s kingdom here on earth through the use of laws, force, and good works. The Pharisees did not understand. And I think, we often don’t either.
It seems that American Christians are tempted to confuse these two kingdoms with two extremes. Either they make the church a beacon for social reform whose chief concern is political activism; or they turn Jesus into a freedom loving, apple pie eating, footballing watching, American Patriot. But America is not God’s chosen land. Jesus is not a republican or democrat. We do a great disservice to God’s kingdom and his church here on earth when we make the focus of Christianity political.
Jesus is the Son of God. If he wanted to overthrow the pagan Roman’s, he could have. If Jesus wanted to establish a social reform he could have. If Jesus wanted to fix social and economic disparages, he could have. But he didn’t. Jesus said to Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world.” He had a greater purpose—to save all people from sin and death—to give them eternal peace, comfort, and joy in heaven. He came to deliver us from this fallen world and bring us into his everlasting kingdom!
The Augsburg Confession explains the line between the kingdom of God and kingdom of this world.
[The] power of the keys… is used and exercised only by teaching and preaching God’s Word and by administering the sacraments to many persons or to individuals… Not bodily but eternal things are given in this way, such as eternal righteousness, the Holy Spirit, and eternal life…. [S]ecular authority deals with matters altogether different from the gospel. Secular power does not protect the soul, but using the sword and physical penalties, it protects the body and goods against external violence. That is why one should not mix or confuse the two authorities, the spiritual and the secular (AC XXVIII).
The kingdom of God rules by the Gospel; the kingdom of the world rules by the law. Both kingdoms are blessings from God, but their goals and purposes are far different. Only one is will last forever; only one seeks the salvation of sinners.
This weekend we give thanks to the veterans of our nation. We thank them for their selfless service to defend and protect our country. We enjoy our freedoms because of their service such as coming together here for worship this morning. So, we thank every soldier. One of the reasons we admire soldiers is for their self-sacrifice, which includes for some, their own lives. Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”
The greatest sacrifice someone can give is their own life. And it was this sacrifice, that our Lord made for you and me. Jesus is the epitome of love. Jesus went beyond laying down his life for his friends; Jesus laid down his life for his enemies—for sinners. Scripture says, “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Yet, he did not die with glory and praise, but in humility. He died a shameful death on the cross to take away every one of your sins—sins of pride, lust, jealousy, and worldly glory. He has given you full pardon and peace! Our Savior’s death looked like defeat to this world, but it was his victory over sin and death for me and you!
God’s kingdom has never been impressive to the world. Jesus continues to work through humble means to bring about his kingdom today. He cleanses us from sin and clothes us with his righteousness, through the simple application of water. He teaches, comforts, and saves us through human words of the Holy Scriptures. He proclaims his forgiveness to us through the voice of another sinner. He comes to us with his holy body and blood, forgiveness and life, under bread and wine. He marks out his believers, not by making them glorious and awesome in a worldly sense, but by creating faith in their hearts to hear his Word, so that they seek and trust the voice of the dear Shepherd.
The kingdom of God is hidden, but it is recognized by these marks—Christians gathered to receive his Word and Sacraments. Through these humble means, God creates and sustains faith, so that we might be heirs of his heavenly kingdom.
This lesson is as appropriate today as it was when Jesus spoke it. Many Christians can get upset with their leaders and government. We see law and policy that go against our Christian beliefs. While we should support good leaders and pray for moral laws, we must also recognize that even if every single one of our favorite leaders were elected—this would still be a sinful world. We can’t make a heaven here on earth, and neither would we want to!
Yet, we can be confident that God continues to work his kindness through other sinners to maintain order and allow us underserved peace and happiness in this life. God still blesses this fallen world for the sake of those who are and will be his children. He is working through his Word to bring us to our heavenly home. He is working all things for our eternal good, even through our failings.
There is a distinction between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the world. God’s kingdom is for eternity; the kingdom of the world is only temporary. Our paradise is not found in this dying world no matter how much the devil tempts us to believe it. Our paradise is in Christ’s resurrection and the heavenly home he has prepared for us! And so, keep your eyes on Jesus. Keep your eyes on the goal. “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body.” Amen.