WHOSE
IS WHAT?
MATTHEW
22.15-22
OCTOBER
19, 2008
WESLEY
UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
Douglas
Norris
They thought they had
him this time. They were sure they had backed Jesus into a corner.
They set a trap. They dug a hole for Jesus to fall in. But, Jesus
outsmarted them; reminiscent of Psalm 57.6, “They dug a pit in my
path, but they have fallen into it themselves.” Don’t you love a
good debate! We’ve been watching the presidential and
vice-presidential debates. They all try to dig pits in the others’
paths, but, so far, no one has fallen in!
Jesus was in the temple
when a group of Pharisees approached him and asked, “Do we pay
taxes to the emperor, or not?” It was a trap. If Jesus said,
“Yes,” that would alienate his adoring crowds who were chafing
under Roman rule. If Jesus said “No,” he could be arrested for
treason.
But, Jesus pushed them
into their own pit! Jesus said, “Show me the coin used for the
tax.” The Pharisees showed him a coin, which violated their own
rules. They were inside the temple. No Roman money was ever taken
inside the temple; Roman money was used only in the Court of the
Gentiles, outside the temple. Then he went further and asked, “Whose
head is this, and whose title?” They answered, “The emperor’s.”
Jesus said, “Give to the emperor what belongs to the emperor, and
give to God what belongs to God.” Ouch! Into the pit! After they
dug themselves out of the figurative pit, they walked away with their
tails between their legs.
Our nation is
struggling today with the question: Whose is what? What belongs to
the emperor and what belongs to God? We are struggling with the
church and state issue. Jesus certainly drew a line between the two,
but the long-held separation of church and state in America is under
attack by some right wing Christians. They want to impose their
brand of Christianity on the rest of us.
Their basic premise is
that the United States of America is a Christian nation. However,
the United States is not nor has it ever been a Christian nation.
Many of the founding fathers were Christians. Judeo-Christian
principles underlie the Constitution and Declaration of Independence,
but nowhere is it stated that the nation is Christian. In fact, quite
the opposite. The first Amendment prevents the government from
establishing any state religion. America is a nation with a large
Christian majority, yes, but it is a nation of many faith groups and
religions. Religious freedom is possible when all faiths stand and
fight for one another to be treated fairly.
These right wing
Christians, and they are politically powerful, feel they have a
mandate to make this a Christian nation. James Kennedy, popular TV
preacher, said, “Our job is to reclaim America for Christ, whatever
the cost…We are to exercise godly dominion and influence over our
neighborhoods, our schools, our government, our literature and arts,
our sports arenas, our entertainment media, our news media, our
scientific endeavors—in short, over every aspect and institution of
human society.” That is dangerous talk. Of course, we as
Christians and as Christian churches seek to influence our culture,
seek to make it moral and caring. Our United Methodist denomination
has a Church and Society office in Washington, D. C. to lobby, to
influence our legislators in matters of justice and peace. Our
conference is a member of the California Council of Churches which
lobbies state legislators on matters of justice.
The current law is
clear. Churches may not publicly support one candidate over another,
but churches may support positions on issues. For example, the Roman
Catholic Church and the Mormon Church (Latter Day Saints) are
spending thousands of dollars in support of Proposition 8, to ban
same-sex marriages. The California Council of Churches has no money,
but we are strongly in favor of defeating Proposition 8. Churches
may influence, but may not control. The church’s role is to stand
outside the government and speak biblical truth. Church is separate
from the government.
What is dangerous in
the right wing approach is the word “dominion”. Right wing
Christians seek to dominate and influence through political means,
through laws. They believe that they are destined to assume control
of other people and governments, and rule the world. They want their
brand of Christianity to control the government and legislation.
They call themselves biblical literalists; but, Jesus said, John
18.36, “My kingdom is not of this world.” Jesus did not seek
political power. Jesus did not seek to overthrow the Roman
government. And, we must not confuse the kingdom of God with our
country, and wrap the flag around Christianity.
Many of our nation’s
problems are more than political and cultural; they are spiritual--
moral and spiritual decay. Spiritual problems will not be changed
through the political system. Unless there is a spiritual
reformation, there will be little change. If the hearts of people
are not changed, seeking political control will not help.
To summarize, Congress
should make no law that prohibits or prefers one religion over
another. Separation of church and state means the noninterference of
government with religion and vice versa. There is a long history of
persecution and brutalities performed by churches that were state
religions. Separation goes both ways—the government leaves
churches alone, and churches let the government govern.
Now, let’s further
explore Jesus’ reply. Jesus said, “Give to God what belongs to
God.” What belongs to God? Does the air belong to God? The air
which we breathe? Does water belong to God? We don’t own it, do
we? Does the planet belong to God? We act like it belongs to us,
but does it? What about our bodies, our lives? Your life came from
God and it will go back. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away!
Like our money; the Lord giveth but Wall Street taketh away! If you
have lost money on investments, or if your pension is in jeopardy, if
you’re in danger of losing your job or your house; the lesson
learned is that financial security is not very secure. We dare not
put our complete trust and hope in material things. They can easily
be taken away. In the final analysis, material things don’t belong
to us. Nor do our lives belong to us. They belong to God. “Give
to God what belongs to God.”
The first person to
reach the status of billionaire was a man who, at the age of 23,
became a millionaire, and by the age of 50 a billionaire. Every
decision, attitude, and relationship was tailored to create his
personal power and wealth. But at the age of 53 he became
ill. His entire body was racked with pain and he lost all
the hair on his head. In complete agony, the world’s
only billionaire could buy anything he wanted, but could only digest
milk and crackers. An associate wrote, “He could not
sleep, would not smile and nothing in life meant anything to
him.” His personal, highly skilled physicians predicted
he would die within a year. That year passed agonizingly
slow. As he approached death he awoke one morning with the
vague recollection of a dream. He could barely recall the
dream but knew it had something to do with not being able to take any
of his wealth with him into the next world. The man who
could control the business world suddenly realized he was not in
control of his own life. His life didn’t belong to him.
He called his attorneys, accountants, and managers and announced that
he wanted to channel his assets to hospitals, research, universities,
and mission work. On that day John D. Rockefeller
established his foundation, which eventually led to the discovery of
penicillin, and cures for malaria, tuberculosis and diphtheria. He
contributed to universities, including the University of Chicago.
His contribution helped turn the small Baptist college into a major
institution. The list of discoveries resulting from his foundation
is enormous. The moment he realized that what he had
belonged to God, and began to give back a portion of all that he had
earned, his health miraculously improved. He didn’t die
at age 53. He lived to be 98! Rockefeller gave his
life to God, and God gave his life back to him—healed and whole.
It is not wrong for you
to have money; it is wrong when you act as if it belongs to you. It
is not wrong to enjoy your life; it is wrong when you act as if it
belongs to you. “Give to God what belongs to God.”
|