"Your Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords" Trinity 23 2024
03. November 2024
Trinity 23
Matthew 22:15-22
Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk… But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, “Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? … And He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
In the holy Name of + Jesus. Amen.
In the First Commandment, we are taught to confess that God is whom we fear, love, and trust above all things. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. All other authority is subordinate and submissive to Him. God’s protecting and providential hand is first given to our parents. “We should fear and love God so that we do not despise or anger our parents and other authorities, but honor, serve, obey, love, and cherish them.” Honor, service, obedience, love, and affection are due because they are God’s gifts and instruments.
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). The left-hand kingdom exists so that the right-hand kingdom can flourish. God is most concerned that you hear the Gospel of Jesus’ forgiveness, life, and salvation, purchased and won for you by His cross and blood. For this, He instituted His church by preaching this Word and delivering His gifts. This was first given to Adam, then his sons, only later the Levitical priesthood and prophets, and finally the apostles and pastors. This kingdom is in the world but not of the world, delivering heaven to you daily in Christ’s forgiveness, received now by faith and then by sight.
Thus, a Christian is a citizen of two worlds. He has a heavenly citizenship (Phil 3:20). Christ is his King. He is at home in the kingdom of God (Eph 2:6), but he is also a citizen of a community on earth and is subject to its laws. Each home is a little castle, with a father and mother, Lord and Lady. And God the Father Himself reigns over all, richly and daily providing all that we need to support this body and life, defending us against all danger and guarding and protecting us from all evil. And God willing, within the home and community, the Word will be taught and proclaimed for salvation and eternity.
There is no contradiction between these two citizenships. To serve God and the nation does not mean to serve two masters. Behind the state is God's authority, as Jesus said to Pontius Pilate, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above” (Jn 19:11). But anything we fear, love, or trust without God’s Word is an idol. It prevents the Gospel from having its way with you, distracting you from Christ, the one thing needful and God’s highest treasure for you.
For example, we do not have the same relationship between God and Mammon. Mammon is the name for the idol of wealth. With idols, Jesus demands that we not serve two masters (Matt 6:24). When we give fear, love, and trust to the civil government that belongs to God alone, we have made this good gift of God an idol. And when we do this, God will either take it from us or allow it to become tyrannical and terrible, repenting us to fear, love, and trust in God alone.
We must remember that God rules the world through the powers he has given to man. As we heard, “By me kings reign, And rulers decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, All the judges of the earth” (Pr 8:15–16). He has given mankind intelligence, a sense of order and right, a love for home and family, and the ability to organize society and enact good laws—these gifts of nature even function among people who do not know or believe in Christ. Therefore, communities ordered by natural law will be found wherever people exist. No matter their defects, they will deter violence and wild individualism. They become one of the means that God uses for our earthly welfare.
The Bible teaches that the government, with all its orderly processes of law—which it calls the “human institution”—is a creation of God. The Scriptures go so far as to say that “there is no authority except from God, and God has instituted those that exist” (Romans 13:1). This prescription was written at a time when the rulership of the Roman Empire was in pagan hands. The Apostle Peter exhorts us: “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who he sends for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good” (1 Pe 2:13–17). Therefore, the Scriptures demand that we must be loyal and obedient to human authorities, not simply because of the fear of punishment but also for a “good conscience.”
The state must uphold justice and show concern for those who otherwise would be wrongly treated. The government is thus “a servant of God for the righteous” (Is 1:17) Everyone who God has granted power to rule over others must one day answer to God about how he has used that power (Ps 82; Ezekiel 34:2-10). Because sinners fill these offices, the state can misuse its powers, contradicting the law written on the heart and revealed by God in His Holy Word. What is “lawful” is not, therefore, a right in the eyes of God. Today, laws concerning marriage, divorce, life, property, conscription, and more cannot be observed without sinning against the commandments. So-called “rights” are often euphemisms for doing what we want and not what God wants. Do not participate in what contradicts God’s Word, no matter how “lawful.”
And sometimes, it may even go so far that the government may directly force people to do something contrary to the will of God. In such a time, we must follow the rule that “we must obey God rather than man” (Dan 3:17ff; Acts 5:29). In the early church, Christians suffered martyrdom rather than give sacrifices to Caesar. And the Bible speaks clearly about that day in the future when we will have to reckon with a state under the Antichrist's dominion. As St. John foretold,
And all the world marveled and followed the beast. So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. (Re 13:3–8).
What are we to do in those last days? How are we to resist and be faithful? First, never render to the government what belongs to God alone, namely your fear, love, and trust. The civil establishment is not superior but submissive to the Word of God. Second, do not give to the state what belongs to another. It is cannot command the authority of the father or mother or the preaching office. It cannot demand your life, chastity, or property, or that of others. Third, the civil estate will always try to command and take more than what is due them according to God. For example, they may collect taxes but cannot demand worship. Fourth, work to bring all earthly authority under submission to God, be it king, congress, or magistrate. In all, give what is commanded or left to Christian freedom, but resist when the state’s rule contradicts God’s Word. Submit and be faithful.
Even if these are the last days and we are enslaved under a murderous, authoritarian government, God is at work in the state to fulfill His purposes. No matter who “wins” the upcoming elections, what happens with our country or world, or what prosperity or poverty comes our way, your Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords. He promises to keep you in the faith unto life everlasting. He promises you a peace that surpasses understanding. Here in His kingdom, He forgives you all your sins. Jesus reigns for you, even while the wars are waged and the world rages. AMEN.
The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guards your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen.
Rev. Christopher R. Gillespie
St. John Ev. Lutheran Church & School - Sherman Center
Random Lake, Wisconsin
