Luke 20:20-21:4 - What holds your allegiance?

If you have your Bibles with you, we will be looking at Luke 20:20-21:4.

Imagine with me a church where the offering box has a giant neon display that flashes brighter the more money is put into it, and loud speakers announce each gift publicly.

A wealthy man walks forward and drops in thousands of dollars. The lights flash wildly. The speakers blare. Everyone notices because of how it helps the church budget.

Then a poor woman quietly walks up and drops in $4.47...all she has left to her name. Nothing flashes. Nothing blares. Hardly anyone notices because it does little for the budget.

Now here is the question: Which person truly belonged wholly to God?

To help us understand our passage today, remember that we are with Jesus, the Son of God, in Jerusalem at the temple where he is teaching and preaching in the final week of his life.

Though there were no neon signs in Jesus' day, at the temple where Jesus was teaching there were offering receptacles shaped like trumpets. When the wealthy dropped in large amounts of heavy coins, it didn't just fall silently; it rang out, effectively broadcasting their "devotion" to everyone in the court.

Though the religious leaders claimed allegiance to God, when Jesus, the chief cornerstone, actually came into His temple, these “builders” rejected the only foundation God’s people could truly stand upon in order to preserve their own power, status, and control.

And do you know what? We aren't that different.

We often wear exhausting masks that live for the neon display of human approval rather than living in joyful allegiance to God.

But what if we could take off this mask and rest in the freedom of wholehearted allegiance to Christ?

With that in mind, let’s read Luke 20:20–21:4 together with expectation.

Luke 20:20–21:4 ESV

So they watched him and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, that they might catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor. So they asked him, “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and show no partiality, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?” But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them, “Show me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar’s.” He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were not able in the presence of the people to catch him in what he said, but marveling at his answer they became silent. There came to him some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, and they asked him a question, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and died without children. And the second and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died. Afterward the woman also died. In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife.” And Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, for they cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him.” Then some of the scribes answered, “Teacher, you have spoken well.” For they no longer dared to ask him any question. But he said to them, “How can they say that the Christ is David’s son? For David himself says in the Book of Psalms, “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” ’ David thus calls him Lord, so how is he his son?” And in the hearing of all the people he said to his disciples, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.” Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

As we watch how Jesus relates to the scribes, chief priests, Sadducees, and the widow, we can see that:

God requires our allegiance to Him (vv. 20–26)

Now, when we think about allegiance to God, it can be easy to think in simple financial terms. The more you give, the more allegiance you have to God. Which is why many would like the neon sign. But are big financial gifts to God the true measure of our allegiance?

• We belong to God (v. 25): The religious leaders praise Jesus while asking him whether it is ok to pay the tribute tax to an evil ruler. They were trying to force Jesus into an answer that would show he rejects human authority so they could get him killed by that authority. But Jesus flips the argument on these mask-wearers. He asks for a coin that itself was blasphemous. It claimed Caesar was divine. It called him “son of the divine Augustus.” It called him chief priest. And Jesus holds this coin up and says: “Whose image is on it?” Ironically, the religious leaders were so concerned with catching Jesus in a political trap that they didn't realize they were standing in God’s Temple with a "divine Caesar" in their pockets. And so, Jesus makes the point that if Caesar's image is on the coin, then it is his, so give him his tribute tax. But saying render "to God the things that are God's", he was saying something much deeper. If the coin bears Caesar's image, give it to Caesar. But you bear the Imago Dei—the image of God. Therefore, your entire being belongs to Him. Because we belong to God, he requires our absolute allegiance to him...our whole being.
• We live before God (vv. 36-38): When that Sadducees who were essentially materialistic rationalists, who believed only in the first five books of the Bible and thought that after death there was nothing, try to make an argument from present relationships and the complication of that in an afterlife, Jesus reminds them that God is the great I Am whose words are sure and whose words matter. By denying the resurrection, they could focus entirely on their power and wealth now. Our version of this is often "functional materialism"—living as if this life is all there is, which shifts our allegiance from the Eternal King to our current comfort. Since he made all, and revealed himself as Yahweh, when he spoke of being the God of both the living and those who have died, he proves that God’s covenant people truly live before Him even through death and will be raised by His power. Because God is the living covenant Lord, those who belong to Him are called to live in allegiance to and before Him.
• We must give ourselves wholly to God (v. 21:4): After speaking of the religious leader's hypocricy and how they oppress the weak, Jesus sees a woman who gave everything she had, even what she needed for food to God. Jesus uses this poor widow's $4.47 to show not only a woman who gave from her poverty, but a comparison of how many can give from abundance without wholehearted trust. He used this woman as an example of being wholeheartedly devoted to God. But more than that, this woman is a small picture of Jesus himself as an example of the kind of wholehearted allegiance God requires, though rich, he became poor for our sake, giving all, even his life.

Even though God requires our allegiance to him, the problem is that...

We give our allegiance to worldly systems and thinking (vv. 20–26; 27–40; 45–47)

We often show our allegiance to these when we seek flashing neon signs and loud speakers to announce that we fit in with the world, are successful to their standards, and don't believe things that disagree with the worldly Zeitgeist, "the spirit of the time."

• Allegiance to worldly systems (vv. 20–26): When we look at scribes and chief priests in verses 20-26, we see their attempt to trap Jesus within political and religious systems by holding out a false dilemma: either honor Caesar or honor God. They pretend to honor Jesus while secretly wanting him to be killed by the Romans. Jesus' teaching and preaching goes against their self-preservation, power, and incites fear in them that they might lose control. They would rather kill the Son of God then submit to God’s authority. Their allegiance is to preserving their position within a worldly system.
• Allegiance to worldly thinking (vv. 27–40): In verses 27-40, another group, the Sadducees who reject the resurrection and reject all but the first 5 books of the Bible, interpret reality through earthly reasoning and attempt to show Jesus' preaching about the coming afterlife and judgment as foolish. They can only see the world through a lens of worldly thinking, rejecting the power of God. Though they claim to accept Scripture, they truly deny the power of God and the covenant faithfulness revealed in His Word. They see God as God, but not as the God of the living, but the God of the dead. Their religion is worldly not heavenly.
• The fruit of false allegiance (vv. 45–47): In verses 45-47, we see the true fruit of false allegiance to worldly systems and worldly thinking. This false religion produces pride, corruption, and the devouring of widows’ houses. Their misplaced allegiance ultimately harms the weakest of others and even themselves.

Let’s be honest, we can easily get swept up into the “spirit of the time,” fearing people and aligning ourselves with whatever preserves our comfort, wealth, reputation, and physical well-being.

And because of that, we can begin drifting away from the inspired (God-breathed), inerrant (without error in all that it affirms), infallible (incapable of misleading or failing), authoritative (the final authority for life and faith), and sufficient (containing all we need for salvation and faithful living) Word of God that Jesus Himself trusted completely.

In fact, Jesus argued that even God’s use of the present tense of the verb “to be” mattered. Why? Because it proved that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were still alive before God after death.

But this type of worldly alignment results in untold grief in this world and ultimately condemnation. This is a terrifying thing when we think about ourselves and how we live and think. But the Good News is that...

Jesus Christ lived, died, and rose again to restore us to wholehearted allegiance to God (vv. 41–44, 21:1-4)

The most incredible thing that has ever happened in the history of the world is that the eternal Word of God willingly took on a human body and soul and entered into our world.

And when He came, He did not announce Himself with giant neon displays in the great cities of the world or with loud speakers for all to hear.

Instead, the Savior of the world was announced to lowly shepherds in a small town.

Jesus, the richest of all, became poor for our sake. He had no home to lay His head. He gave not merely money, but His entire life.

And in wholehearted allegiance to the Father, Jesus willingly went to the cross, bearing the wrath and judgment we deserved for our sin, injustice, and rebellion against God.

Then three days later, He rose again in victory so that we might be restored to loving allegiance, joyful surrender, and eternal life with God.

• Jesus is the Christ (vv. 41–44): Given the dialogue between the scribes, chief priests, and Sadducees, Jesus pushes into their rejection of true allegiance to God. Knowing that they understood that the people thought of him as the Messiah, the Christ, Jesus pushes their understanding of who the Messiah by now asking them a question based upon Psalm 110, the most widely known Messianic text. He says to them, how can David, a mere man, in referencing this Messiah say that he is "my Lord?" In other words, he is both David's Son, and David's Lord. And ironically, in that passage, it quite literally says, "Yahweh says to my Adonai..." The Father is speaking to his one and only Son, the Son of God, the Messiah, David the king's Master, as both the Son of David (true man) and David’s Lord (true God). This Christ was standing right before them and they were plotting to kill him. Jesus alone is the promised King who can restore God’s people under God’s reign.
• Jesus fulfills the work of the Christ (Gen. 3:15; Ps. 2; 2 Sam. 7; Isa. 53): Looking at Scripture like Gen. 3:15, Ps. 2, Ps. 110, 2 Sam. 7, and Is. 53, among 100s of others, we can see that Jesus fulfills the promises of the victorious King who will save God's people from their sins as the suffering Servant who will be a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief, who would be killed as the once-for-all Passover Lamb of God. He would conquer sin, death, and rebellion not through worldly power and worldly thinking, but through his suffering, rejection, death upon a cross bearing God's eternal judgment that we deserved, and his resurrection on the third day.
• Jesus takes our poverty and gives us His riches (21:1–4): You see, looking at Luke 21:1-4, we see that as Jesus points to the widow’s wholehearted giving, he is pointing to something beyond her...to himself, the Christ, the One who gave not merely possessions but His entire life to the Father for our sake. Though rich, he became poor for our sake, in order to redeem us from worldly allegiances and restore us to God as beloved children and draw us into his riches as heirs of His kingdom.

I hope you can see how amazing Jesus is. Because apart from him, we could never give God the wholehearted allegiance He deserves. But through His resurrection and the gift of the Holy Spirit, Jesus causes us to be born again and draws us into His own life of loving devotion to the Father. And so, we who belong to Christ now respond differently...

By the power of the Spirit, we are enabled to live in humble, wholehearted allegiance to Christ (vv. 21:1-4)

Now, because the Spirit of Christ lives in us, he lives through us and so we no longer want the neon signs and loud speakers for us, but for him! And so, by Holy Spirit's power, we live in wholehearted allegiance to Christ as we live our whole lives to God in faith, worship, and love.

• Christ living in us enables us to live for God because: Jesus perfectly trusted, relied upon, and submitted to the Father. Jesus rested upon the Word of God and lived in complete allegiance to the Father’s will. And because we are united with Christ, the Spirit forms His life of trust, obedience, and devotion within us more and more each day.
• Christ living in us enables us to entrust ourselves wholly to God because: We are reminded that the widow is not an example for us to follow to earn God's favor, but she ultimately points beyond herself to Jesus, who entrusted Himself fully to the Father and gave everything. Jesus’ humble devotion as David’s Lord confronts our pride, self-preservation, and corruption. His wholehearted allegiance draws us into deeper trust, surrender, and joyful dependence upon God. In other words, the Holy Spirit forms in us what is in Christ. His power working through and in us.

And so, knowing this, here are two examples of how the Spirit might work in us this week:

First, when someone claims that the Bible is not trustworthy or is full of errors, instead of quietly agreeing or avoiding the conversation, we lean in with humility and ask why they believe that. We do this because Jesus, the Son of David and David’s Lord, trusted the Scriptures completely and declared that they cannot be broken. And even if we do not know how to answer immediately, the Spirit gives us confidence to respond honestly and without fear, trusting Christ rather than ourselves.

Second, we realize that a neighbor or co-worker is hostile toward Christianity, instead of hiding our faith or fearing rejection, we remember that Jesus told us to expect opposition and promised that those who belong to Him are blessed. We remember that Christ Himself endured rejection, persecution, and even the wrath of God for our sake. Therefore, by the Spirit, we can live openly and lovingly as God’s children, trusting that the same Spirit who sustained Jesus now lives in us.

Knowing all that Jesus gave for us, instead of wearing the exhausting masks that live for the neon display and loud speaker of human approval, we can rest in Jesus, the one who gives rest for our souls, and live in joyful allegiance to God. And now, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we no longer want the neon signs and loud speakers for us, but for Him. The Spirit forms in us what is in Christ: His trust, His obedience, His love, and His wholehearted devotion to the Father.

So now our lives proclaim: “Jesus is both David’s Son and David’s Lord, the eternal Son of God who gave Himself for us so that we might live as beloved children of God.”

And if Jesus is not your Lord, today is an opportunity to stop living for the approval of this world and come to Him. You do not need to keep preserving yourself. You do not need to keep wearing the exhausting mask.

Jesus gave Himself up unto death and rose again so that sinners like us might belong wholly to God and find rest for our souls in Him.

And so in Christ, by the power of the Spirit, we can live in the freedom of wholehearted allegiance to God, all to the glory of the Father. So, tomorrow, by the power of the Spirit, we can reject those neon signs and loud speakers for ourselves, and sound them for the glory of David’s and our Lord.