Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's

 

 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 perceive their wickedness, and said, 'Why do you test Me, you hypcrites?  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 and spoke to the chief priests and elders 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 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?'  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 perceive 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.  This question on taxation is designed as a trap for Jesus.  If He replied "yes" to the question, it would turn the Jewish people against Him.  If He replied "no" it would bring a charge of treason by the Romans.  But Christ's answer yet again evades the intentions of those who question Him and gives a perspective they don't expect.  Christ's answer shows that a believer can render the state its due, and at the same time serve God (Romans 13:1-7).  My study Bible explains that as the coin bears the image of the emperor and is properly paid to him, so each person bears the image of God and therefore belongs to God.  Conflict arises only when the state demands that which is contrary to God.  

 

Christ's answer (and my study Bible's explanation) suggests something interesting to us. If there is not necessarily a contradiction between service to state and service to God; that is, if we can honor both our obligations to the state and to God at the same time, then it is fundamentally possible for even the state to designate "good" as something pleasing to God.  Obviously, human beings need good governance.  Whatever problems we have in the world with power and governments, they do not come about because no government is the answer or pleasing to God.  On the contrary, we understand from the creation story in the Bible that our world is meant to be not a place of chaos and anarchy, not a place where we human beings simply struggle against one another for limited goods, or a life of "all against all."  The Bible tells us that God organized life from its fundamental beginnings, separating land and sea, ocean from ocean, putting man in a specific garden.  Moreover to guide human beings and human enterprises, God gives us angels.  In the Revelation we read of each angel meant to lead every church St. John is told to write to; The Lord tells John to write separate messages to the angels of the churches of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and the church of the Laodicaeans.  In fact, it is an angel sent by the Lord, by Christ, to tell John all of the instructions of the Revelation to the churches.  In the tradition of our faith we understand that angels are put in charge of states, nations, cities, that even each one of us has a particular guardian angel.  What that tells us, then, is that the normal human activities of the regulation of states need not conflict at all with our duty to God.  But, of course, this would mean that the state align itself with the will of God in some sense, for in that case there is no conflict with our loyalty to God.  Good governance is something respected in the Bible, particularly in the New Testament and in the writing of St. Paul (such as the passage in Romans 13:1-7, cited by my study Bible).  Clearly, human beings need governments and states of various kinds, but we may seek good government in accordance with the values of our faith.  Moreover there is a subtle emphasis implied here on the responsibility of the people, both communally and individually.  For in each case we may render proper duty to God and to the state.  Of course, what all of this tells us is that our first duty is to God, and that this is also true of the state.  In a conscientiously secular modern sense, we expect the government to impose no religion upon us, but we cannot get away from conscience and our love of God, for these are where values come from to begin with.  Our very concepts of human rights in a modern sense were developed culturally as a result of our faith (see the book by Tom Holland titled Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World for a greater eye-opening discussion on just how much modern life owes to the Christian faith).  In the ancient world, of course, and in the context of our reading, Caesar was worshiped as a god, and thereby the Jews and many Christians to come would be persecuted.  But Jesus teaches here -- as does the whole history of Christian faith and its effects on culture and society -- that our first duty is to live faithfully to the extent that we are able, for we are first those who render the soul unto God, and the rest of life, including its necessities, follows.  What we observe about today's reading also hinges on another aspect of Jesus' response to these men, and that is that He openly calls them hypocrites. Indeed, the Pharisees, who are exceptionally prideful of their intensely scrupulous observance of the law, here ally themselves with the Herodians, who are the followers of Herod's court, which serves Caesar and rules Israel.  What kind of partnership is that for those who quiz Him regarding paying taxes to Caesar and the Jewish law?  Their own hypocrisy exposes them in their murderous envy of Christ, and the greed for which they are known themselves.  So in the light of today's reading, let us consider what a true examination of conscience is and means.  It does not imply that we ascribe to a particular political theory or philosophy.  Neither does rendering our due to the Lord mean separating ourselves from participation in worldly life.  We walk a fine line by rendering unto both God and Caesar what belongs properly to each, with our faith being the guide for what is good and what is not.

 

 

 

Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's

 

A silver denarius

So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor.  Then they asked Him, saying, "Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly, and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth:  Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"  But He perceived their craftiness, and said to them, "Why do you test Me?"  Show Me a denarius.  Whose image and inscription does it have?"  They answered and said, "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."  But they could not catch Him in His words in the presence of the people.  And they marveled at His answer and kept silent.

 

- Luke 20:19–26 

 

Yesterday we read that, while teaching in the temple, Jesus began to tell the people this parable:  "A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time.  Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard.  But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed.  Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.  And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out.  Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do?  I will send my beloved son.  Probably they will respect him when they see him.'  But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.'  So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.  Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them?  He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others."  And when they heard it they said, "Certainly not!"  Then He looked at them and said, "What then is this that is written:  'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone'?  Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."  And the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on Him, but they feared the people -- for they knew He had spoken this parable against them.

 

 So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor.  Then they asked Him, saying, "Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly, and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth:  Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"  But He perceived their craftiness, and said to them, "Why do you test Me?"  Show Me a denarius.  Whose image and inscription does it have?"  They answered and said, "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."  But they could not catch Him in His words in the presence of the people.  And they marveled at His answer and kept silent.  My study Bible says that this question on taxation is designed to trap Jesus.  A "yes" answer would turn the Jewish people against Him.  A "no" would bring a charge of treason by the Romans.  His answer is a defeat to their cunning, and it shows that a believer can render to the state its due, while serving God (Romans 13:1-7).  As the coin bears the image of the emperor and is properly paid to him, my study Bible tells us, so each person bears the image of God and therefore belongs to God.  Conflict arises only when the state demands that which is contrary to God.

 

 I always find Jesus' assertive rebuffs and answers given to the religious leaders who come to test Him quite intriguing.  This is because they are illuminating as examples of how to respond to those who quiz with the intent of entrapment or denigration of faith.  In our lives, we might find challenges to the things we believe, and often beliefs will be ascribed to us that we don't actually hold.  Similarly to the question in today's reading which is posed to Jesus, we might be offered dilemmas -- and assumptions contained therein -- that don't at all reflect the fullness of our values and beliefs.  In this case, Jesus is openly teaching in the temple, and so He has deliberately come to Jerusalem to make His Triumphal Entry, and to do as He is doing.   Without openly declaring so Himself, He is there in the temple at Jerusalem as a messianic figure.   He has already expressed this in the cleansing of the temple (see this reading).  So, as these men seek to trap Him in a "yes" or "no" answer, Jesus gives us an example of responding to such questions given with these types of motives.  He doesn't accept their dichotomy, the choices offered through the question.  Instead He asserts His own teachings, and does so using the brilliant example of a coin of the realm, a Roman coin printed by the state authority that controls Israel.  To paraphrase His response, "Whose face and inscription are on that coin?," Jesus asks.  Clearly the coin is printed by Ceasar's government, for currency exchange within the Roman system of administration.  Under an emperor such as Caesar, whatever is imprinted with his image or insignia is an extension of himself, his authority, and his power.  But by the same token, as those who are created by God, we also bear an image and inscription within ourselves, and so we belong to God, as my study Bible points out.  In His teaching and His response, Jesus not only refutes without falling into their trap or accepting their potential responses, He also teaches us about who we are.  He gives us a teaching that is essential to Christian faith.  As we are created in the image and likeness of God, and Christ Himself became Incarnate as a human being, so we are saved through His Incarnation in that we are to follow and become like Him -- to grow in that image and inscription of the name of God within us.  For this is eternal salvation, that we may come to dwell with God, and be a part of God's kingdom.  Every ruler, every state, mints coins and currency that bear the stamp of authority and belonging to its realm.  So we also bear God's image.  In this one instant, in these few words directing these men to render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and unto God what is God's, we receive the gospel message and the power of salvation from our Lord, the Messiah, Jesus Christ.  And in the presence of all the people, all these men who seek to entrap Him can do is to marvel at His answer.  Would that we all could be so eloquent, using so few words, as Jesus is, and know what we are to be about as His followers. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God?

 

 Then they sent to Him some of the Pharisees and the Herodians, to catch Him in His words.  When they had come, they said to Him, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth.  Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?  Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?"  But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, "Why do you test Me?  Bring Me a denarius that I may see it."  So they brought it.  And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"  They said to Him, "Caesar's."  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."  And they marveled at Him.  

Then some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him; and they asked Him, saying:  "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, and leaves his wife behind, and leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.  Now there were seven brothers.  The first took a wife; and dying, he left no offspring.  And the second took her, and he died; nor did he leave any offspring.  And the third likewise.  So the seven had her and left no offspring.  Last of all the woman died also.  Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be?  For all seven had her as wife."  Jesus answered and said to them, "Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God?  For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.  But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, "I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?  He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living.  You are therefore greatly mistaken."

 

- Mark 12:13–27 

 

Yesterday we read that, after the cleansing of the temple, Jesus and the disciples came again to Jerusalem.  And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to Him.  And they said to Him, "By what authority are You doing these things?  And who gave You this authority to do these things?"  But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one question; then answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things:  The baptism of John -- was it from heaven or from men?  Answer Me."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?'  But if we say, 'From men'" -- they feared the people, for all counted John to have been a prophet indeed.  So they answered and said to Jesus, "We do not know."  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."  Then He began to speak to them in parables:  "A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a place for the wine vat and built a tower.  And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.  Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that he might receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the vinedressers.  And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed.  Again he sent them another servant, and at him they threw stones, wounded him in the heard, and sent him away shamefully treated.  And again he sent another, and him they killed; and many others, beating some and killing some.  Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them last, saying, 'They will respect my son.'  But those vinedressers said among themselves, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.'  So they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard.  Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do?  He will come and destroy the vinedressers, and give the vineyard to others.  Have you not even read this Scripture:  'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.  This was the LORD's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?" And they sought to lay hands on Him,  but feared the multitude, for they knew He had spoken the parable against them.  So they left Him and went away.  

 

  Then they sent to Him some of the Pharisees and the Herodians, to catch Him in His words.  When they had come, they said to Him, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth.  Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?  Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?"  But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, "Why do you test Me?  Bring Me a denarius that I may see it."  So they brought it.  And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"  They said to Him, "Caesar's."  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."  And they marveled at Him.  My study Bible tells us that the Herodians were Jewish political supporters of the ruling house of Herod the Great and therefore willing servants of Rome.  Here they collaborate with the Pharisees to trap Jesus in His words.  A "yes" answer to this question on taxation would turn the Jewish people again Him, while a "no" could bring a charge of treason by the Romans.  My study Bible comments that Jesus defeats their cunning and shows that a believer can render the state its due while serving God (Romans 13:1-7).  As the coin bears the image of the emperor and is properly paid to him, it explains, so each person bears the image of God and therefore belongs to God.  Conflict arises only when the state demands that which is contrary to God.  

Then some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him; and they asked Him, saying:  "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, and leaves his wife behind, and leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.  Now there were seven brothers.  The first took a wife; and dying, he left no offspring.  And the second took her, and he died; nor did he leave any offspring.  And the third likewise.  So the seven had her and left no offspring.  Last of all the woman died also.  Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be?  For all seven had her as wife."  Jesus answered and said to them, "Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God?  For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.  But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, "I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?  He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living.  You are therefore greatly mistaken."   My study Bible explains that the Sadducees represent landowners and other wealthy families in Jerusalem.  They held many high offices in Israel, and controlled the temple and the Sanhedrin.  They differed from the Pharisees in that they were political prudent and had adapted to the presence of the Romans.  Additionally, they interpreted the law even more rigidly than the Pharisees.  Also unlike the Pharisees, they rejected belief in angels and in the resurrection from the dead at the end of the age.  After the destruction of Jerusalem, the Sadducees completely disappeared.  Jesus explains clearly that there will be a resurrection, but it will be something quite different from what the Sadducees imagine.  They think the resurrection will be a continuation of earthly life, including earthly marriage, and so they mock the idea with an absurd scenario.  But, as Jesus says, they are ignorant of the Scriptures and they don't know the power of God.  The Scriptures, understood correctly, reveal a complete transfiguration of life in the resurrection, and make their question irrelevant.  Moreover, they don't understand how Abraham and his sons can live in God even if they're physically dead.  My study Bible declares that it's the clear teaching of Christ that the souls of the faithful who have departed this life are sustained before the face of God in anticipation of the final joy of the resurrection.

 

 Jesus tells the Sadducees, "Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God?"  The Sadducees were a party of people for whom there were only the first five books of the Scriptures, the Torah or Law of Moses, also called the Pentateuch.  But we can read into Christ's words the understanding that regardless of their limitation with regard to what Scriptures they accepted, they also did not know how to properly interpret the Scripture they had, and this is linked to His statement that they did not know the power of God.  If we don't understand the power of God, even if we don't consider grace, and the power of the Holy Spirit, how can we understand the Scriptures or learn how to read what is in them?  Jesus is telling us all quite clearly that without knowing the power of God we can't really understand what's in the Scriptures for us, for there is so much more than the letters on the page, and so much that needs to be seen with the eyes of spiritual perception (called nous in the Orthodox tradition).  This is why a prayerful reading of Scripture is always what we need, and a prayerful orientation to what we read is the way we should approach everything we read.  In my Orthodox Study Bible, from which I quote in the notes I include with the text of the daily reading, all of the commentary is compiled from those throughout the centuries -- many of them saints -- who devoted themselves to prayer and Scripture throughout their entire lives.  It is those who consecrated themselves to such a way of life whose words we trust to help us to understand Christ, for it is in the quest for that life of grace and holiness He made possible that their understanding has been given to us, and as a gift of the Holy Spirit to the entire Church.  Let us all consider how deepening our prayer and our understanding go hand in hand, for this is where our lives can be centered in trust.  It is, indeed, part of the power of God to open our eyes to what is there, and to what more we may well need to see in faith.  

 

Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's

 

 So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor.  Then they asked Him, saying, "Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly, and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth:  Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"  But He perceived their craftiness, and said to them, "Why do you test Me?  Show Me a denarius.  Whose image and inscription does it have?"  They answered and said, "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."  But they could not catch Him in His words in the presence of the people.  And they marveled at His answer and kept silent. 

 

- Luke 20:19-26 

 

Yesterday we read that, after He was confronted regarding His authority (in the temple in Jerusalem), He began to tell the people this parable:  "A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time.  Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard.  But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed.  Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.  And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out.  Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do?  I will send my beloved son.  Probably they will respect him when they see him.'  But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours."  So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.  Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them?  He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others."  And when they heard it they said, 'Certainly not!"  Then He looked at them and said, "What then is this that is written: 'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone'? Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder." 

So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor.  Then they asked Him, saying, "Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly, and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth:  Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"  But He perceived their craftiness, and said to them, "Why do you test Me?  Show Me a denarius.  Whose image and inscription does it have?"  They answered and said, "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."  But they could not catch Him in His words in the presence of the people.  And they marveled at His answer and kept silent.  My study Bible tells us that this question on taxation is really designed as a trap for Jesus.  If He answered "Yes" to this question about Roman taxation, it would turn the Jewish people against Him.  If He answered "No" it would bring a charge of treason by the Romans.  But Christ's answer defeats their cunning, and moreover, my study Bible says, it shows that a believer can render the state its due while serving God (Romans 13:1-7).  As the coin bears the image of the emperor and is therefore properly paid to him, so each one of us bears the image of God, and therefore we belong to God.  Conflict arises, my study Bible says, only when the state demands that which is contrary to God.  

 

What is the image of God in us?  What does this mean that we are created in God's "image and likeness"?  "Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.' So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them" (Genesis 1:26-27).  There are quite a few interesting things to note about that passage (such as the plural Us for God, for instance).  The first thing we might notice are words of authority; in this case "dominion."  There is also the creation of "male and female" indicating what it means to be man (ἄνθρωπον/anthropon in the Greek of the Septuagint) or humankind.  That Greek word for "image" is εἰκόνα/eikona, from which we get the word icon.  "Likeness" is from ὁμοίωσιν/homoiosin; it implies a similitude, a thing that is "like" something else.  While we may think of these words, icon (or image)  and likeness in visual terms as we commonly use them, they don't imply that here at all.   An icon is something that represents something; to look at an icon in this sense of the word means that we are given the presence of that person.  It is in this same sense that St. Paul writes that we are each temples of God:  "Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?  If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are" (1 Corinthians 3:16-17).  More acutely reflecting Christ's teaching in today's reading, St. Paul also writes, "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?" (1 Corinthians 6:19).  This is what it means to bear the image of God, in the language of St. Paul, and in the meaning of Jesus, that we are not "our own."  To be "like God" again makes reference to some quality or qualities of sameness.  How are we similar to God?  The capacity for dominion or authority conveys a similitude, it also implies a capacity for independence or authority, for creativity and making decisions, choices.  But to bear this likeness, to be an icon, means that we belong to something.  It is as if we are imprinted with a seal or a flag that bears reference to the higher thing that is above us, just like the coin that Jesus references.  The coin that bears the image of Caesar means that it is part of Caesar's authority and power, and so are we with God, whether we know that or not.  In our "image and likeness" we have a stamp upon us, we belong to something or rather Someone; in this sense He is also our Father.  But what makes a good and true Father?  Simply put, God loves us and is the true image any human father should aspire to, the parent that gives us the fullness of what that can be.  God is gracious, giving, God loves us, God teaches us, and more than anything else, God longs for us to be in communion with God, in the circle of God's care and love, closer than we know closeness to be.  See the parable of the Lost Son or Prodigal Son at Luke 15:11-32.  God wants us to be true to that icon and likeness, and for us to grow in that icon and likeness.  And so, we have Christ, God who became one of us, who shows us what God is like.  "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him. . . . He who has seen Me has seen the Father" (see John 14:7-9).   Christ gives us the fullest example of bearing the image of God into the world, and teaches us also that we are to "follow Him."   In this way there is the fullness of communion, for as He gave Himself for us, so we give (render) ourselves back to God, so that we may also grow more true to the image we bear, and grow in that likeness.

Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's

 

Peter Paul Rubens, The Tribute Money, ca 1612.  Legion of Honor Museum, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, California

 And the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on Him, but they feared the people -- for they knew He had spoken this parable against them.  So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor.  Then they asked Him, saying, "Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly, and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth:  "Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"  But He perceived their craftiness, and said to them, "Why do you test Me?  Show Me a denarius.  Whose image and inscription does it have?"  They answered and said, "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."  But they could not catch Him in His words in the presence of the people. 

 

- Luke 20:19–26 

 

 In Luke's Gospel, we are now reading through the events of Holy Week.   As He taught in the temple daily, He was questioned by the scribes and chief priests and elders of the temple as to His authority for His ministry and preaching.  Yesterday we read that He began to tell the people this parable:  "A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time.  Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard.  But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed.  Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.  And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out.  Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do?  I will send my beloved son.  Probably they will respect him when they see him.'  But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.'  So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.  Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them?  He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others."  And when they heard it they said, "Certainly not!"  Then He looked at them and said, "What then is this that is written:  'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone'?  Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."

 

 And the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on Him, but they feared the people -- for they knew He had spoken this parable against them.  So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor.   If we look at yesterday's reading, we see that Jesus has just told a parable against these rulers of the temple, even a threat -- that the owner of the vineyard will destroy the vinedressers and give the vineyard to others (see the parable in yesterday's reading, above).  It is clearly understood by these rulers that it was told against their leadership, and in the public hearing of the people.  So they begin to plot against Him.  Their plan is to find a way to deliver Christ to the power and authority of the governor; that is, the Roman governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate.  We could surmise that because of the people and their feelings toward both John the Baptist and Jesus as holy men, these rulers do not want to have Jesus' death on their hands in an obvious way.  So they seek to "set Him up," so to speak, in a way that will have the Roman state execute Him.

Then they asked Him, saying, "Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly, and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth:  "Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"  But He perceived their craftiness, and said to them, "Why do you test Me?  Show Me a denarius.  Whose image and inscription does it have?"  They answered and said, "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."  But they could not catch Him in His words in the presence of the people.  Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?  This is a question which is designed to trap Jesus.  Taxation was compulsory to the Roman state.  If Jesus answers "Yes" then it would turn the people against Him.  If He answers "No" it will bring a charge of treason by the Romans.  Christ's answer, according to my study bible, defeats their cunning and also shows that a believer can render the state its due while serving God (Romans 13:1-7).  As the coin which Jesus demands be shown bears the image of the emperor, and is properly paid to him, so each person bears the image of God and therefore belongs to God.  Conflict arises, my study bible says, when the state demands that which is contrary to God.

The painting shown at the top of today's reading and commentary is called "The Tribute Money."  It is by Peter Paul Rubens, and was painted on or around the year 1612.   Since 1944, the original has hung in the Palace of the Legion of Honor, one of the Fine Arts Museums in San Francisco, California.  I first saw it in the vestment room at the California Mission in Carmel, California, just off the beautiful Basilica, which also is a shrine to St. Junipero Serra.  Each time I return to this beautiful Mission I am struck by the painting, and it intrigued me more every time I saw it.   Clearly it is a copy, but I wondered why it was there and who put it there.  There is a beautiful icon, Byzantine in origin, of Mary the Mother of God, titled in the Roman Catholic tradition Our Mother of Perpetual Help.  In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, this icon is titled Theotokos Amolyntos.  Theotokos in Greek means "God-Bearer."  Amolyntos means "without taint" or "spotless" indicating her purity.  In the Eastern tradition, it is an icon of the Passion.  (Here is an interesting history of the tradition of this icon.)   A beautiful icon in a passage right next to the Basilica is something marvelous to contemplate and to pray with.  But entering into the vestment room, and turning around, one sees above the door the painting of Rubens.  Each time I visited the Mission I pondered why it was there.  Certainly in their role as missionaries, the mission fathers must have struggled with the demands of the Spanish state and military, especially as regarded their charges, the Native Americans of California.  And therein one can understand the reminder, as the priest prepared himself in the vestments for services, of the depth of choice that was always standing before them.  To whom does the soul belong?   What are the things that are Caesar's, and what are the things that are God's?  This no doubt was a clear struggle for these men of God who also had to work with the demands of the state -- including the demands for taxes, whatever the productivity of the missions.  I am no expert on this history, but I think the painting gives us a hint of the struggles of the mission fathers.  Since it appears now just above the door inside the vestment room, one presumes it was there for the private contemplation of the priest, the struggle in his own mission for those who were in his care.  The long turbulent history of colonization -- even across the world and in and by various countries -- is a subject which holds this question wherever it has taken place.  In films and literature, we find a varied representation of the struggles of pastors for their flocks, and the demands of the state.  That would include varied denominations of the Church, and also varied states, languages, governing systems, and militaries, and on different continents.  (For fictional representations more or less based on history one can read a novel from Nigeria, titled "Things Fall Apart," by China Achebe; or view a film called "The Mission" set in South America.)  Many modern, or one might say fashionable, political theories are quick to dismiss the sincerity of the Spanish mission fathers, but I am not one who ascribes to such thinking.  I am inclined to believe that theirs was a mission of faith and self-sacrifice for the love of God and love of their charges -- and also that their conflict with the demands of the state was real. Eventually, the missions would be secularized, and put under complete control of the military.   This was also not unusual for many colonies of different origin.  But this question Christ asks remains real for all of us now as well.  Then and now, the struggle between the demands of the state and our loyalty to and love of God remains with us.  Christ posed this question in this way not simply to defeat the machinations of those who wanted to entrap Him, but in order to expose the deeper layers and complexities of life in the world, life for His Church, and for those who would follow.  How are we in the world, but not of it?  How do we care both for our own souls and for the souls of others, and make decisions accordingly?  Everything belongs to God, for all of life is a gift of God, but where do our duties to the state lie, and where do they end?  I was grateful to see this painting at the mission, and understand the struggles of the fathers.  The state and its organization may change with the times and the place, but the struggle for faith remains the same, even as the demands of our secular communities and governments will change and differ from place to place and time to time.  Let us also, like the fathers, remember this question every day.

Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's

Rubens, Peter Paul.  The Tribute Money. 1612, Legion of Honor, San Francisco, CA

And the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on Him, but they feared the people -- for they knew He had spoken this parable against them.  So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor.  Then they asked Him, saying, "Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly, and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth:  Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"  But He perceived their craftiness, and said to them, "Why do you test Me?  Show Me a denarius.  Whose image and inscription does it have?"  They answered and said, "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."  But they could not catch Him in His words in the presence of the people.  And they marveled at His answer and kept silent.

- Luke 20:19-26

Yesterday we read that, after being questioned as to His authority, Jesus began to tell the people this parable:  "A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time.  Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard.  But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed.  Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.  And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out.  Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do?  I will send my beloved son.  Probably they will respect him when they see him.'  But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.'  So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.  Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them?  He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others."  And when they heard it they said, "Certainly not!"  Then He looked at them and said, "What then is this that is written:  'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone'?  Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."

And the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on Him, but they feared the people -- for they knew He had spoken this parable against them.  So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor.   Luke's Gospel asks us to take note:  not only are the chief priests and scribes anxious to get rid of Jesus, they lay a trap for Him, using spies.  But here is the goal:  they wish to deliver Him to Rome, to the power and the authority of the governor, Pontius Pilate.

Then they asked Him, saying, "Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly, and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth:  Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"  But He perceived their craftiness, and said to them, "Why do you test Me?  Show Me a denarius.  Whose image and inscription does it have?"  They answered and said, "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."  But they could not catch Him in His words in the presence of the people.  And they marveled at His answer and kept silent.  My study bible tells us that this question on taxation is designed to trap Jesus, just as the text has told us was the aim of the religious leadership.  A "yes" answer to their question would turn the Jewish people against Jesus, while a "no" would bring a charge of treason by the Romans.  But once again, Jesus' capacity for language defeats their purpose.  He evades their trap, by showing that a believer can render the state its due while serving God (Romans 13:1-7).  Just as the coin bears the image of the emperor and is properly paid to him, my study bible says, so each person bears the image of God, and therefore belongs to God.  Conflict arises only when the state demands that which is contrary to God. 

The painting above, titled The Tribute Money, by Peter Paul Rubens, was painted in the early 17th century.  It depicts just the scene that is the subject of today's reading in Luke. Interestingly, one can find a copy of this painting hanging above the door to a vestments room at Mission Carmel (or, more formally, Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo), in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California.  This was the second mission built by Franciscan missionaries in Northern or Alta California, as it was called.  Father Junipero Serra was the Franciscan in charge of the missions, whose headquarters remained with this mission.  First established in the city of Monterey in 1770, the military governor of the region also had its headquarters in the same area.  We're told that this first military governor viewed all Spanish installations in California as military institutions first, and religious outposts second.  He was a harsh governor.  Fr. Serra intervened on behalf of soldiers under him, creating tensions with the governor.  Furthermore, the soldiers treated the Native Californians badly, raping Native women and keeping them as concubines.  Wanting to distance himself and his charges from the military, Fr. Serra received permission to move the mission to its present location of Carmel in 1771, on lands more suitable for farming.  The copy of the Rubens painting hangs in a room behind the main chapel, which was presumably used for vesting before services.  One cannot be certain it was always in this location, but it is telling that for a priest like Fr. Serra the painting would be one hanging in view when preparing for services, as clearly the tension in his own mission was between what he owed to the state (being dependent upon it) and his service to God.   In the stories of the Franciscan and other missionaries throughout the world, one can find similar tensions between the demands of the state (particularly regarding colonization) and the duties of missionaries to their neophyte faithful, their flocks.  Such tensions have been dramatized in films like The Mission (1986) and books such as Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart (1958).  They depict the real life playing out of the tensions Christ outlines for us.  In the painting above, one can spot in the background a man in a large white turban (to the right of the man in the red hood), who is staring at the viewer.  Peering at us from under the turban is the face of Rubens himself, asking us to make the choice Christ points us toward.  Jesus never preaches as if we don't live in a real world with real tensions and difficulties.  The whole story of the Cross is just that:  living in a world that is imperfect, fallen, where evil will challenge us in our own missions serving Christ.  Our whole story and the long history of Christianity is one in which this tension is played out.  But let us remember in whose image we are created, and where our first duty lies.  From its inception, the Church has never distanced herself from the world.  St. Paul's words in Romans 13, cited by my study bible, to his own flock living as Roman citizens, working in the world, are testimony to that.  Ours is not a black-and-white kind of faith, but one that most honors the very fact of God's intervention in human history, the Incarnation itself in which God became one of us and lived among us as Jesus, its highest saint the woman who gave birth to the Christ child.  Perhaps even more important is the perspective of the transcendence of our faith, even as it works out through the temporal.  The Cross is the place where we live that tension, and make those choices, seeking Christ's mission for us as His disciples.  Let us live His wisdom and teaching, and follow Him with our own crosses.

Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's

 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

In our current reading, it is Holy Week.  Jesus is in Jerusalem.  He has made His Triumphal Entry into the city, cleansed the temple, and been questioned by the leadership.  He has responded already with His own questions and parables.  In yesterday's reading,  Jesus answered 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 the 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.  The Herodians are a party clearly "close" to Herod; that is, to the house of Herod the Great.  They are possibly a priestly party of members of the house of Herod (sons of one of his wives) made priest by him.  By the name it is indicated that they are close to the state power, which means that of Gentiles, the Romans who serve Caesar.   Commentators note also that the Pharisees did not come themselves, but sent their disciples.  So the trap is laid indirectly, through those who represent the Pharisees, with witnesses present close to the state power of Rome.  The question is a trap.  If Jesus answers "No," that it is not lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, then He could be brought on a charge of treason by the Romans.  If He answers "Yes," then this would turn the people against Him.  But Jesus' answer defeats them on both counts.  By asking the image on the coin, Jesus gives a lesson about life.  My study bible says that while all things come under the jurisdiction of God, the Lord over all of life, the fulfillment of governmental requirements that don't conflict with responsibilities to God is appropriate (see Romans 13:1-7, contrast with Acts 4:19, 5:29).  Fulfilling such responsibilities is not detrimental to holiness.  My study bible tells us that as the coin bears the image of the emperor and is properly paid to him, so each person bears the image of God and therefore belongs to Him.  Conflict arises only when the state demands that which is contrary to God.

It's interesting to consider the images on the coins, because Jesus has already overturned the tables of the money changers when He cleansed the temple.  At that time, He said, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a hose of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"  Perhaps the Pharisees, in sending their disciples along with the Herodians, imagined that in the cleansing of the temple Jesus was displaying a pure contempt for commerce and for money (and if so, they've clearly missed the point, which might well be in keeping with everything else we read in the Gospel).  So they planned to trap Him, in front of the Herodians as witness, if He should say that it is not legal to pay taxes to Caesar.  The reason that Roman money was exchanged for temple currency in the first place was because the image of Caesar on the Roman coins was considered by the leadership to be defiling to the temple.  Furthermore their question is reminiscent of another question put to Jesus through Peter, when in Capernaum Peter was asked, "Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?"  In some sense, Jesus gave Peter a similar teaching about honoring worldly obligations by teaching that "the sons are free," meaning that He should not really have this obligation, but that to avoid offense, they would pay.  This happened through marvelous means, with Jesus instructing Peter to cast a hook into the sea, take up the first fish, and there would be a piece of money in its mouth with which to pay the temple tax.  Each incident seems to be clearly indicating a proper way to approach not only worldly obligations, but issues of money.  The "den of thieves" is inappropriate to the temple.  And the cleansing of the temple isn't the only time Jesus rails against the Pharisees for their greed and hypocrisy.  In the next chapter of Matthew, He will tell them, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation" (23:14).   The common issue in these questions about taxes and the hypocrisy of religious practices having to do with money, commerce, and taxation is the burdens placed on the people.  Again, in chapter 23, He will teach His disciples and the crowd in the temple, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.  Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.  For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.  But all their works they do to be seen by men" (23:2-5).  To bind heavy burdens is to place on the people an onerous weight; to fail to move them with even one finger is to lack all mercy and to be unrighteous.  In all of these teachings, Jesus distinguishes between what goes on in the house of God as an expression of God's love and will, and practices that are acceptable or common in the marketplace.  My study bible is careful to say that Jesus isn't separating our lives into the secular and the sacred.  Rather, worldly obligations needn't necessarily conflict with our first responsibility to God.  We honor the obligations that we have as part of the way in which we have been given our faith, and part of a righteous life.  It is oddly like the parable He gave in yesterday's reading about the wedding feast, and the guest not wearing the garment provided by the king (see above).  Life presents us with obligations, and those that do not conflict with our first responsibility to God are also honored appropriately.  Jesus does not present us with an impossible philosophical or ideological task of destroying all worldly systems and commerce and power.  But what He does teach is righteousness and discernment. He asks of us to be wise as serpents and simple as doves,  and to be always awake for His return.  In our own dealings with others, we are asked to live righteous lives.

Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's

And the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on Him, but they feared the people -- for they knew He had spoken this parable against them.

So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on his words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor. Then they asked Him, saying, "Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly, and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth: Is it lawful for us to pay our taxes to Caesar or not?" But He perceived their craftiness, and said to them, "Why do you test Me? Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?" They answered and said, "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." But they could not catch Him in His words in the presence of the people. And they marveled at His answer and kept silent.

- Luke 20:19-26

In yesterday's reading, Jesus told a parable against the religious leaders who are trying to trap Him. It is the parable of the wicked vinedressers, who, year after year take the harvest for themselves, and beat and harm the men sent by the vineyard owner to take the harvest of the vintage. Finally, the owner sends his son -- and this one the stewards (or vinedressers) seek to kill, so they can take the inheritance themselves. Jesus says that surely the owner will then give this vineyard to others. The leadership in the temple understands this has been told against them, and it is the story of Israel - they tell Him, "Certainly not!" Jesus replies, "What then is this that is written: 'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone'? Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."

And the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on Him, but they feared the people -- for they knew He had spoken this parable against them. So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on his words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor. And here we are, finally, in open confrontation. They know what Jesus has said against them, and He knows they are trying to trap Him to get rid of Him. It's kind of interesting how this is all a sort of game, because they must be careful in front of the people who support popular preachers like Jesus, and before Him, John the Baptist. So it's a tricky, "crafty" game, the game of power and politics, played out in underhanded way.

Then they asked Him, saying, "Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly, and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth: Is it lawful for us to pay our taxes to Caesar or not?" But He perceived their craftiness, and said to them, "Why do you test Me?" We note that Jesus replies quite openly that He understands He is being tested. He's not afraid to call out what is happening, and He meets this tricky question with His own openness. My study bible reminds us that this question is set to trap Jesus between the Roman governor and the people: if He answers "Yes" the people will be against Him, for they are hard-pressed by the Roman occupation. If He answers "No" then He will be in trouble and under a charge of treason with the legal authorities of the Roman state.

"Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?" They answered and said, "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." But they could not catch Him in His words in the presence of the people. And they marveled at His answer and kept silent. This very brilliant answer refuses to fall into the trap of the "either - or" situation they've posed to Him. In fact, I think we could call Jesus a brilliant orator or attorney in His own right. The legal experts in the temple marvel at His answer and, for the time being, must be silent. This is testimony in an unfair trial, set up by those trying to trap Him. But, expert witness that He is, He refuses to capitulate on their terms and comes up with His own brilliant testimony. What belongs to the state, and what belongs to God? This is such an important question -- and it is one that pervades every day of our lives. Does the state have proper authority to organize and provide for government, to make currency for economic transactions? My study bible says, "No conflict need exist between civic and religious duties. Christians can render the state its due while serving God. As the coin bears the image of the emperor and is properly paid to him, so each person bears the image of God and belongs to Him. Conflict arises when the state demands of Christians what belongs only to God."

So let us consider today this important question: what belongs to the state and what belongs to God? When does that line overlap? Under Nazi Occupation, native civil and religious authorities in many parts of the country of Greece - and especially in its capital, Athens - worked together in resistance to save the lives of thousands of Jews from death and deportation. They drew the line at duty to God and duty to an occupying state when it came to this action demanded of them which violated all conscience and religious loyalty to a loving Savior by refusing to turn names of Jews to the Nazis and by issuing thousands of phony baptismal certificates to save innocent lives. Let us consider then where and how we draw the line. But first, we look to our Savior and His brilliant testimony -- He puts us solidly in the middle of that cross that we must bear every day: what belongs to God and what belongs to Caesar? Tellingly, this story follows the story of the vineyard, and the question of what we return to the vineyard owner. Clearly, there is an important place for human institution and organization, for good government. How does the God of love teach you to make that choice today?

Render unto Caesar

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

In yesterday's reading, Jesus told a parable to the temple leadership - about those who are invited to the wedding banquet and who fail to answer the call. The invitation will be extended into the highways - to all the world, we are to understand. But even those who are called must be prepared, wearing the wedding garment when the king arrives, for "many are called, but few are chosen." In today's reading, the temple leadership (in this case, we are told, the Pharisees) begins its attempts to trap Jesus, sending to him their disciples with some Herodians to ask him a question.

Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle him in his talk. My study bible says that, "The Pharisees wish to entangle him by showing Christ to be either a revolutionary against or a collaborator with the Romans." I think that the way the gospel is written tells us that it is important to understand the motives of people who question Jesus. Why are they asking this question? What are they really doing? This is something that we need to pay attention to. And the text bears out this importance of motivation.

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?" First of all, we understand that the Pharisees are here allying themselves with the Herodians, who were for the most part a political party aligned around Herod, his court, and the particular part of the aristocracy he represented. So, this is an alliance of the powerful, the ones who control what happens in the region. They both work with the powerful Roman rule. It's kind of ironic, then, that they preface their question with the phrases that praise Jesus for the fact that he does "not regard the person of men." That is, he is straightforward with everyone, he doesn't say one thing to one person because of his position or identity, and another thing to someone else. This, in my opinion, must be in great contrast to the identity of his questioners, who by definition are those who have aligned themselves with the powerful. My study bible notes that "Jesus constantly demonstrates he is divine as well as human. Here again he does so by (1) revealing the secrets of their hearts, and (2) silencing them through his questions." So, what is the most important aspect of this scene for the historical religious perspective of the church is in Jesus' understanding of the motivations of these people. He calls them "hypocrites," and we know that the original meaning of this word is "actor." In contrast to Jesus, who does not regard the person of men, these people simply play a role that is asked of them: there is one thing in their hearts, but their question is posed as if it were an honest spiritual or religious question.

"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. My study bible notes, "The distinction between the things that are Caesar's and the things that are God's does not imply a division of life into two domains, the secular and the sacred. Rather, God is Lord over all. We must fulfill legitimate governmental requirements which do not conflict with our responsibility toward God (Rom. 13:7). Paying taxes and similar duties are not detrimental to godliness. The fact that the Jewish establishment had a Roman coin in hand proved they accepted and used this coin, thereby accepting the earthly rule of the one who issued it." What I like about Jesus' response is that it is indeed, a "middle way." Jesus teaches us how to live in this world and at the same time to be faithful to God. The extremes are not for him. There is no doubt that all he does and all that he would instruct us to do is that which serves God - but worldly life must have good government or organization, good ways to live in this world, and beyond that we also remember that he avoids scandal when it is not necessary - and when it is not what his mission in the world is concerned with. Jesus is here on a spiritual mission, sent first to "the lost sheep of the house of Israel" and then his gospel will be sent to all the world (see yesterday's reading). All things, indeed, must serve the Lord, and righteousness is for all - but that does not begin and end with political questions, nor with a kind of extreme religious orientation that in the end is simply political. The spiritual reality that we live in our hearts will teach us another way - one that negotiates this world while not giving up "the things that are God's."

So, this reading gives us a lot to consider when it comes to motivation, and to corruption. Jesus is neither a revolutionary - an insurrectionist concerned with nationalist aspirations against the Roman rulers, nor is he a collaborator with Rome. He is a spiritual leader, or rather the spiritual leader, the Son who wishes to lead all home to the Father, into right-relatedness. In his commentaries on the Law, especially as given in the Sermon on the Mount in the gospel of Matthew, he repeatedly attempts to teach that the Law is not simply there for itself, but that the spirit of the Law in which it was given to Moses is what we wish to ally ourselves with as his followers. And he is always and consistently teaching from this perspective. His choices always reflect that perspective: so to ally with one side of this political question or not is not really the point for him. We render our full hearts to God, and from there we do what we do. Is it the taxes to the temple or to Caesar that are important - or is it that which keeps us from knowing God? This is the real question. And that leads us to the deeper perspective that is in this reading: what is the motivation in the hearts of those who ask him this question? Have they rendered their hearts to God, or are their hearts far from God? Jesus clearly answers with one perspective in mind - that they are those "hypocrites" who focus not on the questions that will bring themselves and others more close to God and in relationship to God, but by their hypocrisy they blind others to the reality of God, and keep them from relationship to God. It is in this spirit that they are called hypocrites. Do they render unto God what is God's or are they out for themselves? Do they ask Jesus in honesty, seeking spiritual guidance, or is this question merely a trap? Let us be cautious as we go about our lives to consider the same questions for ourselves - and render unto God first what is God's, and live our lives on that basis as does Christ. We will find his way in what we do as well. This is part of what it means for us to be alert, to be watchful. And the "obvious questions" may not be the right questions, after all.