Shepherd of the Hill Lutheran Church Worship Service - Sunday, October 18, 2026

A group of religious leaders opposed to Jesus come up to him with a question designed to trip him up, "Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" (Matthew 22:17) If Jesus answers "Yes" he runs the risk of losing the support of poor people who follow him.  If he answers "No" he will be accused of being a rebel and killed by the Roman Empire as an insurrectionist.  The cool thing about Jesus is that he is not just our Lord and Savior, he is also smart.  Jesus coyly answers, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.” (22:22)   As followers of Jesus, our relationship with the government can be tricky. On one hand, we are called to obey the civil authorities because God can use them for God's purposes. On the other hand we always have to ask; what happens when the actions of the civil authorities are verifiably evil? What belongs to Caesar and what belongs to God? Good question. Come and see. Come and worship.