Pentecost Twenty

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.  And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances.  Tell us, then, what you think.  Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”

But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, ”Why put me to the test, you hypocrites?  Show me the coin for the tax.”  And they brought him a denarius.  And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?”  They said, “Caesar’s.”  Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.”  When they heard it, they marveled.  And they left him and went away.

    [Matthew 22:15-22 / English Standard Version]

“We 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.“ [1 Thessalonians 1.2f.]

In the Name of Christ + Jesus our Lord

You have probably noticed – these Gospel readings from Matthew’s twenty-first and twenty-second chapters are really working the Lord’s people over in these Pentecost weeks!  We are not planning to groan about them and move on to other passages – the Lord God always his reasons for working us over!  We’ll begin, then, by entering today’s Gospel in the following fashion.

As the Lord’s people we’re aware of how his Life pushes in on our lives from his Scriptures and Sacraments:  He’s the One who holds us together when frightening diseases invade our bodies;  He’s the One who lets us come to him with all our troubles when things get to be too much;  He’s the One who steers us through our days when we’re not sure where our lives are headed.

At same time we’re also aware of how Satan’s life pushes in on our lives from world’s life:  He’s the one who sees to it that our relationships with one another get strained and broken;  He’s the one who creates tensions in this country’s political life;  He’s the one who makes us think there is no place to which we can turn for relief;  He’s the one who degrades this country’s cultural life;  He’s the one who keeps insisting that we have to look out for ourselves.

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!

In today’s Gospel we see two groups of Jewish leaders (the Pharisees and the Herodians) plotting to trap our Lord in what he says.  Remember 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).  This group is determined to see to it that another Exile does not occur, thus they are pushing themselves and the Lord’s people to maintain a proper relationship with him.

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).  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’s relationship with his people and on making sure their power is maintained!).

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).  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!

Both groups ask him what he thinks – Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor or not? (remember that the taxes go to the occupying Romans):  A No answer would be popular with the Jewish people; A Yes answer would get him in trouble with the Roman authorities!

Jesus is aware of their malice (remember their original word, “flattery”?).  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.  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’s sight.  The Lord’s faithful people recognize that description, that’s 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.

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’s head and title).  Jesus tells them to give the emperor the things belonging to him and to the Lord God the things belonging to him.  His comment rests on the assumption that the Lord God is the One who gives authority to the world’s 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.

Matthew reports that Jesus’ answer amazes the Pharisees and the Herodians, and they go away.  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.

Remember (because of the historical setting of Matthew’s twenty-first and twenty-second chapters) that we are in the early days of Holy Week between Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem on Passion (or Palm) Sunday, and the ominous events of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.  Authorities such as the Pharisees and Herodians are doing all they can to get rid of our Lord’s ministry.  By the time they get to Good Friday, they will think their task is done.  Thankfully, their task will not have the last word, but our Lord will!

Why, then, is he pressing this passage into our lives today?  He wants his people to be mindful of the two lives running through this world – the life coming out from birth and the Life coming out from Baptism.   That’s why we noticed some of their realities as this homily got underway.  There is a tension between those two lives and it is a struggle for the Lord’s people to make their way through the world’s life.  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.

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.  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’s life.

Thus, we should not be surprised when we see the difficulties of living in the Life our Lord has given us.  At the same time we see the Lord’s Life, through his Scriptures and Sacraments, pouring in on the world’s people, rolling into and through their lives.  What is different, however, is that not everyone sees his Life doing that:  Those seeing it are only a few; those seeing it are the ones struggling to live the Lord’s 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.

This is amazing because it is a turnaround generated by the Lord himself!  That’s why he keeps pouring his Life in and over the world’s people from his holy places!  This teaching amazed the Pharisees and the Herodians, and they went away.  As a result we know now what they were able to do on Thursday and Friday of that Holy Week!

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!  Yes, it is difficult to live our Lord’s Life in this world.  In 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!  Let us press on through the difficulties created by living the way we want because the Lord’s Life is the only real one that exists and he is continually drenching us with it!

Now may the peace of the Lord God, which is beyond all understanding, keep our hearts and minds through Christ + Jesus our Lord

Pr. Carl A. Voges, Columbia, SC; carl.voges4@icloud.com