Render unto God - what is God's - Main service
Let us pray … We are sent; In the name of God, the God of justice & truth; In the name of Jesus, Victim of injustice; In the name of the Holy Spirit, Discerner of the truth; To act like Jesus did. Give us wisdom to discern Your call in the choices that confront us, & strength to walk the path we choose to follow with integrity. We ask this in the name of Jesus, AMEN !!!
Hugh Latimer, who became Bishop of Worcester, was a vigorous and colourful preacher, and was one of 12 licensed to preach anywhere in England. His preaching drew attention to social injustices and corruption.
Nicolas Ridley, who became Bishop of London, (in whom Ridley College is named after) achieved many reforms in the church, one example is the use of a communion table rather than an altar. He, also preached against the social injustices of the time,
Both were excommunicated under the authority of Queen Mary, and burned at the stake. Latimer’s words at the end to Ridley have become renowned: "We shall this day, light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England as I trust shall never be put out."
Hugh Latimer and Nicolas Ridley - Martyred this day October 16 in 1555
v The Gospel story today is very familiar to many and the final line is often quoted to various purposes and agendas
o “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
o This has been used stewardship drives, certainly at tax time, and even when considered whether to pay such things as an annoying parking fine
o Is this a statement for divided loyalties – earthly and Heavenly
o Are we a people with dual citizenship as St. Paul would site in Ephesians and Philippians – “with minds set on earthly things. But our commonwealth is in heaven”
o What is Jesus trying reveal to the people then and to us now?
v No story in the bible should be read outside of its context. I would suggest that the readings that we have each Sunday morning should be a primer for the pump. Some of those questions satisfied hopefully by the sermon and some in your own investigation with your own bibles at home
v Firstly, The gospel story might be familiar because it is in Matthew, Mark and Luke and it appears in the same context in each:
o It is after Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem – Palm Sunday – and after Jesus’ Cleansing of the Temple
v Here, in the temple, the taxation incident is one of five confrontations concerning the authority of Jesus. The surrounding controversies are over the acceptance of John the Baptist, over marriage, over the resurrection of the dead, over claims of messiahship, and over the great commandment, which we Anglicans have become so familiar with as it has been made part of our liturgy
o 22:37 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
§ This context is important, so keep the concept of the great commandment in the back of your mind
v Here Jesus, in Roman occupied land, Israel - the holy land, specifically the holy city of Jerusalem in the midst of the holiest part of that city, the temple, prior to Passover, the holiest of all festivals, Jesus is addressing the questions and conflicts of some of the religious elite.
v You may be interested to know that Jews were the only race/religion that were allowed to continue their worship and for a long time it was actually part of Roman law
v So the reading starts off with the Pharisees sending their disciples to Jesus, along with the Herodians… wait, who and who?
v Sidebar – There were many religious groups among the Jews – Pharisees, Sadducees, scribes, high priests, Herodians and lawyers or doctors of the law are all described in the new testament
v It is also important not to fall into the a common misunderstanding which has happened over history and cast all Pharisees in the same group or to consider all Jews as Pharisees
o Acts 23:6 “But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee”
o Luke 11 Jesus had dinner with “a certain Pharisee”
v Now the Herodians – are Jewish political party who sympathized with the Herodian rulers in their general policy of government. They were, at one with the Sadducees in holding the duty of submission to Rome.
v The Pharisees – precursor to modern day Jews, were a nationalistic or Zionistic group
v These two groups that would normally be enemies, one in alliance with Rome and the other completely opposed to Roman occupation, yet they are joined forces to trap Jesus.
v They start out by smoozing Jesus – using over the top forms of compliments, their address to Jesus is dripping with irony – they call him master or teacher, they state that he is one in line with the truth and then they pose their trick question
o “Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?”
§ This type of question is so familiar to me, my son Jackson is always trying trick questions on Kelly and myself …at the point when we have just tried for the hundredth time to get him to finish his main course – he would put on his most sincere face and say “Okay Dad, you choose… should I have ice cream or pudding” …
v Jesus, sees right through their ploy – and says “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax.”
v Sidebar – Jesus, taught more about money than any other subject. Twenty-seven of Jesus' 43 parables, that's 62%, have to do with money and possessions. One of every ten verses in the gospels deals with money. The Bible includes 500 verses on prayer, fewer than 500 on faith, but more than 2000 on money. This is only one of two specific mention of tax – there is the Temple tax discussion of Jesus and Peter (Matt 17 a few chapters earlier)
o And you will notice in Matthew 17, There is no question by Jesus that they will pay the tax – out of respect Jesus’ response is …“so that we do not give offense to them” – therefore I think that viewing the gospel today as a question about submission to worldly authorities is an incomplete understanding.
v Back to today’s gospel - The coin that they reveal, A denarius is a silver coin, a day’s wages for an ordinary laborer – it would have had the Image of and the inscription: "Tiberius Caesar, Augustus, son of the divine Augustus, high priest."
v Superscription comes up only twice, either around this passage or in the title that Pontius pilot had written over Jesus’ head on the cross
v a nationalistic Jew who confessed a radical monotheism, such as the Pharisees, this graven image would have been religiously offensive and politically humiliating
o graven image would be seen as idol-atrous
o this was not just legal tender but also pieces of propaganda
v So the question is there - Pay or not
o To pay meant bowing to Caesar, excepting the superscription and honouring the graven image and there are questions of the cult of the emperor
o Not paying was being tricked into the lure of political opposition against Rome and the herodians were well connected (probably why the Pharisees invited them along)
v Collaborator …Subversive….these appear to be Jesus’ choices…
v So How does Jesus respond… by answering a question with a question and then a powerful statement – “Whose is this image and superscription? They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.”
v The Pharisaic disciples, armed with the trick question of their Rabbis (teachers) and the enforcement of the Herodians …are matched with a confounder of Rabbis, the Master of all Rabbis
v You see, they know Hebrew scriptures - Gen 1:27 “So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”
v And I like how Luke puts it in his account “And they were not able in the presence of the people to catch him by what he said; but marveling at his answer they were silent.”
v We are made in the image and likeness of God. So because you are a human being, you are God's tribute money
v We are render or return to Caesar what is Caesar and everything that is created in God’s image, we are to give to God
v One commentary – sights the response as the “great commandment” or at least as foreshadowing of what Jesus is to say only a few verses later
o “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
v The question they asked Jesus, is of a moral question with a political agenda: but Jesus turns it into a theological question (question about God) – and about our very existence – the reason for our creation
v Jesus once again as a master of the cultural game of challenge and His response applies then as it does today
v the question as you see has nothing to due with tax time or taxes really – it is about "profoundly radical nature of Christianity,"…
o now we likely won’t be called upon to act as Latimer and Ridley did, but we can be inspired by them and other saints before us…and we are assured by Jesus that we are called to live as they did
v Since the hidden agenda is really a question of authority – ultimate authority – and to what… will have authority in your life, may I suggest that you Repay God with nothing less then that which belongs to God, that which is called the Christian life…
v So now if we are to raise the question of two Kingdoms
o Earthly and
o Godly kingdom
§ May I suggest we can take the two kingdom thought to another angle – as in the prayer that Jesus taught us, the Lord’s prayer, and we live our lives “on earth as it is in heaven…”
v As you come to receive the gift of Grace that God has provide in the sharing of communion today – remember that you are uniting with God, and the entire Christian church around the world and over history, with Latimer and Ridley. United in participation and remembrance of God’s greatest sacrifice – consider what should your response will be – and Give to God what is God’s - AMEN