Give to God what is God's

Proper 24, Year A
Matthew 22:15-22 – Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's
(Psalm 96, 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10)

Sermon Preached by Matthew Mead
Saint James Church, Fair Haven, Connecticut
October 20, 2002

Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

There is a children’s story by Shel Silverstein called the Giving Tree. The story is about a boy and his friend a tree. When the boy is young, he plays in the tree, climbing it, eating its apples, and enjoying its shade. A few years go by and the boy grows older, he doesn’t want to play with the tree anymore; he needs other things in life. So, the tree gives him apples to sell so that he can make money. Years go by and the boy turns into a man. The man wants to build a home for his family so the tree gives him its branches to make a house with. Again, years go by and the man comes back to the tree. This time, the tree is just a trunk with no branches. When the man shows up, he wants only to leave the place he is at and travel. The tree offers its friend all that it has left; it gives him its trunk to build a boat with. Finally, when the man is old, he returns to the tree one more time. The tree tells him that it has given him everything it had to give. All that is left of the tree is a stump. Even so, the tree offers its stump for the man to sit on and rest. The tree gave all it could give; it gave its entire self because it loved its friend. In today’s gospel, Jesus is also speaks about giving. The question I present for you today is this. How does Jesus ask us to give both as citizens of this world and as citizens of the Kingdom of God?

If you will open your pew bibles, we will see what Jesus says about giving. Jesus is questioned by the Pharisees and the Herodians, two of the groups who have been trying to test Jesus. In fact, they wish to destroy Jesus. They question Jesus in order to trap him in his words by giving him a question he will get into trouble if he answers at all. They ask: “Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” Jesus, however, knows exactly what they are trying to do; they are trying to trap him. If he says yes, that it is right to pay taxes to Caesar, some of the people who feel that Rome is oppressing them will think he is selling out, and they will want no part of him. If he says no, the Romans would see him as a rebel and he could get into lots of trouble with the Roman leaders in Jerusalem. Instead of answering yes or no, he asked them to give him a denarius, one of the coins used by the Roman Empire. After they have gotten a coin, Jesus asked them, "Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?" "Caesar's," they replied. Then he said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." With this answer Jesus does not allow himself to be trapped. In the process of avoiding their trap, Jesus gives us some instruction on how we as children of God are to live as citizens of this world.

Jesus is doing two things. He is highlighting the difference between the world we live in and God’s kingdom. Life in this world and the next are completely different and Jesus knows this. But they are also linked, and Jesus is showing us that we must be concerned with this world and the next. As citizens of this world and as citizens of heaven, it is impossible for us to completely give ourselves to one kingdom or the other. We cannot exist in this world without God just as we cannot separate ourselves from the world we live in. Only God can completely give Himself. In the Gospel of John, we are told that: “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” [John 3:16] That is what it means to give completely. Only God is truly like the giving tree. Only God can give Himself completely, and He gave His only son for us so that we could inherit eternal life. Jesus was both God and man. It is through Jesus’ death as a man, as a person of this world, that we are given eternal life in the heavenly kingdom. It is through Jesus’ death that we can be citizens of heaven. His very nature demands that we too be concerned with both this world and heaven. We cannot be concerned with only one or the other; we must be concerned with both.

As Christians today, we often find ourselves wondering how God fits into our lives. How can we be citizens of heaven and still be citizens of this world? How do we fit the kingdom of heaven into our obligations to our families? Our friends? Our neighbors? Our homes? Our jobs? Our schools? Our church? Our city? Our country? How does it affect to whom or to what we should devote our time? Our money? Our energy? Just as in Jesus’ time, these are issues that we face every day. How do I juggle my obligations and still fit God in the picture? How does eternal life fit into my everyday life?

Jesus is telling us that we must combine the two into one life. We must live our earthly lives as citizens of heaven. We must use our lives to praise and glorify God. Whether we are at home, at school, at work, with our families, with our friends, or even with our enemies. Our lives as Christians must run our lives as people on this earth. He is telling us that we need to be citizens of heaven in the world. It is not a balancing act between the two, but a combination of the two into one complete life. We need to live our earthly lives for the greater glory of God.

How do we do that? How can we live our lives for the greater glory of God? Today’s psalm tells us to: “Sing to the LORD, praise His name; proclaim His salvation day after day.” [Psalm 96:2] God wants us to praise Him and to give Him thanks for what He has done for us. God has created us and given Himself completely for our salvation. When we are in church we are praising God but we also need to praise God every day of our lives. This morning, Fr. Little started the service by saying we need to praise God who has created us and saved us. Remember the words of today’s psalm, which tells us to praise and give thanks to the LORD day after day. Remember that God created us. Remember that God gave His one and only son Jesus to die on the cross for our salvation. Remember the words of Saint Paul in his letter to the Philippians that were read and preached on several weeks ago. Paul tells us to imitate him as he presses on towards the goal. The goal is eternal life in Christ. Paul reminds us that even as people living on earth, our citizenship is in heaven. As citizens of the kingdom we must give thanks to God every day of the week, not only in what we say and what we think, but also in the way we act. Finally, remember what Saint Paul tells the Thessalonians in today’s epistle: “You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. The Lord's message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia--your faith in God has become known everywhere.” [1 Thessalonians 6-8] Jesus speaks about our citizenship in the world and our citizenship in heaven. Be citizens of heaven on earth. Be like the Thessalonians Paul is speaking to in his epistle that was read this morning. Praise God and give Him thanks every day. Be model believes to all and let your faith be known everywhere!

Let us bow our heads in prayer. Almighty God, heavenly Father, we thank you for the blessings that you have given us. We thank you for sending your only Son Jesus to us so that we may be saved and live eternal life. We ask you to help us to live our lives each and every day to glorify you. We ask that you help us to press on as we struggle and suffer in this earthly kingdom. We ask that you help us to be model believers to all. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, Am