In the 22nd chapter of Matthew, Jesus is confronted by a group of Pharisees and several Herodians (supporters of Herod) with a question that was designed to entrap him. Rabbi, they said, since we know that you always speak the truth, tell us if it is lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? “Show me the coin for the tax,” Jesus said, and they brought him a denarius, which was a day’s pay for a working man. “Whose likeness and inscription is this,” Jesus asked as he looked at the head of Emperor Tiberius, with the inscription: “Tiberius Caesar, son of the deified Augustus.” They said, the likeness and the inscription are Caesar’s, and Jesus replied, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” A clever answer to a loaded question, but what does it mean to us today, as we gather in a society which is much, much more secular and individualistic than anything Jesus and his critics ever knew? What belongs to God? And what belongs to Caesar?
What do we owe God? What do I owe God?
Obedience? Surely I owe God obedience. The rules and the laws from which they come are all about obedience and Jesus plainly said that those who hear his words… and live them out- do them- are those who love him.
Gratitude? Surely I owe God gratitude, for the gift of life, for the gift of love, for the blessings I’ve received, for saving my life and my soul. And how am I to express my gratitude? As our hymn says, “How does the creature say thanks?”
Love? Jesus noted that the entire law is based on love. Love God with everything you are- heart, mind, soul, strength- and love your neighbor as yourself. The entire law rests on these.
Surrender? I owe God to surrender my will to his, to let him have his way with me, to be “born again” and to grow, day by day, into the person God wants me to be.
Authenticity, being real? I owe God the real me. Trust- letting go. I owe God a relationship that involves conversation, laughter, and tears, just like any other important relationship!
Investment. I owe God a sincere effort to invest and commit to my relationship with him. To really listen to God as God speaks to me through the Bible, through the people around me, and through the events of our time.
What do I owe to my lover- the one whom God has given me to walk with through this life on earth?
Transparency comes to mine. I need to share what is in my heart and on my mind, so that there is opportunity for healing, changing, forgiving, or just knowing what’s going on.
Speaking the truth in love, where the words “truth” and “love” both count. Without love, truth can be a blunt instrument and without truth, love is just an illusion.
Elbow room. I owe my love space so that he or she can become all that God intended. As Gibran noted, two people should grow in the same garden, but not so closely that one of them blocks the sun from the other.
Trust. All relationships worthy of the name are a matter of trust. Keep your promise of fidelity and steadfast love, no matter the temptation, or how things are going in your life.
Time. Nothing grows without time and nurturing, not our careers, not our golf games, not our bonds within a relationship. Relationships need to be nourished!
Forgiveness is a given because, unless we are willing and able to forgive, our relationships, even with the people we love, are doomed!
How about my children?
Well, it seems that we owe our kids at least this much:
Moral guidance through word and example.
Love: supportive love, forgiving love, empowering love, and tough love (if its love).
Respect. As the great Dr. Seuss said, “A person is a person no matter how small.”
A good example at home. Not a perfect one, but one in which people respect one another, use language that builds others up, and provides the peace that a home should provide.
And Caesar. What belongs to Caesar?
Authority, but to what extent? Enforcement, but in what ways?
Are there “two kingdoms?” And has God ordained them both- one in heaven and one on earth?
Is faith something we hold in our hears and keep to ourselves… or is it something that must be seeable, in our polity and in our politics?
Can we worship the Christian flag and the American flag, or is it inappropriate to worship either one?
Is Caesar's world off-limits to Christians, or is it the arena in which we feed the hungry, fight for justice and set the prisoners free?
Is faith a private matter or a public act?
These are the questions that God asks us today. Let take inventory of what we owe to our friends, our country, our church, our employer, and for that matter, our country club. Let’s list what we owe to God and others, and then take stock in how we are doing!
May we become more aware about our relationships and may we also struggle with Caesar and Christ. What do we owe to each of them? Nothing? All? Or something in between? Amen!
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