St. John’s Lutheran Church, Toluca, IL – 21st Sunday after Pentecost
Isaiah 45:1-7; Psalm 96:1-13; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10; Matthew 22:15-22
Matthew 22:15-22
15Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap [Jesus] in what he said. 16So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. 17Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” 18But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? 19Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” 21They answered, “The emperor’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.
. . .
A Very Loaded Question
Grace to you, beloved of God, and peace from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Twenty-four years in the States, and I am still learning. I had the wrong idea what a loaded question is. I had a sense that it was a question meant to attack the standings of something or someone. In my mind, it was a question that carried more stuff than what was on the surface – hence being called “loaded” – but one that could be honest. I learned that a loaded question is often dishonestly meant to trap someone by forcing an answer that would ruin the person’s reputation or credibility. A loaded question is also a fallacy, and fallacies are false notions based on unsound arguments. Common examples of fallacies are the ad hominem, which is when the person making an argument is attacked instead of the argument itself; the Straw man, which uses an oversimplified or distorted version of someone’s position against the person; or the slippery slope, which claims that something can only lead to a particular sequence of events.
I am beginning to suspect Jesus was attacked with many fallacies in the gospels, and this question about paying taxes to the emperor is one of the most venous thrown at him.
Overall, the situation in this scene is very tense. It all began in the early verses of chapter 21 with the spectacle in the temple market area after Jesus arrived triumphantly in the city. Jesus then followed with the parables that illustrate the rejection of the Kingdom of God – the two sons, the wicked tenants, and the wedding banquet – which the religious leaders who questioned his authority (Matthew 21:23-27) took personally and plotted to kill him. In the backdrop of all this are the preparations for the Passover when pilgrims from all over significantly increased Jerusalem’s population. This bulging of the city Populus stressed the Roman occupiers. It raised their level of concern with a possible revolt fueled by the extreme dissatisfaction of the Judeans with the various taxes imposed on them. The wrong Word or attitude could ignite this powder keg and send the perpetrator to the burning pile outside the city.
So here comes the first attempt by the religious authorities to kill Jesus with this very loaded question. We don’t know for sure who the “Herodians” were and what they would be doing there, but all indicates they would be loyal to the vassal king Herod – hence how Matthew calls them – and, therefore, loyal to Caesar. If Jesus said anything against the emperor, the Herodians would likely denounce it to the Romans. On the other hand, if Jesus noticed their presence and backed down by saying it was OK to pay all those heavy taxes to Caesar, he would find very angry ears in the form of the fierce opposers to the Roman occupation, especially their more radical and armed branch, the “Zealots.” Even if this failed to make Jesus disappear, at least his authority as a teacher would be ruined. This loaded question is very well crafted, and the trap is set. I suspect they thought they got him. The rabbi from little Nazareth is doomed. He would not be able to withstand the pressures of this situation. He would be overwhelmed by a world much bigger than him. Instead, he baffles everyone who hears his answer then and now.
“Give, therefore, to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s.” Say what? Heck, no!
Well, if the emperor in this time and age means the things that lord over us and separate us from each other and from God, then there is a lot we have little choice but to give to the emperor. It sounds nefarious, and it could be. However, there are a lot of common things we ought to do just to get by. We got to get the grades. We have to show up on time with our game faces on. We have to pay our bills. We have to pull ourselves by the bootstraps. We have to negotiate our place in our communities. We even tell ourselves we are doing these things for God, which may very well be true. However, we often become prisoners of these things. It becomes too much to juggle. We may feel entrapped. The pressure mounts, and we find ourselves acting in self-preservation instead of giving to God what is God’s.
Jesus’ answer somewhat acknowledges our struggle. Amid the pressure of the moment and the knowledge that he is about to be killed, he still manages to show a level of compassion for us. Give the world what is necessary for peace so you may not die. But give to God what is God’s so you may live. And God wants our love and our faith.
It is funny because faith in God might be a fallacy for some. God cannot be demonstrated by human standards. Therefore, faith in God would be considered an unsound argument. However, we who received faith as a gift feel it. We feel the transformation it operates in our hearts and minds when we are among God’s faithful people, hearing the Word, receiving the sacraments, and working together the labors of love and steadfast hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Give to God the things that belong to God, so we may become witnesses to better things and teach others to be the same. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Bridging Faith 