NO POLITICAL POWER CAN DEMAND UNQUESTIONABLE OBEDIENCE FROM ITS SUBJECTS
Being the leaders in the synagogues, throughout the Roman Empire, the Pharisees made the life of the first Christian communities very difficult and they were in the forefront of the well succeeded efforts to expel them from the Synagogue. That’s why it is not surprising that Matthew gives great important to the conflicts of the Pharisees with Jesus. They became enemies and they would stop at nothing in order to destroy Jesus; to bring down a common enemy, Jesus, they joined forces with their enemies, the Herodians. In their effort to defeat Jesus, they tried to transform the religious conflict into a political one, with the question about paying taxes to the colonial power, the Romans.
Jesus never got involved in the affairs of the government. He was not a politician, and he was not a revolutionary intent on the overthrow of the Roman Government. His heart and his mind were totally set on the Kingdom of God. And he made it very clear in the answer he gave to them: Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar. This answer has always guided the Christian attitudes to political authorities. They are legitimate and they have a right to respect and obedience. However, there is a greater power, which has the right to put greater demands on us. And Jesus put it straightforward: Give to God what belongs to God. No state has total rights over people; and no state can demand unquestionable obedience from its subjects. Whenever the State takes the place of God, it stops being legitimate, and the ones in power keep their power only through oppression.
The fact that we must give to God what belongs to him sets a limit to political power, and it always reminds us that any human form of power is relative and it should be put at the service of the people.
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