Sermon: Bigger than Taxes

Delivered at Bethel United Methodist Church in West Greenville, South Carolina on October 16, 2011.
I share these thoughts, hoping they are of help to someone else.

Bigger than Taxes

Scripture:

Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap Him in what He said. So they sent their disciples to Him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for You do not regard people with partiality. Tell us, then, what You think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?" But 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. Then He said to them, "Whose head is this, and whose title?" They 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." When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left Him and went away.

Matthew 22:15-22 (NRSV)

Who I thought I was
And who I thought I had to be
I had to give them both up
'Cause neither were willing to ever believe

I am not who I was
I am being remade
I am new
I am chosen and holy
And I'm dearly loved
I am new

From "I Am New" by Jason Gray

During the fall of 2004, I was a sophomore at Furman University. Incidentally, at that time I found myself enrolled in a political science class in the midst of the 2004 presidential election. The election gave my classmates and myself the opportunity to see in action the principles we had discussed in class. One major factor in that particular election was what people might call "wedge issues."

In a typical political election, there are two main candidates, both of whom are on opposite ends of a political continuum. By this, I mean that typically one candidate is a Democrat while the other is a Republican. One is liberal, and one is conservative. The problem for many people is that they do not find themselves on either end of the political spectrum but rather somewhere in the middle. Perhaps these moderates agree with conservatives on some issues and with liberals on others issues. To gain the votes of these "swing voters," politicians will employ wedge issues. A wedge issue is a subject about which almost everyone has strong feelings one way or another. Some popular examples are abortion and gay marriage. These issues effectively "wedge" moderate voters to one side or the other.

Jesus, throughout His ministry, never failed to rub the Pharisees the wrong way: He ate with the wrong people; He didn't follow all of the rules they followed; and His subversive message about the Kingdom of God was drawing people away from the stringent legalism they preached. They started asking Jesus loaded questions in the hopes of tripping Him up. Jesus, ever keen to their malice, would either flat-out refuse to answer their question or give them answer that left them scratching their heads. Desperate, the Pharisees sought out help from unlikely allies, namely the supporters of King Herod, and attempted to trap Jesus in a wedge issue of the day.

One day, some Pharisees along with some of Herod's supporters confront Jesus. First they try to butter Him up, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for You do not regard people with partiality." After that they go in for the kill, asking Him, "Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?" The Pharisees' plan is perfect. If Jesus says that it is wrong to pay taxes to Rome, He will find Himself in trouble with the Roman Empire which was occupying Israel and with Herod whom the empire had allowed to act as king of Israel. On the other hand, if Jesus says that it is right to pay taxes to the Caesar, He will find himself in hot water with the people of Israel, particularly those who oppose the Roman Empire.¹ One way or the other, He is in serious trouble.

Of course, Jesus is wise to the tactics of the Pharisees. He sees past their flattery and their seemingly innocent inquiry to the malice they harbor in their hearts. He calls them out for their animosity, saying, "Why are you putting Me to the test, you hypocrites?" He then demands, "Show Me the coin used for the tax." When someone hands Him a coin, He asks, "Whose head is this, and whose title?" Someone answers that it is the emperor's, and Jesus says "Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's." The dumbstruck Pharisees and supporters of King Herod walk away astonished.

Jesus' answer was a far cry from the simple "yes" or "no" that the Pharisees wanted to hear. Furthermore, He did not specify what rightfully belonged to the Caesar. And why did Jesus bring giving to God into the answer? All the Pharisees and Herodians wanted to know was whether or not Jesus thought it was right to pay taxes to Rome.

If you would indulge me for a few minutes, I would like to put this story into a more familiar context.

* * *

It's a sunny day downtown, and Jesus and His disciples are walking down Main Street. As they near the park, they notice a large political rally. The conservative Tea Party movement had organized the event because of the new tax bill that is before Congress. Just across the street, they notice a second gathering. Apparently, people of a more liberal political persuasion caught wind of the Tea Party's rally have come together for their own rally. Tensions are high as opposing chants and shouts fill the air over an array of signs and "Don't Tread on Me" flags.

A short distance away from the fray, people who have broken away from both gatherings are having a very heated discussion about whether or not the tax bill is actually fair. One from this group, a man who identifies himself as a conservative, notices Jesus and the Disciples and says, "Look, there's Jesus! Let's ask Him whether or not the bill is fair. He'll tell us that it's wrong for the government to overburden the hard-working American people!"

Another from the group, a woman who identifies herself as a liberal, says, "That shows how little you know! If the government has to cut spending, you know that the programs that help those in need will be the first to be cut. Have you never listened to Jesus when He speaks? He wants us to help the poor!"

With that, the group walks toward Jesus and the Disciples. One debater speaks up and says, "Jesus we have a question for you. Is the new tax bill fair or not?"

Jesus looks each person from the group in the eyes and says, "Would someone please hand me a dollar bill?" One man from the group pulls out his wallet and hands Jesus a bill. Jesus takes the dollar, holds it out in front of Him, and says, "Whose portrait is in the middle of this bill?"

"Washington!" one answered.

Jesus then says, "Give to Washington whatever belongs to Washington, and give to God whatever belongs to God." Jesus returns the dollar bill to its owner, and He and His disciples go on their way. The small group of debaters is left speechless.

* * *

You will notice that I did not change Jesus' actions or response, because I believe that Jesus would have said and done the same thing in either situation.

As human beings, we have a tendency to segregate ourselves into diametrically opposed groups. In Jesus' time and culture, the divisions were between Israel and Rome, and between Jews and Samaritans. In our time, the divisions are numerous.

Democrats and Republicans

Conservatives and liberals

Upper class and lower class

Black people and white people

Catholics and Protestants

Methodists and Baptists

Christians and atheists

Jews and Muslims

Tigers and Gamecocks²

Us and Them

We take sides, and we use such divisions to label ourselves and to label each other. Worse yet, we put up barriers between ourselves and those who do not share our particular point of view.

Sadly, a Christian who decides takes one side over the other will often try to force Christ into his or her particular side. One day, my friend Sam was browsing the religion section of a bookstore where he saw a book titled Secular Sabotage: How Liberals Are Destroying Religion and Culture in America. His problem with the book's title was that it implied that liberals were opposed to God, so God was on the side of the conservatives.³ Not too long afterward, I went to a bookstore and happened upon the very same book that my friend had mentioned. Not too far away from it, I spotted another book titled Jesus Was a Liberal: Reclaiming Christianity for All. At the time of the 2004 election, at least one clergy member told people that if they voted a certain way then they needed to go to confession and repent.


When the Pharisees confronted Jesus with the question about paying taxes, they were basically trying to do the same thing: they were trying to force Jesus to take one side or the other. The conflict was already there, and the battle lines had been drawn long before that day. They were essentially saying, "Whose side are You on, Jesus? Are You one of us, or are You one of them? You can't be both. So, what will it be?"

I think that Jesus made a powerful statement in the way He chose His disciples.⁴ One of the Disciples was a man named Simon. This was not Simon Peter, but another Simon whom Scripture identifies as a Zealot. In Jesus' time, the Zealots were Jewish people who sought to drive the Roman Empire out of Israel by means of a violent uprising.⁵ Simon was what one might call a terrorist - or a patriot, depending on one's particular viewpoint. Another Disciple was a man named Matthew who, by contrast, worked for the Roman Empire as a tax collector. Tax collectors were despised in Jesus' time, just as the IRS is despised in our time.

Matthew and Simon were two people who normally would not have associated with each other were they not both called to be Jesus' disciples. To Matthew, people like Simon were a violent threat to people like him who associated with Rome. To Simon, people like Matthew were sell-outs, traitors to God's chosen people. If we put things in modern political terms, it could be said that one disciple favored small government and low taxes and that the other disciple favored big government and high taxes. Essentially, both the political right and the political left were represented among Jesus disciples. Dinner conversations between these two must have been just delightful. I am sure that, more than once, Jesus had to say, "Alright, boys, settle down."

Simon opposed the Roman Empire with a raised fist, but Matthew depended on the Roman Empire for his livelihood. Simon and Matthew had taken sides that were so opposed to each other that, in our typical black-and-white thinking, both could not have been right at the same time. Never once, though, is it recorded that Jesus ever said to these men that one side was right and that the other was wrong. Jesus simply said to both men, "Follow Me."

God is bigger than our prejudices, bigger than our opinions, bigger than our divisions, bigger than our politics, and bigger than our doctrinal differences. St. Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, wrote, "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus."⁶ When we accept Christ's invitation to follow Him, the things that we once let separate us fade away as we are united by one Lord and Savior. The labels we once placed on ourselves and on each other are forgotten as we take on our new names - Children of God and Disciples of Christ. Both Simon and Matthew left everything behind including their former labels when they accepted the call to follow Jesus.

Soon after Christ ascended to heaven, God called the apostle Peter to minister to a man named Cornelius. Cornelius was a Gentile, so normally a Jewish man like Peter would not have associated with him. Furthermore, Cornelius was a centurion, a leader in the Roman military, so Peter would have most likely regarded him as the enemy. When the two met, Peter realized that the Holy Spirit had brought them together and that God was calling both Jews and Gentiles to be the Church, to be the body of Christ.⁷


When the Pharisees asked Jesus whether or not it was right to pay taxes to the Roman Empire, Jesus' answer left something to be desired. Though Jesus said to give to the government what belongs to the government, He did not say what rightfully belongs to the government. I wonder if Jesus was telling the Pharisees that they were asking the wrong question in the first place. Obsession with political matters or with money could be a sign of misplaced priorities or anxiety about the future. Such things indicate a lack of trust in God.

Christ teaches us not to worry about the future but to trust in God. In the Sermon on the Mount, He said, "Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."⁸ Christ taught us not to worry about or daily needs but to pray for our "daily bread," as we do at church every Sunday. St. Paul, in his letter to the Romans, reminds us that no human leaders or rules would have any authority if it were not allowed by God.⁹ Ultimately, God is in control; therefore, we should not be anxious about how much money we have or about who is in office.

Jesus said to give "to the emperor the things that are the emperor's," but He follows this up by saying to give "to God the things that are God's." Not only does He leave us wrestling with the question of what rightfully belongs to the government, He also gives us a second question to ponder: what belongs to God? C.S. Lewis, in his work The Screwtape Letters, points out that God wants us to be less concerned about what happens to us and more concerned about what we do.¹⁰ If the question about taxes was the wrong question to ask, then maybe this second question is what Jesus really wants us to consider.

I am not going to attempt to tell you specifically what God is calling us to give, because the answer is different for each of us, and the answer may be different from day to day. Many Christians give to God by giving a tenth of their income - a tithe - to the church. It is important for us to be generous with our money, but each of us has something to offer that goes beyond money. Christ taught us that when we do something for someone in need, we are giving to God.¹¹ As followers of Christ, we each have spiritual gifts that have been entrusted to us by the Holy Spirit. We each have talents and abilities that we can share. We can give of our time. We can offer someone a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on, or a word of encouragement. We can offer our prayers.

Give to the government what belongs to the government. Pay your taxes. Do your civic duties. Try to vote for leaders who will make the best decisions, taking all matters into consideration, not just the wedge issues. Most importantly, pray for the elected leaders. Don't condemn the people who disagree with you, for Christ invites both sides to come to the table with Him. Remember that God is bigger than our differences, bigger than our opinions, and bigger than the issues faced by the world. Give to God what belongs to God. Never cease to ask yourself what God is calling you to give each day.

There is no longer black or white. There is no longer upper class or lower class. There is no longer liberal or conservative. There is no longer us and them, for we have all been called to one purpose in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.


Notes:
1 - Wesley Study Bible. 2009, Abingdon Press. p. 1193.
2 - This is the big sports rivalry in my area. I'm sure there's one in your neck of the woods.
3 - Sam Hunley. Static Truth: "What if God Was a Democrat?"
4 - Matthew 10:1-4
5 - Wikipedia: "Zealotry"
6 - Galatians 3:28 (NRSV)
7 - Acts 10
8 - Matthew 6:25,32-33 (NRSV)
9 - Romans 13:1
10 - C.S. Lewis. The Screwtape Letters. Letter 6, paragraph 1.
11 - Matthew 25


If you have any feedback, thoughts, stories, or even arguments to contribute, please leave comments.