“Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” They answered, “The emperor’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.” Matthew 22:15-22

“Most biblical scholars agree on two interpretive elements of this passage. First, our modern separation of church and state — which this text is often employed to support — is just that, modern. It’s highly unlikely that a devout Jew of the first century would imagine the clean separation of our lives into political and religious spheres that we are accustomed to. Second, the coin produced likely had not only the likeness (icon) of Caesar but also the title “Son of God.” Which means that possessing it was tantamount to idolatry and a violation of the first two commandments. So is Jesus saying that we owe nothing to a false God like Caesar and should reserve all things for God? I don’t know. What do you think? Or is he inviting us to recognize that we while we may, in fact, owe the emperors of this world some things — like taxes — we owe God other things — like our whole selves? I don’t know. What do you think? Or is Jesus instead inviting us to avoid giving our allegiance to the material and temporal things of this world that our coins can buy (and that seem to delight emperors) and demanding our ultimate devotion go to God? Again, I don’t know. What do you think? This isn’t just a clever exercise. I really don’t know. And I really am interested in what you think and wish we could talk it over in person. I have a hunch — and it’s really just that — that Jesus isn’t advocating a full-scale retreat from the economic and political dimensions of our lives but instead is helping us to recognize that all of these things are part of God’s divine economy. That is, I think Jesus invites us — actually, demands of us — that we be thinking regularly and relentlessly about how all of our decisions — what we buy, who we vote for, how we spend our time — should be shaped by the confession that, indeed, the whole world is God’s and everything in it — including us!

But what does that mean? Or, more to the point, how should our faith actually shape our daily decisions, particularly our economic ones? As it turns out, this can be incredibly tricky business. More than that, there’s not a Christian I know who doesn’t think about these things a fair amount. For some it’s a question of how much to spend on themselves or give away, while for others it’s a desire to pass on their values about money to their kids. Whatever their questions, however, almost everyone I know wrestles with this stuff.” (God, Caesar, and the Power of a Good Question, October 09, 2011, …in the meantime, David Lose)

In the book “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”, the reader is introduced to something called the Babel Fish (an obvious take on the story of the Tower of Babel). The Babel Fish is interesting and amazingly useful – when inserted into a person’s ear, it allows that individual to hear any conversation that is not in their native tongue, translated into their native tongue. So, if I read this passage in Greek, and you had a Babel Fish in your ear, the Greek would be translated into English and you would understand every word that I spoke including the nuance of that Greek word. Just imagine how the bible could open up to each one of us if we had such a device. Of course that is the purpose of preaching, so let’s see how I do. This text from the Gospel of Matthew deals with an exchange between some Pharisees, some Herodians, and Jesus. The Pharisees, of course, were members of the most important and influential religious and political parties within Judaism. The Herodians are a separate Jewish sect who do not believe in the resurrection of the body, but more importantly are supporters of the dynasty of the Herod’s and, in that sense, allied themselves with the Roman State against Jesus when advantageous. As such, these two groups are linked politically and are opportunistic. So they are trying to trip up Jesus – to get him to speak publicly against either Jewish law and practice, or against Roman law and practice. “Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?”, they ask Jesus. You see, even in the first century, the question and controversy of paying taxes was on the mind of the people. And, of course, when you are living under an “occupation”, paying taxes to that occupying force sure does not sit very well. How will Jesus answer this vexing question? Of course, Jesus answers like he often answers, by asking a question. First he asks for a coin. And then he says, “Whose image is this, and whose title?” In asking that question, Jesus has spoken “THE” word that the Babel Fish would have instantaneously made you aware of the brilliance of Jesus’ question. Let me elaborate…

And let’s start in the beginning. In the first book of the bible, in Genesis, we learn that God made Adam in HIS image – in fact makes all of humanity in HIS image – in the IMAGE of God.

“So God created humankind in his image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:27

As the Rabbi’s would in every case of a text from the Torah, they would develop a teaching that they would include in the Talmud (a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish laws, philosophy, customs and history). Here is the teaching they developed on Adam being created in God’s image:

“Adam, the first human, was created as a single person to show forth the greatness of the Ruler who is beyond all rulers, Blessed Holy One. For if a human ruler…mints many coins from one mold, they all carry the same image, they all look alike. But the Blessed Holy One shaped all humans in the Divine image, as Adam was…and yet not one of them resembles another.”
The Rabbi’s drew an analogy between the image that Caesar, a human ruler, puts on the coin in his realm, and the image that God, the Divine Infinite Ruler, puts on you and me. In other words, the very diversity of human faces that you see around you this morning (evening) shows the limitlessness of the unlimited Creator – whereas the uniformity of Caesar’s coins highlights the limitations of the emperor – a human ruler. We are not all minted from the same mold, in other words. In fact, for some of us, they broke the mold….Amen?

But what does that all matter? Well, you need to insert your Babel Fish now, because there is one word that this text turns on. It is the word that the NRSV translates as “Head” – the Greek word is “Eikon”. Yes, it can be translated as head, like the image on a coin. But it can also mean the embodiment or the living manifestation of God in form or appearance, which is how the Genesis text is to be understood – we are all created in the image of, or in the living embodiment or living manifestation of God. So, we can look at this text this way. Jesus says, “Whose image is on this coin?” as he points to the Denarius. And then he looks right at the person who originally asked the question about taxes, and Jesus points to his chest, and says, “Whose image is on you?” And then he looks at you and me, Jesus does, and asks “Whose image is imprinted on you, and on you, like Abe Lincoln on the Penny?” Because, what the image that we wear on the outside tells others is to whom you give authority in your life. If money is your main focus in life, then you have a dollar sign imprinted on you. If being famous is your main focus, then you have a “YouTube” logo on your chest. What do you profess, what do you wear on your chest that tells others what has authority in your life?

Pastor Dave