(
What follows is an sermon I delivered at FBC, Rutherfordton, NC. My wife and I had been visiting this congregation prior to my accepting a call to a nearby church.)
TEXT Matthew 22:15-22
I'm not from around here. I would guess that would be obvious by now. I was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. But since my parents are from eastern North Carolina, I call both states home. With my parents about six hours North and my other family about the same distance East, I don't get to see them very often. At least not as often as I'd like...
But, the times when we do get together are special. We spend a good deal of time catching up on how things have been, and we can be quite often found around a table eating. Usually we go out to some local restaurant, places I only get to go when I'm "Home" a couple of times.. And it is while we are gathered around the table when it happens...
We sit. We order . We chat. We drink . The service and atmosphere are excellent and we eat. Oh, do we eat! We are after all good Baptists and good Baptists know how to eat! When we finish the meal, the server comes with the check and the argument, um, I mean discussion begins...
How much should we tip?
Ten percent sounds about right.
But it's their livelihood. This is their only source of income.
A fifteen percent gratuity will be added to parties of 8 or more.
15%!! I don't even give God 15%. Why should I give 15% for good service when God only expects 10% of my whole income?
I am not sure, but I don't think that's exactly what Jesus was talking about in this passage.
First jobs are great . Mine was at King's Dominion, an amusement park in Virginia, a sister park of Carowinds, complete with roller coasters and water rides. It's located just north of Richmond where I grew up. I worked in the Rides department, as a Supervisor of a couple of the rides.
But as good as first jobs are, first pay checks are even better . That is... until you look and see that before taxes and after taxes part, net and gross. I see why they call it gross. What is left after Uncle Sam takes his cut is, well, just Gross! Now as an adult it is even more so. A good 30 - 40% goes to the government, FICA, federal and state taxes.
Uncle Sam takes out at least 30% more than God gets.
So to give God his fair share , do you tithe and give your offering from the net or from the gross? What about bonuses? Do you tithe from those as well?
But I don't think Jesus was talking about paying taxes. And I am quite certain he was not talking about tithing...
This is the final week in Jesus' life. He has already made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem and in chapter 21 he cleansed the Temple. He has He then returns to the Temple where he has told 3 quite familiar parables: the parable of the 2 sons, the parable of the vineyard, and parable of the wedding feast. As we come to our passage, we now find the Pharisees gathered together and plotting amongst themselves how they might trap Jesus with his own words.
The Pharisees are teachers and are thus the counterparts of Jesus as teacher. They too have disciples, yet Matthew wants to show us that Jesus and the Pharisees are quite different .
The Pharisees had sent their disciples...
Did you catch that ? The Pharisees had sent their disciples. They did not want to confront Jesus in person so they sent their disciples. Maybe they were afraid. I don't know . The text does not tell us.
So the Pharisees sent their disciples, together with the Herodians. It's the only time in Matthew's Gospel we read of the Herodians and their presence in this particular text is significant...
The Herodians represented the overt supporters of the Roman government and would therefore support paying the tax. But the Pharisees were popular with the people because they, at least in principle, resented the tax. So you have both sides here. But they share a common goal... namely trapping Jesus.
And so the disciples of the Pharisees, give Jesus lip service saying, "We know that you are truthful and teach the way of God and truth and defer to no one. For you are not partial to any."
Then they asked the question that we are all by now quite familiar with...
"Is it lawful to give a poll tax to Caesar or not?"
“Show me the money,” Jesus says. That is, “show me the coin used for the tax.” Remember that this group testing Jesus is made up of both pro-tax herodians and the pharisees who opposed the tax. If Jesus answers one way, he offends not only the pharisees but the people as well. An answer against the tax could be construed as treason.
They hand him a Denarus, roughly one day's wages. Most of the coins in that time contained an inscription together with the image: Tiberius Caesar, son of the Divine Augustus, the high priest. If any of you went to see the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit in Charlotte you saw some similar coins. This divine inscription would certainly be blasphemous, a graven image.
It is interesting to note that 1. The Pharisees who resented, even hated the Roman taxes even had such a coin on them and 2. That they had this graven image in the Temple area.
Whose likeness and inscription is on this ? Or perhaps “Whose image is this ?”
On a Fall Break while we were in college at Gardner-Webb, Vanessa and I drove the long drive East of Gardner-Webb's campus to Mount Olive, North Carolina. Perhaps you have heard of Mount Olive Pickles? That's the place . There is even a pickle festival there every year . And they crown a pickle queen!
This particular trip is the trip that she and I were both nervous about . You see, she was meeting my family for the first time. As I said earlier, my parents live in Virginia but grew up within 45 minutes of each other . It is my grandmother, my mom's mother who lives in Mount Olive. My dad's family is in the Clinton/Kenansville area.
I had already experienced my part of the nervousness. I had already met her family a short drive from here in Spruce Pine and lived to tell about it. And I bet each of you can remember what that is like. Taking that special someone home to meet your parents for the first time..
What if they don't like me?
What if I say something wrong ?
What if they think I'm weird... or worse... what if
they're weird? You know what I mean?? Nerve-wracking....
Vanessa met my mom and dad. She met my younger brother Jason. I introduced her to my grandma, my only surviving grandparent and to some cousins. My dad and I took her to meet some of his people, his brother and sister in Clinton. I showed her the cemetery where my mom's father is buried and the Hawes family cemetery in Rose Hill where my dad's parents are buried...
I wish my grandparents could have met Vanessa. They would have loved her.
We took a half day and drove the 45 minutes to the beach. On Sunday, we worshipped at my grandmother's church, a wonderful God-loving congregation who practically helped raise my brother and me.
Some of my fondest childhood memories are of this church, especially homecoming, which even until recently included a covered dish fellowship meal on the grounds. I told you we were good Baptists! And I introduced her to that wonderful substance that makes my mouth water even now as I think about it, BBQ, Eastern Style. (Though I have come to appreciate the Western BBQ).
I crammed into those 3 days as much of my family and its history as I could. I hoped the whole experience wasn't too overwhelming to her.
She pulled me aside at one point nearly in a chuckle. I did not know what to think .Was she alright? Had my family scared her? I know they surely sometimes scare me. No , she wasn't scared. Well, at least that wasn't the reason she wanted to talk to me. Turns out she had found the whole experience quite amusing, especially when my dad and I were together ...
You both stand the same way.
You laugh the same.
When you 2 stand side by side and relax you both put your right hand on the same place on your waist.
When you are concentrating on something you cock your head to the side and have that same puzzled look - just like he does.
I am not the son of the milk man. I know who my dad is.
One of my favorite preachers, and I believe one of Dean's as well is a retired professor and minister named Fred Craddock . Dr. Craddock tells the story about a dinner he and his wife shared while vacationing in the Great Smoky Mountains. They were dining in a rather new restaurant, called the Black Bear Inn, just outside of Gatlinburg. The inn was quite nice and rustic and well-kept. The view of the mountains was spectacular.
Early in the meal an elderly gentleman approached their table and said "Good evening." Fred replied, "Good evening."
The gentleman said , "Are you on vacation?"
"Yes" , Fred replied as he mumbled under his breath, "It's really none of your business."
"Where are you from?"
"We are from Oklahoma."
"What do you do in Oklahoma ?"
Again under his breath, but almost audible Fred was saying, (SLOWLY) "Leave – us – alone. We are on vacation and we don't even know who you are ."
Out loud, "I am a Christian minister."
He said , "What Church?"
Fred said, "The Christian Church , Disciples of Christ."
The other gentleman paused and said , " I owe a great deal to a minister of that particular denomination.
And he pulled out a chair and sat down .
"Yes, have a seat", trying to make it seem sincere, but it wasn't. Who is this person ?!
The older man said , "I grew up in these mountains and the whole community knew it. I was what was called an illegitimate child . In those days that was a shame and I was ashamed. The reproach that fell on my mother, of course, fell on me as well. When I went into town with her I could see people staring at me, making guesses as to who my father was. "I bet he's such and such's kid." "Nah... doesn't have the same nose. Looks more like..."
At school the children said ugly things to me and so I stayed to myself during recess and I ate my lunch alone.
In my early teens I began to attend a little church back in the mountains called Laurel Springs Christian Church . It had a minister who was both fascinating and frightening. He had a chiseled face and a very heavy beard and a deep voice. I went to hear him preach. I don't know exactly why, but it did something for me.
However I was afraid that I was not welcome here because I was a, ... you know.
So I would go just in time for the sermon and when it was over I would move out quickly because I was afraid people would say , "What's a boy like you doing in church ?"
One Sunday some people queued up in the aisle before I could get out and I was stopped... trapped. Before I could make my way through the group I felt a hand on my shoulder, a heavy hand. It was that minister. I cut my eyes around and caught a glimpse of his beard and his chin and I knew who it was. I trembled in fear.
He turned his face around so he could see mine and he seemed to be staring at me for a little while . I knew what he was doing. He was going to make a guess as to who my father was...
A moment later he said , "Well, boy, you're a child of ...." and he paused there . And I knew it was coming. I knew I would have my feelings hurt. I knew I would not go back again .
He said , "Boy, you are a child of God. I see a striking resemblance."
A child of God. Like I am. Like you are. Like any and every other person, whether we like them or not. Each of us are children of God, made in the image of our creator.
And God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created them. Male and female created he them.
It is God's image we bear. It is his name and inscription we carry. And therefore we belong to God.
It's not about taxes and giving the IRS its due. Though as Christians we should pay our taxes. It's more than that.
It's not about tithing, whether you give a tenth, fifteen percent or fifty percent. God doesn't need your money. Does Scripture not say that God owns the cattle of a thousand hills? It's not the money he wants. It's much more than that.
What does God want? God wants that which is rightfully his... that which bears his image.
God wants us. Each of us. Not an hour each Sunday morning. Not a tenth of our time. Or fifteen percent. God wants us all and He wants ALL of us.
And taking the coin, Jesus asked "Whose image is on this ?" Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, but give to God, that which belongs to God."
