Sermons

23rd Trinity Thoughts
The Gospel, St . Matthew xxii. 15.

THEN went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk. And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men. Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not? But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's. When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.

Quite a few years ago when I was taking classes at American University my philosophy instructor used this verse as an assignment for a paper.  I don’t remember what I wrote, but it’s always struck me as a passage that points out the balance between Church and state. 
If there is a passage in scripture that points out that politics make strange bedfellows this is it.  The Herodians were the most political and least religious of the Jews, their main thought was to keep the Roman appointed King Herod in power as their lives and fortunes were tied into maintaining the status quo.  They saw Jesus as a rabble rousing trouble maker who just might bring the wrath of Rome down on their heads.  The Pharisees were the most religious of the Jews.  They valued keeping the religious “law” to extremes that border on funny to us today.  The maintenance of their status among the people was important to them, as was the survival of the semi-independent Jewish state which allowed them to be important.  I doubt either group cared about the common people.  Either would have been happy if Jesus had answered the question.  If he said don’t pay the tax the Romans would have done him in then and there, if he had said pay the tax the people would have seen him as just another Roman want-a-be and rejected him.  So here are two groups that disliked each other to the point of hate working together to shut up a man both feared.  Doesn’t sound like politics have changed much in the last two thousand years.

The real issues is not why they did what they did, but what Jesus did with it.  All throughout New Testament scripture we are told to pray for our leaders, respect our government, pay our taxes, and work for the common good.  In this passage Jesus is clearly setting the tone.  Give to the state what belongs to it, but give to God what belongs to Him.  What belongs to God? Everything!  In one place in scripture God says the cattle of a thousand hills are mine.  God created this place we call Earth and everything on it.  God gave us free will so the only thing we have to give is ourselves, should we give that to a state that may be forgotten in a few years or to the loving eternal God.