Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s
Lots of ways we could have gone in today’s sermon but I want us to focus on the first part of the Gospel passage from Matthew, chapter 22 – the exchange between Jesus and the Pharisees and Herodian’s where Jesus in response to their trick question asks for a coin and after ascertaining whose head and title are on the coin utters those well-known words, ‘Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ Part of me reckons however that the language of the King James Version is more poetic at this juncture: Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s! And in focussing our attention on this one phrase of Jesus I want us to be even more specific and consider really only the second half of the phrase as the most important part for living as faithful followers of Jesus today, “give to God the things that are God’s. But before we can do that we do need to do a little bit of context setting and a little bit of bible study to indeed help us grasp the true importance of what Jesus said then and what it might mean for us now. So Jesus has arrived at the temple in the week before his crucifixion. He has already upturned the tables of the money changers and gone on a story telling and teaching blitz, time was short. At the end of chapter 20 of Matthew we read these words, “When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realised that he was speaking about them. They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.” But they would not give up. The priests and Pharisees had another council of war, framed another cunning question, and sent some stooges to confront Jesus as he taught the people. Their aim was simple, to entrap Jesus. As far as they were concerned he was vermin; a rat to be trapped and quickly disposed of. They set their trap. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?’
If Jesus had said: “No, is not right or just that we should be taxed by the Emperor of Rome” then a loud cheer would have gone up from the crowd, a shout loud enough to reverberate around the temple walls. Everybody hated the taxes. By rejecting the taxation, Jesus could have there and then, cemented his popularity with the ordinary people of the land for whom he had so much compassion. But at the same time, he would have placed on record words that would later have him condemned for treason in any Roman court.
But what if he took the other side? Jesus could have responded: “Taxes? You can’t have a peaceful and prosperous land without taxes. You can’t have roads and sewage systems, water supplies and public baths, law and order and even great temples like this one, without taxes. There will always be taxes.”
Such a reply would have kept him safe from Roman investigation, even given him added protection from the Romans. It would have spiked the attempt by his enemies to get him brought before a Roman court. But it would have caused dismay and maybe a riot in the temple courtyard. The mood of the common people would have swung violently against Jesus. But we know what happens. In asking for a coin from the religious leaders and being handed it, Jesus showed up the hypocrisy of the pious Jews. The coin in question is a silver Roman denarius depicting the emperor’s image (his head) and bearing the inscription “Tiberius Caesar, Son of the Deified Augustus. The coin’s reverse declares Tiberius is “high priest.” The coin makes a claim. It asserts the emperor’s divinity and proclaims Tiberius as the mediator of the emerging Roman state religion. The coin utters blasphemy, from the perspective of the Jewish faith, and it posed it users a dilemma. You have to use this coin to stay in the emperor’s good graces, even as the coin itself compromises what you might stand for. Let’s put aside though the question – why would the religious leaders have such a coin on them in the first place to explore what Jesus says about the coin. He asks whose head and title are represented. The Greek word translated head is icon which can just as well be translated image and the Greek word translated title can just as easily be translated likeness, and in using these as the translation – we get, “Whose image and likeness is this?
The reply is of course, ‘The Emperor’s’ – Jesus replies that they are to give to the Emperor, Caesar what is Caesar’s. Again, the translation covers something better revealed. It could also be translated as “give back” rather than “give” or “render.” Give Caesar back those things that are Caesar’s. It is his coin anyway, who cares if you give Caesar back his coin for the tax?
Then Jesus gives the most amazing and important line of the entire short encounter when he continues by saying that we are to “give back to God the things that are God’s.” It leaves everyone calculating what exactly is God’s that we are supposed to give back. And in case you were wondering, the clue was the word “icon” or “image” and the word “likeness.”
Jesus’ answer came from Genesis 1:26-27, which I am sure you will remember says, “And God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness,’” and goes on to state “God created humankind in God’s Image, in the image of God, God created them; male and female God created them.”
The principle is this: Just as the coin has the Emperor’s icon on it, so it is the Emperor’s, we were made in the image and likeness of God, so we are God’s.
We were made in the image and likeness of God, so we are God’s. This for me is what Jesus was on about. We are God’s before all else. This is not a fable to be used to prove that there is a material world – Caesar’s world and a spiritual world – God’s realm and we are to act differently in each. As if the big bad material world is out there and the nice holy spiritual place is here where God and God’s people are – and where we can be safe. Nor is this even a story about taxes. It is our Lord imploring us to reflect deeply about our identity. We bear the image and likeness of God and thus we are God’s. Not just for an hour or so on a Sunday as we gather for Eucharist. Not just when we are at our best and most generous and compassionate but at our lowest points – when we feel our worst, and most sinful, when we are afraid and anxious and uncertain. When we are vile, and ugly, and angry, and spiteful – we are God’s. 24/7/365 – we are God’s and we are to live more deeply into what that means?
May I be as so humble to make two suggestions?
First, let us accept that we are made in the image and likeness of God. I remember being told a long time ago that there is nothing I can do to make God love me any more than God already does and yet there is also nothing I can do to make God love me any less. God loves me, God loves you. As Benedict’s first step to living in humility teaches us - we are to be aware of God’s presence always. And we are to live accordingly! I like what an old friend of mine from Perth, Father Ted Whitham has written recently on this very point. Ted says:
“Every human being is like a coin. Each one of us bears God’s image. God sets us into circulation, and we should both recognise our family likeness in each other and acknowledge God as our common authority. Our task is like that of a coin which recognises the value of human labour. We too are to recognise the value of human beings in our interactions. To be like circulating coins, we cannot remain pure and separate from the world. We must ‘pay back to the Emperor what belongs to the Emperor’ (Matthew 22:21). For example, whether we like it or not, a sizeable proportion of our taxes buys weapons for war. When we buy a shirt, it is difficult not to exploit a worker in Bangladesh. We circulate in the world and are caught up in its compromises. But through all this, we ‘pay God what is God’s’ (Matthew 22:21), we are to be the images of God in the world. People see us and should see something, some aspect, some likeness of God.”
My second suggestion flows from our accepting that we are God’s. And it is to realise that everyone has been made in God’s image and likeness. And that means we are to be people who have a deep respect for each and every person – regardless of gender, money, the colour of their skin, creed, sexual orientation, intelligence, looks or even character – simply because they are a child of God and bear God’s image as much as we do. How often do we neglect others simply because they don’t think like us, or act like us, don’t live up to our standards, or are in fact not nice people.
While it may be hard – there is inherent in our faith an understanding of the basic dignity of all humanity which leads us to being very grateful for and humbled by the blessings we have received from God. It leads us to strive for God’s kingdom here on earth – right here and right now – where all may live with dignity – enough to eat, safe lodging and meaningful employment. It means that filled with the power of God’s Spirit we live into the calling to be who we truly are – the people of God.
Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s
The Lord be with you.