Text: Matthew 22:15-22  

When I went to see the Dead Sea Scrolls I had no idea that there would be any coins there.  To my surprise, the exhibit offered several different coins of the first century.  I must admit that when I was looking at these coins my imagination began to run freely.  After seeing some with the image of Pontius Pilate, for example, I thought to myself, what if these were some of the very coins Jesus knocked off of the money-changing tables when he cleansed the temple?  And what if these silver coins over here were the actual ones that were given to Judas when he betrayed our Lord?  Of course, there’s no way to know for sure, but I liked the possibility.  And then I realized what coin would have been used in our Gospel reading today - the denarius. 

The denarius bears the image of Caesar Augustus.  And it was with this coin that the Pharisees and the Herodians tried to trap Jesus.  “Tell us, O Good Teacher, O Wise One...what do you think?  Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”  Yes, or no.  Those are your options.  This question was designed to put him in a lose-lose situation.  It was a lot like a couple weeks ago when our Lord asked the Pharisees about the baptism of John - from heaven, or from men?  Since it worked well on the Pharisees, they thought they would take a play out of our Lord’s play book and try it on him.  If Jesus had said “yes, it is lawful to pay taxes,” he would have been supporting the pagan government of the Romans - not a good thing with the Jewish people.  Had he said “no,” then he’s a rebel against that very government - not a good thing with the armed soldiers standing around. 

“Show me the coin,” our Lord says.  And here we have the denarius.  “Whose image and inscription is this?”  They respond, “Caesar’s.”  But this image of Caesar wasn’t the only thing on the coin; it also had an inscription on it that said, “Tiberius Caesar, Son of the Divine Augustus.”  Divine Augustus.  Not human.  It was a claim to be god.  The denarius was blasphemous. 

Jesus simply says, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”  When this was said, everyone was silenced and they all went away.

If there’s one verse of the Bible that is used to support all kinds of different teachings it’s “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s.”  Some use this for a complete separation of church and state, others like to say that this is support for paying taxes and obeying laws, some like this text to show that you should devote your life to God, and some just say this simply shows that Jesus was very skilled in the art of debate.  It’s also interesting that those who do feel that this text is only about paying taxes are usually quick to add the comment, “by the way, if 10% is good enough for God, then it ought to be good enough for the U.S. government.”  A discussion for another time.  Perhaps a part of all of these views may be true in some sense, but I think there’s more here. 

I like how coins give an image.  The engraved image is usually preserved pretty well, even if it happens to be very old.  I’m told by collectors that a clear image adds great value to the coin.  After all, the coin is property of whose image it bears.  Tiberius Caesar, with all his statues, monuments, buildings....and coins, cared a great deal about his possessions...and his image.

Today, image is everything.  It’s not any less for us than it was in the days of Caesar.  We’ll go at great lengths to make a name for ourselves.  Reputations are huge.  To be the best - to look the best - to have the best.  Job promotions often trump personal relationships, politicians fight for the craftiest commercial to boost their images, and society tells us that we should spend as much money as possible on ourselves, even if we have to borrow it.  There’s always a way - always a way - to value our own image.  To have more.  To know more.  To be elite.

 Whatever image it is that we try to make for ourselves ultimately falls short of the very image into which we have been created.  Mankind was created in GOD’S image - with a likeness to him.  We are not to have any other graven image, we read in Exodus - “any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth” that would take the place of our heavenly Father.  We are to fear, love and trust in God above all things. 

Now, to be sure, St. Paul tells us that paying taxes, obeying laws, and submitting to the governing authorities are all fine things indeed.  God has given us a dual citizenship, and both kingdoms overlap.  The Pharisees wanted God on their side for getting out of taxes.  God does rule over all and judges all, but he’s not a trump card over such issues as taxation, representation, or government bailouts.  Jesus will not place God and Caesar against each other.   

So...what do we really give to Caesar?  What exactly is to be rendered unto him?  Jesus simply, but in a profound way, pointed out that Caesar has his image on it, so it’s his.  But possession of Caesar’s things has no divine security, as the stock market shows.  And, ultimately, we leave it to God to give to Caesar what is Caesar’s for all the names that he has claimed for himself...and for any overstepping of boundaries.  But I still think there’s more here. 

Perhaps our real focus shouldn’t be on “render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s” but on giving to God the things that are God’s.  And what is it that belongs to him?  Essentially, ALL things.  God told Isaiah that “I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the Lord, do all these things.”  Make no mistake about it; that’s everything...including that perfect creation that he created long ago.  Including that perfect image of himself in all of us that was lost in sin. 

What is it, then, that we can give to God?  We haven’t created anything, nor have we perfected anything, and if you look at the image for which we strive, it will only give us a picture of ourselves.  These won’t cut it, and the Pharisees and Herodians in our text knew it.  They marveled and went on their way, defeated once again.  Because there’s only One who can truly and perfectly give “to God the things that are God’s.”  

As the Son of God, Jesus is giving back to God what rightfully belongs to God.  And that is all of humanity, upon whom had been stamped with God’s image from the start.  In Christ is the perfect image and likeness of God.  He has come to give that image back to the fallen creation.  He has come to give that image to you.  Jesus gives back the life once lost - and he gives this life back through his death on the cross and resurrection from the grave.  Defeating sin and death.  Overcoming all graven images - clearing away all selfish images.  What’s central here is not your image among men but your image before God.

You belong to Him whose image you bear.  At your baptism, Christ claimed you as his own.  When God looks at you, he sees the clear image of Christ.  His perfect image, with the inscription that doesn’t say “son of Augustus” but “perfect child of God.”  Christ has come to forgive and to restore - to make right what has gone wrong - to render unto God what belongs to God - and that’s you.  He has made you right - your life is in him.  Today in Christ you are eternal. 

And it is from this gift first given to us, this image, that we are able to join in on giving to God what is God’s; to participate with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven in magnifying his glorious name - giving “glory to God in the highest.”  To God is all praise and thanksgiving.  Our liturgy adds “power, riches, wisdom, and strength, and honor, and blessing, and glory are his.”  You belong to your Father in heaven who is preparing a place for you right now, for you bear the image of Christ. 

The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  Amen. 

Vicar Brian German