Posts
Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk. And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men. Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?" But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, "Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? Show Me the tax money." So they brought Him a denarius. And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?" They said to Him, "Caesar's." And He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.
- Matthew 22:15-22
Yesterday, we read that Jesus answered to the chief priests and parables in the temple, and spoke to them again by parables and said: "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. Again, he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding." But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them. But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.' So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' For many are called, but few are chosen."
Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk. And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men. Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?" But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, "Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? Show Me the tax money." So they brought Him a denarius. And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?" They said to Him, "Caesar's." And He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way. Of today's entire passage, my study bible says, "The distinction between the things that are Caesar's and things that are God's does not imply the division of a believer's life into the secular and the sacred. Rather, God is Lord over all of life, including the secular. We do, however, fulfill governmental requirements that do not conflict with our first responsibility to God (Romans 13:1-7; contrast Acts 4:19; 5:29). Paying taxes and similar civil duties are not detrimental to holiness."
Let us contrast the images on the coins that were used in the temple. The money-changers, whom Jesus tossed out of the temple on His first day after the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, were those who were exchanging the coins of Caesar for temple coins, Jewish money, in order to purchase animals for sacrifice. While these two worlds appeared separate, those who were exchanging the money and allowing the practices in the temple certainly were not objecting to using these coins (with Caesar's image on them) themselves. This was a question of temple regulation -- not a profound rejection of Roman currency at any and all times. The question here is, of course, designed as a trap. If Jesus were to object to one or the other (paying taxes to Caesar, or not) He would be "framed" either way: if He objected to paying taxes He could be arrested for treason (a charge that will be trumped against Him anyway). Let us not forget that one group asking this question were supporters of King Herod Antipas, who ruled for Rome as Tetrarch of Galilee, although He was of Jewish lineage. Although we are in Jerusalem at this point, Jesus is a Galilean subject. On the other hand, if Jesus said that yes, it was lawful, He might be condemned as a collaborator by those who are waiting for some kind of leader or holy man to lead them out from Roman rule and restore Israel. Jesus, once again, answers very cleverly to confound His questioners. I think it's important to understand that often, the "dilemmas" we tend to choose for ourselves might not be dilemmas in God's sight at all. This is a very essential spiritual understanding: that what we think are conflicts in our eyes aren't necessarily conflicts at all from a spiritual point of view, or rather, perhaps we could say from a prayerful point of view. It is we who give labels to things, who believe that there are "narrow gates" through which we can't go. But God's view is different; prayer may just give us that narrow gate through which we are to go when we are faced with dilemmas we don't know how to handle from our human perspective. Yes, this question is designed to trap Jesus -- but there seem to be many questions in life that work in us like a trap, because we aren't seeing clearly what options exist as a whole -- because we frame life in limited terms. We see conflicts and opposites where such things may not exist for God at all. And this is why a life of prayer is essential to our choices in life. We turn to Christ, to God, to the Spirit to help us find our way through each particular "narrow gate" of which we may not even be aware. A narrow gate is an opening, in what might seem a totally closed situation or circumstance. Jesus always finds that narrow gate; He does as He is taught by the Father. His Gift to us opens up our own way. Let us remember the wedding garment of yesterday's parable, and that it is the acceptance of this great gift of mercy, the Spirit who prays with us and in us, that enables us to move through -- even to perceive of -- the narrow gate He has in mind.
Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk. And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men. Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?" But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, "Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? Show Me the tax money." So they brought Him a denarius. And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?" They said to Him, "Caesar's." And He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way. Of today's entire passage, my study bible says, "The distinction between the things that are Caesar's and things that are God's does not imply the division of a believer's life into the secular and the sacred. Rather, God is Lord over all of life, including the secular. We do, however, fulfill governmental requirements that do not conflict with our first responsibility to God (Romans 13:1-7; contrast Acts 4:19; 5:29). Paying taxes and similar civil duties are not detrimental to holiness."
Let us contrast the images on the coins that were used in the temple. The money-changers, whom Jesus tossed out of the temple on His first day after the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, were those who were exchanging the coins of Caesar for temple coins, Jewish money, in order to purchase animals for sacrifice. While these two worlds appeared separate, those who were exchanging the money and allowing the practices in the temple certainly were not objecting to using these coins (with Caesar's image on them) themselves. This was a question of temple regulation -- not a profound rejection of Roman currency at any and all times. The question here is, of course, designed as a trap. If Jesus were to object to one or the other (paying taxes to Caesar, or not) He would be "framed" either way: if He objected to paying taxes He could be arrested for treason (a charge that will be trumped against Him anyway). Let us not forget that one group asking this question were supporters of King Herod Antipas, who ruled for Rome as Tetrarch of Galilee, although He was of Jewish lineage. Although we are in Jerusalem at this point, Jesus is a Galilean subject. On the other hand, if Jesus said that yes, it was lawful, He might be condemned as a collaborator by those who are waiting for some kind of leader or holy man to lead them out from Roman rule and restore Israel. Jesus, once again, answers very cleverly to confound His questioners. I think it's important to understand that often, the "dilemmas" we tend to choose for ourselves might not be dilemmas in God's sight at all. This is a very essential spiritual understanding: that what we think are conflicts in our eyes aren't necessarily conflicts at all from a spiritual point of view, or rather, perhaps we could say from a prayerful point of view. It is we who give labels to things, who believe that there are "narrow gates" through which we can't go. But God's view is different; prayer may just give us that narrow gate through which we are to go when we are faced with dilemmas we don't know how to handle from our human perspective. Yes, this question is designed to trap Jesus -- but there seem to be many questions in life that work in us like a trap, because we aren't seeing clearly what options exist as a whole -- because we frame life in limited terms. We see conflicts and opposites where such things may not exist for God at all. And this is why a life of prayer is essential to our choices in life. We turn to Christ, to God, to the Spirit to help us find our way through each particular "narrow gate" of which we may not even be aware. A narrow gate is an opening, in what might seem a totally closed situation or circumstance. Jesus always finds that narrow gate; He does as He is taught by the Father. His Gift to us opens up our own way. Let us remember the wedding garment of yesterday's parable, and that it is the acceptance of this great gift of mercy, the Spirit who prays with us and in us, that enables us to move through -- even to perceive of -- the narrow gate He has in mind.
