Pentecost 21A, 2023

21st Sunday after Pentecost, Year A

In the name of the Father, and of the +Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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

Today’s Gospel lesson has been speaking to me all week… especially verse 21, where Jesus says to the Pharisees and Herodians: “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” I’ve learned a lot in studying the passage this week, and it’s clear that verse 21 is the substance of this particular section of Matthew’s Gospel. But let’s back up and consider the context.

The Pharisees and the Herodians were two very different groups of people. “Only a mutual distaste for Jesus could have pushed these two parties together. The Herodians were a priestly group whose power base in Israel was founded largely on a set of alliances forged with the occupying Roman government. The Pharisees, by contrast, were a lay group [not priests!] within Judaism with a fervor to obey the law of Moses and to keep alive the zeal of the prophets. For the Pharisees, compromises with the pagan Romans would have been theologically unthinkable.” [Long, 250] So without a common “enemy” like Jesus, these two groups would never have stood side-by-side.

Now remember last week’s Gospel...the part just before this (the Parable of the Wedding Feast): Jesus has just told the Pharisees that the Kingdom of Heaven will be taken from them and given to the world (a.k.a. Gentiles). These Pharisees are the leaders of Israel—they can’t be spoken to like this! They need to get rid of this trouble-maker Jesus. And so they devise this trap.

They begin with a little bit of flattery, but that’s just to set him up for the trap. Now, here’s a little more background: “For a quarter of a century, Jews had been forced to pay, in Roman currency, a head tax to the Roman government. Some Jews rested easy with Roman rule and supported the tax (probably including the Herodians), but most of the citizens of Judah reacted to the idea of paying money to the pagan emperor with distaste ranging from mild provocation to seething insurrection… [and] when the tax was established, in A.D. 6, there was a small-scale armed revolt. Adding insult to injury was the fact that the tax, which amounted to a denarius (about a day’s wage for a laborer), was most often paid with the common denarius coin. This coin was minted with the image of Caesar Tiberius and carried the [repulsive] (to a Jew) inscription ‘Tiberius Caesar, august son of the divine Augustus and high priest.’” [Ibid.]

Those asking the question have put Jesus in a terrible position. They’ve picked a subject that irritates every Jew, and however Jesus answers the question, it would seem that he’s going to sabotage himself. If he answers “according to God’s Law, Jews should not pay taxes to Caesar” then Roman officials would arrest him as a political agitator. But if he says “yes, it’s lawful for Jews to pay taxes to Caesar” then he would probably lose his credibility with his followers, who see the tax as “an illegal act of an oppressor government and a moral affront to their religion.” [Ibid., 151]

But Jesus shows them the wisdom of the Son of God in his response: “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” There is no trapping the Son of the Living God in mere verbal rhetoric.

So what does that actually mean? Let’s start with the verb: “render”. We don’t use that word very often in our day-to-day language. I usually see it in the phrase “for services rendered”… we define it in modern English as to provide or give; to submit; to hand over. In the ancient Greek of Matthew’s day, it means “To give or do something which one should in fulfilment of an obligation or expectation.” [Kittel, 167]

Well, that certainly fits the description of taxes as we know them. But how does that fit in God’s economy? Does God have expectations of His people? Do we have an “obligation” to God? Well, let’s check the ledger:

He created us, the world around us: earth under us, seas around us, sky above us; the plants and trees, the minerals and materials we use to build and maintain; the animals, birds, fish…every living thing. And if that wasn’t enough, His Son died for us to pay the unpayable price for all of our sins. He redeemed us by his suffering and death - suffering and death he did not deserve, but he endured it for us out of his sheer, unmerited love for us. And then, if that wasn’t enough, he did the “impossible” - he conquered death and rose again, and showed us a glimpse of the future the Father has planned for all of us: the resurrection of the body...eternal life with Him. So, you tell me: do we have an obligation to God?

Did that question make you uncomfortable? It should have. We don’t use language like that. God didn’t do this for us to impose an obligation on us. God’s grace, mercy, and love are undeserved (we’re all sinners, disobeying God’s law over and over), unmerited (we cannot earn God’s love and mercy, and never can), and free. We are the recipients of God’s love without obligation - we cannot buy it or earn it. The only cost is the death of Christ, and it was his cost to pay, and his choice to pay it.

So that takes care of “obligation”. What about expectation? A little less uncomfortable, but this description has some merit to it. Let’s think about it: does God expect us to obey His law? I’d have to say yes on that. Not to earn anything…but we do have a choice in how we respond to all that God freely gives us. Obey His law? Yes. Does God expect anything else of us? Let’s pause there for a moment.

“Render” isn’t the first word in the sentence, is it? The first word is “Therefore”. As my friend Pr. Hefner says: “this word tells us what this sentence is there for.” Everything Jesus said prior to this justifies or logically results in what comes next. Maybe we should back up a little bit more. What was before the “therefore”? It was the discussion of the likeness on the coin. Who’s likeness is it? What’s another word for likeness? IMAGE. Who’s image is that coin made with? The coin has Caesar’s image on it. Give it back to him. RENDER it to him; it’s expected that you will, so fulfill that obligation. Now, you know what’s coming next. Where do we find God’s likeness? God’s image? Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” You, Pharisees, are created in God’s image. You, church, are created in God’s image. You, baptized child of God, are created in God’s image. Give yourself back to Him. Render yourself to him. God…expects it? Does He? If you’re not comfortable with that language, then let me assure you: He absolutely HOPES that you will.

There’s a little bit more to the scene between Jesus and the Pharisees & Herodians that I want to share with you from one of the scholars I studied. You see, Jesus did more than just avoid the question. He used this opportunity to expose those who were trying to trap him as two-faced hypocrites. “The question they posed to Jesus was designed to allow Jesus two equally bad alternatives. In effect they ask, ‘Are you a foolish, uncompromising revolutionary whose allegiance to the kingdom of heaven is actually a political revolution in disguise, or are you a smooth-talking street preacher who stirs up people with glib talk of God’s majesty but who underneath advocates a get-along-go-along policy with the Roman, Gentile pigs?’

Jesus responds to this trick with a [scheme] of his own. When he asks them for the tax coin, they unsuspectingly reach into their purses and withdraw the evidence that exposes them—not him—as deceptive and hypocritical compromisers. They are the ones carrying around Caesar’s money, not Jesus; they are the ones who have the emperor’s image in their pocketbooks; they are the ones who have already bought into the pagan system. In this more radical interpretation, Jesus’ words mean, ‘Everybody has to decide between Caesar and God. No one can serve two masters (Matt. 6:24). You seem to have made your decision, forged your convenient compromise. But what about your obligation to God? Render to God what belongs to God. Choose this day whom you will serve.’

[While this interpretation does not] provide any formula for resolving the tension between God and [the pressures of the world] but, rather, to upset any neat schemes of division. Whether we call it taxation, tithing, or stewardship, there is the temptation to compartmentalize life (‘I set aside this part for God, and the rest belongs to me and to Caesar’). What Jesus says is that, although we may have to live under this or that Caesar and we may have to plunk down this or that tax, we [never belong to Caesar]. We belong, body and soul, to the living God, and we are to render to God what is God’s.” [Long, 251–252]

Well, fellow sinners, do any of you join me in compartmentalizing your life? That’s exactly what the world teaches us to do. And the world has gotten more bold about it in recent years. We now have, on record, politicians publicly stating that “you Christians need to leave your faith at church on Sunday; the rest of us don’t want to hear about it.” Maybe not an exact quote, but I can find it for you if you need me to.

If you think it hasn’t always been like this, you’re right. It hasn’t. And it didn’t change overnight. But little by little, we’ve been giving more to Caesar and less to God. Why do you suppose that is? Why are all but 2 stores open on Sunday now, when 40-50 years ago, you could barely buy gas on Sunday? Why did that happen? Because we let it. Because we were told we needed to give less of our time to God and more of our time to the world, and we went along with it. We went along to get along.

This is Christian stewardship 101. We have a choice: we can decide what to give to God BEFORE we spend any of it, or we can go about our lives and give God what’s left. And this isn’t just about money. “We offer with joy and thanksgiving what YOU have first given us: our selves, our time, and our possessions....signs of Your gracious love.” I would add one more thing to that list: talent. Time, talent, possessions, self. Are we setting aside some of that for God before we make decisions on how we’re going to use them? Or do we just give God what’s left…if anything? Now ask yourself again, why are things different in 2023 than they were in 1983? How were our parents and grandparents spending their time, talents, possessions, and selves differently than we are now? Here’s my question for you: this is the first church I’ve ever been in that will not talk about pledge cards. Why not? It’s not a legal obligation. It’s a plan for how much you’re going to give to God in your offering. No one tells you that you HAVE to give 10%. If you’re planning to give the same amount to the church every week, what’s the harm in putting that in writing? Why would you see that as a negative thing? What’s the problem? Let me put it another way: if the Finance Committee can’t plan on how much money is coming in, how can we expect them to build a budget? Based on last year and “hope” everyone gives at least the same? Is that reasonable? Would you run a business like that?

Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. Give to God the things that are God’s in fulfilment of what God… hopes… that you will give to Him. Or rather, give BACK to Him. He made it, and it ultimately belongs to Him anyway. When our day starts, how much time do you set aside for God? Do you start your day with prayer? End your day with prayer? Or is it more like “oh yeah, let’s bless the meal.” When you do your monthly household budget, paying bills… do you set aside your offerings up front?

Yes, our annual meeting is coming up. Yes, this is typically the season to talk about stewardship. Brothers and sisters: stewardship of all that God has blessed us with is not a seasonal discussion. It is not something we only talk about when we have a crisis or a special project. Stewardship is all 12 months per year. All 52 weeks per year. All 365 days per year. God wants YOU to know Him and to be in relationship with Him. The only way that happens is if you give yourself to Him enough that you have a relationship. If you don’t spend time with Him, it really isn’t a relationship. Have you ever been in a one-sided relationship? They aren’t healthy, and they don’t last. So if you *do* want your relationship with God to grow, give to Him. If you don’t know what that looks like, or how much, pray about it. He’ll tell you. Because stewardship is ultimately not about whether this congregation makes its budget. Stewardship is about how you respond to all that God has given to you. When you do that, budgets are never a problem.

When you have that relationship with Him, it becomes obvious to you and those around you. You will start to sound like the Psalmist does in today’s psalm:

The Book of Common Prayer, 1979: Psalter Psalm 96

2 Sing to the LORD and bless his Name; *

proclaim the good news of his salvation from day to day.

3 Declare his glory among the nations *

and his wonders among all peoples.

4 For great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; *

he is more to be feared than all gods.

5 As for all the gods of the nations, they are but idols; *

but it is the LORD who made the heavens.

6 Oh, the majesty and magnificence of his presence! *

Oh, the power and the splendor of his sanctuary!

7 Ascribe to the LORD, you families of the peoples; *

ascribe to the LORD honor and power.

8 Ascribe to the LORD the honor due his Name; *

bring offerings and come into his courts.

9 Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness; *

let the whole earth tremble before him.

Let us all ascribe to - attribute to the Lord the honor due His Name. Let us render to God everything that is God’s. And as the earth trembles before Him, we will enjoy His blessings. We will enjoy the peace of His presence, standing in His glory, freely receiving His mercy, grace, and love.

In the name of the Father, and the +Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.