“Inscribed with the Image of God” Preached at Wollaston Congregational Church On October 22nd, 2017 Scripture: Matthew 22:15-22 Two groups come to Jesus posing a question. It is a trick of course, the first in a series of three test questions from various groups who are out to get Jesus. The context for this story is the same as for last week’s text. Jesus is still in the temple in Jerusalem, teaching during his last days before the crucifixion. This time the question is posed by the Pharisees and the Herodians: opposing groups. The Pharisees, in spite of their “bad rap” in the gospels, are devoutly religious people. They are the ones who will begin to establish synagogue based Judaism following the destruction of the temple. The Pharisees oppose the paying of Roman taxes using the denarius, the coin that bears Tiberius Caesar’s image as divine. For them there is no God but the God of Israel. Even to bring the coin into the temple is considered a blasphemy. The Herodians on the other hand support Herod, Rome’s client king in Jerusalem, and so they support the paying of taxes to Rome. They have no problem with the image on the coins. The question, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” is a trick because Jesus cannot answer safely either way. If he says it is against Jewish law to pay the taxes, the Herodians can accuse him of inciting revolution. On the other hand, if he says that it is lawful, the Pharisees can accuse him of blasphemy. But it is worth remembering that by the end of the week, Jesus will be taken to the cross to die. I imagine his response to this question is less about saving himself, and much more about a teaching something to his followers. Of course, the trick question deserves a trick answer Jesus asks to see the coin used for the tax. He asks “Who [is] this icon and the inscription?” The coin is stamped with the head and image of Tiberius, the inscription is “Caesar Augustus Tiberius, Son of the Divine Augustus” Son of God! His answer to the question is, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, give to God what belongs to God.” Many Christians have interpreted this as a neat compartmentalization. The coin has the emperor’s likeness so give the taxes that are due to the emperor, the things of the world to the world. Reserve the things of God, Sunday worship attendance, prayer, bible study, and charitable works for God. Case closed and Jesus off the hook. If Jesus was only trying to get out of the snare, I think this would be an acceptable way to interpret his answer. But, as we all know, and I’m pretty sure Jesus knows by now, the cross is inevitable. He will not stop provoking in the temple and in the Jerusalem, this will go on all week. So we are going to have to look for a deeper meaning. There are two recipients in Jesus’ answer: Caesar and God. Of these two, I’m quite I know who is the most important to Jesus. And so it seems to me that the teaching is all about what belongs to God. I invite you to ponder for a moment, with me: what belongs to God? Psalm 24 prompts us: “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it; for God has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers.” (Psalm 24:1-2) Deserts and forests Lakes and oceans Mountains and plains Solar systems and galaxies Fish and land animals Birds, bats, insects The laws of nature Wind, fire, rain and snow. Earth dense with nutrients Fruit and grains, Roots and leafy greens, Animals who produce eggs, milk, and meat. How big is our universe? How expansive is that which belongs to God? It ALL belongs to God. Now, if this sermon had been preached to me, I know that I would be beginning to feel a little uncomfortable around about this point. Perhaps I would be shifting in the pew, mentally taking stock of the money in my purse. How much would I be placing in the plate today, given that it ALL belongs to God, and Jesus has said I am to give what belongs to God to God. And it’s true, what we think belongs to us, belongs to God. The money that we earn comes from God: our natural talents, our physical and mental abilities … from God; our families, our friends, even our workplaces, our schools and our neighborhoods, from God. And it’s true that God’s own world can benefit from our generosity and charity. But I really think that Jesus is getting at something deeper in this tricky teaching. I have to imagine that he is getting at something even dearer to God’s heart than our weekly offering neatly stuffed in the envelope. What are truly the most precious things to God? In all the universe there is something extraordinarily specific that belongs to God. It is, perhaps, God’s most precious belonging. The denarius bears the image of Caesar, but God could not care less. This exploiter claims to be divine, the coin is to remind the Roman subjects they belong to his empire. They have to submit their hard-won wages to him, they are to submit themselves to him. But the living God’s image is not stamped on a manufactured coin. God’s image is stamped on each human being. We learn that in the very first book of the Bible, Genesis. It is a living, breathing image. There’s no need for a shoddy reproduction. There’s no need for an inscription, “child of the divine.” The light of God’s life shines through each beloved child … each beloved child. Even as this is difficult to take in, also hear God’s message given by the prophet Isaiah to the Israelite people when they were held captive by another empire, Babylon: Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me. (Isaiah 49:15-16) God, in turn, is inscribed with our likeness. God’s image inscribed on you and in me, our likeness inscribed on God. In the light of this mutual inscription, what does this mean for giving to God that which belongs to God? I have, on occasion, attended churches that used the expression “give it up to God.” I believe this refers to giving over worries and cares in prayer. Churches that use this expression encourage their members to lay down their burdens of sin on God’s altar. Often people are invited forward, for what is known as an “altar call.” For some, it is the first time they have had the experience of trusting God with their fears and anxieties, the burdens of what they have done. Although it may seem a little strange in a church like ours, “give it up to God” is a powerful statement for those who take it seriously. I don’t mean to mock it. Yet, this expression doesn’t quite satisfy my search into Jesus’ answer. I feel a deeper wholeness in this call to “give to God what belongs to God.” I wonder if our relationship with God … God’s image being inscribed on us, and our image inscribed upon God … connects at a deeper level than I have ever imagined before. If I am to give to God what belongs to God in any real sense, I am called to give the things God cares about most deeply. And with this incredible inter-relatedness between God, humanity, and all living things, surely those are the things I care about most deeply. This week I learned about the “Dear World” project. Perhaps you’ve heard about it. You can find it online at dearworld.com. [1] The Dear World project, as the name suggests, is essentially addressed to anyone in the world. A photographer, Robert Fogarty, began in New Orleans by asking individuals to share a love letter for the city. Participants would take a sharpie and write their letter on their skin for Fogarty to photograph. What he learned from that exercise is, as he says, that “we all have hopes and fears, losses and joys, and this is one way to express our desire to be heard.” Fogarty has moved on from that project to invite everyone he photographs to share one message to someone or something they care about. Since beginning the project Fogarty has photographed thousands of people, of all ages, ethnicities, sexual and gender expressions … from Syrian refugees to survivors of the Boston Marathon bombing. In the photographs on the Dear World website there are messages such as …
There is a story behind each message. Some of the stories are told on the website, along with the captivating portraits. Participants tell of a struggle they have gone through; a triumph they have had; the last time they saw a loved one. I find the photographs captivating because the message is boldly shown for all to see. The most deeply valued message is inscribed on each one. It’s not too difficult to imagine that there is a message in all of us, whether it is inscribed on our skin, or buried deep beneath the surface. Give to God what you care most about. What would your sharpie message say? What story, buried in your heart, would that reveal, your most precious possession, your most deeply held value? And so I say, give to God the things that are God’s, because they have no other place than the very center of God’s heart. Amen Your comments are invited ... Conversation starter: what would your sharpie message be? [1] http://www.dearworld.com/ accessed on 10/21/17
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