Did Jesus Follow Romans 13?

"Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation." Romans 13:1-2

This kind of question makes many folks nervous. I don't do it to cause anyone to get theological-hives. It is just that sometimes these crazy issues pop into my head. As I often tell readers, I am not a theologian. I am currently enrolled in the "school of the wilderness." I try to follow the model of the Berean Christians who "searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so."

Jesus was without sin. The Bible is very clear. 1 Peter 2:22 says, "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." 1 John 3:5 says, ". . . And in him is no sin." A sinless-Jesus is necessary for our redemption. If Jesus had committed even one sin His death on the cross would be the price necessary for His own guilt. How could He die for us when His death was payment for His own sin? If Jesus sinned, our debt has not been paid.

Help me here. This clearly is orthodox Christian teaching. He was tempted, but did not sin. I'm not trying to be blasphemous. I'm just asking the questions.

I covered this on last week's radio show. (Please forgive the self-promotion, but Pass The Salt with Coach Dave Daubenmire is like no Christian-radio you have ever heard!)

But I digress once again.

Let me ask the question this way. Did Jesus defy authority? Did Jesus engage in "civil-disobedience?" Did Jesus subject himself to "the higher powers?"

Are you starting to itch yet?

Usually when one asks that question one gets the standard response that "Jesus did nothing to defend himself against Pilate and the Roman authorities," as if that is the answer to the question. It is important to look at the issues surrounding Jesus' arrest and "conviction" in order to answer the question properly.

It is true that when Jesus stood before Pilate that He refused to defend Himself. But it is critical to understand why He was led as "a lamb to the slaughter." Jesus understood something that many in the church do not understand today. Jesus understood authority.

Being a good Berean, I thought it might be enlightening to look at His trial before Pilate . Some interesting facts come to light.

The Jewish leadership considered Jesus a "lawbreaker"/sinner. Verse 30.
The Jewish law was different from the Roman law. Verse 31
The Jewish nation and Roman nation were separate. Verse 35
Jesus had broken no Roman law. Verse 38
Pilate/Rome had no authority over Jesus. John 19:11.

Why is this important? Because Jesus' beef was not with the Romans, his beef was with those "in authority over him." The bone He wanted to pick was with the church leaders. It is crucial that we see that.

Remember when they brought the coin to Jesus and they asked him if they should pay taxes? Jesus answered with the issue of authority. He didn't say "Yes pay taxes." He inferred if you feel you are required to pay, then pay.

Earlier, when the issue came up, Jesus told them to catch a fish and find a coin in the fish's mouth. It is revealing why He tells them to give the Romans the coin..." lest we should offend them." Jesus was careful not to break Roman law and give the Romans a reason to punish Him. They had no authority over Him and He wasn't about to give them any.

But the Jewish leadership, now that was a different issue.

Let's look again at what Jesus was charged with. John 19:7 "The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God." According to the "church leaders" Jesus had sinned and deserved to die. Remember, Jesus was a Jew, not a Roman. The "Pharisees and Sadducees" were the authority in Judaism. A good Jew followed the law. Breaking the law was a sin.

Did Jesus break the law? I don't know. What do you think? Jesus healed on the Sabbath, in violation of Jewish law. His followers ate without proper washing in violation of the "tradition of the elders." He ate with "sinners and tax collectors." He chastised and was disrespectful to the Pharisees and Sadducees for "Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye. He called them "a brood of vipers...full of dead man's bones and all corruption...blind guides...fools...hypocrites....

Either Jesus hadn't read Romans 13 (it wasn't written yet) or He felt that un-Godly laws and leaders need not be followed. Either He "resisted the higher powers" or He recognized that un-Godly leadership was not "ordained of God."

So....as the popular phrase asks...."What Would Jesus Do" with the un-Godly leadership in America? What did Paul do? What did Daniel do? What did Shadrach and his buds do? Indeed, What WOULD Jesus Do?

Jesus understood what we no longer comprehend. There is a higher authority than man. There is a higher law than man-made law. There is a "greater-good" not just a "lessor of two evils." I ask again, did Jesus violate Romans 13?

Isn't it ironic that when the San Hedrin wanted to kill God they turned to the law of man, and that today when we want to avoid the accountability of the law of God we too hide behind the law of man?

There is a higher law. There is a higher authority.

Put yourself into this hypothetical and tell me how you would respond.

On a clear summer afternoon as you are cruising down the highway with the sun splashing against your skin you suddenly see a motorcyclist lose control of his bike and horrendously hurtle off of the road and tumble into a bordering field. Being a Good Samaritan you stop your car and run to the badly-bleeding young man lying under the twisted steel. As you begin to climb the fence to offer aid to this critically injured young man you notice a sign dangling on the fence near the spot you are preparing to scale. "NO TRESPASSING" flashes the red and white sign.

As a Christian you have been raised to follow the law. In fact, you have been taught that breaking the law is sin. You are facing a moral dilemma. If you climb the fence you have sinned. If you don't, someone's son could die.

What do you do? The question is foolish. Of course you climb the fence and come to the aid of the wounded. It is your duty. Why? Because there is a higher law. God's laws are above man's laws.

For many of today's church-leaders Romans 13 has become nothing more than a skirt to hide behind. They use it to justify their cowardice.

God's law says abortion is murder. Mans law says it is choice. God's law says homosexuality is an abomination. Man's law says it is a right.

Was Rosa Parks wrong for not giving up her seat? Was Dr. King wrong for going to jail? Was the Apostle Paul wrong for spending so much time behind-bars? Was Daniel wrong when he opened the window? At least 50 million of God's precious children have died in their mothers wombs. How many more years will the Church remain silent? What would Jesus do?

Slowly but surely they are forcing our hand. When the edict comes down to muzzle the pulpit there are some tough decisions that will have to be made.