So: what do we know about the Pharisees? They appear a lot in the gospels, and they are usually arguing with Jesus. We like to think of them as the villains of the story.
And yet, the apostle Paul was himself a Pharisee, and that was something he remained proud of even after his conversion. And there were times when Jesus spoke favorably of the Pharisees, lifting up their faith and their adherence to religious practices.
The Pharisees were one of many groups within Judaism… not quite separate denominations… maybe a little bit more like the different schools of thought within the Catholic church… the Jesuits, the Dominicans, etc. Although that comparison also isn’t quite exactly right, it does give an idea.
And among these groups there were different ideas about how one should live out one’s faith. Should one be engaged in public life, or separate oneself from the world? Should one resist Roman oppression violently, nonviolently, or not at all?
All Jews anticipated the day when God would actively intervene to get rid of Rome and establish a new, holy, heavenly kingdom of God. But the Pharisees did NOT think it was right for Jewish people to actively resist Rome. The Pharisees taught that if the Jews were faithful enough in their personal devotional practices, God would see their holiness, and God would be motivated to intervene and set the people free from Roman oppression.
So the Pharisees taught people to be holy in their personal lives, and leave issues of oppression and injustice to God.
Other groups - like the Zealots - believed just the opposite. They believed that a faithful response to the times was to resist Roman oppression by any means necessary, even if it meant taking up arms against Rome. The zealots didn’t want to just sit around and pray and perform rituals. They wanted action. They believed God was calling them to act.
Roman rulers - people like Herod - obviously liked the approach of the Pharisees better than the way of the Zealots. Zealot activism often led to crucifixions; but because the Pharisees helped keep the people calm and obedient, the Romans allowed them to continue doing what they were doing, and even gave them a fair amount of power.
And the power the Pharisees received from Rome made it even less likely that they would encourage any form of resistance.
You see the same thing among Christians today. Some argue that Christians should be active in the world, fighting against injustice, protesting in the streets, and resisting all forms of oppression; while other Christians preach that it’s one’s inner, personal life of faith that matters. And, naturally, many of the Christian leaders who emphasize personal piety and who downplay the importance of protest and justice are those who are often seen getting their photos taken with the President.
Now, what do taxes have to do with all this?
In today’s scripture, the issue of taxes comes up, because some Jews who openly resisted Roman rule believed it went against the teachings of the faith to pay taxes to Rome, to give money that would be used to support their oppression. Withholding taxes, for them, was an act of holy defiance.
But other Jews - like the Pharisees - said one should obey the governing authorities, because they were put in place by God, and to not obey would be to not obey the God-ordained government… and if God wanted to get rid of that government, then God would do so, but it wasn’t up to the people.
So you can see how paying taxes became such a hot-button issue in Jesus’ time. The question of whether or not to pay taxes helped determine what kind of a Jew you were…
The question was used as a test, much like the question of whether abortion should be legal or not is used as a test today, to determine what kind of Christian you are. Right?
If you describe yourself as pro-life, some will see you as standing against women and against justice. But if you describe yourself as pro-choice, some will say you aren’t a real Christian, and they’ll call you a baby-killer. It is an emotionally charged issue; the question and the labels are meant to entrap; and whether you answer pro-choice or pro-life, there’s no way to avoid getting in trouble with one group or another.
That’s what the question of taxes was in Jesus’ day. It was the question to ask to determine what kind of a Jew you were - whether you were a “real” Jew or not in the mind of the one asking the question. It’s a question that was almost always used as a trap.
Why did they want to trap Jesus? Well, he was stirring up the people’s discontent with Roman rule. He had already paraded into Jerusalem in a procession that mocked the processions held by Herod and Caesar. Riding on a donkey instead of in a chariot; people raising up sticks and branches instead of swords. It made a mockery of Herod and the whole Roman system.
Then, Jesus went and flipped over the tables in the temple courtyard and very nearly caused a riot, all in protest of the economic system that benefitted both the temple and the government, but which oppressed the poor. And so the Pharisees, who defended the government, and who were given a fair amount of power by the Roman government, saw Jesus as a threat to their power.
Asking Jesus about taxes was the perfect way to catch him and turn the people against him.
So they send their disciples to him, along with some Herodians. The Herodians (you can guess by the name) also supported Herod and Roman rule.
And this group of people says to Jesus: “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.”
Ok. They’re butter-ing him up. And when they say, “We know you do not regard people with partiality,” they’re saying, “we know you don’t take sides; you haven’t aligned yourself with any of the various factions that argue and debate over these things. You haven’t come right out and said you’re pro-tax, and you haven’t come right out and said you’re anti-tax. But we want to know: Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor or not?”
Jesus knows exactly what they are doing. “Why are you putting me to the test? You hypocrites!”
He calls them hypocrites because, by the way they phrased the question, they tried to cast themselves as impartial seekers of truth, when really, all they want to do is trap Jesus by getting him to say that he’s against paying taxes. If he says that, then they know they’ve got him, and they can arrest him.
But Jesus doesn’t say that. He says: “bring me a coin. Whose face is on the coin?”
They answer, “The emperor’s.”
And Jesus says, “Then give to the emperor what belongs to the emperor, but give to God what belongs to God.”
What does Jesus mean by that? Well, the scriptures say that the earth is the Lord’s. Everything that exists belongs to God. The Pharisees read the scriptures - they know what it says. So now they are forced to wrestle with the question they asked.
It was not their plan to actually wrestle with the question, they merely wanted to use the question to trap Jesus. They were using the question as a weapon. They didn’t even really care what the answer was when they were asking it. But now, Jesus has forced them to care. Jesus has forced them to actually ponder the question that they themselves asked.
He’s pretty wise, that Jesus!
Now, this has me wondering: what if this scripture were set in modern-day America? And what if it were about today’s hot-button issue, the question used today by Christians to divide and entrap one another? Instead of being about paying taxes to Rome, what if it were about abortion?
Abortion is a huge issue right now, and has been my whole life; but it’s especially big right now, because of the election, and because of the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court.
People are using the abortion question as a test. It’s used the way creeds have often been used in history, to define who’s in and who’s out. Do you agree to every word of the creed? OK, you’re in. Do you have a problem with anything in the creed? OK, you’re out.
There’s a reason why Disciples of Christ congregations like ours recite no creeds.
So how do you think Jesus would respond? I invite you to imagine with me how this scripture story would play out… Hear, then, the scripture reading for today, set in a more modern context...
Then the evangelical leaders went and plotted to entrap him in what he said… so they sent their disciples to him, along with some pro-life supporters, 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 right for a woman to have an abortion?”
But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test? You hypocrites! Find a woman who wants an abortion, and ask her WHY.” Well, they went and brought him a woman, and he said to them, “Why does she want an abortion?”
They asked her, and she told them it was because her boyfriend had talked her into having sex, told her she could trust him, but she got pregnant because they had no contraception. He disappeared, and now she has no job, no healthcare, no way to care for the baby...
So Jesus said to them, “Then give her contraception, give her a job, give her healthcare and give her family leave, so she can care for the baby.” When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.
No comments:
Post a Comment