Then the Pharisees met together to find a way to trap Jesus in his words. They sent their disciples, along with the supporters of Herod, to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are genuine and that you teach God’s way as it really is. We know that you are not swayed by people’s opinions, because you don’t show favoritism. So tell us what you think: Does the Law allow people to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” Knowing their evil motives, Jesus replied, “Why do you test me, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used to pay the tax.” And they brought him a denarion. “Whose image and inscription is this?” he asked. “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then he said, “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” When they heard this they were astonished, and they departed.
Matthew 22:15-22
In this morning’s sermon, we considered this very familiar text. It is one of those texts that transcends the Christian context. Many people are familiar with the key verse, particularly a shortened version in the old English of the King James Bible, “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and render unto God what is God’s.”
We begin by learning that the Pharisees and the Herodians are conspiring together to trap Jesus. This unlikely alliance is a perfect example of the old adage that “politics makes strange bedfellows.” They were brought together by their shared disdain for Jesus. It is one more reminder that Jesus was a threat to all power structures – political and religious alike. It’s not just about politics and religion, sometimes it is about the politics of religion!
They thought that they had devised the perfect question. Does the law of the church allow (require) the people to pay taxes to the Emperor? If Jesus says “yes,” he angers the Jewish people, if he answers “no,” he will be accused of sedition. Instead, as Jesus often does, he turns the tables with a question of his own. He asks them to show him the coin that is required to pay the tax and asks, “whose likeness is on this coin?!” You can imagine how uneasy they must have been when they realized that Jesus has eluded their trap.
In his answer, Jesus leaves just enough ambiguity that neither side can really make any definitive accusations. Jesus did not completely dismiss the payment of the tax. He also remined us that God created us and all that is around us, so all that we have and all that we are is a gift from God.
The Pharisees and the Herodians are focused on human, secular currency. Coins that can be used to buy and sell and to pay taxes and fees.
That begs the question – what is God’s currency? On what does God place value?
We get a hint in Paul’s description of the fruit of the Spirit:
“…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.”
Galatians 5:22-23
God currency is not measured in gold or silver, it is measured in grace and love.