Text: Matt. 22:15-22
Facebook live: By faith you bear the likeness of Christ!
15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle [Jesus] in his words.
18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20 And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They said, “Caesar's.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” 22 When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away
“Whose likeness and inscription is this?”
Something similar to this might have been said to my grandfather Michael as he arrived at Ellis Island upon his immigration to the United States. My dad’s dad had been born and raised in Bratislava Slovakia and so had my grandmother Anna, though she had been born in Liverpool England where her parents went to work in the shipping and boat building industry while my great grandmother was pregnant.
To this day I feel a kinship and connection to Liverpool and the Beatles though I’ve never been there. Wishful thinking I suppose.
Throughout my life I’ve had time where people would come up to me and say, “How do you pronounce that name?” To which I would reply, “Russell.”
“No, no!” they would say, “Not that name, the other name!”
“Oh.” You mean Tkac. “Tack? How’d you get tack out of that?”
Well, the Slovak pronunciation for T-K-A-C is (T) Kach with the T silent. My grandfather tried to explain this to no avail so he changed the pronunciation to Tack. No big deal, but if he would have moved the letters around a bit my life would have been a lot easier. In fact when my youngest brother Tom went to the Naval Academy and a military career in 1977 he formally changed the spelling of Tkac to Tack. He felt it would be simpler than trying to explain it throughout his life.
My brother is still Tom Tack, though the youngest he is still the tallest at 6’-3” and of all the boys he most closely bears the image of my dad in appearance, singing and dance moves!
If my dad was ever offended by my brother’s decision to change the spelling of our family name I never heard about it. In fact, all I heard about from my dad was,
“Did I tell you what Tom did?”
“Did I tell you where Tom is?”
“Did I tell you how much money Tom saved me by going to the Academy?
My dad’s image is all over my brother Tom and no spelling change was going to change that.
What my brother’s and I know is that the size of our nose is directly proportionate to our resemblance to our dad.
But there is another important resemblance to be aware of:
By faith you bear the likeness of Christ!
To say that the Pharisees are not happy with Jesus would be an understatement and they begin to plot and make plans to trap him. They were kicked out of the vineyard (Matt. 21:33-44), then they were removed from the wedding feast and cast into outer darkness (Matt 22:1-14), and now they want to catch Jesus in something that they can then accuse him of, and turn him over to the authorities to have Him tried, and ultimately their hope is to have Him put out of their midst and put to death so they can get rid of him once and for all.
6 And they sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians …
The disciples of the Pharisees went to Jesus and also brought some of the Herodians with them. The Herodians are only mentioned a few times in the New Testament and there is some debate as to whether they were a political sect distinct from the Pharisees and Sadducees and supporters of Herod Antipas, or were actually soldiers in Herod’s court. Either way … the Pharisees were bringing a political or military group with them in opposition to Jesus.
… saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone's opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances.
This is what might be called … painting a picture.
“Saying” … we believe everything you say, because we know you’re telling the truth. You don’t care what others say … even if they are the religious leaders so why don’t you say it in front of these Herodians, these followers of King Herod … and of course we mean you no disrespect!
So, 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”
So, speak up so these Herodians – who either make the laws or in force the laws - can hear you.
We know in the two kingdoms, the Kingdom of Grace and the Kingdom of the world God works. He works through word and sacrament in one and through those who rule, lead or govern in the other.
In the Old Testament reading for today in Isaiah 45:1-7 God calls the Persian King Cyrus – his anointed saying,
whose right hand I have grasped,
to subdue nations before him
and to loose the belts of kings,
to open doors before him
that gates may not be closed:
The Lord says –
2 “I will go before you
and level the exalted places,
I will break in pieces the doors of bronze
and cut through the bars of iron,
3 I will give you the treasures of darkness
and the hoards in secret places,
that you may know that it is I, the Lord,
the God of Israel, who call you by your name.
God calls Cyrus for his purpose just as God called Pharaoh to serve his needs in the Exodus from Egypt telling Moses in Exodus 7:
2 You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land. 3 But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, 4 Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. 5 The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them.” Exodus 7:2-5
God works in the church through his means of grace and in the world through those he wills, both good and bad, for his ultimate purpose. We might remember Jesus’ response to Pontus Pilate in John 19:10-11
10 So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” 11 Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above.”
The Pharisees and the Herodians – were working to thwart God and his will in redemption through Jesus. But, God would have his way.
18 [To this] Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20 And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” as if they didn’t know 21 They said, “Caesar's.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.”
Some years ago as I drove through Pontiac, I came to an intersection where the light was yellow. I quickly accelerated through the intersection and saw the light was still yellow as I passed through.
Shortly after feeling good about my decision I heard the siren of a Pontiac Police car and feeling angry I pulled to a stop down a side street. The officer wrote me a ticket for failing to stop at a red and when I said the light was still yellow he said “Well, you’ll have a chance to appeal that in court.”
Court day comes and the Judge is a kindly old visiting Judge in his late 80’s. He speaks softly as all those before me accept their responsibility before the judge for the violations they are charged with. My turn comes and when the Judge asks me my plea, “I plead not responsible, your honor!”
I then give my side and the officer gives his. The judge in his kindly and grandfatherly voice says, “Russell, you have an impeccable driving record. I don’t think I’ve seen one as clean as yours? But, it’s going to cost you to keep it that way! I find for the plaintiff, no points but fees of $250. Case d ismissed!”
You and I know the laws. We know what or whom has been placed over us whether it is the laws that are on the books, or the police officer that has just given you a ticket, or the judge or political official who has just ruled or voted in a way that is contrary to how you think or desire or maybe even how God’s would desire.
We are all called to live and proclaim God’s truth in a world of believers and unbelievers alike.
We are called to love those who persecute us. If the laws call us to do something contrary to God’s word we need to sand firm and use our ability as citizens to also exercise our rights in the kingdom of the lift to bring about change.
The things that in this life may grieve us as Christians grieve our loving God as well. But He who is righteous is long suffering.
9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 2 Peter 2:9
God is slow with you and He is slow with me. Not giving up on us and our failings but calling and bringing us by the power of His Spirit to believe.
God in Christ has suffered with us and for some of us for many years as we at times choose to fall away from His word looking to what society and the civil leaders tell us what to believe and do.
He is long suffering towards us and we need to be long suffering to those that don’t see things as we do.
Then [Jesus] said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.”
This image is very simple to see. The question of should we pay tax is simply answered by Jesus to give to Caesar or give to the State what it requires but then it becomes a bit harder. Give to God what is His.
I gave the state the $250 fine. God has called me to read his word and follow him, to trust and to believe.
You are called to respond to the call of the gospel. The Pharisees and Chief Priests had been called and they had refused to care for the vineyard and ignored the invitation to the wedding feast. We too look to things other than the things God’s desires and drift away from Him and his word. God’s desire is you and that you fully trust in Him.
God has claimed you and made you His! So that, by faith you bear the likeness of Christ!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit!
Amen
15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle [Jesus] in his words.
18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20 And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They said, “Caesar's.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” 22 When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away
“Whose likeness and inscription is this?”
Something similar to this might have been said to my grandfather Michael as he arrived at Ellis Island upon his immigration to the United States. My dad’s dad had been born and raised in Bratislava Slovakia and so had my grandmother Anna, though she had been born in Liverpool England where her parents went to work in the shipping and boat building industry while my great grandmother was pregnant.
To this day I feel a kinship and connection to Liverpool and the Beatles though I’ve never been there. Wishful thinking I suppose.
Throughout my life I’ve had time where people would come up to me and say, “How do you pronounce that name?” To which I would reply, “Russell.”
“No, no!” they would say, “Not that name, the other name!”
“Oh.” You mean Tkac. “Tack? How’d you get tack out of that?”
Well, the Slovak pronunciation for T-K-A-C is (T) Kach with the T silent. My grandfather tried to explain this to no avail so he changed the pronunciation to Tack. No big deal, but if he would have moved the letters around a bit my life would have been a lot easier. In fact when my youngest brother Tom went to the Naval Academy and a military career in 1977 he formally changed the spelling of Tkac to Tack. He felt it would be simpler than trying to explain it throughout his life.
My brother is still Tom Tack, though the youngest he is still the tallest at 6’-3” and of all the boys he most closely bears the image of my dad in appearance, singing and dance moves!
If my dad was ever offended by my brother’s decision to change the spelling of our family name I never heard about it. In fact, all I heard about from my dad was,
“Did I tell you what Tom did?”
“Did I tell you where Tom is?”
“Did I tell you how much money Tom saved me by going to the Academy?
My dad’s image is all over my brother Tom and no spelling change was going to change that.
What my brother’s and I know is that the size of our nose is directly proportionate to our resemblance to our dad.
But there is another important resemblance to be aware of:
By faith you bear the likeness of Christ!
To say that the Pharisees are not happy with Jesus would be an understatement and they begin to plot and make plans to trap him. They were kicked out of the vineyard (Matt. 21:33-44), then they were removed from the wedding feast and cast into outer darkness (Matt 22:1-14), and now they want to catch Jesus in something that they can then accuse him of, and turn him over to the authorities to have Him tried, and ultimately their hope is to have Him put out of their midst and put to death so they can get rid of him once and for all.
6 And they sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians …
The disciples of the Pharisees went to Jesus and also brought some of the Herodians with them. The Herodians are only mentioned a few times in the New Testament and there is some debate as to whether they were a political sect distinct from the Pharisees and Sadducees and supporters of Herod Antipas, or were actually soldiers in Herod’s court. Either way … the Pharisees were bringing a political or military group with them in opposition to Jesus.
… saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone's opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances.
This is what might be called … painting a picture.
“Saying” … we believe everything you say, because we know you’re telling the truth. You don’t care what others say … even if they are the religious leaders so why don’t you say it in front of these Herodians, these followers of King Herod … and of course we mean you no disrespect!
So, 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”
So, speak up so these Herodians – who either make the laws or in force the laws - can hear you.
We know in the two kingdoms, the Kingdom of Grace and the Kingdom of the world God works. He works through word and sacrament in one and through those who rule, lead or govern in the other.
In the Old Testament reading for today in Isaiah 45:1-7 God calls the Persian King Cyrus – his anointed saying,
whose right hand I have grasped,
to subdue nations before him
and to loose the belts of kings,
to open doors before him
that gates may not be closed:
The Lord says –
2 “I will go before you
and level the exalted places,
I will break in pieces the doors of bronze
and cut through the bars of iron,
3 I will give you the treasures of darkness
and the hoards in secret places,
that you may know that it is I, the Lord,
the God of Israel, who call you by your name.
God calls Cyrus for his purpose just as God called Pharaoh to serve his needs in the Exodus from Egypt telling Moses in Exodus 7:
2 You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land. 3 But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, 4 Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. 5 The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them.” Exodus 7:2-5
God works in the church through his means of grace and in the world through those he wills, both good and bad, for his ultimate purpose. We might remember Jesus’ response to Pontus Pilate in John 19:10-11
10 So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” 11 Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above.”
The Pharisees and the Herodians – were working to thwart God and his will in redemption through Jesus. But, God would have his way.
18 [To this] Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20 And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” as if they didn’t know 21 They said, “Caesar's.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.”
Some years ago as I drove through Pontiac, I came to an intersection where the light was yellow. I quickly accelerated through the intersection and saw the light was still yellow as I passed through.
Shortly after feeling good about my decision I heard the siren of a Pontiac Police car and feeling angry I pulled to a stop down a side street. The officer wrote me a ticket for failing to stop at a red and when I said the light was still yellow he said “Well, you’ll have a chance to appeal that in court.”
Court day comes and the Judge is a kindly old visiting Judge in his late 80’s. He speaks softly as all those before me accept their responsibility before the judge for the violations they are charged with. My turn comes and when the Judge asks me my plea, “I plead not responsible, your honor!”
I then give my side and the officer gives his. The judge in his kindly and grandfatherly voice says, “Russell, you have an impeccable driving record. I don’t think I’ve seen one as clean as yours? But, it’s going to cost you to keep it that way! I find for the plaintiff, no points but fees of $250. Case d ismissed!”
You and I know the laws. We know what or whom has been placed over us whether it is the laws that are on the books, or the police officer that has just given you a ticket, or the judge or political official who has just ruled or voted in a way that is contrary to how you think or desire or maybe even how God’s would desire.
We are all called to live and proclaim God’s truth in a world of believers and unbelievers alike.
We are called to love those who persecute us. If the laws call us to do something contrary to God’s word we need to sand firm and use our ability as citizens to also exercise our rights in the kingdom of the lift to bring about change.
The things that in this life may grieve us as Christians grieve our loving God as well. But He who is righteous is long suffering.
9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 2 Peter 2:9
God is slow with you and He is slow with me. Not giving up on us and our failings but calling and bringing us by the power of His Spirit to believe.
God in Christ has suffered with us and for some of us for many years as we at times choose to fall away from His word looking to what society and the civil leaders tell us what to believe and do.
He is long suffering towards us and we need to be long suffering to those that don’t see things as we do.
Then [Jesus] said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.”
This image is very simple to see. The question of should we pay tax is simply answered by Jesus to give to Caesar or give to the State what it requires but then it becomes a bit harder. Give to God what is His.
I gave the state the $250 fine. God has called me to read his word and follow him, to trust and to believe.
You are called to respond to the call of the gospel. The Pharisees and Chief Priests had been called and they had refused to care for the vineyard and ignored the invitation to the wedding feast. We too look to things other than the things God’s desires and drift away from Him and his word. God’s desire is you and that you fully trust in Him.
God has claimed you and made you His! So that, by faith you bear the likeness of Christ!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit!
Amen
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