Proper 24A
October 18, 2026
St. Dunstan’s
The Rev. Patricia Templeton
Today we hear Jesus raise a theological issue that is especially relevant for our times. What is the right relationship between obedience to the state and obedience to God?
“Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s,” he says.
That statement is the response to a question put to him by members of two distinctly different groups – the Pharisees and the Herodians.
The Pharisees are religious leaders known for their strict adherence to religious laws and concerns with religious purity. Scripture tells us they are often in conflict with Jesus, who consistently puts concern for others above a strict adherence to purity and the letter of the law.
The Herodians are a secular political group that supported the right of Herod the Great’s successors to rule Palestine. They are in cahoots with the Roman forces that occupy Israel.
The Pharisees and the Herodians don’t agree on much, but they come together in their opposition to Jesus, who is seen as a threat to both the religious structures of the day and to the empire.
As the old saying goes, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” So together they go to confront Jesus.
First, they try to butter him up with false flattery. You can almost hear the insincerity dripping from their smarmy voices.
“Teacher, we know that you are sincere and teach the way of God in accordance with truth and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. Tell us, then what you think.”
And then comes the “gotcha” question.
“Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor or not?”
The question is one intended to trap him, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?”
If Jesus answers yes he will lose support among his followers, for whom taxes are an economic burden and a symbol of oppression. If he answers no, he can be accused of treason against the empire.
I can imagine them waiting smugly to see how Jesus is going to get out of this one.
But Jesus is not so easily trapped.
Instead of answering the question directly he asks for a coin, which is engraved with the likeness of Caesar, the emperor. “Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s and to God the things that are God’s,” he replies.
As is often the case with Jesus’ enigmatic answers and questions, he gives no explanation of what he means. We’re left to figure it out.
This answer has often been interpreted to mean that there should be a separation between church and state; that the church should not concern itself with politics or the realm outside the church walls.
But that is a misinterpretation of Jesus’ words.
The truth is that it is impossible to separate church and state, or politics and religion. Much of scripture – both Old and New Testaments – is concerned with the affairs of the world and how people of faith are to critique and respond to them.
Christians have duties and obligations to both realms. There is no pretending that we don’t.
The state is where we live. We have obligations to our government and our fellow citizens. We pay taxes, in part, for the common good. For roads and schools and law enforcement. To support a safety net for those who struggle – Medicaid and food stamps and welfare. To ensure our country is safe and able to defend itself.
But we must always remember that our first allegiance is not to the state or Caesar, but to God.
What do we do when our government is engaging in activities that our faith says are not of God? How do we support the state without compromising our allegiance to Christ?
This is not some theoretical question. We face these issues all the time. Every Sunday in the confession we repent of the evil done on our behalf, evil done by the powers and principalities of our time.
I don’t have to think very hard to come up with a list that is far from conclusive. Masked government thugs snatching people off the street, separating families, denying due process, putting people in internment camps with inhumane conditions.
Cutting assistance to the poorest of the poor in this country, increasing the number who live with hunger as a constant companion. Cutting health care benefits. Cutting foreign aid that provided medical care and food to the world’s poorest nations, resulting already in hundreds of thousands of deaths.
Rhetoric that dehumanizes people because of their religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or immigration status.
Absolute refusal to pass sensible gun laws, even as once again this week we saw the slaughter of school children and their teachers.
Illegal wars and acts of violence, casting our lots with the world’s dictators.
Tax laws that benefit large corporations and the richest among us, while increasing the burdens on our nation’s poorest.
The list goes on and on.
The truth is that no matter who is in office, there will always be a list.
So what do we do? Do we give God an hour or two on Sundays and let Caesar have the rest of our lives?
Do we stay silent in the face of war? Of torture and abuse? Of cutting benefits to the poor?
Often it feels like there is little or nothing we can do. The Caesars of the world want to us feel that way.
But we are not powerless. I know that many in this room were on the streets yesterday protesting once again. Letters and phone calls have been sent to our elected officials.
We provide aid to those whom the state has deemed less worthy. We speak out against injustice, even when doing so is dangerous.
Many of us have already engaged in the most powerful act of all – voting. That act is not just our responsibility as citizens; it is our sacred duty as people of faith.
Listen again to what Jesus says as he looks at a coin stamped with the likeness of Caesar. “Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s and to God the things that are God’s.”
Caesars throughout the ages have stamped their names and likenesses on coins and buildings and monuments to themselves. They would have us believe that allegiance and obedience to them is our ultimate loyalty.
But human beings are stamped with the image of God. We may pay taxes, we may have some allegiance to the state, but ultimately we belong to God.
Wherever we live or operate – in the social, economic, political, or religious realm, we belong to God. Our primary loyalty does not switch when we leave church and go to the voting booth.
In a previous election someone asked the former bishop of Alaska, Steven Charleston, who would get his vote.
“Here is my answer,” he wrote. “I will be voting for the poor. I will be voting for the homeless, for the hungry, for the elders who can’t afford their health care. I will be voting for the single moms, for the day laborers, and for the kids in school.
“I am voting for the wetlands, the rivers and the sea, the forests and all the creatures who live there.
“When I go in to check off someone’s name, I will be voting for all of the above. It doesn’t matter if the election is held today or tomorrow: I know who I am supporting.”
Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s and to God the things that are God’s.
Amen.