MATTHEW 22:15-21
I SUSPECT THAT ALMOST
EVERYONE IN THE ENGLISH SPEAKING WORLD WOULD RECOGNIZE THAT SAYING OF
JESUS, “REPAY TO CAESAR WHAT BELONGS TO CAESAR AND TO GOD WHAT
BELONGS TO GOD.” MANY BIBLE SCHOLARS AND PREACHERS HAVE POINTED
OUT HOW CLEVER JESUS WAS WITH THIS ANSWER; BECAUSE HAD HE TAKEN
EITHER SIDE, HE WOULD HAVE BEEN IN TROUBLE. OTHERS POINT OUT THAT
THE PHARISEES, WHO OBJECTED TO PAYING TAXES TO CAESAR, WERE ABLE TO
PRODUCE A COIN WITH CAESAR’S IMAGE. TO CARRY AROUND A GRAVEN IMAGE
OF A MAN WHO CALLED HIMSELF “SON OF GOD” WOULD SEEM TO CONTRADICT
WHAT THEY PREACHED, PROVING THEM TO BE HYPOCRITES -- AND THAT IS WHY
JESUS CALLED THEM HYPOCRITES. AND OF COURSE THIS VERSE HAS BEEN USED
TO TELL US THAT WE SHOULD BE PATRIOTIC AND PAY OUR TAXES AND VOTE.
THE PHARISEES AND
HERODIANS NORMALLY COULDN’T STAND EACH OTHER. SO WHEN THE
PHARISEES SENT THEIR DISCIPLES ALONG WITH THE HERODIANS, JESUS KNEW
HE WAS BEING SET UP. BOTH GROUPS WOULD LIKE TO HAVE SEEN JESUS
SILENCED; THE PHARISEES BECAUSE JESUS SEEMED NOT TO RESPECT THE
JEWISH RELIGIOUS LAWS, AND THE HERODIANS BECAUSE JESUS CALLED PEOPLE
TO A HIGHER STANDARD OF BEHAVIOR, WHEREAS THE HERODIANS THOUGHT THAT
THE JEWISH PEOPLE SHOULD BE JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE, JUST LIKE THE
OTHER TRIBES AND NATIONS IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE.
AND I DON’T THINK JESUS
WAS DEMONSTRATING HIS CLEVERNESS, NOR WAS HE TELLING PEOPLE TO BE
PATRIOTIC. HE WAS CHALLENGING EACH OF HIS LISTENERS TO ANSWER THE
QUESTION, WHAT BELONGS TO CAESAR, AND WHAT BELONGS TO GOD? IF YOU
THINK EVERYTHING BELONGS TO GOD AND NOTHING BELONGS TO CAESAR, DON’T
PAY THE TAX. IF YOU THINK SOME THINGS BELONG TO CAESAR, AT LEAST IN
SOME SENSE, THEN PAY THE TAX. BUT THE REALLY IMPORTANT THING IS THAT
IF ARE CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT IS CAESAR’S DUE, THEN ALSO BE CONCERNED
ABOUT WHAT IS GOD’S DUE.
THE FIRST THING ANY NEW
CAESAR DID WAS TO MINT COINS WITH HIS IMAGE. THE DENARIUS COIN THAT
JESUS WAS SHOWN HAD THE IMAGE OF TIBERIUS, AND THE WORDS, IN LATIN OF
COURSE, “SON OF GOD.” JESUS IMPLIED THAT SOMETHING MARKED WITH
CAESAR’S IMAGE COULD VERY WELL BELONG TO CAESAR. SO HOW DO YOU
TELL WHAT BELONGS TO GOD? I ASKED THIS QUESTION AND GOT SOME
REPLIES: ONE PERSON SAID “EVERYTHING”. ANOTHER SAID,
“CHURCHES”. BUT WHAT ESPECIALLY BELONGS TO GOD IS MARKED WITH
THE IMAGE OF GOD, AND WAY BACK IN GENESIS, AFTER CREATING THE WORLD,
INCLUDING THE PLANTS AND ANIMALS, GOD CREATED HUMAN BEINGS IN HIS
IMAGE. AND THAT’S KIND OF REMARKABLE THING. IF YOU HAVE A NEWBORN
BABY OR A NINETY YEAR OLD MAN, THEY ARE BOTH MADE IN GOD’S IMAGE.
IF YOU ARE A NATIVE OF NIGERIA OR A BLONDE BLUE EYED SWEDE, YOU ARE
BOTH MADE IN GOD’S IMAGE. GOD IS INFINITE, AND EVERY HUMAN BEING
REFLECTS SOMETHING ABOUT GOD.
SAINT IRENAEUS, A CHURCH
FATHER, HAD THE OPINION THAT AFTER THE SIN OF ADAM AND EVE, HUMAN
BEINGS WHO WERE MADE IN GOD’S IMAGE AND LIKENESS KEPT THE IMAGE,
BUT LOST THE LIKENESS. IT WASN’T UNTIL JESUS CAME ALONG THAT A
HUMAN BEING AGAIN POSSESSED BOTH IMAGE AND LIKENESS. GOD’S IMAGE
HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH OUR BODIES, BECAUSE YOU CAN’T HAVE A HUMAN
BEING WITHOUT A BODY. BUT GOD’S LIKENESS IS A QUALITY YOU CAN HAVE
OR NOT. SAINT IRENAEUS SAID IT HAD TO DO WITH THE REALM OF MORALITY,
THE ABILITY TO RECOGNIZE AND CHOOSE WHAT IS GOOD. THE SIN OF ADAM
AND EVE WAS THAT ALTHOUGH THEY RECOGNIZED THE VOICE OF GOD, WHO TOLD
THEM NOT TO EAT OF A CERTAIN TREE, THEY CHOSE TO LISTEN TO THE
SERPENT, WHO APPEALED TO THEIR HUMAN APPETITES. ALL HUMAN BEINGS
START OUT THIS WAY -- LISTENING TO THE SERPENT WITHIN, WHO SAYS, DO
WHAT FEELS GOOD, AVOID WHAT HURTS; THE SERPENT WHO SAYS YOU COME
FIRST.
JESUS OF COURSE BORE THE
LIKENESS OF GOD. ST. PAUL SAYS "HE WAS IN THE VERY IMAGE OF
GOD". JESUS SAID, “MY MEAT AND DRINK IS TO DO THE WILL OF THE
FATHER.” HE SAID, “FATHER, IF YOU ARE WILLING, TAKE THIS CUP
FROM ME, BUT NOT MY WILL BUT THINE BE DONE.” AND OF COURSE JESUS
LEFT US THE CHURCH, THE SACRAMENTS, AND THE SCRIPTURES SO THAT EACH
OF US COULD REGAIN THE LIKENESS OF GOD.
AND THAT’S WHAT BELONGS
TO GOD. A HUMAN BEING, STAMPED WITH NOT ONLY HIS IMAGE, BUT HIS
LIKENESS; AND IF WE ARE SERIOUS ABOUT RETURNING TO GOD WHAT BELONGS
TO HIM, WE HAVE TO REPRODUCE THE LIKENESS OF GOD IN OURSELVES, SO
THAT WE CAN SAY AND MEAN, “NOT MY WILL BUT THINE BE DONE.” HOW DO
WE DO THAT? IT DOESN'T HAPPEN BY ITSELF. OBVIOUSLY THE FIRST THING
IS FINDING OUT WHAT GOD WILLS FOR US. A SERIOUS CHRISTIAN WILL STUDY
THE SCRIPTURES, PRAY, EXAMINE HIS OWN LIFE TO SEE WHAT NEEDS
CORRECTION AND WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED. AND A REALLY SERIOUS
CHRISTIAN WILL TALK ABOUT HIS OR HER FAITH WITH OTHER SERIOUS
CHRISTIANS, BECAUSE WE ALL NEED SOME OBJECTIVITY AS WE LEARN GOD'S
WILL. AND THEN, ONCE WE KNOW HIS WILL, WE SET OUT TO DO IT, EVEN IF
IT KILLS US, AS IT DID JESUS.
SO THIS FAMOUS SAYING OF
JESUS ISN’T ABOUT CLEVERNESS, IT ISN’T ABOUT PAYING TAXES, IT
ISN’T ABOUT DEBATING SKILLS. IT IS ABOUT WHAT BELONGS TO GOD. AND
IF WE ARE TO GIVE TO CAESAR WHAT BELONGS TO HIM; IF WE ARE TO GIVE TO
OUR EMPLOYER OR OUR PATIENTS OR OUR CLIENTS WHAT BELONGS TO THEM, IF
WE ARE TO GIVE TO OUR SPOUSE OR OUR CHILDREN OR OUR PARENTS WHAT
BELONGS TO THEM, SURELY WE MUST GIVE TO GOD WHAT BELONGS TO HIM; AND
I AM STAMPED WITH GOD’S IMAGE AND I HAVE BEEN GIVEN WHAT I NEED TO
TAKE ON HIS LIKENESS AS WELL, AND THEN I CAN BE PART OF THE PERPETUAL
OFFERING THAT JESUS MAKES OF HIMSELF TO THE FATHER, THE OFFERING THAT
GOES ON IN ETERNITY AND WHICH WE TOUCH WHENEVER THE EUCHARIST IS
CELEBRATED.
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