22nd Sunday after
Pentecost /
Matthew 22:15-22
Rev. Gayle M. Highness
Stamped
with God’s Image
When you go to the store and you try
to decide what brand to purchase of a particular product, how do you make up
your mind? What qualities do you look for? What is it that makes you choose one
brand over another?
When we are faced with competing
claims for our loyalty, we are forced to make choices. How we choose is driven
by an internal set of standards that we are often not even aware of.
For example, what laundry soap do
you use? I am partial to TIDE. Does it clean better? I don’t really know. But
it’s what my mom used. I think when it comes to buying soap,
my choice is based more on loyalty to my mom than on anything else.
Of course, I do look at price, too.
If something is on sale, price can trump brand. But you know what? That choice
is driven by mom, too. She’s the one who taught me to be frugal.
So, you see, within this realm of
laundry soap selection, my preferences and choices are shaped in large part by
the way I was raised. I have been formed
in the image of my parents. They gave me
life and taught me by word and example how to live in this world. I don’t even
remember my mom specifically telling me to buy TIDE, but I saw the TIDE in the
house and so I learned that in my mom’s eyes, TIDE is a good thing.
Competing choices are a fact of life
for us in this earthly realm where we live not only as children of human
parents, as members of human institutions and as citizens of human governments,
but also as children of God and citizens of the God’s kingdom.
How we choose between competing
claims on our loyalty will depend on where our deepest loyalty lies and how
faithfully we serve that master.
Whatever holds the greatest sway over our hearts and minds will drive
our choices.
In our gospel reading for today, the
Pharisees sent their disciples to ask Jesus a question about competing choices.
They wanted to force his hand by their question. They wanted him to reveal his
greatest loyalty and, in that way, discredit himself with whichever group of
loyalists he parted ways.
“Is it lawful to pay taxes to the
emperor, or not?” That was their question.
There were those among the Jews –
called the Herodians – who found it most prudent to
comply with all things Roman and thereby to solidify a relationship with the
occupying power. Perhaps they were motivated by all the right reasons … peace
and prosperity for the greatest number. Or perhaps they were motivated by the
quest for power – aligning themselves with the powers that be in order to share
in their power.
On the other hand, there were those
who believed their loyalty to the God of Israel – as shown by their obedience
to the laws of the Torah – the Old Testament – prevented them from complying
with the Roman demand for taxes.
This wasn’t just about money. The
Romans likened their emperors to gods. Even the coin was inscribed with words
that claimed divinity for the emperor. Paying the tax was, in a way, giving
homage to a false god – an idol. It broke the first commandment, “I am the Lord
your God – you shall have no other gods before me.”
So … if Jesus said, “Yes, it’s legal
to pay taxes to Caesar,” he would be guilty, in some eyes, of blasphemy. If he
said, “No, it’s not legal to pay taxes to Ceasar,” he
would be guilty of sedition – of advocating disobedience to Roman rule.
One way or the other, the enemies of
Jesus figured they had him in an impossible bind that would get him in trouble
with his own people or with the authorities. And either way was just fine with
the Pharisees because they had already made their own choice about this Jesus.
They didn’t like Jesus because he
undermined their authority. And their authority is what gave them their status
and power among the Jews. Somewhere along the way, the Pharisees had
substituted their loyalty to God’s authority for loyalty to their own
authority.
The words and actions of Jesus revealed
their error and shook the foundations of their self-image. If they could make Jesus fall, it would prove
he was wrong and they were right, and they were all about being right.
So, a gauntlet was laid for Jesus.
How would he choose? What would he say? This could be the beginning of the end
for this popular prophet or teacher or whatever he was.
But Jesus didn’t take their bait –
at least not in the way they expected. First, he called their bluff. He knew
what they were up to and he called them hypocrites. He knew their question
wasn’t really their question. Their real question was,
how can we get rid of you without getting our own hands dirty?
Nevertheless, he answered their fake
question by asking for a sample of the coin used to pay the tax. Someone
produced the idolatrous coin.
Referring to the images stamped on
the coin he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” 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.”
Jesus took their question about
competing claims for loyalty and reframed it. Rather than an
either/or answer, Jesus gave them a both/and.
Sort of like when someone says, “Do you want sausage or bacon,” and you
answer, “Yes.”
The coin belongs to the realm of
Caesar – his image is stamped upon it – so go ahead and give him the coin he
requires. It’s not really a deal-breaker for God as long as you are not really
worshipping Caesar.
In fact, the Bible tells us in
Romans 13:1, “Let every person be subject to the
governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those
authorities that exist have been instituted by God.” That would imply paying taxes.
But what’s more important,
is to give to God the things that are God’s.
And what belongs to God? What
bears the image of God? We do!
According to the first chapter of Genesis,
with which the Pharisees would have been very familiar, “God created humankind
in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created
them.”
We are stamped with the image of
God. When sin came into the world, it tarnished that image by disrupting our
relationship with God. But God sent Jesus to defeat sin by his own death and
resurrection, so that all who believe in him could become children of God.
God calls us by name and invites us
to give our whole selves back to him – our hearts, our minds, our wills, our lives – our supreme loyalty. When we are shaped by our identity as
children of God, our choices will be driven by that identity.
But how is that identity shaped and
reinforced within us?
Even though my mom gave birth to me,
if I never knew her or watched her or listened to her, I might not buy TIDE
today, or make hospital corners with the sheets on my bed, or use flour to make
gravy rather than corn starch.
Just as my mom taught me how to live,
by word and example, we are to be shaped by the Word of God and the example of
Jesus.
We give our loyalties to so many
things today that tear us down and hurt us rather than build us up. Jesus said, “I came that they may have life,
and have it abundantly.”
If our primary loyalty is to God,
and if we want to make choices that are pleasing to God and that are life-giving
for ourselves and our families, we need to expose ourselves to God’s Word and
open ourselves to God’s presence through prayer and worship.
God’s Word is a lamp unto our feet
and a light unto our path. It helps us
sort out competing claims. It reveals our underlying motives, and helps us make
good choices about money and time and work and relationships.
We are all faced with relentless
claims upon our lives from all variety of competing sources. Let us pray that we
will be guided to live in accord with the image that is stamped upon us.
Holy God, you made us for Yourself and sent
your Son to save us and restore us to a right relationship with you. Forgive
us, Lord, for giving our hearts over to other gods that compete for our
loyalty. Thank you for all the ways you
remind us of your love and call us back to you.
Thank you for your Word which guides us and your church which
strengthens us. Prevent us from straying
and keep us ever in your care. Amen.