Jesus’ encounter with the religious leaders over paying taxes to Caesar reveals that what appears to be a question of money is really a deeper struggle over identity, belonging, and power. By declaring, “Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s,” Jesus reminds us that while we may owe earthly authorities certain obligations, our whole selves belong to God, in whose image we are created. The Kingdom of God is not about political power or reclaiming what we have lost, but about following Jesus and living in the freedom, grace, and forgiveness that come from knowing we are beloved children of God.
We have been following Jesus, as he feeds the multitudes, teaches, heals the sick.
We have listened to his Kingdom parables, which are increasingly pointed, as he challenges religious leaders,
calling their hypocrisy, a word we use as a shorthand for their unwillingness to learn,
for their sense that they know better,
for their sense that their authority to say what is right and wrong should not be challenged by Jesus, whom they see as an upstart.
His mass following is a threat to their authority as they seek to hold the people together under the shadow of Rome.
Those who oppose Jesus are real people like us, with complex lives,
not flat characters who serve only as foils, but people like us who want what is best for their community.
Jesus has just told the parable of the Wedding Banquet which exposes these religious leaders for rejecting the feast of God’s goodness, who reject the Kingdom of God.
We know where this is heading, and we find in our reading today these religious leaders seeking to use his Kingdom teachings against him.
“Tell us what you think” they ask, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Ceasar, or not?”
There is history here.
When Rome—”Caesar”—occupied Palestine, it instituted a Poll Tax, a Head Tax.
Each person, 12 to 65, was required to pay one denarius per year.
A denarius is a relative amount, equal to one day’s labor.
One day’s labor in taxes to Rome per year.
Sounds pretty good to me—I’d be glad to pay one day’s wages in taxes.
Not a big amount then or now, but it wasn’t the amount that was in conflict.
There are two types of conflict.
Resource based conflicts, and identity based conflicts.
Resource based conflicts are easy to solve, not so identity based conflicts.
The question of paying taxes to Ceasar seems like a resource based conflict, is posed as a resource based conflict, but is about identity.
You can tell you are dealing with an identity based conflict when it is not about what it about…
Not about a denarius, but the bile and grievance and resentment of paying taxes to Rome for land, their land, which had been occupied by force,
land that had belonged to their grandfathers and grandmothers going back to Abraham and Sarah.
The multitude who follow Jesus resent paying a denarius, and then as now there are those who feed on resentment to gather followers,
These religious leaders who pose the question of paying taxes are looking to divide Jesus from his followers, many of whom follow him believing that he will restore their identity as God’s chosen people not in the way Jesus identifies as the kingdom of God, by giving their hearts to God,
but by overpowering Roman power, Roman rule, the power of Rome tax them for occupying the land that God had given to them and their ancestors.
Many of those who follow Jesus were nationalists who believed the Kingdom of God was going to be established by force, by violence if necessary.
Judas was likely one of these…
Remember the story of Pilate offering to set Jesus free or Barabbas free and the people shouting give us Barabbas?
Barabas was a nationalist hero in the Judean resistance against Rome.
These nationalist coalesced into a political movement called the Zealots, who rose up against Rome in 66-70AD.
When they became a threat, Rome wiped them out, and then destroyed the Temple.
This is what the Religious leaders were seeking to avoid, why they see Jesus’s Kingdom teaching as a threat.
We might call them realists; they understand the reality of their position, the position of the people, so when they try to trick Jesus they are doing what they believe is best for the people–they want to get rid of him before he brings the real, awesome power of Rome down upon them.
Jesus is aware of their malice when they pose this question:
“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 Caesar or not?”
Show me a coin, he says, and they bring him a denarius that all are required to pay, a small amount then as now.
“Whose head is this and whose title”
They answered, “Caesar’s.”
“Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.”
Though they pose a question of resources, it is a question of identity.
We are created in the image of God, not of any emperor; we give the resources we are required to give to the kings of the world, but we own our identity, our whole being, our whole selves to God alone…
We can give the emperor his pittance, but we owe God all.
No one can own us, no one can divide us from Jesus, when we remember we belong to God alone, that the kingdom of God is real and true.
There is nothing new nor surprising when some seek to entice us into believing kingdom of God is about earthly power, is about political power, that what we have lost can be regained.
That is not what we are about, nor what the Kingdom of God in Christ is about, not about resources, not about the kind of power Caesar and Rome represent.
It is about following Jesus, about the power of our identity as children of God, each of us beloved, each of infinite worth to our eternal God.
It’s about freedom, grace, forgiveness,
It’s about giving the Caesars and Romes of our day the pittance they are due, and giving our whole being to God who love for us is who we are, for we belong to God through Christ, and none other, Thanks be to God.
