Discernment Is Better Than Keeping Your Guard
Invitation to the Celebration
In the Name of God the Creator, Liberator, Sustainer, Energizer, we're here, for whatever reason. Are we ready for a God-event, even though, especially because, we will wrestle with a difficult theme today? We can let it divide us or give us some new insights into the life of the church. Yes, we're here! Now what?
P: Fact: God owns the world -- of nature, of persons -- even when we think that we own it, even when we think that we are the only ones who know what God's will is, even when we think that we are the "true" Christians, even when we think that we have the "right" answers, even when we think that we are the only obedient ones left in the world.
M: We know that the earth is the Lord's, even when we act as though it belongs to us, even when we cry out, "I, only I am left to do God's will."
All: Lord, put our thoughts, words, feelings by Your Spirit, in proper perspective. Teach us the difference between obeying You and Caesar, whatever form Caesar happens to take.
* INVOCATION AND LORD'S PRAYER So much we do not understand, O Lord. There is much beauty, much to bring joy into our lives in this life. But there is sadness, loneliness, rejection too. Why, O God, must we endure so much suffering in order to grow into the beings we were created to be? Help us to trust you, O God, for those things which we do not understand, to trust them to your love which, despite everything, we know to surround us and promise that in the end, we will find the healing joy which will make all things good. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And, forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory, forever. AMEN.
Gloria
* OPENING HYMN I Sing the Almighty Power of God # 6
SCRIPTURE READING Exodus 33:12-23
33:12 Moses said to the LORD, "See, you have said to me, 'Bring up this people'; but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, 'I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.' 33:13 Now if I have found favor in your sight, show me your ways, so that I may know you and find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people." 33:14 He said, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." 33:15 And he said to him, "If your presence will not go, do not carry us up from here. 33:16 For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people, unless you go with us? In this way, we shall be distinct, I and your people, from every people on the face of the earth." 33:17 The LORD said to Moses, "I will do the very thing that you have asked; for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name." 33:18 Moses said, "Show me your glory, I pray." 33:19 And he said, "I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, 'The LORD'; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 33:20 But," he said, "you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live." 33:21 And the LORD continued, "See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock; 33:22 and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; 33:23 then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen."
RESPONSE Psalms 99:1-9
99:1 The LORD is king; let the peoples tremble! He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake! 99:2 The LORD is great in Zion; he is exalted over all the peoples. 99:3 Let them praise your great and awesome name. Holy is he! 99:4 Mighty King, lover of justice, you have established equity; you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob. 99:5 Extol the LORD our God; worship at his footstool. Holy is he! 99:6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel also was among those who called on his name. They cried to the LORD, and he answered them. 99:7 He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud; they kept his decrees, and the statutes that he gave them. 99:8 O LORD our God, you answered them; you were a forgiving God to them, but an avenger of their wrongdoings. 99:9 Extol the LORD our God, and worship at his holy mountain; for the LORD our God is holy.
OFFERING We Are Accountable! Stewardship Challenge
Would you give if your gift were not tax-deductible? If so, how much? Compare what you give, which is deductible, with what you would give if it were not.
* DOXOLOGY
* PRAYER OF DEDICATION Forgive us, Lord, when our standard of living for self exceeds our standard of giving to others, in the name of him who gave everything he had, so that we might learn how to give and live.
CHILDREN'S STORY TIME Explain to the children what Jesus meant when he said, "Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."
CHORAL ANTHEM
PRAYER Focus on the God of Scripture, who is Lord of the Universe, and God's power over the lesser gods of Caesar, whatever form they happen to take. We Seek Forgiveness The Act of Recognizing our Humanity For all practical purposes, for some of us, God is dead, especially around the issues of church and state, God and Caesar. Think about where we put our primary obedience, especially when we debate religion and politics. Our sin often is that we refuse to listen to those who disagree with us, especially when we need to hear that they're confronting our biases. In silence consider whose voice you need to hear. Write down the names of those voices. (Two minutes of silence.) Pray the prayer silently first; then we will pray it together.
All: O God, You love the world of persons, even when we do not. You love those who differ from us, for whatever reason. We confess that our greatest sin, our greatest source of estrangement, our brokenness and alienation lie in our lack of love for all people. Forgive us, Lord, for our lack of love.
Response "Truth Shall Make You Free" (based on John 8:31-32; 31Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you keep obeying my teachings. 32And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. Jesus himself is the truth that sets us free (8:36). He is the source of truth, the perfect standard of what is right. He frees us from the consequences of sin, from self-deception, and from deception by Satan. He shows us clearly the way to eternal life with God. Thus, Jesus does not give us freedom to do what we want, but freedom to follow God. As we seek to serve God, Jesus’ perfect truth frees us to be all that God meant us to be.
The Act of Receiving New Life Henry Longfellow once said, "If we could read the secret history of our 'enemies,' we should find in each one's life, sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility." (Repeat two or three times.)
All: God, cleanse us from any desire for revenge, as tempting as the thought is; any desire to get even with those who disagree with us, who seek to destroy us physically, emotionally, spiritually, verbally or silently, obviously or subtly; any desire to say, "I told you so!" By Your Spirit, grant that we may seek to overpower through love those who seek to destroy, to silence Your witness and Your church through hatred, indifference, indecision, laziness, and the misuse of power.
* PREPARATIONAL HYMN God of Our Fathers # 599
SCRIPTURE TEXT Matthew 22:15-22
22:15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. 22:16 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. 22:17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?" 22:18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, "Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? 22:19 Show me the coin used for the tax." And they brought him a denarius. 22:20 Then he said to them, "Whose head is this, and whose title?" 22:21 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." 22:22 When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.
SERMON Discernment Is Better Than Keeping Your Guard
Over the course of one's life, one knows those persons/groups who think the worst of you and who aren't the least bit interested in changing their opinion. In my life, as I cross paths with such persons, I automatically put up my guard -- high! -- and I match their low regard for me with an equally low regard for them. However, that high-guardedness, attitudinally and dispositionally, bars one from meaningful conversation and ensures only perfunctory exchanges. We leave each other's company all the more grounded in our limited perception of one another.
I want to build a case that in this encounter of Jesus with groups of persons who have set their minds against him, that he chose discernment over a high-guard. I believe he did so because, potentially, his response to their set-up might serve as a means of reordering their own understanding of him, now or later. Discernment means in part you catch on to the implications of what you're walking into, but your primary goal is not to guard yourself. Rather, it is to continue to be a vessel of truth; and you believe it gives God permission to touch the hearts and to instruct the minds of the very ones who think the least of you. But first let's investigate some historical background to the scripture text.
The event we read about in this scripture passage is significant enough that Matthew is joined by Mark and Luke in recording it. It carries an important insight and principle which will become obvious as we move through the verses. / The two groups that team up to trap Jesus are normally as compatible as two teams who line up before one another at the Rose Bowl or Super Bowl. The Pharisees were that body of Jews who were very orthodox about their faith. Obedience to the Torah was central. They sought to get along with Rome on the surface, but at heart resented tax payments to a king who preferred his own divinity over the Jews' true God. The Herodians, more secular than religious, had as their central focus King Herod of Galilee and his confirmed rule over Palestine. Herod had long since committed himself to working for the Roman Empire and would not compromise his position with them, for he craved the power Rome granted him. It is their total agreement that Jesus was a common enemy that motivated them to work together for a time. Notice that the representatives of these two groups put their questions to Jesus, not privately, but in public. They are hoping that those people who have so far favored him and who are in earshot of his answer will find him more pro-Rome than they, an occupied people, are.
In verses 15 and 16, by implication, we can tell that Jesus represented enough things that were a threat to the Pharisees and Herodians that they were quite willing to be in league with one another. Among the common people, Jesus was growing very popular; his message and miracles were having an impact on one person after another. Because his authority seemed more homegrown than officially credentialed, his title, rabbi, must have felt like an affront to the more established institutions of synagogue and government. Theirs was an authority backed by religious tradition and Roman order; Jesus' authority came from another source, and the people, at this point, were more free to celebrate it than were these two high-guard groups.
Their sweet-talking/applying verbal butter to their words toward Jesus was an unsuccessful attempt to mask their real intentions. Jesus shows us in this text that he sees righ through their flattery. Why wasn't Jesus ever vulnerable to flattery, like we are? Remember once when he was called "Good Teacher"? Jesus' response was something like, "Don't call me good; only God is" (Mark 10:17-18). I believe I'm often vulnerable to flattery, because I'm still trying to prop up my sense of worth. Hence, I'm not always aware of the intentions behind the flattery; I'm intent on grabbing the flattery, to keep myself propped up. But Jesus truly and totally believed he was loved by the Father and thus never ached for flattery. And thereby, he was able to listen more intently to what might be silently said between the lines and words of flattery. And that takes discernment and a proper attitude and disposition. Jesus was first and foremost a truth-and-love vessel, not an "I'm constantly seeking worth" person. He had qualities that enabled him to discern situations, rather than mainly guard himself against reputation-predators.
In verse 17, a timely question was put to Jesus which the Herodians would have answered one way (Be loyal to Rome!) and the Pharisees, if they would be publicly honest about their privately held convictions, would have answered quite another way (Don't pay tribute in any way to Rome, because we serve God the King, not King Caesar). But remember, they were both on the offense, and they were not asked the question: instead, they chose to ask the question of Jesus.
Keeping their own voting stances on the issue to themselves, they sought to draw Jesus out by putting him in a seemingly "no- win" situation, stated in the recent New Living Bible translation, verse 17: "Now tell us what you think about this: Is it right to pay taxes to the Roman government or not?" If he plainly says, "Pay taxes to Rome," the prediction is that the crowds will be hostile to him, because they no doubt hate Rome's heavy taxation. If he says, "Forget Rome and don't pay the tax," the Herodians will make sure the authorities both know and act on his treasonous statement. One Bible commentary notes: In the eyes of the Torah law, it is forbidden to sell the land of Israel to outsiders. It rightly belongs only to God (Leviticus 25:23). Thus, from a strictly literal view, Caesar, as an illegal usurper of God's holy land, is clearly not entitled to collect taxes or tribute from God's people.1
It's a seemingly "no-win" situation, because whichever direction his answer leans lays Jesus open to trouble. But, oh, what a response Jesus gives; what a discerning step he takes! He did not battle prejudice with prejudice. Rather, this vessel of love and truth gave an answer and response not simply fit for that time, but for ours as well.
The New Living Bible translation renders verse 18: "But Jesus knew their evil motives. 'You hypocrites!' he said. 'Whom are you trying to fool with your trick questions?' " / Because Jesus still recalls their earlier flattery, a kind of invisible kiss carrying betrayal and intrigue, not genuine inquiry and respect, the first step of his response is to alert them that he's on to their evil motives. Whereas they hoped their flattery would shield their real motives from Jesus, he has just told them that he's discerned otherwise. The next step of his response is to discern his Father's answer through him to them. In Star Trek terms, he lowers the shields of his own vessel, becomes willingly vulnerable, and gives a profound, penetrating response and answer.
In verses 19-21, Jesus asks them to show him a Roman coin. Producing it before his eyes -- and the public's -- creates an ironic turn in the story. If one really knows and respects/values Pharisaic law, one would see Jesus putting them a bit on the spot as well. How? Torah law forbids the handling of legal tender that promotes the endorsement of "graven images" (Exodus 20:4). A closer look at both sides of the coin reveals the current emperor's likeness on one side and the ruler's title and divine status on the other side, "Tiberius Caesar, Son of the Divine Augustus." This is clearly against Pharisaic rules. The Pharisee envoy can't help but pick up on this, but they continue to conceal their real opinion, because in public they want to appear to be cooperative with the state.
It's amazing how able Jesus is to walk through such an ecclesiastical as well as legal minefield and come out the other side, with mind, spirit, and body still fully and rightly assembled. Again, his defensive measures are secondary to his discernment ability. He functions, not as an uptight, highly guarded individual, but as God's love-and-truth vessel. He leaves them -- both sides -- with much food for thought. // In the words of the New Living Bible translation, verse 21 says, "Well, then," he said, "give to Caesar what belongs to him. But everything that belongs to God must be given to God." This smacks less as a rule or regulation and more as a timeless principle
It takes an ever-maturing conscience and a deep commitment to being a vessel of love and truth for God for one to discern how the two sides of one's dual citizenship at times have compatibility and at other times disparity and discord. Never forget God's most significant image bearers on earth these days: you and me and others. Will we temper our natural human inclination to be quite defensive toward certain others, which when yielded to tarnishes the godly finish on our lives? Will we choose instead to further reveal/share God's love and truth, by seeking to extend His presence through us to others? To do so is to learn discernment over high-guardedness. May we have the compassionate ache for others that Jesus did, rather than yield to the temptation to match low opinions with low opinions. // Verse 22 concludes this particular event with, "When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away." They must have been amazed at his spiritual dexterity, at how he was able to give a fuller, timeless, nonparochial, yet so applicable a response as he did. This love-and-truth vessel of God had disarmed them, so much so that they moved away from pressing him any further that day. No doubt, on some level, they felt an invitation of sorts to rethink their own prejudicial opinions of him. How they processed that then is not nearly as important as how you and I process and respond to this love-and- truth event ourselves now. Are you on guard right now? Or are you a step further along in appreciating and practicing discernment in your ministry of presence to others?
1. Homiletics, October-December, 1996, "Paying Dues To God," p. 14.
2. Emphasis, September-October, 1996, "A Taxing Question," p. 49.
3. William Barclay, Matthew, Volume II, Westminster Press, pp. 273-274.
* INVITATIONAL HYMN "God of Grace and God of Glory," # 514
Ask the people to read it in silence and to select which of stanzas 2, 3, or 4 they will sing. Invite everyone to sing stanza 1; then those who will sing stanza 2 stand and sing; then stanza 3; then stanza 4. Everyone will sing stanza 5. (Idea suggested by Doug Adams, Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, California.)
* BENEDICTION Whenever anything comes between God and us, including demands of the state which go against our own conscience, that is sin. The Christian puts his/her obedience to God above obedience to anything or anyone else in the world.
ORGAN POSTLUDE
A young mother expressed how she first realized how God might feel toward her with these words: "Why should God love the person behind this mask I wear? What is there about me that could call forth his great affection? My glance falls on the tousled head at my knee, smelling of sun, sand, and soap. Is it possible that God could love me for the same reasons I love my children? My child wears no mask. He is secure in the love of his parents who see in him an extension of themselves; a promise of life's continuity. We love him for his potential to grow in wisdom and stature and loving fellowship with God and man. And our hearts burst with joy as those grubby little hands wind around our necks, and we hear 'I love you, Daddy; I love you, Mommy!' How God must long for that moment when each of his children can say from a heart free of fear or threat, 'Father, I love you.' "