Sermon for October 18, 2020 Pentecost 20A House of Prayer Lutheran Church
Matthew 22:15-22 Rev. Karl-John N. Stone
“Give to God the things that belong to God”
Many, if not most, people love this time of year, as we see the bursts of changing colors in the trees and fields, and we recognize the creativity of God in the way the natural world works. That same creativity is present in the person of Jesus--so maybe we can think of Jesus, not as the green of summer or the gray of winter, but as the colorful fall--as that creative spark of transformation that makes us take notice of the world in a different way.
One of the remarkable things we get to observe about Jesus in the stories of the gospel is his creativity in how he responds to people. We hear time and again how people are surprised by the things he does, the things he says, the way he treats others, the way he asks us to treat others. And the way Jesus surprises people is very consistent with the whole pattern we see of God in the Bible. God is always acting in surprising ways--always showing up and creatively transforming people who turn to him in faith--because our God is living and active.
When we put our faith in this living God, he helps us see the world in a different way-- like the colors of fall help us see the world in a different way. And that is what Jesus was doing in today’s gospel. They’ve set a trap for him. A verbal trap. It’s been set by the Pharisees and Herodians, working together. Normally, these two groups had very little in common. The Pharisees were one subset of the Jewish people, and they emphasized pure worship, total commitment to God, even to the point of withdrawing and being separated from the rest of the world. The Herodians, on the other hand, were a much more worldly subset of the Jewish people because, rather than withdrawing, they allied themselves with Herod, the Roman ruler of their country.
In normal times, the Pharisees and Herodians would have had nothing to do with one another, and would have believed the other group was misguided at best. But this time they both had a mutual dislike and distrust of Jesus--and that brought them together. Jesus was upsetting the apple cart, rocking the boat, threatening the ways they liked to do things. So they put their heads together and came up with a question which, as they see it, can only be answered in one of two ways. “Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor or not?”
If he says “yes”, the Herodians will love him and the Pharisees will hate him. If he says “no”, the Pharisees will love him and the Herodians will hate him. Either way, each group thinks they’ll get what they want because they’ll have just made life harder for Jesus and knocked him down a few pegs.
Yet the way Jesus answers doesn’t buy into their either/or mindset. In his answer, we see the creativity of the Holy Spirit working within Jesus and leading everyone to a new way of seeing things. “Show me the coin used for the tax,” Jesus says. “Whose head is pictured on it? Whose title is written on it?” They pull out a coin and answer, “the emperor’s”
“Then give to the emperor the things that are the emperors, and give to God the things that are God’s.” Their response to this? They are amazed. Surprised. They’ve been given a new way to look at things. So they leave him and go away.
Jesus himself knew the problems that came with the emperor. Before long, Jesus would be arrested, given a sham trial, and executed on a cross by representatives of the emperor. Even as Jesus was always faithful to the mission God sent him to do, this emperor--Tiberius Ceasar Augustus--was not the first leader who failed to bring true justice and fairness to the people in that land. Even the first king of Israel--Saul--who was chosen and anointed by God because the people insisted on having a king--even King Saul turned out to be a failure, full of jealousy, paranoia, and disobedience to God. And even Saul’s successor, the beloved King David, had severe moral lapses that resulted in the death of innocent people. David was regarded as the ideal king not because he was perfect--because he wasn’t--but because of his willingness to humble himself, repent, and be transformed by God.
Jesus knows, from the history of his own people who were looking to him for redemption and freedom, that even the greatest rulers of this world are at best imperfect. And in response to the imperfect leaders of this world, some people will be like the Pharisees and distance themselves; while others will be like the Herodians, making compromises.
The greater point Jesus makes as he answers their trick question is this: “give to God the things that belong to God.” And what, exactly, belongs to God? Everything! Beginning with your very self. Beginning with your heart and soul and mind and strength. Giving a coin to the emperor to pay the tax is small potatoes compared to giving yourself to God, and allowing God to mold you and use you for his purposes.
So with his creative answer, Jesus is telling us, “however you decide to live with the leaders of this world is up to you while using your conscience as best you can. However you decide, though, never lose sight of living for God.”
Everything you have, everything you are, belongs to God because God is the Creator, and his Spirit is the creative spark of transformation in all of reality. Our God calls us to be servants of his kingdom, carrying his grace and mercy into a world filled with injustice and division. Not even King Herod could hold God’s kingdom down--they thought they were putting a stop to Jesus when they nailed him to the cross, but his Heavenly Father had different plans in raising him from the tomb.
God’s kingdom comes into the world because of who God is, not because of who we are, or who the worldly rulers are. And the more we are able to humble ourselves like King David, and let go of our egos, and put our faith and trust in Christ, then the more Christ’s creative Spirit will be at work within us, freeing us to love God and love our neighbors, as we serve others as representatives of God’s Kingdom in the world around us. Amen.