2023 10 22 Sermon
In the Space Between
Pentecost 21 A
Matthew 22:15-22; Isaiah 45:1-7
Rev. Karl-John N. Stone
Have you ever been talking with another person, and they said something that was exactly what you needed to hear, that answered a totally different question from what you were talking about? I've had things like that happen to me. That’s the value of conversation—the dialogue, the open space between you and another person, can take unexpected twists that help you gain greater understanding. We might even say that the space between us is the opening where God can be at work, often in surprising or unpredictable ways.
Our scripture readings todays show us how God can work in this open space, in ways that are often unexpected. In Isaiah 45, we hear of Cyrus the Emperor of Persia. Cyrus conquered Babylon—the very same Babylon that had previously conquered the Israelites and sent them into exile. But when Cyrus defeated the Babylonians, he allowed the Israelites to leave their exile in Babylon, return home to Jerusalem, and restart their lives. That in itself was a remarkable and surprising turn of events in history.
But what is surprising from a theological point of view is what the prophet Isaiah says about him: “Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped…I call you by name, though you do not know me.” Cyrus did not believe in the Lord. He worshiped the Persian god known as Marduk, and there is even an inscription on an ancient clay cylinder (which is currently housed in the British Museum in London) on which is written the claims of Cyrus himself, who said that Marduk called him to conquer Babylon and return the exiled people to their home. And here we have in the Old Testament the prophet Isaiah saying that even though Cyrus believed in a totally different god, it was really the Lord who called Cyrus and worked through him. And as a result, an oppressed people received freedom and new life. In the space between the Israelites yearning, and Cyrus’s own sense of being called, the Lord was at work, bringing new possibilities into being.
In today’s gospel, Jesus is asked a question by the Pharisees and Herodians. This was a strange pairing for cooperation, because the Pharisees were against the Roman Empire, while the Herodians were in favor of the Roman Empire. But they were united in their desire to try to “trap” Jesus—to get him in trouble with the Roman political authorities, or the Jewish religious leaders, or both. “Is it lawful to pay taxes to the Emperor or not?” they ask. They are expecting him to say yes or no; to provide an answer that is this or that, black or white. But in a surprising way, Jesus answers in a way that holds open the tension inherent in their question. His answer provides an entirely different approach; a way that allows God to be at work in the space between them. “Give to the emperor the things that are the emperors, and give to God the things that are God’s.” Jesus moves beyond either/or thinking, and offers a “third way”, that brings new possibilities into being.
In my sermon last week, I talked about the Parable of the King’s Banquet, and how biblical scholars interpreted it in ways that often contradicted each other, depending on which details they emphasized or did not emphasize. So I suggested that we lean into the contradictions, and I shared a couple of different interpretations, so that we could hear different sides to the story in order to gain a full understanding. This approach can be helpful, because every story has things that it puts in, and things that it leaves out. No one story says everything that could be said. But—in the open space between what is said and what is left unsaid, God can be at work, bringing new possibilities into being.
Today, God can even be at work in the space between us, as we talk about what today’s gospel might mean. Jesus doesn’t tell a parable in this case, but offers a saying that pulls us to look beyond either/or thinking. We know—through his incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection—that Jesus is the true Son of God, who saves us from sin and death, and promises an eternal rule based on faith, hope, and the love of God. And here he is, responding to a question about Caesar, who claimed to be a “son of god”, and responding to Caesar’s demand that people under his earthly rule pay him taxes with a coin that bears his image.
So, in the answer Jesus gives, what is the “open space” between what is said and what is left unsaid? How do Jesus’ words invite us to join God in bringing new possibilities into being? How might these new understandings help us to live out our faith?
A theologian I was reading named David Lose has summarized a few possibilities [https://www.workingpreacher.org/dear-working-preacher/god-caesar-and-the-power-of-a-good-question]: “Is Jesus saying that we owe nothing to a false god like Caesar and should reserve all things for God? Or, is Jesus inviting us to recognize that while we may, in fact, owe the emperors of this world some things—like taxes—we owe God other things—like our whole selves?” Whaddya think?
“Is Jesus inviting us to avoid giving our allegiance to the material things of this world, things that our coins can buy, and instead demanding our ultimate devotion be given to God?” Whaddya think?
Is Jesus asking us to figure out how to be people of faith who also have no choice but to live in the world as it really is, including with our daily decisions about money? Or is Jesus asking us to forget about the world as it really is, and concentrate on how the world will be when God’s kingdom comes in its fullness, and earthly rulers are no more? Whaddya think?
So to finish this sermon, I’d like to give you a few minutes to turn to a person near you, and be open to God working in the space between you. And talk about what do you think Jesus means? What things belong to Caesar and what things belong to God? …
… My prayer is that God has opened up some new understandings in the space between you. Amen.