The Nineteenth Sunday After Pentecost Morituri te Salutant (Those who are about to die salute you.) Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen. In today’s Gospel, Jesus says, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s.” Caesar, of course, was the ruler of the land, that is, the government. Jesus was essentially saying, “Give to the civil government those things that belong to the civil government. Give to God those things that belong to God.” Dear Christian friends: In today’s Gospel, the Pharisees wanted to get Jesus into trouble. They hated Jesus and His Words; they wanted to prove that Jesus’ not only wrong, but dangerous; they wanted to hatch a crafty plan that they could use to entangle Jesus in His talk.” So the Pharisees asked Jesus a loaded question: “What do you think, Jesus? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” Jesus famously answered them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” Our Lord’s answer their question reminds us that our government has been given to us by our God (John 19:11, Romans 13). That is a timely message for us, especially since the Morgan County tax bills went into the mail this week. (When you opened the envelope, you probably did not kneel down and pray, “Thank you, Jesus.” I didn’t pray that way, either, but we both probably should have.) I wonder: what would happen if our county had written across the top of every tax bill, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s”? How would the people respond? • Some of the unbelieving citizens in our county would probably protest loud and long. Separation of church and state! It might not be so bad if the government were to make certain demands upon the Christian Church, such as requiring the Church to provide abortion benefits or to perform same-sex marriages. Above all else, do not allow the Church or its Scripture to have any voice at all—not even a simple confession of faith—in the midst of our governmental structures. We have come too far for that. We are more sophisticated than that. • It is likely that the less honorable unbelievers among us—and the less honorable Christians among us—would show less restraint. Glass would almost certainly be broken. Someone might be harmed. It is no secret that we Americans have the capacity for chaos when we do not get our way. Suppose there is a Christian or two who receives a Morgan County tax bill with the divine Words written across the top, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesars!” What things would pass through his or her mind? • Probably, as a first step, that Christian would need to battle his or her sinful flesh (Romans 7:18), which Jesus has covered with His good gift of Baptism (Galatians 3:27). Despite the fact that we have been forgiven all things (Isaiah 1:18) and given all things (1 Corinthians 3:21), we Christians still have smoldering within us the very same selfishness and hatred that first separated us from both God (Genesis 3) and neighbor (Genesis 4). Tax bills tempt the sinful flesh because there is nothing I love more me and nothing I hate more than parting with something. So the first step with the tax bill that we “put to death whatever belongs to the sinful nature” (Colossians 3:5); that we “crucify the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:24). Stated another way, the first step with the tax bill is that we repent and blink and look at that bill with new eyes; with the eyes of faith. • Then our God-given eyes return to the top of the page and we see those Words again, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s.” Moving to the right and down the side of the bill, we get to see all those ways that Caesar—that is the civil government—helps us to show love for neighbor that we probably would never show otherwise. o Yes, a big chunk of it goes to the schools. The children of our county need to be trained how to function in life as decent citizens and usable employees. Your school tax dollars are spent on the noble effort of seeing that art and music, science and math, flourish among us. All the better if the children also learn to wash their hands and eat nutritiously and do other things they cannot learn at home. o The nursing home tax is also a great act of love, as should seem obvious. Tax dollars also support the sheltered workshop, the health center, the senior center. Who knows how many people benefit on a daily basis from your few coins? This all amounts to your act of love. o What of the benefits you receive from your government? Your tax bill is simply the record of you doing your part to make this a better place to live. This includes road districts, fire and ambulance services, and one of the best public libraries a small county has ever seen. All told, you’ve got yourself a pretty big heart. You generously give to your city, county and state in any number of ways, and your tax bill lets you to do it all at once. So, where the first part of your tax bill is marked by repentance and the crucifixion of your fleshly desires, the second part of your bill consists of simple love for neighbor. Love for neighbor is something that we Christians are particularly fond of doing. • I already mentioned the third step of receiving and paying your tax bill, but it is worth mentioning again: Opening the envelope is a great time for you and me both to get down on our knees and humbly pray, “Thank you, Jesus!” Why should we each thank Jesus? Because the government does not tax us on things we do not have. Maybe one page comes out of the envelope; maybe two or three; maybe more. Each and every page bears testimony toward your God’s generosity toward you. Each and every page demonstrates that your God is not content with merely giving you spiritual things. Yes; you have been forgiven all your sins in Christ Jesus. Yes, you have been given a permanent and irrevocable place at the Lord’s Table in eternity. No, not even your body can be taken away from you forever. God says you are going to rise again to live forever Christ Jesus, your resurrected Lord. God says you have an inheritance in heaven that can never perish or rust or fade. Look at that: your tax bill says that your God is not merely interested in your future, but that He is directly concerned with your body and life, right here and now. Your tax bill says that God the heavenly Father has graciously given “you everything you need to support this body and life” (Small Catechism, First Article of the Creed) and probably more than you need. Praise be to God our Father and His Son Jesus Christ, our Lord! Your tax bill also says that God has provided a good place for you to keep all that “more-than-you-need stuff.” Keep it in your neighbor’s pocket. “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s.” (It’s not like you have any more room in your garage and basement, anyway.) Suppose “all that you need to support your body and life” is not enough reason for you thank and praise God. If that is the case, then perhaps you could thank God for all that the government does NOT take from you. The government only expects you to give your money, which belongs to the government, anyway. Thank God that the government is at this moment not interested in taking your wife or your children, your land, your own bodily service, or even your own life. The government certainly could lay claim upon all those things. It has done so before. For now, it does not make such demands. Thank God! You can go ahead and pay your tax bill with a little chuckle and a confident smile. After all, the Words, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s” describe only one-half of the cookie. Christ Jesus our Lord went on to say in today’s Gospel, “Give to God the things that are God’s.” • The government can only reach so far; only as far as this life. • The grace and mercy of our God stretches beyond eternity, from before the world began to long after this world is a mere memory. What has our God given to us, that we should give back to Him? He has given us His gift of faith in Christ Jesus, that we may cling to our crucified and risen Lord with all that we have. God has given us the forgiveness of each and every sin, in order that we might give Him our good and righteous works, the fruit and produce of the faith He has given to us. “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.” To an unbeliever, these Words are an intolerable burden and demand. To you who have been forgiven in Jesus’ blood and made perfect in Him, these Words impose no burden. We are unconcerned with giving because we have immeasurably received. _______________________________________________ Sermons mailing list [email protected] http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
