Pentecost 22 Matt. 22:15-22 10/16/05
“Whose Image?”
I
have no idea why modern translations use the word “head” or “picture”
when they translate vs. 20, but the Greek would have the passage read, “And
He/Jesus said to them, ‘Whose image
and inscription is this?’”
Sometimes when an “easier” word is used in modern translations and
paraphrases it is helpful or at least unimportant. But
in the case of this passage the word “image” is not only closer to the
Greek, but very important in meaning.
It
was no small matter that the coin the Pharisees pulled from their purse was a
denarius. The Romans, in addition
to other taxes and tolls imposed on captured people, required each person
between age 14 (12 for women) and 65 to pay a personal tax in the amount of one
denarius. And it had to be
paid in Roman money.
This
was an offense to the Jews, because it reminded them that they were under Roman
rule and not free. Even more
offensive to religious Jews though, was the fact that the image on the coin was
Caesar’s and the inscription said “son of God”. To
even handle such money seems to have been a sin against the ceremonial laws of
This
makes what is going on in our lesson even more ironic. Super
holy Pharisees were not only carrying a coin dedicated to a man who claimed to
be god and was their oppressor; they were carrying that coin in
the temple.
The
religious leaders who have tried to trap Jesus have once again had the tables
turned on them. To further rub it
in, Jesus tells them, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesars, and to God
the things that are God’s”
This
is where the translation of that little Greek word, “elkon” becomes so
important. Any good Jew (maybe even
some not so observant ones too) would know that in Genesis God says, “Let us
make people in our image”. To be
in the image of God meant bearing God’s image. Therefore,
when Jesus says, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the
things that are God’s,” He is telling them that it is fine to give to an
earthly ruler this coin, but remember, the true God lays claim to all you
own and all you are.
At
this point, we could take several paths in applying the lesson. We
could consider the issue of separation of church and state – a very new
concept historically as there was no such separation in people’s minds until
two or three hundred years ago. We
could reflect on Luther’s concept of two kingdoms – the world and our inner
life with God. We could consider
who our gods might be – who lays claim to our lives. But,
since we are approaching Consecration Sunday, I think it’s important to
emphasize whose image we bear and what that means to our giving.
God
not only has the right to claim us and all that we have because He is our
creator and Lord, He claimed us from sin and death through our baptisms into
Christ. Furthermore, (to complete
the Trinitarian relationship), God’s Spirit continues to live in us, keeping
that image of God alive. There is
nowhere we can go and nothing we can do to get that image taken away. It
is more permanent than the most permanent tattoo, and it is not just skin deep. That
image is imprinted all the way to our hearts and souls. We
may try to ignore it or act like it doesn’t exist, but it is indelible. That
image is a reminder that we belong to God and owe Him, not just a days wage or
denarius, but we owe Him our lives.
As
we consider the needs of the church for choir members, teachers, offering
counters, evangelists, painters, council members, givers of hospitality,
visionaries and thinkers, that image of God in us calls us to return to God the
fruit of the gifts He gave us. We
can make music, work with numbers, speak, make visitors feel welcome, lead,
envision the church of tomorrow and many other things, because God gave us gifts
to do so. No gift is too small or
undeveloped to be put to His use. God expects us to give the best we have of our
personal giftedness and He expects us to give it freely, not wait to be battered
into doing our part or even be personally asked.
As
we owe God our personal gifts or talents, we owe Him our time.
There are so many plans and programs for learning to get control over our
time. Everyone is so busy today
that planning and scheduling the hours of the day seems a necessity.
We need to avoid a very slippery slope here though.
It is all too tempting to believe that time belongs to us for us to do
with entirely as we please. It’s
also tempting to slip into the thinking that all the things we do that take up
our time are more important than the “religious stuff”.
Wrong!
We
need to remember that the seconds, minutes, hours, days and years of our lives
are NOT ours to control. Our time,
like our gifts, belong to God. He
gives us the gift of our life times and allows us freedom to use that time as we
choose, but His image stamped on us is meant to remind us that ultimately
all time belongs to Him. He expects
us to return to Him a generous share of that time in worship, Bible study, and
service. He also expects us to use all of the time of our lives mindfully
and to His glory.
As
we recognize that our talents and time are God’s, so we also acknowledge that
all that we have belongs to God. Our
incomes and our possessions are placed in our care by God. We
are to be stewards making wise decisions about how to use what we have to
God’s glory and in His service.
I
don’t believe that God sends disasters like Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, but
they do serve as reminders that all that we have can be taken from us in the
blink of an eye. They also remind
us how unimportant “things” can be. We
can get along with much less, but we can NOT get along without God.
God
gives us our lives and all that makes those lives meaningful, but we must
remember that as His image imprinted on us makes us His; it also makes what we
have His as well. God wants us to
find joy in our lives. He wants us
to have our needs met. He wants us
to find meaning in who we are, what we have and what we do. He
put His image on us so that this
could be possible. He wants us to
know “Whose Image” will give us the greatest satisfaction and joy. We
come to know this by giving back to God what He first gave us – all of us.
Let
me close with this short piece written by a colleague, Rev. Brian Stoffregen:
What are we to give to God? The things stamped with God's image -- us!
We are to give God ourselves -- our whole selves -- not just some
part.
Some may give God their minds,
but have hearts far from God.
Some may give God their hearts,
but are unwilling to learn from God in the Word
Some may give God their muscles,
but are unwilling to bring their bodies to worship or education
classes.
Many give God 1 or 2 hours a week,
but God wants all 168 hours a week.
Many give God 2% of their income, perhaps think about 10%
but God wants 100%.
We cannot say that "this part belongs to God, so I will give it to
God." Everything we are and everything we have belongs to God.
Everything we are and everything we have we are to give (back) to God.
We are but mere managers or stewards of these gifts God has given to
us.
Amen