Christ and the State

Take a coin out of your pocket. Whose likeness is on it? Think a little harder. Look at the image of the man, and think about who the man is an image of. That's right! Jesus was that smart. He told the truth, but the Pharisees were unable to bring charges against Him for this with the Romans.

Everything was secondary to His purpose. He didn't want to be executed for tax evasion! You might mention this the next time somebody starts getting ridiculous with the prosperity message.

No, it was very important that "King of the Jews" be the words. He was the legitimate authority. He declared himself exempt from the temple tax, but paid it anyway. In fact, He was exempt of the whole thing, but allowed Himself to be crucified anyway.

Paul's message must be held in the light of Christ's behavior. I think the most logical explanation was that Paul was speaking to a particular situation in the early days of the Church. Christianity had not spread far enough, and there was still need for the old world order. There are well established periods in history where Christians were overzealous for martyrdom, and it is likely Paul was speaking to an early version of this tendency.

Clearly, the early church, especially Paul, did regularly defy the state. The very act of worship was illegal. So, the issue must have been one of moderation in service to the larger goal. Sometimes things like martyrdom, missionary work, and the like look really glamorous to those of us who need to keep the everyday, mundane life of the Church going. Ultimately, it is about doing what God wants us to do, and not the latest fad of the moment.