Pentecost Twenty

A sermon on Matthew 22:15-22 | by  the Rev. Dr. Judson F Merrell, STS |

¹⁵ Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said.

 ¹⁶ So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, „Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality.

 ¹⁷ Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?“

 ¹⁸ But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, „Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites?

 ¹⁹ Show me the coin used for the tax.“ And they brought him a denarius.

 ²⁰ Then he said to them, „Whose head is this, and whose title?“

 ²¹ They answered, „The emperor’s.“ Then he said to them, „Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.“

 ²² When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away. (Mat 22:15-22 NRSV)

Brothers and sisters in Christ, grace and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.

I recently heard a radio ad for someone running for office.  They said, and I paraphrase, “I won’t go to Washington to do the Republican or Democrat thing, but to do the South Carolina thing.”  I’m sorry, but that’s just a lie, and we all know it.  While our elected representatives from both sides of the aisle do indeed do things for our state, we all know that once they get to Washington they fall in line with their party pretty quick.    We have become so divided that many of the bills going through either the house or the senate are pure party-line vote.  Party has become more important than the people that they represent.  I don’t think that is specific to any of the political platforms either, I think it happens with every representative from every district from every state.  The division makes me tired.  Statements like I heard on the radio make me want to turn off the radio.  I see the commercials on the TV and I want to turn off the TV.  I see the signs and the billboards, and I pray for the day it’s over.  Sadly, it’s almost as if we are in a constant state of political campaigning though.  Which makes me beg the question:  “Where is God in all this?”

In our Gospel today we see a people that are also focused on politics.  The Pharisees, like it or not, are a political party.  They are a social movement focused on adherence to the law.  And then our gospel lesson mentions the Herodians, another political party.  They were supporters of King Herod, and supported his kingship and ruling.  But take note that he was king under an occupied Jerusalem, so the argument could be made that by supporting King Herod, they also supported Rome.  So where was God in the midst of this clash between politics and Jesus?  I think the answer is the same then as it is today:  right where he needs to be, in the midst of it all.  It is no surprise that these politically driven people want to entrap Jesus.  They live in that divide that they have created between God and the Emperor.  But that divide is simply a materialistic divide of their own creation.  They don’t realize that God is not bound by a humanly created divide.  They have created laws that bind humans, in this case a law of taxes.  This question they ask in nothing more in their minds than a “catch 22”.  They think that Jesus will give an answer that is either treasonous to the Emperor or offensive to the Jews.  But Jesus easily sees through the divide.  As the Son of God, he is able to give an answer that not only answers their question in a way in which they weren’t expecting, but also in a way that made them think deeper about their own question.  You see, that coin is the emperors.  It has his image on it, he had it made, he has authorized its use.  But the knowledge to make it, the skills to make it, the people that made it, the material used to make it, even the emperor himself, is from God.  God created mankind in his image, so even looking at the coin, we see the work of God in the world.  Jesus answer makes the political elite leave in amazement because he shows them the truth that their political adherences cannot.  And what is that truth?  That everything is from God.  All knowledge, gifts, abilities, and possessions are gifts from God.

We pray in our offertory prayer:  “We offer with joy and thanksgiving what you have first given us – our selves, our time, and our possessions, signs of your gracious love.”  As Christians we give back to God the things that God has first given us.  We give to the church, the poor, the oppressed, the sick, and those in need.  And when we aren’t able to help as individuals, we give as a group.  Giving to the emperor is an unfortunate side of life, as we too have taxes that we have to pay.  But giving to God is a blessing in our lives, because as recipients of God’s amazing gifts we are enabled to give gifts of love and grace, not because of some human law that tries to divide, but because of a God that bridges the divide for the sake of the world.  Do we still have to pay our taxes?  Sure.  But that is not where our joy is found.  For as called children of God our joy is found in God and the ability to give back to God the things that he has so graciously given us to begin with.  So as you give, remember to give with joy and thanksgiving, for God provides in ways that like the political parties of Jesus’ day, will make you leave in amazement.  In the name of the Father, and the +Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.