Sermon podcast

Government is God’s servant for your good.  It’s probably not the most treasured of verses in most Christian circles, but there it is right in the middle of our passage this morning.  Government is God’s servant for your good.  Not only is it not the most treasured of verses, but it’s probably also one of the most disregarded as well.  It’s one of those passages that Christians read, perhaps curl their brow at, and then move on.  That’s definitely understandable.

With some help from my facebook friends I found this e-mail that’s been going around for quite some time.  It highlights the tragic corruptibility and immorality of our government officials.  At some point in the last decade, 29 members of Congress had been accused of spousal abuse, 7 had been arrested for fraud, 19 had been accused of writing bad checks, 117 have bankrupted at least two businesses, 3 had been arrested for assault, 71 have credit reports so bad that they can’t get a credit card, 14 have been arrested on drug-related charges, 8 have been arrested for shoplifting, 21 were defending other lawsuits, and in 1998 alone 84 had been arrested for drunk driving.  And Paul writes that government is God’s servant for our good?!

There weren’t a lot of sources to back up those numbers, but even if a few of them are true it’s enough to make us cynical.  Recent years have given us plenty of examples of politicians doing bad things.  What’s most infuriating about these examples is the hypocrisy of it all.  So, you’ve go democrats who continually describe who they are going to distribute wealth more evenly in our country.  Yet, how many times over the last few years have we heard about a democrat hiding money in a freezer or not paying his full share of taxes.  And, you’ve got republicans who pound on their Bibles and preach family values, cheating on their spouses and seeking out sex in bathrooms.  It’s only a hand full of cases on each side, but it’s enough to really make us question whether the government is God’s servant for good our not.

You know, Paul had plenty of reasons to question that as well.  When Israel was in Egypt, Pharaoh became a harsh oppressor.  When the people complained he made them work even harder.  It’s because of this that God sent Moses to let the people go.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were appointed by King Nebuchadnezzar to handle the affairs of Babylon.  When Nebuchadnezzar set up a golden statue for everyone to worship, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused.  The King, the head of the government, threw them in a fiery furnace.  The king was definitely not acting as God’s servant for their good in that circumstance.

And, how could someone like Paul overlook the story of Jesus.  After King Herod realized that he had been tricked by the wise men from the east, he decreed that all of the children who were two and younger should be killed.  Had it not been for a divine warning, Jesus may have been caught up in that tragedy as well.  So, can we really believe Paul when he writes that the government is God’s servant for our good?  Do we have any choice?  It’s in the Bible after all.

“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God.”  What Paul is saying here is that, just as Jesus appointed 12 disciples to carry on his mission, so God has appointed governing authorities to carry on his mission.  Just as the disciples were servants of Jesus, so the governing authorities are servants of God.  Three times in this passage, Paul refers to the governing authorities as God’s servants.

As we’ve already heard this morning, the government is God’s servant for your good.  So, do not resist them, Paul writes.  In resisting the government, you’re resisting what God has ordained.  Paul insists that rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad.  So, if you do what is good, you will receive approval.  But if you decide to do bad, well be prepared because the authorities do not bear the sword in vain.

The governing authorities are the servants of God to execute wrath on the wrong doer.  So, if you do what is wrong, you should be afraid.  If you resist what God has appointed you will incur judgment.  So, you must be subject to the governing authorities because so that you can have a good conscience and so that you can the long arm of the law, as we might say.

Finally, you must pay your taxes (talk about a least treasured verse).  The authorities are busy approving of the good and judging the bad and because they are doing God’s work Paul tells us to pay all that is due them - taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due; whether you like it or not.  Believe it or not, the Reformed tradition has liked these words a lot.

This last week I was rereading some of what John Calvin had to say.  Whereas the Lutheran tradition sees the government as a lesser work of God, and the Baptist tradition sees it as “dirty” work, John Calvin considered the work of government officials to be as honorable as that of a minister of the gospel.  Where most Christian theologians finish their books with thoughts of heaven and Christ’s return and an eternal life of joy and peace, John Calvin finishes with a discussion on government.  Calvin considered government to be a very positive blessing, as essential as bread, water, sun, and air, but with a place of honor far more excellent.  I don’t know about you, but am I not as glad every morning to pay taxes as I am to breathe.  Still, Calvin would remind us that one of the reasons we have bread on the table is because of the roads the government has built, one of the reasons we have water from the tap is because of the pipes the government has laid.  

Still, despite Paul’s warnings and Calvin’s glowing review we still have to wrestle with the fact that the government doesn’t always reward the good and punish the evil.  What it seems to come down to is the simple difference between the government and the people who make the government run; between politics as a necessary part of society and the politicians in charge of ensuring a just and fair society.  Government and politics, good.  Government officials and politicians, not always so good.  The problems arise when those officials, those politicians forget who they serve.

On their best days, politicians serve those people who elected them to office and try to do what is best for them.  On their not so good days, politicians end up serving a political party or ideology, so instead of creating good, they walk the party line.  On their bad days, politicians end up serving those special interests who care less about society thank they do their own bottom lines.  On their worst days, politicians serve their own interests and do more harm than good.  What Paul, and Calvin for that matter, would remind all of these people who serve in government is that, ultimately, they are serving God and that Jesus Christ is their Lord too.

The prophecy of Daniel we heard this morning tells of a Son of Man, a human being who would enter the presence of God, the Ancient of Days.  To this human being would be given authority and glory and kingship.  All peoples and all nations and all languages would serve this one man.  His dominion would not be for a time or a term, but would be an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and his kingship is one that shall never be destroyed.

God sent his Son into the world to save it and establish his kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.  Jesus lived his life and died his death so that the kingdom of God would come near.  Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  When Jesus ascended into heaven, Daniel’s prophecy found its fulfillment.  Not only would Jesus rule the hearts of every human being, but also in the halls of every nation.

The church and the state are by no means the same thing, but they are each meant to serve the same purpose.  God has appointed and instituted the church and the state to serve the larger purpose of the coming of God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.  Our job as Christians is to maintain that purpose.  Do we think more about our Lord Jesus when we vote or our political ideology?  Do we think more about our Lord Jesus when we pay our taxes or our own pocket books?

The government will never be perfect as long as there are imperfect and sinful people running it.  And, since those are the only kind of people I know, it seems were stuck with an imperfect government.  The solution, however, is not to disregard it or dismiss it.  The Bible and our theological tradition seem to be telling us to take it all the more seriously because the government is meant to be God’s servant for our good.  So, we need good Christians who serve our good Lord in justice and peace to serve in the government.  Where government officials forget who they serve it seems to be the church’s job to remind the government who is the One who governs them.  

At the end of the day, no matter how good or bad the governing authorities are, they are only temporary.  That’s why we gather around this table.  We gather around this table to remember whose dominion and glory and kingship is everlasting.  We gather around this table to remember Jesus Christ, the head of the church and the Lord of every nation.  And, we join with all God’s people in singing, “Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!  Amen!  Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever!  Amen!”