We may
not like to talk about money but Jesus did.
He talked about treasures and coins and possessions, ALL THE TIME. He liked talking about it because it
challenged people to think deeply about what was important to them. He liked them to think about what holds value
for them. He wanted people to think
about their life-focus, who and what they spend their time on, what they
worship, what their idols might be.
So now
the religious authorities come to Jesus, using one of his favorite subjects to
try to trap him. The religious
authorities are trying to rile up Caesar and Rome by causing Jesus to say
something disloyal. They are trying to
catch Jesus off guard and make him say something that will get him out of their
way.
Caesar
and Rome are an occupying force. They
march their army all over the place and seize by force lands and people,
enforcing laws, collecting taxes and oppressing religions. Caesar believed himself to be a god. There was a virgin birth story for him. The money was made with his image, declaring
him to be a god. There were no checks
and balances on his power. He ruled for
life, without election.
The
Jewish faith holds that graven images are prohibited—actually we have that
commandment in Christianity, too. No
images of people or gods are to be made, according to Judaism, carved in stone
or wood. It was just too tempting to
worship those engravings. I remember
sitting at my grandma’s Missouri Synod church before the crucifix, at 8 years
old, wondering how they got around that commandment to make the altar
piece. For Jewish people, to even have a
Roman coin in your pocket was to break that commandment. Yet, in order to business with the Roman
Empire, and to pay taxes required by and supporting the Roman Empire, to not be
crushed by the Roman Army or thrown in prison, you would need this idolatrous
coin.
The
Roman Empire called its Emperor a god or the god. It made him the absolute authority without
question. The Roman Empire used its
power to raise[AB1] armies, to steal lands, to control people, to
collect wealth, and to ensure its future strength and power. Yes, the Roman Empire developed modern
systems of delivering water, incredible works of art, roads and highways,
culture, and improved nutrition. And the
Roman Empire was a system that crucified thousands, enriched the wealthy at the
expense of the poor, expected people to turn their backs on their culture and
religion, and used violence to control people.
In other words, it was not so different from Empires today. Like any human system or institution, both
good and bad find themselves in positions of power and find themselves tempted
to hang on to that power and enrich themselves and great advances occur as well
as great acts of violence and control.
When
the religious authorities ask if people are to pay taxes or not, they are
asking about whether Jesus says people should support the agenda of the Empire. If he says they shouldn’t, and they listen,
they can be thrown in prison. If he says
they should, he is saying he supports state violence and theft. This is a loyalty oath, that Jesus is being
asked to sign. This is Jesus being asked
to wear the flag lapel pin. Instead of
giving any straight answer, Jesus makes them think. “Give to the Emperor the things that are the
Emperor’s and give to God what is God’s.”
Give to
the Emperor the things that are the Emperor’s.
What is the Emperor’s? Temporary
power, tentative control, the illusion that he is a god, immortal, the illusion
that this power structure will endure, violence, death, imprisonment, silencing
of dissonant voices, a shaky image on a shiny object. In other words, nothing of value.
Money
doesn’t mean anything to Jesus. He never
shows any interest in money of his own, having it, collecting it, spending it,
or how much anyone else has. He has a
different currency that never runs out—mercy, compassion, self-sacrificing
love. People ask Jesus what is
important, he spends his currency, his compassion and love, listening to
children. They have no money they can
give him, but they give him their love.
Sick people ask Jesus to show them what matters. He doesn’t give them money to go to the
doctor. He gives them love in the form of healing. Hungry people gather around Jesus. He doesn’t give them money to go buy a
sandwich. He gives them love in the form
of bread and becomes the bread of life for them, sets a table where all will be
satisfied.
It
would be impractical for us to live without money, but we should ask ourselves
what position it has in our lives. Do we
pay attention to people who have more money or possessions more than those who
are poor? If so, we do not follow Jesus’
way. Do we admire people with money, do
we spend much time and energy trying to make money, do we count on money to get
us out of our troubles? How much faith
do we place in money? In what ways is
money an idol to us?
Give to
God what is God’s. What is God’s? Now we really have to think because I want to
separate what is mine and what is God’s because I like to do what I like to
with what is mine. But when we start
thinking about what is mine and what is God’s, we realize that it is all
God’s. What do I have that is not made
by God? God made this world and
everything in it. God made us. When we rebelled, God sent us Jesus to give
us new life. Every breath, every
ability, every trait, every possession, every job, every opportunity, even
every coin—all of it belongs to God. It
was made by God, it wouldn’t be here without God, it should be used for what
God made it for and that is to give glory to God and to advance God’s plan of
love, compassion, mercy, and new life.
Today,
as we consider the gifts we give to God in the form of offerings and our time
and talents, we open our wallet or look in our change tray and we take out a
coin or a dollar bill. It used to be
that those gifts were given and burned on the altar. Gone in a puff of smoke! Today, we use those gifts to help those in
need in our community. We consider the ministry of our small but mighty
congregation, how our gifts feed the community, how our church building is
filled with children every day as they learn and grow, how we are connected
with our siblings in Christ in our Synod, and yes how you support your pastor so
she can help shepherd you and remind you that you are God’s beloved Child and
challenge you to think and pray and stretch yourself. We let go of what we spend so much time and
attention on. We release what God has
first given to us and put our faith in God, the one who knows what has long
term value and what really matters in life.
I heard
a story this week that made me laugh.
The offering was being collected at church and there was a visitor there
that didn’t have any money. So he put
the plate down on the church floor and stood in it. He was giving his whole self to God. This visitor showed a deep understanding of
giving to God what is God’s. This also
fits with the idea of the image of Caesar on the coin, because we know that
humankind is made in the image and likeness of God. To give God what is God’s is to give God our
whole selves.
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