CAESAR AND GOD
Consider the remarkable words of Jesus Christ spoken to the disciples of the Pharisees who were sent with some Herodians to entangle (Matthew 22:15, NKJ) Jesus in His talk; i.e., “to catch [Him] in a trap, to acquire information about an error or fault, with the purpose of causing harm, to catch [Him] off guard, to catch [Him] in a mistake” (Rogers and Rogers 49-50). Luke wrote, “. . . [T]hey watched Him and sent spies [“their disciples with the Herodians,” cf. Matthew 22:16] 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. It was the last week of Jesus’ life on Earth before He was crucified on Friday. Luke summarizes what was happening: “And He was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him, and were unable to do anything, for all the people were very attentive to hear Him” [“were hanging on His words,” ESV] (Luke 19:48, NKJ).
Philip Ryken writes, “‘If you want to understand the true relationship between politics and religion, probably the best place to start is with one of the most famous things Jesus ever said. . . . Even the infamous Jesus Seminar of the 1990s, which tried to cast doubt on almost everything our Lord ever said, agreed that these were the true words of Jesus. Somehow it is not surprising that one of the few sayings they accepted had to do with politics, which many people seem to think is the most important thing in the world!” (Luke: Reformed Expository Commentary, 363). What are these words?—“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Mark 12:17, NKJ, emp. added; cf. Matthew 22:21; Luke 20:25).
It was April 2015 when I traveled solo by automobile to the beautiful hilltop campus of the second-oldest coeducational academic institution in the U. S.—Hillsdale College. I treasure the memories of my first visit to this unusual private, conservative, and classical liberal arts College. It is a place where students take courses in such areas as the U. S. Constitution, Great Books of the Western World, Winston Churchill, etc., Logic, Philosophy, Religion, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, English, Mathematics, Economics, et al.—all in an environment of high academic standards undergirded with respect and reverence for such foundational pillars of Christian Apologetics as the existence of God, the divine origin of the Bible, and the deity of Jesus Christ.
While at Hillsdale, I was invited to the Office of the President, Dr. Larry Arnn—a friend, a gentleman, and a true scholar. Dr. Warren used to tell us a “true scholar” is one who (1) knows the material and (2) is able to communicate the material. This describes Larry Arnn who is one of the great leaders in higher education today. As I recall, among the matters to which we gave thought during the wonderful conversation we shared that day included the uniqueness of Jesus Christ as a teacher. It is what the late William F. Buckley, Jr., in his autobiography, Nearer, My God, calls the “uninventability of Christ.” C.S. Lewis described it as the “contention that the life and in particular the preachings of Christ could not have issued from someone merely human” (237). As President Arnn and I discussed these great matters, I mentioned to him that my teacher, Thomas B. Warren, in a 1980 debate at North Texas State University with atheist J. E. Barnhart said Jesus Christ “could not have simply been ‘thought up.’” Warren argued that the character and teaching of Jesus are beyond human invention. As I remember, it was at that point in our conversation that Dr. Arnn quoted the remarkable words of Jesus—“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” He then shared with me that his teacher—one of the foremost scholars of the American political tradition—observed that the statement of Jesus about Caesar and God is one of a kind—nothing like it has been found in all of literature.
Since this conversation with Dr. Arnn occurred nearly a decade ago, I thought it wise to reach out to him for confirmation that I have represented accurately the observation made by his teacher concerning the Caesar and God statement. Following are my inquiry and Dr. Arnn's reply:
July 23, 2024 7:46am EDT
Dear Dr. Arnn
Greetings. I hope this finds you and yours well.
I am thinking of an observation you made when you and I first met. While we were visiting in your office at the College, you referenced the statement of Jesus recorded in Matthew 22:21 as well as Mark 12:17; Luke 20:25: “. . . Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.” As I recall, you also mentioned you had a teacher who said the statement of Jesus here is one of a kind—nothing like it has been found in all of literature. My questions are (1) am I correct in what you said? and (2) who was that teacher whose name I have forgotten?
I am deeply grateful for our friendship and your work which, in my judgment, are both “for such a time as this” (cf. Esther 4:14).
Best Always,
Charles Pugh III
- - - -
July 23, 2024 8:09am EDT
To: Charles Pugh
That was Harry Jaffa. I remember it like yesterday. And I appreciate your work very much Charles. I could quote Esther back to you. Best, LPA
Edersheim says the answer of Jesus is not only most truthful, but of marvelous beauty. Jesus often spoke such content and with such character that those who came to challenge Him often retreated with absolute amazement and wonder. Add to this the fact that He later sent the Holy Spirit who breathed-out Scripture through the writings of men such as Paul and Peter (cf. 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:16-21; 3:15-16). Among their writings are passages that provide rich and inexhaustible commentary on the very principle Jesus set forth in His Caesar and God statement (cf. Romans 13:1-7; 1 Timothy 2:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-17; et al.). Our consideration of these writings must come at a later time. For now, it is sufficient to say, “No man ever spoke like this Man!” (John 7:46).