A Little Boy desperately wanted $100.00 ...to buy some toys ...and prayed to God ......for a whole week, ...but nothing happened.
So, ... he decided ...to write a letter to God...requesting ...the $100.00.
When the Post Office got the letter addressed to God ......they forwarded it on ... to the White-house.
The President surprisingly received it... was very impressed, ...touched and amused ...so he instructed his aid ......to send the boy... $5.00.
He thought $5.00 would be a lot... to the little boy.
And... the boy was, indeed, ...delighted by the money.
He sat down ......and immediately wrote a thank you note, ......which read:
Dear God, ... Thank you very much ...for sending the money.
However, ...I noticed ......that for some reason ...you had to send it through Washington DC ...and, as usual, ...they kept ...most of it. (Pause)
Well, ... people living 2000 years ago ...did not like to pay taxes ...anymore ...than we do today.
In fact, ...there was a raging debate about the morality ...of paying tribute ......to Rome.
Our gospel text today ...has a saying of Jesus... that most people ...even unbelievers know ...... "Render unto Caesar ...what is Caesars'"?
And I am convinced ...this familiarity keeps many ...from seeing the deeper meaning ...in this passage.
In addition, ...some people... have taken Jesus words ...and have drawn from them ...an entire theology... of two kingdoms:
The kingdom of man ...and the kingdom of God ...and how these two kingdoms ...are to relate to one another.
Beloved ... I am convinced ...you will find ......that Jesus is speaking in this text ... not about kingdoms ...... but about images.
So, let's set the scene ...for yet another encounter ......between Jesus ...and Israel's religious leadership.
Now...The religious leaders had decided ...to craft a question ...that will entrap Jesus.
And, to do this, ......we find some very strange bedfellows ......on the planning committee: ...both the Pharisees and the Herodians.
The Pharisees, ...of course, ... were the ultra-conservative ...religious party ... in Israel.
They were denounced by Jesus... for their purely external observance of the Law ......and for the multitude of daily rituals and commands ... that they laid on the people ...... commands...which even they ......could not keep.
The Temple leadership ...was riddled with men ...who were Pharisees.
Then, to the far far left ...... were the Herodians.
These were Jews ......who as the name implies... ...were staunch supporters... of King Herod and his dynasty.
And the Herodian Dynasty ... received its power...... from the Roman occupiers in Palestine.
They were in favor of Rome, ... Of Roman rule, ... and of the power of the appointed Roman King ...Herod.
Now, ......it is the far right-wing... Pharisees ...and the far left-wing... Herodians ...who end up conspiring ...to entrap Jesus.
Jesus knew ...that there had to be some devious intent ......for these two sects ... to join forces ... and come together ......to confront him.
The adage: ... "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." ......was certainly true that day.
The enemies of Rome ... and friends of Rome... were united ...in their opposition to Jesus.
So, ...they devise ......a question ...which they are sure ... Jesus cannot ...wriggle out of.
They fashion a question for him ...that they believe ...must be answered ...with a single... Yes or No.
After some passive sounding flattery, ...they put the question ...to Jesus ...this way: BIBLE "Tell us then what you think: Is it lawful to pay taxes to Emperor, or not?" END (Matthew 22:17)
Now, ...the Romans levied ...several taxes ...on the Jews.
There was something called the ground tax ......it was a tax of ten percent ...of whatever came out of the ground ... grains, ... and wine, ...and oil.
Then there was the income tax, ...and by our standards ...this was very light indeed ...just one percent ...of one's cash income ...with no deductions, of course.
And, finally, ...there was ...the poll tax.
It was also a flat tax......and it amounted to a denarius ...which was approximately the wage of a common laborer ......for one day's ...work
And it was levied... on every male from age 14 through 65 ... and on ever female ......from age 12 through 65.
It was this poll tax ......that was the subject of the question ...put to Jesus ...by the Pharisees ... and the Herodians.
It was a special tax, ...because it had to be paid ...in Roman ... silver coinage.
Other business and tax matters ......could be paid in...... copper coinage, gold bullion, or other acceptable currency.
But, ......the poll tax ...had to be paid ...with the Roman ...silver denarius.
And, ...these coins ......bore the image of the Emperor, ...and they were inscribed with an inscription...... "Tiberius Caesar, ...Son of ...the divine Augustus."
Now, ......this tax ...was a point of great controversy ...among the Jews.
The Herodians, ...of course, ...were united ... in favor ...of the tax.
In fact, ... They were in favor... of all ......the Roman taxes.
The Pharisees, ...on the other hand, ...were very much opposed ...to paying Caesar ... any taxes at all.
But, ... it was the poll tax ...that irritated the Pharisees the most.
Because ...they had to use a coin ...which bore a graven image ...of someone who claimed to be ...a descendant ...from A god.
Can you see the trap ...that the Pharisees ...and the Herodians ...had crafted for Jesus?
If he answered their question ... "yes, ...it is lawful to pay this tax to Caesar," ...then they would be able... to turn the crowds ......against Him.
On the other hand, ...if Jesus said, "no, it's not lawful to pay the poll tax."
Then the Herodians would have promptly ...brought a charge of sedition against Jesus.
And ...the Roman's would have arrested him, ...... and Jesus ......would be out of their way.
Jesus response, ...of course, ...put their... conspiracy... to flight.
He began by calling them ......what they are. BIBLE "Why are you putting me to the test, ... you hypocrites?" End (Matthew 22:18)
The charge of hypocrisy ...was aimed ...directly at the Pharisees, ... for they paid the poll tax ...even though they judged it ...to be a violation ... of two ......of the ten commandments.
Jesus then turns the tables on the conspiracy...... "Show me the coin used for the tax," ...... And, ...they bring him ...a Roman denarius.
"Whose image and inscription is on this?" he demanded.
"Caesar's," they reply. ...... "Then render...... to Caesar what is Caesar's,".
Give to the Emperor ...the things ...that are... the emperor's.
The Greek word translated 'render or give' ...often carries the sense ...of giving something "back" ... to whom...... it already belongs.
The coin was given out by Rome... so give it back ...to Rome.
Now Jesus could have stopped here, ......and that would have been ...all that was needed to confound the Pharisees ...and the Herodians alike.
The Herodians ...could not have brought a charge of sedition ...against Jesus.
As for the Pharisees......Jesus had just handed them ...the very thing they needed ... in order to pay the poll tax ... with a clear conscience!
The denarius was not ... "theirs" in the first place; ......it was Caesar's.
To give the denarius to Caesar ...was simply ...to give to him ......what was ......already his.
In fact, ...the Pharisees... would probably have been joyful ... as soon as they had digested ......the significance ......of what Jesus had said. (Pause)
But, ...Jesus did not stop there. ......He added these infamous words, BIBLE "And, render to God, ... the things ...that are God's." END (Matthew 22:21)
Give to God ...the things ...that are God's"
At that point, ......the tables ...are fully turned on both ...the Herodians ...and the Pharisees.
Why?
Well, ...it is fine to give a denarius to Caesar ...because ...it bears ...his image.
For that reason, ......it belongs to him.
But, ...what does one... give to God?
What ......belongs ...to God?
Well, ......what belongs to God ...is that ...which bears ...God's image.
But ... what bears ......the image of God?
In the very first chapter of Genesis, ...we are told ...God said, ... "Let us make humankind... in our image, ... according to ...our likeness." (Genesis 1:26)
The Scriptures than go on to state, ... "So, God created man... In his image..." (Genesis 1:27)
Beloved... We ... We are the coins ... We are the image...of God's realm.
If we are commanded ... "to give to God the things that are God's," ......then we must conclude ......from our Lord's teaching ...that there is no limit ...to what we owe God.
We owe God ......our whole being... For we are created ... In His Image.
And Beloved......the Pharisees ...would not have missed that.
They would not have missed ...what Jesus was ...really saying ... about them.
He had been hammering them for days ...for exactly this failure.
In parables, ...Jesus told them ...that they are God's workers in the vineyard, ......who refuse ...to give to God ...the fruit ...of the vineyard.
They are God's sons ......who say they will serve him, ......but then ......refuse.
They are the sons of God's Kingdom ...who refuse to come ...to the marriage ...of the King's Son. (Pause)
Now ... Some well-meaning Christians...have taken Jesus' words in this text...as a starting point ......in building a theology ...of two kingdoms.
And how government ...and God are supposed ...to relate.
But...the Scriptures are clear ... they are Chrystal Clear ... We are citizens of one Kingdom... The Kingdom of God.
We are called to be ambassadors of Christ... to this world.
We are in the world... but not of it.
Beloved...Jesus words from this text... are not about two kingdoms... They are about two images.
You were made in God's image... and Jesus is calling us to...... "Give to God... what is God's!"
Beloved... Jesus words in today's gospel come down to this: ......to what degree, ...in what ways ...are you and I ......giving to God ...what is God's?
And The answer to that question leads to this question: ...to what degree, ...in what ways ...do you and I ...bear the image of God.
To what degree, ... and in what ways ...is the image of Christ ...evident in your life?
Beloved ......we are called to Give to God ...what is God's ...because we bear his image.
So... How do we portray God's image to the world?
Jesus shared with his disciples ......and with us today ...how to be ...that kind of people:
BIBLE "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." END (Matthew 22:37-40)
We bear the image of God; ......and through the power of the Holy Spirit ... who abides in our very being.
So ... Are you portraying the image of Christ.
Yield to his will and to the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Allow the Holy Spirit to guide ... mold you ...and refine you.
O' Beloved... May our Father Heaven... in who's image we were created... guide you, ... and empower you ...to be for him ...all that he has created you... to be.
Amen and Amen!
This Message is based off a Sermon by William Mouser titled "Whose Image". I commend it to you.
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