The Highest Authority

Author: Joseph

Date: October 2, 2022

Every ruler on the earth must submit to God. From Nimrod (Genesis 10:9-10) until the future antichrist (1 John 2:18), there is not one ruler on earth who has ever or will ever not come under judgment for their actions, the righteous and the evil. For God has spoken, “every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall give praise to God” (Romans 14:11). No one is excluded in those words.

Yeshua understands well the corruption of the rulers of the world. When His disciple, Peter, was confronted by a tax-collector in Capernaum, Peter went to Yeshua because he was asked if Yeshua paid the tax of the land (Matthew 17:24-25). Before Peter spoke a word about the incident to Yeshua, Yeshua spoke to Peter as he walked into the house where Yeshua was, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kinds of the earth collect customs or poll-tax, from their sons or from strangers?” (Matthew 17:25). Yeshua knew well that rulers of the world only look out for their own self-interest and to steal from strangers.

Peter answered Yeshua’s question, saying that strangers are taxed. Yeshua then answered, “Then the sons are exempt. However, so that we do not offend them, go to the sea and throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for you and Me” (Matthew 17:26-27). Yeshua did not want to provoke the rulers and while it was inconvenient, it was not sinful to submit to their request.

Yeshua doesn’t ask Peter to take a boat and go fishing and sell fish and then give his income as taxes. He asked Peter to take a fishing hook, find the very first fish he could catch, and then open its mouth where the money would be found. It was a miracle showing that God could provide through a simple act what would be enough for an entire year of taxes. All it took was obedience to Yeshua’s command and following Yeshua’s example of not causing the rulers of the land to stumble. Yeshua did not pay the tax for His sake or for Peter’s sake, he did it for the sake of the ones requesting it.

Their submission to the rulers of the land was also part of God’s judgment on those rulers. If what the rulers were doing was good, they would be proved. Yeshua, however, knew their selfish intentions and therefore allowed their own actions to judge them by giving the tax they requested.

Earlier in Yeshua’s teachings he spoke similarly, “But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also” (Matthew 5:39-40). The deeper meaning in Yeshua’s words is that God is the Highest Authority and His judgment will come upon the one who sins against you, but do not resist them if they are not requesting anything sinful from you. Do not give them any justification for accusing you of wrong. Yeshua and Peter were not asked to do anything sinful by giving the tax money. They were, so to speak, slapped on the cheek and turned to give the other.

"Every ruler on the earth must submit to God."

What about our own ruling authorities? When they make demands from us, do we resist? If our actions are not sinful in responding to their request, then there is no reason to resist. The judgment of God will come upon them whether or not their request is righteous in God’s eyes. If they have sinned against us, they will not go unpunished.

On the other hand, we have a responsibility as well. Just as Peter went to consult Yeshua on the matter of taxation, so are we to go to God and His Word to get discernment on matters of submitting to authority. If we submit to a request from an authority that is sinful against God, then we will incur our own judgment. We cannot be ignorant to what God tells us is sin and expect to go unpunished. His wisdom and guidance is readily available to us through prayer and through His Word. If we do not seek Him, we may be taken advantage of by our ruling authorities and at the same time sin against God while claiming wrongly that we are in obedience to Him.

Learn how to respond to others when they make requests of you. Do not be quick to respond based on your own thinking and reasoning. Discern through God’s wisdom and He will guide you in how to respond. He may ask you to go fishing to find a coin or He may ask you to respectfully resist and be cast into the fiery furnace of an idolatrous king (Daniel 3:16-18). Above all, follow His guidance and you can be certain you are doing what is right in His eyes, whether you are submitting or resisting worldly authorities.

Matthew 17:24-27

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org Picture taken from: Two Coins of the First Jewish War, 66-70 AD | Coin Talk