15 November 2020
Text: Matt 22:15-22 (Prov 8:11-22,
Phil 3:17-21)
In the name of + Jesus. Amen.
Taxes are controversial. They always have been. Our country, in part, owes its existence to taxation policy. To this day, it is a hot-button topic. Some say, “Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society,” while others say, “Taxation is theft.”
Back in the days when the Israelites were governed by tribal leaders called “Judges,” they had no king and no taxes. They had financial obligations: their tithe to the priests and their obligation to the poor, to widows, and to orphans. But there were no taxes. When the people wanted to be “like all the other nations” and have a king, God was very displeased. God warned them that this would mean being enslaved to the government, being drafted for military service, and paying taxes.
God’s people soon got their wish. In the undivided kingdom of Israel, they had one good king and two bad ones. After the country divided, the Southern kingdom had 20 kings: 14 bad ones, and 6 good ones. And even the good ones collected taxes. The Northern kingdom had 19 kings, and all of them were rotten to the core. Not a very good track record. And then the children of Israel were ruled by Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and in the time of our Gospel reading, the Romans. All of them oppressed the people of God by means of taxes, and more.
In the New Testament, calling someone a “tax collector” was considered a gross insult.
But if you resisted paying your taxes, bad things happened to you. The same is true today. So pay your taxes. But the Pharisees and the Herodians “plotted how to entangle Jesus in His talk,” and so they asked Him about taxes. For if He were for them, the people will hate Him. If he were against them, the government will hate Him. Notice that they are not actually interested in what our Lord has to say about taxes, or anything else for that matter. They care nothing about the Word of God. In fact, they are filled with “malice” according to Matthew’s account.
And Jesus knows exactly what they are up to.
You see, this really isn’t about taxes at all, but rather about the sins of hypocrisy and malice toward God. And we too are guilty of these sins, dear friends. We too are more consumed with the things of this world (the world of Caesar) than we are the kingdom of God. And of course, we may grouse, but we dutifully pay our taxes. But do we tithe? Certainly, we are not under the law to do so, but this is certainly God-pleasing. We may well not have the means to give a tenth of our income to the Lord’s work – but do we even try? Do we commit to a certain amount in offerings? Do we try to increase it – even a little – as time goes by? Do we give a penny more than would inconvenience us in offerings to the church or in charity for those in need?
Of course, we will render unto Caesar in taxes because we fear the government, but do we fear God? Our reading from Proverbs includes this little snippet of divine wisdom: “The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil.”
The Pharisees and Herodians did not fear Jesus, nor did they hate evil. In fact, they feared Caesar and hated God. And when we do not render unto God the things that are God’s, we do the same, dear friends.
And this isn’t just about putting money in the plate. We are members of the kingdom. We are to serve our neighbor by doing the best that we can do at our work. So if we are accountants or teachers or babysitters or dishwashers – when we slack off or cut corners, we are serving ourselves instead of God. When we skip church, leaving the rest of the flock with fewer people in the pews, we are serving ourselves instead of God. For attending the service is not only about you “getting something out of it,” but also about you giving something to your neighbor, bolstering his faith, because there is strength in numbers.
God has created each person for a very specific reason. God brought you into existence, and you are sitting here listening to His Word because He wants you to hear this. This moment is part of the Lord’s plan, drafted before the foundation of the world – and you play a part in His kingdom, dear brother, dear sister.
To fear God is to hate evil. We are often told that hatred is a bad thing. It can be. But it can also be a very good thing. We should hate sin – in others, but especially in ourselves. For we can’t control what others do, but we can indeed control what we do. We can meditate on the Ten Commandments and pray for the gift of repentance. We can fill our eyes and ears with the Word of God instead of the visual sewage that has become normal to us on TV and in movies. We can resolve to attend Divine Service and partake of Holy Communion, to pay attention to the reading of Scripture and the preaching of the Gospel. And we can be beacons of hope to our friends and family members and colleagues who are like lost sheep, who are headed to death and hell unless they repent and believe the Gospel. We can invite them to come to church with us. They will probably refuse, but they will know that you love them, and the Holy Spirit will work through you, through our congregation, and through the Word of God that is proclaimed in this holy house for their forgiveness, life, and salvation.
Is joining together with your brothers and sisters in Christ a priority for you, dear friends?
For the Law is not only for the unbelievers. The Pharisees and Herodians were believers, dear friends. And St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians is a joyful little epistle praising the Christians at Philippi. But even there, St. Paul preaches the Law, warning against walking “as enemies of the cross of Christ.” He describes us at our worst: “Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.”
“With minds set on earthly things.” That is, focusing on Caesar and gold coins, bling and toys, material things and entertainment, more than the eternal things that truly matter: rendering unto God the things that are God’s.
And so let us hear the Word of God, dear friends, so that we might repent and live in the kingdom. We can only do this by God’s grace and mercy, imploring Him for the strength that only He can provide, seeking wisdom from the Word of God.
And whether we think we are taxed too much or not enough, let us care more about God’s image and inscription than that of Caesars and presidents. Let us be cheerful givers to the Lord’s kingdom, offering him not only our treasure, but also our time and talent, and most of all our attention to His Word and Sacraments. Let us receive His gifts offered in love.
For like the Israelites who previously had no king other than the Lord, we do not owe Him taxes. What we offer to Him is a sacrifice of thanksgiving. For “our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body, by the power that enables Him even to subject all things to Himself.”
As the Lord has reminded us again today, dear friends, God says: “I love those who love Me, and those who seek me diligently find Me.”
Amen.
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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