The Rev. Carol S. Wedell
October 19, 2008

In an age of instant replays, artificial turf and retractable dome stadiums, I find it interesting that football teams still decide who will kick off by means of a coin toss.  It seems so old-fashioned!  Heads or tails?  Not that I've had many occasions to make such a call, but I prefer "heads" myself - don't ask me why!

Today's gospel reading has definitely called "heads" - taking a good long look at the image of Caesar which is imprinted on the Roman coin that becomes the focus of discussion.  Nearly a month ago when I was looking at lectionary passages and making decisions about which text to preach on, this familiar text looked like an ideal way to enter into the Stewardship season.  With a presidential election looming in the near future, it even offered the possibility of some reflection about the relationship between what belongs to Caesar and what belongs to God.  So the title and scripture listing went into our newsletter and I was set to go.

And then we hit (or perhaps I should say were hit by) the past couple of weeks - called by some the worst financial crisis since the great Depression.  The DOW (by the way - try explaining that to a 12 year old) has bounced every which way - mostly down - and by record amounts.  Retirement accounts and college funds have taken major losses, no matter how well diversified the accounts.  Banks have gone into bankruptcy, been purchased, or been part of an enormous federal bailout, less than happily approved by a bipartisan Congress and Senate.  And that's for those of us fortunate enough to have assets in the stock market!

The credit market has dried up.  Mortgages, school loans and car loans are significantly harder to get. Thousands of jobs have already been lost, with more cuts announced by major employers.  Consumer confidence is low.  All of us have felt it - or will soon.  And you can be sure that those who are at the so-called bottom of the economic ladder will feel it the most.

Recently, the American Psychological Association released the findings of a survey they conducted of 7,000 American households.  The study noted that eighty percent of Americans were stressed about the economy and their personal finances.  Half were worried about their ability to provide for their family's basic needs.  56% were concerned about their own job stability.  60% of respondents reported feeling angry and irritable, and 52% reported laying awake at night worried about this.  The report concluded that, "The declining state of the nation's economy is taking a physical and emotional toll on people nationwide. "  (CNN.com, October 7, 2008, "Eight Out of Ten Americans Stressed Because of Economy.".)   I would suggest that there has been a toll on our spiritual health as well.

It seems that none of the actions taken to date, or the calls for calm have really addressed the underlying fear or the anxiety that too many of us are carrying.  Furthermore, we are in the middle of what has become a highly contentious presidential campaign, with more mudslinging and name-calling than problem solving. Anxiety and fear seem to be dominant in that sphere as well. Does our reading have anything to say to those of us who are acutely aware and anxious about the economic and political realities before us?

I think it does, in a profound and significant manner. 

A highly unusual pairing of the Herodians (that is followers of Herod - undoubtedly in favor of local taxes) and the Pharisees (undoubtedly not in favor of paying taxes to Rome) join together trying to entrap Jesus with a question that is a lose-lose proposition.  "Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?"

We need to understand the situation of the Jews at this time. Many of Jesus' contemporaries were desperately poor. Along with road tolls and market duties every person in Palestine was subject to three taxes. There was the Temple tax, used to defray the costs of operating the center of Jewish spiritual life. There was the Herodian tax, imposed by the local government to pay for grand building projects such as palaces and the like. Finally there was the Roman tax, imposed by the imperial masters to cover the costs of roads, aqueducts, occupation troops and so on. In fact, most people in Palestine spent a good part of their lives in debt simply to pay the taxes.  So this question was a real question for those who were listening in.

Additionally, this conversation is taking place in the courtyard of the Temple - where it was considered blasphemous for anyone to have a Roman coin in their possession, because it had the image of Caesar on it.  The Pharisees, those who followed the Torah the most closely were ordinarily the most meticulous about such matters.  Remember the commandment - you shall have no other gods before me?

Jesus understands that either a yes or no answer will get him in trouble with someone - which of course, was the intent.  If he says "yes - pay Caesar" the Jewish religious establishment will call him blasphemous.  If he says "no - don't pay the tax", the Roman authorities will have reason to arrest him.

Then Jesus does what is so common for him.  He doesn't conform to the rules of their game.  Given the choice of A or B, he chooses C - none of the above.  He invites them - and us, to try and look at the situation from a different viewpoint. Jesus asks for a coin (notice he doesn't have one in his pocket.  No it comes from the Pharisees, those so concerned about doing what was "right" religiously).  He holds the Roman coin up in front of his curious questioners, takes a good hard look at it and quietly shakes his head.  You can almost hear him thinking - don't you have anything more important to ask about?  This is just a silly coin!  Get a life!

Instead, he asks them, "Whose head is this and whose title?"  "Well Caesar's, of course!"  "Then give to Caesar what is his, and give to God the things that are God's." Actually, translated literally he says, "give back" - as if Caesar and God had prior ownership.  OK, you've got your answer. That's nice and clear.  We can all go home now!  But is it so clear?  I don't think so.  Jesus has left them - and left us with some work to do.  He leaves us with a far more important question than the question of paying taxes. 

What belongs to Caesar and what belongs to God?  For a world in economic crisis and a nation facing a significant election, those are pertinent questions.   What do we owe to our nation (our current Caesar) and what do we owe to God?

Jesus looks with compassion on those around him, those who also bear an image - the image of God. From the beginning of creation, humanity was created in God's image.  So go ahead and give those coins to Caesar.  Just don't give to Caesar what belongs to God.  Don't give yourself to Caesar - or any other false god for that matter.  Give your whole selves to God.  You belong to God, you bear God's image.  So the real question is what does it mean to be a true follower of the God revealed in Jesus Christ?   How is our life different if we understand that we are those who belong to God - with heart, soul, mind and strength? 

At this point in the United States in October of 2008, I think it means two very important things.  First, our security, our hope, our sense of well-being cannot be lodged in the stock market or our material wealth.  That is misplaced trust.  When the DOW fell below 10,000 a week ago, Kofi Annan reminded us said that while we and so many others may be anxious about the stock markets, 10,000 children will die today because of poverty and hunger.

I don't say that to make us feel guilty, but to put things in perspective.  Throughout the whole of Scripture, God's people face challenges of all kinds.  And the bottom line is always the same:  You are not alone.  God is with you.  You may lose every material thing you have, but that doesn't matter.  God will not abandon you. 

The current credit crisis points to the inadequacy of any ultimate belief that is in anything but God.  God is our refuge and strength.  And God's sustaining power is not tied to the DOW.  If we're honest, we have to acknowledge the human greed, envy and pride that led to questionable practices on Wall Street and ultimately this financial crisis. And it's not just "those guys on Wall Street."  All of us with 401Ks or other investments, any of us who purchased or lived beyond our means were a part of this mess.  We live in a world with countless competing loyalties, influences and powers that vie to own us, to influence us, to capture our hearts. Too many of us were lured in by a culture of affluence and put our trust in something other than God.  The graven image we were so tempted to follow has a picture of George Washington on it.

If we remember that we belong to God - that in fact, everything belongs to God, then the challenge, the call is to put God first in our lives.  Friends - that is tough to do.  Besides wealth and power, we find all kinds of things to take God's place.  Putting God first has implications for every aspect of out lives - including our political lives and choices. 

Don't get nervous - I have no intention of endorsing any candidate, party or position!  Instead of being amazed as were those who first heard Jesus hold up that coin, we get so caught up in the politics and rulers of this world, that we forget that we have dual citizenship.  As followers of Jesus our primary citizenship is not the United States, but rather the Kingdom of God. 

This isn't at all to say that we should not be engaged in the political process.  Presbyterians are well represented in all branches of government - and always have been. Particularly as Presbyterians, we honor the need for active involvement in the activities of "Caesar" - of the country of which we are a part. 

We don't separate ourselves out, but rather work to help make our world more and more like the Kingdom of God which Jesus inaugurated. The problem comes when we forget which citizenship takes priority.  Rarely do we think and behave as though we are full citizens of God's kingdom.

So the real question isn't whether or not to pay taxes to Caesar, whether or not to vote for John McCain or Barack Obama.  The question we need to ask ourselves as we think about every issue and candidate is not "what's in it for me?" but rather "does this help further God's kingdom on earth?"  To be one who belongs to God - heart, soul, mind and strength, to be one who has been marked as God's own shapes everything we do - if we let it.  Our prayer as we vote, should be that we let God's image in us be expressed in our decisions.

Thomas R. Kelly was a Quaker missionary, educator, speaker, writer and scholar. In A Testament of Devotion, he wrote:

We are trying to be several selves at once, without all our selves being organized by a single, mastering Life within us. Each of us tends to be, not a single self, but a whole committee of selves. . . . And each of our selves is in turn a rank individualist, not cooperative but shouting out his vote loudly for himself when the voting time comes. . . . It is as if we have a chairman of our committee of many selves within us who does not integrate the many into one but who merely counts the votes at each decision, and leaves disgruntled minorities. . . . We are not integrated. We are distraught. We feel honestly the pull of many obligations and try to fulfill them all. . . . Life is meant to be lived from a Center, a divine Center. . . . Most of us, I fear, have not surrendered all else, in order to attend to the Holy Within.

Attending to God's presence within us reminds us who we are.  It calms our spirits.  It directs our actions. Jesus left those who were listening to figure out the answer for themselves.  In my experience, following Jesus is rarely as simple as it seems it should be.  Or maybe I just find it too easy to follow lesser gods.  The good news is that every day, every moment, we are given another chance to work and live and pray that God's kingdom may indeed be known on earth.