October 22, 2023 – The 21st Sunday After Pentecost
Fr. Cal Calhoun
In the Name of God, the God of Love: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
This might be one of my favorite “testing” conversations Jesus has with the antagonists in the Gospels. This time we are told it is the disciples of the Pharisees along with the Herodians who come to test Jesus. The Herodians would likely be some officials from Herod’s court, who if they could get Jesus to say it is not lawful to pay the tax, they would surely tell Herod, who was ultimately responsible for keeping the Emperor and those in Rome happy. The best way to keep them happy was to keep sending them money. So, any hint at not paying the tax and Herod would be quick to shut down Jesus and his message.
Jesus asks them to show him a coin. Who is this on the coin? Well, the Emperor. How might paying the tax be unlawful? The Pharisees are talking about the law of Moses, God’s law, not the Roman law. With the bit in the law about you shall have no images or idols, money with images was suspect. In fact, Jesus’s temple tantrum when he turns over the tables of the money changers, what are those money changers there for? When you give your offering in the temple, you can’t use the money with the emperor’s image, it was considered a graven image or idol. Because some folks considered the emperor to be god, or a god, or immortal. So, you had to exchange your denarii for shekels to make an offering in the temple. Shekels were the currency of the temple. So the question might be is it lawful to do anything with this denarii, including pay the tax. Jesus isn’t falling for it. “Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” At first blush, it may seem that Jesus is saying pay the tax. But… it is all God’s. Give to God what is God’s. “All that we are and all that we have comes from God.” Ever heard that before?? My friend Liz Rea has been known to say, “God gives me all this, and I get to keep 90% of it,” with reference to a tithe.
This issue about images of God is woven into our Old Testament reading. We are continuing our journey through Exodus. Last week we heard about the Israelites, with Aaron’s help, creating an idol in the form of an ox to be their God. I hadn’t heard it related this way, until Zane mentioned it last week. Moses had become for the Israelites, an idol of God. Moses did all the interacting with God. The people were scared of God and asked Moses to “handle” God, to be the one to interact with God. And so, for the people, Moses became their idol, their representative of God. And then he didn’t come back. What are we to do now? Make our own God. One that we like better than that scary God of Moses. One that we can control.
This week we get a little snippet of Moses’ conversation with God. Moses says to God, show me your ways, so that I may know you and will find favor in your sight. As Zane told us last week, Moses is wants to get to know God, to dance with God. God tells Moses, my presence will go with you. Moses replies, if your presence will not go with us, don’t bother to take us on from here. And God says, I will do it. I will always remain with you and the people. Moses got what he wanted from God. That God would always be present. So Moses, like any good negotiator, who gets what he wants, he asks for more! “Show me your glory, I pray.” I want to know you better. Let me see you! God replies,” I will make my goodness pass before you, but you cannot see my face or you will die.” So God tells Moses I will put you in the cleft of the rock and I will cover your face (to make sure you don’t peek!), and once I have passed by, I will remove my hand and you can see my back. So you will know I am with you.
And so, still today, we seldom see images of God. Jesus, of course, we knew as a human. Today, we may wonder what Jesus looked like, but we know he was human. What God looks like remains a mystery. Revelations throws out some images. Based on most of those images, I’m happy remain with the mystery.
Mystery. What do we know about God? We know at least some of what God has done. Those early Israelites themselves saw the effects of the plagues, they saw the parting of the Red Sea, they got manna and water in the wilderness. It may be harder for us to see what God has done. But if we think about it, most of us can come up with times in our lives we are pretty sure God had a hand in. We know that God loves us. And we know some days we may struggle to feel that love. We know that God always is present with us. And that some days we don’t feel that presence.
God has done amazing things. For you and for me. God loves us. God is indeed present. We will have to live into the mystery. Dance with the mystery. Build relationship with the mystery.
That’s not easy. I never said it would be easy. It isn’t easy, but it is definitely worth it. Because God is not a mystery that scares me, or causes me concern. God is a mystery that blesses me. Makes me feel safe, comforted, loved. In this season of Halloween, when many mysteries are given the stage, the mystery that is God is oh so different. The mystery that is God is a blessing. Amen.
Year A – Proper 24 – The 21st Sunday After Penteeost – October 22, 2023 – The Rev. Cal Calhoun
