All That's Required (Matthew 22:34-40)

 All That’s Required

Matthew 22: 34-40

Jesus’ father, Joseph, was a carpenter, and it is assumed that Jesus grew up learning how to work with wood, and that he worked as a carpenter before he began his ministry. As a carpenter, he learned how to build furniture and utensils, doors, and door frames; he also learned how to prepare roofing beams; and he may at times have doubled as a brick mason or a metalworker.

It was a lowly craft, putting him in the artisan class, far removed from the aristocracy. 

Yet, I imagine that working with wood was something Jesus found pleasant and perhaps even enjoyable. Sometimes, he was probably able to add his own creativity into the work he did, adding designs and ornamentation, depending on the desires of the one he was working for. 

At other times, when the work was more mundane, more monotonous, he could get lost in his thoughts, as he worked to sand and smooth a particular piece of wood. As his hands moved back and forth and back and forth over the wood, he could pray, meditate, and reflect on the Torah as he worked. Perhaps, specifically, he would meditate on the Shema.

The Shema is the central affirmation of Judaism. It appears in the 6th chapter of Deuteronomy.

In Hebrew, “shema” means hear, Because the Shema begins with the words: “Hear O Israel!”

Then, the next line says: “The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”

And then, finally, it says: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.”

Put all together, the Shema goes like this:

“Hear O Israel! The Lord your God, the Lord is one… Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.”

This passage in Deuteronomy then goes on to instruct God’s people to “recite these words to your children. Talk about them when you are sitting around your house and when you are out and about, when you are lying down and when you are getting up. Tie them on your hand as a sign. They should be on your forehead as a symbol. Write them on your house’s doorframes and on your city’s gates.”

And many Jews did just that. They literally wrote the Shema on little pieces of parchment, then placed those little pieces of parchment in tiny containers, which they strapped onto their wrists and onto their foreheads; and they did indeed write these words on their door frames.

Perhaps Jesus, when he was doing his woodwork, building door frames for Jewish neighbors, made sure there were spots on those doorframes where the Shema could be displayed… And while he was busy building such things, it’s quite likely that Jesus himself recited the Shema and meditated on it.

Because of how centrally important the Shema was and is to Jewish faith, it should not have surprised anyone that, when asked what the most important command is, that Jesus recited the Shema.

This little episode—when Jesus is asked what is the most important command, and Jesus answers by quoting the Shema—appears in all three synoptic gospels: Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

There is some slight variation, which I appreciate:

In Deuteronomy (as it has been passed down to us), it says: “Lord the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength…,”

In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus says “love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.”

In Mark’s gospel, Jesus says: “love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.”

In Luke’s gospel, it says: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind.” Interestingly, in Luke’s gospel it appears that a lawyer is actually the one who recites the Shema, and then, when he does, Jesus responds: “You are right.”

And, in all three synoptics, not only the Shema from Deuteronomy is quoted, but also a command from Leviticus: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

And then it is affirmed that these are the most important commands.

I like how it spells out that we are to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. My own reflection on this command has led me to believe that, in order to love God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength, that I need to take care of every aspect of my being. I need to take care of my emotional health, my spiritual health, my mental health, and my physical health.

Because when I am emotionally strong and healthy, and spiritually strong and healthy, and mentally strong and healthy, and physically strong and healthy, then I am able to better love God and do what God calls me to do, and go where God calls me to go, and live as God calls me to live.

Some of you may remember that, once upon a time, several years ago, I preached a series of four sermons, and each one focused on one of these different aspects: Taking care of our emotional health, taking care of our spiritual health, taking care of our mental health, and taking care of our physical health, so that we could love God to the best of our ability.

Of course, taking care of our emotional, spiritual, mental, and physical health is also how we love ourselves.

Hence, the addition of the command from Leviticus, to love your neighbor as yourself.

Then, in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus says something very interesting. He says: “On these two commands hang all the law and the prophets.”

I always thought that the use of the word “hang” here was peculiar, that maybe another word would have been better, until I remembered that Jesus was a carpenter. Once I remembered that Jesus was a carpenter, I realized that he was picturing a door like the ones he used to make, the doors he would then hang on the frame after making them, hanging them on the two hinges that would attach the door to the frame.

The two hinges are what hold the door. The door hangs from the hinges. 

These two commands—love God, and love your neighbor as yourself—are like the two hinges. Everything else hangs from them.

If you don’t have strong hinges, then it doesn’t matter how strong or beautiful the door is; it will come crashing down.

If love for God and loving one’s neighbor as oneself isn’t holding up what you believe in, then that belief will fall to the ground.

In fact, if someone tells you a command that isn’t rooted in love for God and love for your neighbor and yourself, then that command should fall to the ground. It should fall to the ground and be swept out with the trash. 

Because a command not rooted in love is a command you shouldn’t follow.

Now, as I said, you may remember me preaching on all this before. It is the Shema, after all. The most important command.

But what I want to say to you today, is how grateful I am to have been your pastor, because you all take seriously the command to love God and love your neighbor, and you’re not content to just keep loving at the same level, but to constantly be growing in love.

I firmly believe that there is no such thing as perfection in these types of things, but there is improvement, there is growth, and there is goodness. Even Jesus demonstrated the capacity to learn and grow and improve when he was chastised by the Syrophoenecian woman. 

You all have been willing to learn and grow in love, to look inward and find the areas where your love could improve, and then to make the commitment to actually do better… to love better.

And it’s hard work, as some of you know. There are some people, some neighbors, we just don’t want to love, or whom we find it so very difficult to love.

And you’ve prayed to God about that, and you’ve described to me how you are growing in love, working to expand your love to be more like Jesus, whose love was radically inclusive and all-embracing and wholly affirming.

Somebody posted online this week that Jesus’ greatest commandment wasn’t convert your neighbor; it was love your neighbor.

Many Christians forget that.

And some Christians think that their highest calling is to “out-debate” their neighbor, or “prove wrong” their neighbor, instead of love their neighbor.

Mostly, the only people Jesus debated were the teachers, who believed they were right—more right than anyone else—and who spent most of their time debating and defending their way of practicing their faith. 

Jesus did engage in some debates with them… but far more than that, he simply loved the people who followed him. And he challenged everyone, including the religious teachers, to be more loving.

So I am grateful for the love you have shown, to one another, to me, to my family, to all who walk in our doors, and to our neighbors near and far. The hinges on your doors are strong. I do believe that you have taught me more about how to love as Jesus loved than I have taught you. 

And that really is all that’s required. You know what is the most important thing, and you live it out. And I know that the love that is shared here will remain strong, for many months and years to come.

And if you’ve been a recipient of that love; if your life has been transformed by the radically inclusive and all-embracing and wholly affirming love that you’ve experienced here… then you’ll want to share it. Right? Don’t you want to tell others the news that Jesus’s love is so much greater than anything else the world has to offer? Don’t you want them to know that here, at Bixby Knolls Christian Church, we’re learning about that kind of love, and we’re practicing that kind of love, and we’re growing in love for the world?

The world is desperate for that kind of love. A lack of love is the root of every kind of evil in this world, every kind of violence, every war.

Let’s continue growing in love. Let’s invite the world to grow in love with us. Let’s transform the world with the love of Christ. 

A Trap for Jesus (Matthew 22.15-22)

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.

Sermon: "What Belongs to God" (Matthew 22: 15-22)

In the first century, who owned everything? Caesar. Maybe you owned some land on which you grew crops, but Caesar could, if he wanted to, take your crop and even your land.

Because: all things belonged to Caesar.

Usually, though, instead of taking everything, Caesar just took a portion of it, in the form of taxes.

The taxes were high. Oppressive, even. And the way things were taxed, and the way soldiers marched in the streets, and the way Caesar’s image was everywhere, you could never forget that all things belong to Caesar. You could never forget that YOU belonged to Caesar.

In contrast to that, scriptures tell us that all things belong to God. God made us, God made the earth, everything we have is from God, and everything we are, and everything we do, is to give God glory. Because God made us, everything we do and everything we are belongs to God.

These are obviously two very contradictory ideas. If all things belong to Caesar, then all things can’t belong to God. If all things belong to God, then all things can’t belong to Caesar.

So: There were some powerful religious leaders in Jesus’ time.  These church leaders were very mindful that it was Herod who built the temple, and that it was their friendship with Roman authorities that allowed them to live privileged lives.

They knew how to quote scripture to the people, to make themselves look like good holy men, but they also were very good at making deals with kings and rulers. Deals that preserved their privileged status, their wealth and their authority.

Because of this, they walked a very fine line between Caesar and God. The scriptures they quoted were all about personal piety. They didn’t quote scriptures that talked about social justice. All the writings of the prophets criticizing kings and rulers for neglecting the poor - they didn’t focus on those.

They only focused on the scriptures that dealt with personal, private matters. Rituals of washing and fasting, things like that.

They ignored the writings of the prophets that talked about social justice because they didn’t want to upset Caesar. They didn’t want to stop the flow of favors that came their way. They wanted to somehow worship both God and Caesar.

Jesus was a threat to this. Jesus, just like the prophets, wanted to lift up the poor and the outcasts, and bring down those who were rich and powerful. Jesus wanted these powerful church leaders to humble themselves in order to lift others up.

That’s what true religion does. But the religious leaders in Jesus’s time used their position of authority to accumulate wealth and favors, which allowed them to live in multi-million dollar mansions, and have their own private jets - I mean chariots.

These religious leaders were so friendly with the ruling authorities that, every time the government oppressed people, persecuted people, took away people’s rights, they didn’t say a word. Instead they redirected the people’s attention elsewhere.

They told the people that religion is about praying and fasting and having faith and not sleeping with the wrong people. This is what they talked about. They didn’t talk about social justice, or helping the poor, or fighting for people’s rights.

Jesus did talk about these things. And the people listened to him. This made Jesus a threat to the religious leaders.

3,400 religious leaders recently sent a letter to speaker of the House Paul Ryan in support of immigrants. The letter said that immigrants are created in the image of God, and that the Bible calls on us to value and protect immigrants.

This past Wednesday, Fox News interviewed one pastor who disagrees. This pastor says that the Bible shouldn’t be used for immigration policy, and that those 3,400 other pastors are “leaning too heavily on compassion.”

I about fell out of my chair when I heard that. Leaning too heavily on compassion? God IS compassion. Jesus IS compassion. What else are we to lean on?

On his twitter page, this pastor proudly shares a picture of himself shaking hands with the president. This pastor knows that his own power and authority depends on him not criticizing the president’s policies. This pastor is just like those religious leaders of the first century who refused to criticize Caesar.

The religious leaders saw Jesus as a threat, so they looked for a way to trap Jesus. Maybe they could get him to say something against Caesar! That would get him in trouble with the authorities; there was no first amendment to protect him.

Or, maybe they could trick Jesus into saying something against God. That would get him in trouble with the people who followed him.

So they asked him: “Does the law allow people to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

In asking about “the law,” they meant religious law, the teachings of the faith, the teachings that said “All things belong to God.”  They were asking about giving support to Caesar who declared himself to be a god, and who demanded people worship him.

How would Jesus respond? How could he respond, without getting into trouble? If he says, “Yes, it’s ok to pay taxes to Caesar,” he’d get in trouble with the religious law and the people. If he said “No, it’s not ok to pay taxes to Caesar,” he’d get in trouble with the authorities.

Jesus said: “Show me a coin. Who has a coin? Show me one of the coins used to pay taxes to Caesar.”

They brought him a denarion. A denarion? A denarion represents the typical daily wage; you work a whole day, and the boss gives you one denarion.

A denarion gets its name from denarius, which literally means “ten asses.” That’s what it was worth. Denarius. So it’s worth a lot more than a dime or a dollar.

They brought him a denarion. A denarion? A Roman coin? There were rules about Roman coins in the temple. Did I mention this whole scene takes place in the temple? Only Jewish coins were supposed to be in the temple; Roman coins did not belong there. That’s one of the things the religious leaders taught. That’s why the temple’s outer courtyard was filled with moneychangers - the moneychangers Jesus got mad at and drove out of the temple, because they gave the people a poor rate of exchange, robbing them of money.

The moneychangers were there so that people could exchange their Roman money for holy temple currency.

They brought him a denarion. Jesus holds it up, looks at it... “Whose image is this on here? And whose inscription is this? I can’t quite make it out; Who is this?”

Well, obviously, it was Caesar’s image on the coin that the religious leaders handed to Jesus.

It was Caesar’s image, along with an inscription that read, "Caesar Augustus Tiberius, son of the Divine Augustus..." Son of the divine… Son of god… Caesar Augustus Tiberius, son of God...

These religious leaders taught that idols are sinful, that no one should possess any images of gods other than the one true God, which is why Roman money was not allowed in the temple, yet here they were with idolatrous Roman money, with an image of “divine” Caesar Tiberius, in their very possession.

The religious leaders tried to lay a trap for Jesus, but ended up getting caught in it themselves.

Here’s the thing: if you’re going to lay a trap for someone, make sure that you yourself don’t get caught in the trap!

Don’t go around telling people to worship God when you carry images of Caesar-as-god in your purse.

Don’t go around saying “we worship God, not Caesar,” when clearly, your whole lifestyle is dependent on bowing down to Caesar.

Don’t go around claiming to be a follower of God when you care more about what Caesar is doing in his palace than you care about what’s happening to the least of these out on the streets.

Don’t go around accusing others of “fake news” when you yourself are full of lies and “alternative facts.”

Eventually, you will get caught in your own lies, caught in your own trap, and the people will know what a fraud you are.

The fact that they are carrying around coins with images of “divine” Caesar shows who these religious leaders really belong to. It shows who they really worship. The fact that they are carrying around these denarions shows that, no matter what they say, no matter what they teach, their hearts do not belong to God.

Clearly, their hearts belong to Caesar. They have bowed to the golden calf. They have prostrated themselves before Nebuchadnezzar’s golden statue. They have allowed Caesar to take control of their lives. They have allowed Caesar to twist and manipulate them, and what’s worse: they have allowed their devotion to Caesar to twist and manipulate religion. What they teach is not true religion. What they teach is not based on God’s truth. What they teach is what keeps Caesar happy.

There are a lot of these types of religious leaders today within Christianity.

But the gospel exposes them. Jesus’s words expose them. Jesus says:  

“Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.”

“Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.”

In other words: choose who you are going to follow. Choose which of the competing trains of thought you are going to allow to shape your life.

Do you believe that everything belongs to Caesar, or do you believe that everything belongs to God? In your heart, who is it that you are really following? Caesar? God? Or do you maybe follow yourself?

To whom does your life belong?

It’s not just about paying taxes. It’s about who your life belongs to. It’s about who you really worship.

Maybe your life belongs to your wealth and your possessions. Maybe your wealth and your possessions are your God. For some people, their greatest emotional attachments are to things and money.

For some people, their greatest emotional attachment is to a building.

This didn’t happen here - I can’t imagine it happening here - but I once had a church elder say to me that if he had to choose between having a pastor and having a church building, he’d choose the building. He said that right to me.

I wanted to say to him, “OK, so when your life leads you into that dark valley and you need some spiritual help to find your way, I’ll pull out a two-by-four from the church and send it over to you, and you can just cuddle that two-by-four and find your comfort.”

The truth is that a church’s greatest attachment shouldn’t be to a building; nor should a church’s greatest attachment be to a pastor. The church’s greatest attachment should always be to God.

Because it is to God that we belong.

We belong to God.

Give to God what belongs to God.

Always remember: you were created in God’s image, not Caesar’s. You were created in God’s image, not Caesar’s. Many of us only hear this message once a week, on Sunday morning, but all week long we hear a different, competing message.

So remember:

You were created in God’s image.

And where God’s image is, God is present. YOU present God. You represent God. You belong to God. God is represented in you. Wherever you are, God is, because God’s image is in you.

People will wear shirts and baseball caps and even get tattoos that proclaim “Nike” or “Underarmor” or “Coke” or the name of their favorite sports team. What they are doing is branding themselves… and the corporations whose logos they are wearing are all too happy about it, because these people are presenting that company whenever they wear their logo.

Caesar tried to put his image everywhere: on coins, in the form of statues, anywhere he could - because in doing so, the people would see his image, over and over, and, they’d start to believe that they belonged to him. If he could have, I’m sure Caesar would have had everyone wearing a t-shirt or a baseball cap with his image or logo on it.

But God doesn’t need to place his image on coins or statues or t-shirts or baseball caps, because each one of us is already branded with the image of God. Every person you meet is branded with the image of God.

It doesn’t matter if they’re black, brown or white, male or female, gay or straight, transgender or cisgender, tall or short, rich or poor, old or young, left-handed or right-handed. If they are human, they are the image of God.

You are the image of God. You come from God, and you belong to God.

You don’t belong to the government, you don’t belong to the corporation, you don’t belong to the bank, you don’t belong to the media, because you were not created in their image. You belong to God, because it is in God’s image that you were created. You belong to God.

So give to God what belongs to God.