EDITOR'S NOTE: On Oct. 23, 2021, I was ordained as a minister of word and sacrament in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and installed as pastor at Faith Lutheran Church in Wolverton, Minn. I also served the same church for four years from October 2017 to October 2021 a synodically authorized minister. The journey together these past four years has been an amazing one, full of learning, growing and a deepening of my theological mind. This sermon took place on Oct. 22, 2023.
This week's gospel: Matthew 22:15-22
15Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap [Jesus] in what he said. 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. 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20 Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” 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 When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.
The message:
You’ve heard the old adage that “Politics makes for strange bedfellows,” right?
The idea being that sometimes a common political cause will bring together people who normally otherwise are opponents … together.
Well we have some of that going on here in today’s gospel text.
We’re aware that there were different groups of Jewish believers in the first century, right? … We see mentions of various Jewish sects in scripture quite frequently.
And in today’s text we meet another new sect, the Herodians. … As opposed to the Pharisees, whom we’re probably a little more familiar with.
Now, there really isn’t anything we know about the Herodians, other than the name implies that they were pro-Roman sympathizers. … There’s just not a lot more context in our scriptures as to who these people were.
But, if you’re going to take the namesake of a Roman governor, you must be fairly supportive of the ruling empire. … It seems like a logical intellectual jump, right?
So present in the temple on this day, you have a traditional Jewish sect, represented in the Pharisees, and a more modern Jewish sect represented in the Herodians … and they are teaming up.
Becoming bedfellows, so to speak. … And just exactly what was a common enough cause to bring these two Jewish sects together?
Well, we know it was to come together to solve the very vexing problem of this young, upstart rabbi … who’s firmly planted himself in the temple, and he’s rousing up the faithful with his anti-establishment teachings.
Sooooo, what do the ruling authorities do? … The Pharisees and the Herodians. … Well, they coalesce against a common cause. … This Jesus. … Whatever philosophical differences they have can take a back seat for now.
Because first, we must deal with this rabble rouser whose teaching that the faithful first are children of God, and only second Jewish or maybe Roman, depending upon your political persuasion.
Either way, the Pharisees nor the Herodians, can be having this Jesus upending centuries worth of Jewish and/or Roman law.
So, what to do … what to do? Right?
Well, they come together and devise a plan to trap Jesus into committing heresy! … Brilliant! … Can’t see anything going wrong here! … After all, it’s not like others haven’t already tried tripping up Jesus with troubling riddles?
Imagine their braintrust scheming: “Certainly we’ll be able to trap him on the basis of who he says he answers too. … Either Ceaser … or God! … Which is it, Jesus?”
If you truly are a man of God, as it’s said you are, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?”
Of course, the implication being that if Jesus says to pay the taxes, then he is bowing down to an earthly ruler, and he can’t be the Messiah as some claim.
And if Jesus says not to pay the taxes, well then he’s just defied the Roman empire, and it’s likely to cost him his life.
Again, brilliant! … Oh, how clever these Pharisees and Herodians are!
But this is Jesus we’re talking about, and he sees right through their snakeoil flattery -- remember the beginning of the text? -- “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 …
So he sees through their treacherous flattery … and he spears their argument dead by once again turning it back on them.
“Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax.” And one of them digs a denarius out of his pocket and shows it to Jesus.
Now a little context here is important. … So, if I would have thought this through a little more this morning and had set up our big TV screen up front here, I could show you what a denarius looks like.
But imagine if you will, essentially a silver coin shaped like a quarter but stamped with the Emperor Tiberius’ likeness on it. … And on each coin, were words declaring that the current Caesar Tiberius was a divine son of Augustus. … In other words Tiberius was like a God.
And so, as such, the denarius -- by Jewish law would have been considered a graven image. … And, so in the first century, there would have been money changers situated outside the temple to convert the denarius into a shekel, which did not have graven images … and as such, were allowed in the temple for offerings.
But, here were these Pharisees and Herodians -- supposedly upstanding people of faith -- standing in the temple with these coins that were defiling the holy place of worship. … Big oops! … Automatic egg on their face.
So score one for Jesus, right? … Jesus 1 … the dream team of the Pharisees & Herodians 0.
But Jesus isn’t done there. … He’s just gotten started, right?
So after deftly exposing these religious leaders as hypocrites, he finally boxes them up tight with his next question: “‘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.”
Boom. … Case closed.
And we’re told that even the Pharisees and Herodians are stunned by Jesus’ intellectual prowess. … Here he took the very trap they had laid for them, turned it on its head and played the trap back on them.
And they tuck tail and run, right. … “When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.”
Jesus 2 … the Pharisees and Herodians 0. … utterly defeated.
Soooo, other than being an amusing and entertaining story, what is it that we are supposed to be taking away from today’s gospel text? … Is the point not to be carrying around denariuses?
After all, I’d bet that nearly everyone of us who entered church today has some kind of money in our pockets committing heresy? … All of our paper money, our coins, they all have a man’s image on them, right?
Well, sure they do. … But rest assured, Faith Family, that’s not quite what is at issue here.
Ok .. so, then … is this a lesson in nationalism? … After all, how many times have you heard this text used as justification for some nationalistic behavior …
… whether it’s paying taxes, or pledging allegiance … really, anything asked of us to prove our loyalties to a country. … Well, Jesus said it was OK to pay taxes! … Look there in Matthew!
Well, no. … Trust me, Jesus is NOT teaching a lesson on nationalism. … Quite frankly, Jesus could care less about the Herodians who were trying to trap him into pledging his fealty to the Roman Caesar.
So, to be clear, this text is not Jesus’ dictate that we fall in line behind some nationalistic pledge like good little soldiers. … Not at all.
So then, what? What IS his point? … How IS this story applicable to us 2,000 years later?
Well, it’s about our icons, Faith Family. … What are our icons … our graven images? Where and to whom do our loyalties go?
For the Pharisees, their concern was about themselves, and their place in the Jewish power structure. Because, after all, this upstart new rabbi was upending centuries of their teachings and making them look as if they were unnecessary, out of touch. He was striking them in the ego, a source of pain for so many of us.
Jesus wasn’t pledging loyalty to them and their teachings.
And the Herodians, well, Jesus was a source of irritation to them, as well. … Because they’re loyalties leaned toward Tiberius, the Roman emperor, whom good and loyal subjects believed was divine.
And in their belief structure, those who worshiped the caesars believed the caesars were deities themselves. … And they wanted Jesus to admit as much himself.
So, who are our icons, Faith Family? … Who and what are our graven images that we put before God?
Well, for each of us it might be someone or something different. … For some, it very well might be money. Wealth is a powerful graven image, isn’t it?
For others it might be party politics … or politicians themselves. … There are plenty of people who’d first identify their political position before they would as a child of God.
Sports, sex, drugs, alcohol, exercise, … Faith Family, the list of where we divide our loyalties … The list of where we pledge our allegiances … is long. … And it’s likely different for each one of us.
But in today’s gospel, just as Jesus skillfully made the Pharisees and the Herodians look into the mirror for some self introspection … Jesus is doing the same for us.
Where are our loyalties? … Where do we pledge our allegiance? … To temporary, secular beings or entities? … Such as the Pharisees and Herodians were doing?
Or do we first pledge our allegiance to God? … Are the graven images that we worship pointed in God’s direction or in the direction of some earthly creation?
Are they pointing at another person? … Another ruler? … Another “ism”? … Another physical thing -- a possession? … Or even a country for that matter?
What commands our fealty? … Who or what do we bend a knee for? … Is it God first, above all else? … And Jesus here in the gospel text really does mean above ALL ELSE!
Because, if God isn’t who we are pledging our allegiance to first … then we are no different than the hypocritical Pharisees and Herodians in today’s gospel.
And that is the GOOD NEWS for this Sunday, the 21st Sunday after Pentecost … Oct. 22, 2023. … Amen.
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