Sunday, October 22, 2023

Proper 24

Exodus 33:12-23; Psalm 99; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10; Matthew 22:15-22

The Rev. Clint Brown

If you were wondering what was actually inscribed on the coin they handed to Jesus, it was this: “Tiberius Caesar, Son of the Divine Augustus, Augustus.” The coin would not have been as perfectly machine tooled as a modern coin, but it would have borne a recognizable likeness of the emperor Tiberius and this inscription. By the time we arrive at this scene in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus has entered Jerusalem, cleared the Temple, and told several parables about how the religious leaders of his generation are misunderstanding God’s purposes. Matthew now shifts from the realm of abstraction into reality by stringing together several examples of how this is the case, beginning with this confrontation about taxation. Everything about the exchange here is loaded. To begin with, the Pharisees and the Herodians were not a natural coalition. On just about everything they were opposed. But in Jesus they found common cause because he was destabilizing to both their agendas. The coin they brought to Jesus was a trap to force Jesus to choose between Caesar or God, to make a statement that was either treasonous to Rome or offensive to the people. How will Jesus answer?

Taxation was a hot topic in Palestine. The Jews hated paying taxes not only because the money supported their oppressors and symbolized their subjection, but also because they were offended by how the ruling class lived off their suffering and how the state used tax money to subsidize heathen temples. The system itself was obnoxious. For a flat fee, tax collectors were contracted by Rome to manage a district. Collect the quota for that district and anything in excess of that was yours to pocket. It was a system tailor-made for corruption. It was also highly effective. By playing on the greed of the tax collectors, Rome ensured that it got its share, and it effectively erected a buffer between itself and the people. But if and when things did break down and the situation got too out of hand, the tax collector had the full weight and power of the imperial system at his back, with its soldiers and arms and its own cruel and inhuman means of extracting what it wanted. About such an oppressive system, the people were obviously very interested in hearing what Jesus had to say. If Jesus agreed that it was right to pay taxes to Caesar, the Pharisees would say that he was opposed to God, and the people would turn against him. If Jesus said the taxes should not be paid, the Herodians could hand him over to Herod on the charge of rebellion. It was one or the other.

But Jesus slips the trap brilliantly. He says that these positions are not mutually exclusive; a Christian can do both. In fact, this probably counts as some of the most practical advice Jesus ever gives us for living in the real world. Where the idealism of the Sermon on the Mount and so much of Jesus’s other teaching may have us always feeling like we are falling short, this is something we feel like we can do. We can accept the logic that we Christians are, in fact, dual citizens, both of a country and of Christ. What Jesus demonstrates here is that any incompatibility that seems to exist disappears when we realize that God is ultimately in control. Paying taxes did not have to indicate submission to the divinity claimed by the emperor. The words on the coins were incorrect. Caesar had the right to claim their tax money, but he had no claim on their souls. This is the crucial point to remember. When your commitment to God is clarified it will be seen that all other commitments are as well.

Experience has shown me that one can be a good Christian and live out the ideals of Christianity whether one inhabits the political left or the political right. For my part, I want to make it clear that I won’t today or ever make this pulpit political. I know that Jimmy feels the same. You will hear me preach about Christian obligations and these will have political ramifications like my message today, but you will never hear me endorse a candidate or a political party. This is not a cop out – I have my opinions – this is on principle. What we all need to hear, and especially in times of superheated partisan politics like today, is that our salvation does not lie in a political party; it lies with Christ. Jesus taught that Christians should render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s. He may not have elaborated on all the issues related to a Christian citizen’s responsibility to the state, but he did indicate a preference for compliance and civil stability.

So for a practical question I want to leave you with some practical advice that I once read that has helped me to think about my civic duty. First, choose your battles carefully. No state is perfect. If you refuse to live with moments of unfairness or bureaucratic hassle, you need to live by yourself on an island, and that, to me, seems hard to reconcile with Christ’s consistent preferencing of the community over the individual. Second, cooperate and support the state as far as faith will take you. Fortunately, in democratic countries (unlike Judea in Jesus’ time), we can work for peaceful change through peaceful means. There is no need to be a hermit or a rebel. Third, be wary of the radicalization of either side. Militia movements have appealed to worried Christians on the right and caused them to become more worried still. Leftist movements have attracted other Christians but consistently confused them by equating political change with spiritual growth.[1] Fourth and finally, I think we can do no better than leave the last word to Christ: “Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s” (22:21)…and, remember, it all belongs to God.

[1] This advice (with modifications) and a great many other insights for this sermon are drawn from Bruce Barton et al., Matthew, Life Application Bible Commentary, ed. Grant Osborne and Philip Comfort (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1996), 432-36.