Jesu Juva
St. Matthew 22:15-22
October 22, 2023
Proper 24A
Dear saints of our Savior~
Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. It’s one of those classic sayings of the Savior. It’s Jesus at His best, deftly maneuvering in that perilous territory where church and state collide. Render to Caesar (that is, give to the government) the things that are (the government’s,) and to God the things that are God’s.
Jesus said that in response to a question about taxes—everyone’s favorite subject. Nothing but death is quite so certain in this life. When Jesus tells us to give to the government what is due the government, He comes down squarely on the side of the IRS. Pay your taxes. Honor your rulers. Obey the laws of the land. Government—even though flawed and ineffective and adversarial at times—is a gift from God. It’s a Fourth Commandment issue, really; we must give honor to whom honor is due (Rom. 13:7).
But what about the second half of Jesus’ saying? You know, the part about giving to God the things that are God’s? Uh oh, you’re saying to yourself, that sounds like stewardship. After all, our “giving to God” is never quite so tangible as when the offering plate passes our pew. The topic of stewardship often comes up this time of the year. Our congregation will be planning for how to manage next year’s expenses and income at our next round of congregational meetings. But there’s more in today’s text than simply a reminder from Jesus to pay your taxes, or to be generous in your offerings to the Lord. So let’s dig a little deeper, shall we?
It seems that the Pharisees had teamed up with the Herodians to trap Jesus between a political rock and a religious hard place. The Pharisees and the Herodians were a strange match, if ever there was one. Kind of like if you saw Nancy Pelosi and Tucker Carlson holding hands and skipping through a dewy meadow—you’d know that something fishy was going on. “Teacher,” they said, “We know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you don’t care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances.” Please! Anyone who starts out with a sentence like that can’t be trusted with the keys to the car, much less with matters of theology.
Then comes the kicker: “Tell us what you think, Jesus. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” Gotcha! Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar? If Jesus says “no,” then He’s a traitor to Rome, a tax dodge, and a right-wing, insurrectionist threat to national security. If He says “yes,” well then, He’s a traitor to His own people, a Roman loyalist, a supporter of the occupation government, an enemy of Israel and an enemy of Israel’s God. The Pharisees and the Herodians had Jesus right where they wanted Him.
But these tricksters are no match for the Messiah. “Show me the money,” says the Savior. And so they bring Him a denarius—a coin. “Whose likeness and whose inscription is this?” “Caesar’s.” “Well, there you go. Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s. It’s his picture, so give the old boy his coin when he asks for it.” Jesus dodges the political bullet, but then fires a volley right back at His bi-partisan attackers: “Oh, and by the way, guys, as long as you’re giving to Caesar what’s his, make sure you give to God what is God’s.”
Giving to God what is God’s might leave some folks scratching their heads. What’s He talking about? What might that be? Jesus doesn’t say. Caesar is entitled to his coin, but what’s God entitled to? Follow it through. If the coin bears Caesar’s image, what bears God’s image? On what is the image of God inscribed?
On you! You bear that image! You are made in the image and likeness of God, even if that image is terribly tarnished by sin. God placed His name on you when you were baptized. There you received the sign of the cross upon your forehead and your heart to mark you as one redeemed by Christ the crucified. You’ve been branded by the Almighty. He wants you, not just your coin. You! God doesn’t demand taxes, He demands you. Your heart, your soul, your mind, your strength. He wants your fear, your love, your trust! He wants you!
When it comes to taxes, no one pays one dime more than necessary. We’re inclined to withhold—to pay the absolute minimum necessary. We shelter our income and divert our investments—whatever it takes to give as little as possible to Caesar. Give Caesar what He asks for, we say, but not a penny more. There’s a whole industry built up to help tax payers play the tax game.
Unfortunately, we usually take the same approach with God. We deal with God like we deal with Uncle Sam. We look for ways to do as little as possible to get by. Give to God what is God’s. What does that mean? Does it mean ten percent? Does it mean showing up at church once or twice a month? That would be nice and tidy, wouldn’t it? Show up every so often, give God His ten percent, and your work is done. Is that how it works? Pay your religious dues and stay on God’s good side. . . then go and live however you please.
That may be how it works with the IRS, but not with God. The Kingdom of God is not of this world. This is a kingdom that doesn’t just want a piece of you; it wants all of you—including your repentance. And your God won’t give up until He has all of you—your heart, your soul, your mind, your strength, your fear, your love, your trust.
The problem is that you and I won’t give it up. We can’t. We’re too wrapped up in ourselves to give to God what is God’s. We claim it as our own. It’s my time, my treasure, my talent, my life—mine, mine, mine. I worked for it. I earned it. And you can’t have it, God. Oh, I’ll give you an hour or two on a Sunday morning now and then. I’ll pay my church dues and toss a few of Caesar’s coins into the offering plate and, hey, I might even get a little tax deduction from the IRS at the same time—two birds, one stone. You can’t beat that!
That’s how it is with us. God knows it. This is why Jesus tells us, “Give to God what is God’s.” Everything. Your whole life is God’s. He wants it all, but we don’t want to part with any of it. Over and over again, we need to hear this truth: You are not your own. You don’t belong to you. You are not autonomous, independent, and self-sufficient. You are not your own; you are God’s. You have been bought at a price. But daily we deny it. Daily we do not believe it. Daily we refuse to render to God what is His.
And so God sent His Son—to do what we would not—to render to God what is God’s. Jesus did just that—gave to God what is God’s, for all of us: His perfect obedience. His perfect life. His perfect death. God’s image and God’s likeness isn’t found on any coin or any currency. God’s image and likeness is found on a cross. That was the payment for our sin. That was the death that delivers us from death. That was the only transaction that matters—the biggest bailout in the history of humankind. On the cross Jesus gave to God what was God’s. He did it for us all.
In our liturgy we often sing from Psalm 116: What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits to me? I will offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and call on the name of the Lord. What can we render to God? Our thanks, our praise, our prayers, our confession. We can take the cup of salvation—the chalice filled with the blood of Jesus shed for us—and drink deeply for the forgiveness of our sins. We can call on His name in worship, not as a duty or obligation, but as a privilege and a gift. We can give our offerings, not grudgingly (the way we pay our taxes) but generously, out of love and thanks—recognizing that what we put in the offering plate is a testimony to the fact that all we are and all we have comes from the God who has loved us with an everlasting love.
Caesar’s kingdom crumbled long ago. The denarius that was held up as an object lesson now sits behind glass in some museum—an artifact of history. The same will also be true someday of our dimes and quarters and bills with all the famous names and images. No earthly kingdom lasts forever.
But the kingdom of God has no end. This kingdom is based on the dying and rising of Jesus Christ. This kingdom has no coin because there are no transactions in this kingdom. No deals to cut. No taxes to pay. It’s all free, by grace, through faith, thanks to the King who hung on a cross to reign. This kingdom has no end. On the Last Day, when the kingdoms of this world are plunged into darkness and fire, the dead will rise in the power of Jesus’ resurrection. And on that day, you and I and all the saints of God will finally and forever render to God what is God’s.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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