Objections Answered | 10

10. Jesus Himself Paid Tribute

Objection.

Our Lord paid tribute money that went to support military power, but he would not contribute to the support of a wicked thing. Therefore, war is not inconsistent with Christianity.

Answer.

A distinguished trait of the Christian religion is peace. The command is,

“Follow peace with all men.”

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.”

Our Lord set the example of giving no just cause of offense to any.

Tribute was demanded of him unjustly according to the existing laws, but lest fault should be found, he wrought a miracle and paid it.

Money is a temporal thing, and belongs to the governments of this world, as the various coins bear the ensign of the nation by whom they were made.

The Christian’s treasure is not in this world, and when the rulers of this world call for that which bears their own image and inscription, Christians have no right to withhold from them their dues, for they must “render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s.”

For this cause they ought to pay tribute and resign up temporal things without a murmur to temporal governments, and leave it with Caesar to manage the things of Caesar.

Thus far are Christians warranted to act, from the example of Christ and the precepts of the gospel; but how does the lawfulness of war follow from Christians rendering to Caesar his due?

Is it because some of the money goes to support war?

Probably, of the money which our Lord paid, as much went to the support of idolatry and the games of the day as to the support of war.

If the argument is sound, we may not only prove by it the lawfulness of war but the lawfulness of idolatry and many other abominable things practiced by the heathen governments.