Bible Text: Matthew 22:15-22 | Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes
Benjamin Franklin wrote in a letter to Jean-Baptiste Leroy, “Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” The phrase, “nothing is certain but death and taxes” can often be viewed as rather fatalistic and sardonic. It is rather cynical. Some might cringe at the comparison between the inevitability of death and the unavoidable act of paying taxes. I like to believe that this has become a common mantra for anyone who has experienced change. I like to believe that the phrase has come to symbolize that everything is uncertain, that no matter how much we plan, no matter how much we keep on track, things beyond our control can change everything. It makes life exciting and for my type A personality, who likes to plan everything, its a good way to keep things unpredictable. There are songs, movies, poems, novels, comic books, even a beer that all share the title, Death and Taxes. Even Jesus seems to understand that there are many uncertainties in life but taxes isn’t one of them.
The Pharisees and Herodians, who otherwise would not even be talking to each other have found a common bond, to get Jesus between a rock and a hard place. Many would have said with certainty that the Pharisees and Herodians would never talk to each other but here they are working together to trick Jesus. The question seems rather simple, as law abiding, tax paying, rule following people, we don’t see the conflict but this very problem of paying taxes is what separates the Pharisees and Herodians. If Jesus answers that the taxes are lawful, he will offend the Pharisees, as well as the entire Hebrew people, who are currently living in an oppressive state. In particular, he will offend the people who follow him most closely, the poor, for they are especially burdened by the Roman tax system. Conversely, if he speaks out against the tax, the Roman supporters, the Herodians, have all they need to take news of such treasonous talk back to the authorities. Treason being a crime punishable by death.
This story was likely remembered and repeated throughout the life of the early church who also suffered a great deal under oppressive rulers and a strict tax system. When these two, otherwise enemy groups, gang up on Jesus it is because they thought they might be able to trap him into saying something offensive, either about the Romans or about his Jewish faith. Of course, like anyone trying to trap someone, they preface this conversation with flattery. “Jesus, you are honest, sincere, and speak the truth, you are a great teacher, you would be able to solve this for us.”
Jesus is of course all those things but he is also not fooled by their flattery. Being the honest, sincere, truth speaking teacher that he is, he is also wise, even clever. Like all great teachers, he re-frames the question and turns it back on them. He asks for a coin. It is important to note that the coin Jesus receives is a denarius. Earlier in his Gospel, Matthew says that a denarius is a full days wage for the common labourer. Clearly for someone to have a denarius on hand means that Jesus’ audience at this very moment are not the common or the poor but rather the wealthy- the political and religious authorities. People whose job it is to serve the common and the poor.
Upon receiving the coin, a denarius, Jesus asks whose inscription and face appears on it. It is of course the face of the emperor. In fact the inscription would have read, “Tiberius Caesar, son of the Divine Augustus.” This gives us a couple things to think about because two great laws within the Hebrew tradition are being broken. One, the blasphemous claim to divinity by the Roman emperor and the fact that for Jews there was a prohibition against human images. It’s idolatry. Which is why Jesus can respond, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” The Gospel says, both the Pharisees and the Herodians were amazed and they left Jesus alone. It would appear that Jesus’ answer was not only satisfactory but thoughtful and cleared up any dispute.
But few things are certain in this life-despite his audience being satisfied Jesus’ answer has lead to centuries of debate on what he meant. Some scholars point to this passage as proof that religion and politics should be kept separate. Others argue that this proves that Jesus taught that it is our duty as followers of Christ to support the government and be involved in politics. The most common scholarly interpretation is that this is proof that Jesus only cares about the things of faith and that mundane things like taxes don’t matter or that we shouldn’t pay taxes because they are blasphemous and idolatrous. To complicate things, earlier in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus spoke on the subject of money and divided loyalties. He said that no one can serve two masters. One cannot serve God and wealth.
Sometimes we get too wrapped up in scholarly talk and not enough on the practical application. When Jesus asks about who appears on the denarius he is pointing to a few things about our relationship with God. The image of the emperor is stamped on this coin- it is stamped by human hands for a human purpose. I am reminded of the story from creation, God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness.” We are made by God for God’s purpose. God placed a stamp on us.
As a result this raises questions, whose image do we bear? Who do we belong to? And ultimately where does our loyalty lie? We pay our taxes, and so we should, we place money into RRSPs, GICS and savings accounts. Being apart of this congregation means we fund raise, encourage planned givings, take up collection and so we should. Some of those funds go straight back into our operating costs, some of that goes into community causes and some of that goes into reserve accounts as they should. But no matter what we give, no matter how we save, no matter what we do, we must never forget that we belong entirely to God- our emperor, our king, our Creator.
Perhaps for those of us who appreciate our independence, those of us who desire certainties, those of us who plan, this can be a concerning statement, that our entire being belongs to God, not even to ourselves. It might seem rather unpredictable. However, the realities of belonging to God are refreshing, renewing, and remarkable. God will not forsake us. God cares for us. Like with Moses, God is present with us, affirming who we are.
When we belong to God we belong to the people of God, the body of Christ, the community of believers. We are registered in a wonderful savings plan. Our response must be to invest in our worship filled lives. All of this worship, all that we bring, all that we are, all that we will be, belongs to God. There are a few certainties in life but three come to mind, death on this earth, taxes, and the love of God found in Jesus Christ, among us in the Holy Spirit. Amen