Matthew 22:19-22 - "Everything Belongs To God" (10-19-08)

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.

Taxes – we love taxes. In 2007, the first of the United States gold looking presidential dollars with the image of George Washington was minted. The edge of the coin has the date made. It has a mint mark; P for Philadelphia or D for Denver. Of course there was S for San Francisco and O for New Orleans and CC for Carson City. The coins edge has E Pluribus Unum and the words “In God we Trust”. But there was a small minting error of a snag when the side of the coin didn’t have in God we trust. There was great consternation from the religious right that led to the 2008 law asked the mint to put “In God We Trust” on the front or back of the coin and no longer on the edge. Coin collectors find these errors very valuable. You see the mint started using the motto IN GOD WE TRUST in 1864 but it wasn’t until 1956 that the USA government declared that the MOTTO of the USA should be In God We Trust.

Could you imagine if Jesus was asked that question today? People would wait with baited breath to see how he would answer this question. Is he a real American or does he know Exodus 20:4 where it says “you shall have no graven images”. Ah, perhaps we worship the almighty dollar more than we care to admit. Jesus is in a lose-lose situation today. Two groups are about to question Jesus. The Herodians are a group we know very little about. “But their name suggests that they were a secular political party”[1] that support Herod, Rome and the Emperor. Of course there wasn’t another political party around to equal Rome, for it was a one party ruler and no one else was invited to the party. They were against Jesus and wanted to frame him before Herod and Roman Rule.

The Pharisees didn’t like the tax and wanted to trip Jesus up so that the crowds would see that he supported Herod, Rome and the Emperor. “Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” (v. 17). The trap has been set, and Jesus is going to have to move nimbly to avoid springing it. Jesus said, show me the coin (= nomisma or numismatic) used to pay the tax or tribute. So they handed Jesus a coin hoping to get it back. Problem is, the coin contains an image and an inscription — “Tiberius Caesar, august son of the divine Augustus, high priest” — one that’s considered blasphemous by devout Jews. If Jesus says “Yes, it’s lawful to pay,” he alienates the Jewish nation; if he says “No,” he risks arrest by the Romans. It’s a lose-lose proposition.

So the Pharisees handed Jesus a denarri, the coin used for the tax or tribute that was worth a days wages. Notice here that Jesus does not have one of these coins himself in his pocket handy and available. They give Jesus one of their very own coins that they had pocketed. They anticipate that he will give back this coin worth a days wages. They are in possession of the blasphemous coin, not Jesus! So Jesus asked, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” he asks them. “The emperor’s, or Kaysar/the Czar or Caesar” they answer, wondering what he’s getting at.

Then, in one quick move, he slips completely out of their trap. “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, (pause – see Hare Commentary) and to God the things that are God’s” (vv. 19-21). Perhaps then Jesus took that coin and then put it in his pocket or gave it to a beggar in the streets. Charles Campbell suggested a few years ago that perhaps Jesus speaks to the power groups with a sense of sarcasm or humor, pocketing the coin to point out that that nothing belongs to the emperor!

We have heard this passage and figured that Caesar and God are two authorities that are on the same and equal ground. This is foolish. Yes, we are called to pay taxes to support the governments desire to provide for order and the welfare for all people and we are to support and pray for leaders and hold that government accountable. “Christians are necessarily bound to obey laws save only when commanded to sin; for then they ought to obey God rather than men. (Acts 5:29)”[2] But to think that God and Caesar are equal is not correct. Caesar owns nothing.

What belongs to us? Nothing! That is why we practice first fruits giving. We give our offering of 10% before we pay the other bills. We don’t wait to see what we have left over to give back to God through the church and other social ministry programs. If we waited to give to God after we paid bills we would give much less. We give because we know that nothing belongs to us. We get to live on 90% income. We remember Psalm 24:1 -“The earth is the Lord’s and everything within”. We read Genesis 1:1 – “In the beginning God created…” We remember Exodus 20 – “You shall have no other Gods; no graven images” Also from Genesis 1 we remember that “God created us in God’s image” – we have been stamped in the image of God and belong to God. You and I belong to God. You do not own your own self or rights to what you want. Your life is to bring God glory and God has made you his own. There are no minting errors and indeed today, we remember to trust that everything does belong to God.

Let us pray: Gracious God, we are your children for you have created us and claimed us. Guide us as we put our trust in your. In Christ we pray, Amen.

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[1] Interpretation: Matthew Commentary, Douglas Hare, John Knox Press, 253-255

[2] Augsburg Confession, Article 16