They have a coin, and Jesus does not.
I know this seems like a trivial detail in this bigger story of religious leaders trying to trap Jesus into giving an answer that would cause the people to turn against him, but the detail is not trivial.
They have a coin, and Jesus does not.
The religious leaders tell their disciples (who do not like Rome) to go to Jesus, bringing along some Herodians (who do like Rome) in order to ask Jesus if people should pay the oppressive Roman tax. It is a trap. If Jesus answers, “No, we support God only,” then the Herodians (those who like Rome) will be able to bring charges against Jesus as a Caesar hating separatist. If Jesus answers, “Yes, we pay our taxes,” he will undoubtedly lose favor with those who look to him as a possible Messiah who will deliver the people from the evils of Rome.
You see, the religious leaders have Jesus trapped. Either way that Jesus chooses to answer, he loses.
But, remember, they have a coin, and Jesus does not.
What am I talking about? I am talking about Jesus’ response to this no win scenario. The Bible reads, “Jesus, aware of their malice, said, ‘Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius.”
They have a coin, and Jesus does not.
Those who would try to trap Jesus, readily pull out a Roman coin used to pay taxes, in the middle of the temple, with the image of Caesar’s face emblazoned upon it. You might be wondering, “Why is this a big deal, Pastor Jira, I have change in the bottom of my pocket right now?”
It is a big deal because there is this little commandment from God the Father that goes like this: “You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth” (NRSV, Exodus 20:4).
The Israelites were not supposed to have graven images, especially not ones that have the face of someone who claims to be God, Caesar. They were especially not to carry one into the temple. That is the whole reason that the temple has money changers in the first place, so that ordinary people can come in, exchange their idolatrous money for coins free of graven images, and give to the work of the temple by paying the temple tax. There are to be none of these Roman coins in the temple.
But, one of the disciples of these religious leaders is holding a coin in his hand, in the temple, and Jesus is not. They are hypocrites, just as Jesus says. They walk around, carrying this money without even a single thought about it. They walk around, collecting this money from hard working people, and they spend it however they see fit without even a single thought about it. In short, they do not give any sort of deep thought about their money.
They have a coin, and Jesus does not.
I am not certain that I am much better than these religious leaders.
How many times have I seen someone in need, and thought to myself, “That is sad, someone should really do something about that” while forgetting about the money in my own wallet? It is not that I do not care. I thought about them. I maybe even quickly prayed for them. Thoughts and prayers. Thoughts and prayers. But, thoughts and prayers do not feed hungry bellies. Thoughts and prayers do not right wrongs.
But, I did not even think about the proverbial coin in my pocket. I did not even consider that it might be there to be put to good use for someone else. It is mine, so I do not even think about it. But, maybe I should, because if I did, maybe I would question, “But, is it really mine?”
Jesus looks at the coin that these guys absent mindedly pull out in front of God and everyone in the middle of the temple and he asks, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” The men answer, “The emperor’s.” Then Jesus says to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:20-21).
Before, we dig into Jesus’ answer and what that means for our own lives, I just want to point out another little detail. When we read here that Jesus “says” something to these disciples of the religious leaders, the word that is used here means more than “says.” It also means “teaches.” And, I just want to point out that these men want to destroy Jesus with their words, but Jesus wants to teach them with his own.
Can a person be more grace-filled than that? They want to destroy him, and he wants them to change their lives. They want him dead, and Jesus wants them to learn.
Jesus wants more than anything for them to learn. Jesus wants them to stop living a life with minds set on destroying and with hearts lacking love and self-perception. Jesus does not dismiss or condemn them. Jesus “teaches” them.
Will these particular people turn from their ways? We do not know. But, what I do know is that Jesus does not simply give up on them, nor does he fail to care about their lost ways. Just as Jesus loves the sinner and dies for the sinner on the cross, Jesus takes the time here to “teach” and turn around the lives of these lost people.
And, if I am completely honest with myself, so often I am lost too. Maybe, I too should pay attention to Jesus’ answer.
Jesus says to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21).
This answer is so curious. Some look at this answer and say, “Look, Jesus says to pay your taxes,” but Jesus does not actually say that. Others look at this and say, “Jesus says to give it all to God, so we do not need to pay our taxes,” but Jesus does not actually say that either. What Jesus says is to give back to Caesar whatever belongs to Caesar and give back to God whatever belongs to God.
And, Jesus’ answer has the effect of making us stop and think. The guys who would casually carry a Roman coin into the temple have to stop and think. The pastor who would casually walk past someone in need, not even considering what is in his own pockets has to stop and think. And, I think that is Jesus’ whole point.
We go through this life, just trying to get by from day to day, not even stopping and thinking, just doing, just worrying and just reacting. What bill needs to be paid next? What event to I have to get to now? What chore needs to get done? What assignment needs to get finished? What task do I need to start doing now? The things of life just keep piling on and on and on, and Jesus gives us an answer that invites us to stop…and consider if what we are up to has anything to do with God.
Give back to Caesar whatever belongs to Caesar, and back to God whatever belongs to God. We wonder what this means? We wonder what could possibly belong to Caesar that does not first belong to God? After-all, God created it all. And, those questions cause us to finally do what Jesus has wanted us to do all along, think about God, consider God, and get closer to God.
Do we blindly pay our taxes, or do we consider how they are or are not working towards God’s concerns in the world? Jesus does not answer that for us, but Jesus is happy that we have stopped, noticed the coin, and started thinking about it.
During a confirmation class once, after sitting for way too long staring at a book, the students were invited to get up and go on a walk. During their walk, they were invited to look around and ask, “How does this belong to God?”
This tree, how does this belong to God? “Well, God provides the tree as a home for birds and squirrels” one youth answered. Another chimed in, “It can be used to build us a home if we need one.”
“This car, how does it belong to God?” “It can get people to work so that they can feed and raise their children.” “It can be used to get people to the doctor.” “My grandma uses hers to deliver food to really old people,” one youth piped up.
After a number of serious questions and serious answers, the kids started getting a little funny. “This fly, how does it belong to God?” “This hair, how does it belong to God?” Their answers were funny, but they were still thinking about God. They were still thinking about all that God cares about. They were still engaged with God and not simply going through life in a mindless fog of one darn thing after another.
Then one teen pointed at a girl in the group and asked laughing, “How does this belong to God?” It was meant to be funny, but it was also eye opening. They slowly realized that we too belong to God and we too have a divine purpose.
And, then the kids came up with a question that I had never before really considered: “How does my presence here belong to God?”
This caused us stop walking and sit for a moment because one of the teens quipped quietly, “I’m pretty sure I do not belong to God. Nobody wants me.”
Whenever people start talking about “kids these days” and how terrible they are, I always feel a need to stop them right in my gut. I do that because of things like what happened next.
The other teens responded: “You are God’s child.” “God put you here for a reason.” And, one teen in particular responded, “You were the only one who said “Hi” to me and ate with me when I moved here. You were Jesus to me. Of course, you belong to God.”
So, whenever I start to get into that daily routine of just doing and not considering or praying or thinking about God, I try to remember that day. I try to remember those teen’s question, “How does my presence here belong to God?” I look around at my surroundings, wherever I am, at work, or school, or at home, or in the store and I ask, “How does my presence here belong to God? How am I being the heart, hands, and feet of Jesus right here, right now?”
After-all, we all belong to God. Everything and everyone belongs to God. It is only when we start to forget that basic fact that evil and injustice and hard-heartedness is allowed to take hold.
Never forget: Jesus did not have a coin. Jesus does not hold onto things, Jesus holds onto people; raising us from the dead on the third day, and bringing us to a new life in him. Jesus truly believes that all we have and all we are belongs to him. Your life belongs to Jesus Christ our Lord. Your life belongs to his love. Carry that around in your pocket as a reminder and ask yourself, “How does my presence here belong to God? How am I being the heart, hands, and feet of Jesus right here, right now?”
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