The Passage<\/p>\n
Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him (Jesus) in his talk.\u00a0 And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, \u201cTeacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone\u2019s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances.\u00a0 Tell us, then, what you think.\u00a0 Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, \u201dWhy put me to the test, you hypocrites?\u00a0 Show me the coin for the tax.\u201d\u00a0 And they brought him a denarius.\u00a0 And Jesus said to them, \u201cWhose likeness and inscription is this?\u201d\u00a0 They said, \u201cCaesar\u2019s.\u201d\u00a0 Then he said to them, \u201cTherefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar\u2019s and to God the things that are God\u2019s.\u201d\u00a0 When they heard it, they marveled.\u00a0 And they left him and went away.<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0[Matthew 22:15-22 \/ English Standard Version]<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cWe always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.\u201c [1 Thessalonians 1.2f.]<\/p>\n In the Name of Christ + Jesus our Lord<\/p>\n You have probably noticed \u2013 these Gospel readings from Matthew\u2019s twenty-first and twenty-second chapters are really working the Lord\u2019s people over in these Pentecost weeks!\u00a0 We are not planning to groan about them and move on to other passages \u2013 the Lord God always his reasons for working us over!\u00a0 We\u2019ll begin, then, by entering today\u2019s Gospel in the following fashion.<\/p>\n As the Lord\u2019s people we\u2019re aware of how his Life pushes in on our lives from his Scriptures and Sacraments:\u00a0 He\u2019s the One who holds us together when frightening diseases invade our bodies;\u00a0 He\u2019s the One who lets us come to him with all our troubles when things get to be too much;\u00a0 He\u2019s the One who steers us through our days when we\u2019re not sure where our lives are headed.<\/p>\n At same time we\u2019re also aware of how Satan\u2019s life pushes in on our lives from world\u2019s life:\u00a0 He\u2019s the one who sees to it that our relationships with one another get strained and broken;\u00a0 He\u2019s the one who creates tensions in this country\u2019s political life;\u00a0 He\u2019s the one who makes us think there is no place to which we can turn for relief;\u00a0 He\u2019s the one who degrades this country\u2019s cultural life;\u00a0 He\u2019s the one who keeps insisting that we have to look out for ourselves.<\/p>\n Layered into these realities are the discoveries being given us during this tumultuous year as we are confronted with the weaknesses of the gods we have created and yet overwhelmed by the strengths of the Lord God who is consistently pushing into our lives!<\/p>\n In today\u2019s Gospel we see two groups of Jewish leaders (the Pharisees and the Herodians) plotting to trap our Lord in what he says. \u00a0Remember that the Pharisees are part of a group that surfaced about five hundred years earlier during the Babylonian Exile (the Exile occurred in the late 500s BC).\u00a0 This group is determined to see to it that another Exile does not occur, thus they are pushing themselves and the Lord\u2019s people to maintain a proper relationship with him.<\/p>\n The Herodians are a group of people looking for the restoration of their country (remember that the Roman troops and governors and self-serving Jewish authorities are occupying their land).\u00a0 This group has pinned their hopes and dreams of that restoration on a dynasty of the Herods, the current family of rulers (a family, by the way, whose idea of restoration rests on ignoring the Lord\u2019s relationship with his people and on making sure their power is maintained!).<\/p>\n Both groups have forgotten that it is the Lord God who creates and sustains his relationship with his people (everything they do is to follow what he has done and is doing for them).\u00a0 Both groups begin by flattering Jesus: You are sincere; You teach the way of God in truth; You show deference to no one; You do not regard people with partiality!<\/p>\n Both groups ask him what he thinks \u2013 Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor or not? (remember that the taxes go to the occupying Romans):\u00a0 A No answer would be popular with the Jewish people; A Yes answer would get him in trouble with the Roman authorities!<\/p>\n Jesus is aware of their malice (remember their original word, \u201cflattery\u201d?).\u00a0 He questions why they are putting him to this test, then labels them hypocrites and\/ asks them to show the coin used for the tax.\u00a0 A hypocrite is not just someone who is comfortable with two aspects in their lives, it is also a person who, while outwardly pious, is profane and ungodly in the Lord\u2019s sight.\u00a0 The Lord\u2019s faithful people recognize that description, that\u2019s why we worship the Lord God, coming into his presence Sunday after Sunday so we can confess our sin and be restored through his Forgiveness.<\/p>\n The Pharisees and Herodians bring Jesus a denarius (this coin is equal to the daily wage; for example, $8 per hour would total $96 for a twelve-hour day; on the coin is the Roman emperor\u2019s head and title).\u00a0 Jesus tells them to give the emperor the things belonging to him and to the Lord God the things belonging to him.\u00a0 His comment rests on the assumption that the Lord God is the One who gives authority to the world\u2019s leaders (whether they recognize that or not, whether they are Jewish or not, whether they are Christian or not) to rule over their citizens for their protection and well-being.<\/p>\n Matthew reports that Jesus\u2019 answer amazes the Pharisees and the Herodians, and they go away.\u00a0 We may not believe we are plotting to trap the Lord like these Pharisees and Herodians, but we daily attempt to bring him to our level so we can continue to live in the ways we want.<\/p>\n Remember (because of the historical setting of Matthew\u2019s twenty-first and twenty-second chapters) that we are in the early days of Holy Week between Jesus\u2019 entrance into Jerusalem on Passion (or Palm) Sunday, and the ominous events of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.\u00a0 Authorities such as the Pharisees and Herodians are doing all they can to get rid of our Lord\u2019s ministry.\u00a0 By the time they get to Good Friday, they will think their task is done.\u00a0 Thankfully, their task will not have the last word, but our Lord will!<\/p>\n Why, then, is he pressing this passage into our lives today?\u00a0 He wants his people to be mindful of the two lives running through this world \u2013 the life coming out from birth and the Life coming out from Baptism. \u00a0\u00a0That\u2019s why we noticed some of their realities as this homily got underway.\u00a0 There is a tension between those two lives and it is a struggle for the Lord\u2019s people to make their way through the world\u2019s life.\u00a0 Our Lord, though, is encouraging us to be keenly aware of and faithful to the Life he brought to the world through his crucifixion and resurrection.<\/p>\n It is the reality of living the way we want that creates and piles up the difficulties in living the Life that our Lord gives us.\u00a0 This explains why, in the lives of baptized people one can see following: Baptism can be taken or left; Scriptures can be unheard, unread, unstudied; Forgiveness does not have to drive through our relationships; the Eucharist is not that vital to one\u2019s life.<\/p>\n Thus, we should not be surprised when we see the difficulties of living in the Life our Lord has given us.\u00a0 At the same time we see the Lord\u2019s Life, through his Scriptures and Sacraments, pouring in on the world\u2019s people, rolling into and through their lives.\u00a0 What is different, however, is that not everyone sees his Life doing that:\u00a0 Those seeing it are only a few; those seeing it are the ones struggling to live the Lord\u2019s Life; those seeing it are the ones who fought to live the way they wanted to live; those seeing it are the ones defeated and overwhelmed by the Lord; those seeing it are the ones who realize the Lord cannot be brought down to their level.<\/p>\n This is amazing because it is a turnaround generated by the Lord himself!\u00a0 That\u2019s why he keeps pouring his Life in and over the world\u2019s people from his holy places!\u00a0 This teaching amazed the Pharisees and the Herodians, and they went away.\u00a0 As a result we know now what they were able to do on Thursday and Friday of that Holy Week!<\/p>\n Going in the opposite direction, let us be amazed at the glimpses of the Life that the Lord gives us and let us be drawn more deeply into his crucified and resurrected Life!\u00a0 Yes, it is difficult to live our Lord\u2019s Life in this world. \u00a0In those difficulties, however, we are confronted with the weaknesses of the gods we have created and are overwhelmed by the strengths of the Lord God who is consistently pushing into our lives!\u00a0 Let us press on through the difficulties created by living the way we want because the Lord\u2019s Life is the only real one that exists and he is continually drenching us with it!<\/p>\n Now may the peace of the Lord God, which is beyond all understanding, keep our hearts and minds through Christ + Jesus our Lord<\/p>\n Pr. Carl A. Voges, Columbia, SC; carl.voges4@icloud.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Pentecost Twenty (Revised Common Lectionary) | Sermon on Matthew 22:15-22 | by Carl A. Voges | The Passage Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him (Jesus) in his talk.\u00a0 And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, \u201cTeacher, we know that you are true and teach the way […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3078,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,157,173,108,110,566,3,109],"tags":[],"beitragende":[],"predigtform":[],"predigtreihe":[],"bibelstelle":[],"class_list":["post-3517","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-matthaeus","category-beitragende","category-carl-a-voges","category-current","category-engl","category-kapitel-22-chapter-22-matthaeus","category-nt","category-predigten"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3517","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3517"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3517\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3518,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3517\/revisions\/3518"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3078"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3517"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3517"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3517"},{"taxonomy":"beitragende","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/beitragende?post=3517"},{"taxonomy":"predigtform","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/predigtform?post=3517"},{"taxonomy":"predigtreihe","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/predigtreihe?post=3517"},{"taxonomy":"bibelstelle","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bibelstelle?post=3517"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}