Proper 24 / Pentecost 22 / OT 29
Devotional
Water From the Well
Lectionary Devotional For Cycle A
Object:
... Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one....
-- Matthew 22:16
Sometimes we hide our malice behind the cover of compliments and a smile. The Pharisees sent both their disciples and the Herodians, representatives of both the faith community and the political community, to entrap Jesus. Their words suggested respect, but their question was meant to entrap. There was a negative spirit that betrayed them in their questions. Their questions were not for information or learning the truth but to ensnare Jesus. "Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?" If Jesus answered that they should pay taxes, he would lose the support of the people who chaffed under Roman rule. They looked for a Messiah that would liberate them from the Romans, not support the Romans. If, on the other hand, Jesus said that they should not pay taxes, then the Romans could arrest him. He asked for a coin, and they gave him a denarius that had the image of Caesar and words that claimed divinity for Caesar.
When Jesus gave his now-familiar response, he was speaking on two levels. On one level, the very image on the coin that claimed divinity for Caesar would suggest that Jesus was saying, "Give therefore to the emperor [a false god] the things that are the emperor's, and to [the true] God the things that are God's." But on another level, there is a legitimate separation of what should be directly given over to visibly honor God and what should be used for earthly responsibilities. Yet, the overall impact of what Jesus was saying is to suggest that each time we spend our money, we need to weigh whether we are doing it in such a way as to honor God or to support false idols in our lives.
-- Matthew 22:16
Sometimes we hide our malice behind the cover of compliments and a smile. The Pharisees sent both their disciples and the Herodians, representatives of both the faith community and the political community, to entrap Jesus. Their words suggested respect, but their question was meant to entrap. There was a negative spirit that betrayed them in their questions. Their questions were not for information or learning the truth but to ensnare Jesus. "Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?" If Jesus answered that they should pay taxes, he would lose the support of the people who chaffed under Roman rule. They looked for a Messiah that would liberate them from the Romans, not support the Romans. If, on the other hand, Jesus said that they should not pay taxes, then the Romans could arrest him. He asked for a coin, and they gave him a denarius that had the image of Caesar and words that claimed divinity for Caesar.
When Jesus gave his now-familiar response, he was speaking on two levels. On one level, the very image on the coin that claimed divinity for Caesar would suggest that Jesus was saying, "Give therefore to the emperor [a false god] the things that are the emperor's, and to [the true] God the things that are God's." But on another level, there is a legitimate separation of what should be directly given over to visibly honor God and what should be used for earthly responsibilities. Yet, the overall impact of what Jesus was saying is to suggest that each time we spend our money, we need to weigh whether we are doing it in such a way as to honor God or to support false idols in our lives.
