It’s a Wonder-full Life: Looking Back
Matthew 22:15-22
October 13, 2019
Emmanuel Baptist Church, Rev. Kathy Donley
What does a coin tell us about who we are? If you pull out any American money you happen to be carrying, you might see that it says “In God we trust.” I wonder how often we notice that. When I stop to think about it, it seems strange for money to be the medium that carries that message.
I heard about someone who was challenged by his pastor to make the sign of the cross in marker on his most frequently used credit card. He did that and then, he said for the next several months, it was nearly impossible to buy something and not ask himself whether his purchase aligned with his faith. As we move through this worship series on money and meaning, some of us might try that exercise too.
But I mention it because if having a cross on a credit card would make us more self-reflective, I wonder what meaning there is in having the motto “in God we trust” on our money. This week I learned that the phrase was first added to coins in 1863, at the urging of a Baptist pastor from Pennsylvania. At least part of the motivation then was to declare the God was on the Union side of the Civil War. Mark Twain said “it always sounds well -- In God We Trust. I don’t believe it would sound any better if it were true.” He said the slogan would be more truthful if it designated the paper it was written on as ‘the god we trust in’.[1]
Then in 1956, Congress declared “In God we trust” to be our national motto. After that, the words appeared on paper money. At that time, the motivation was to distinguish the USA from godless communists during the Cold War.
So, if I have it right, then, this motto appears on our money more as a statement about power, especially political power, than about theology. And I tend to think that Mark Twain is right, that American’s trust in money is right up there with our trust in God.
We are not the first to intertwine money and politics and theology. That’s the crux of the scene with Jesus in our gospel reading. Some Herodians and some Pharisees try to trap Jesus with this question about money. The Herodians and the Pharisees are political opponents. The Herodians support the reign of the Herod family, which ruled Israel under the over-arching reign of the Emperor. To support Herod was to support Rome and the tax. The Pharisees are the liberal religious leaders of their day. They are committed to the idea that every person could faithfully observe the traditional religious practices that were part of the covenant with God. This intense religious practice enhances Jewish cultural identity and is in its own way, also a form of resistance to Rome. The Herodians and the Pharisees do not agree on almost anything, but apparently they do agree that Jesus is a threat. So they ask him “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
Jesus responds by asking them for a coin. What does a coin tell them about who they are? Having to pay the tax to Rome is a painful reminder that they are occupied by a foreign power who worshipped false gods. The tax could only be paid with Roman coins, which are also pieces of propaganda. Most of the coins contain an image of the emperor proclaiming him to be divine. [2]
The silver denarius, represents a day’s wages for a laborer. One side of the coin proclaims the Emperor Tiberius as a "son of the divine August," while the other side honors him as the "Pontifex Maximus" or "chief priest" of Roman religion. The two sides of the coin confer absolute religious and civil authority on Tiberius.
The Herodians and the Pharisees don’t care what Jesus really thinks about paying the tax. If he says “Yes, it is lawful,” he will be seen as a traitor to his people, and lose the respect of many of his followers. If he says, “No, it is not lawful” he will give the Romans reason to arrest him. They think they have him right where they want him—either answer will work to their advantage.
Only Jesus does not say “yes” or “no”. His answer might be his best-know sound bite, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” The coin bears Caesar’s image – therefore it is Caesar’s, so give it to him. But then what belongs to God? The answer must be whatever bears God’s image. Genesis affirms that humans are made in the image of God – therefore human beings belong to God. Jesus’ response challenges his questioners about where their deepest allegiance lies. Jesus’ answer is a soundbite for the ages because it recognizes the moral ambiguity that permeates human existence.
In the first century context, this particular tax was a tribute paid to support the occupation of Israel. The Jewish people had to financially support their own oppression. It’s a moral question about what to do money. Jesus’ answer is a clue that financial decisions are always moral decisions.
In our context, as consumers we make choices about where and what to buy, how much to spend, how much to save. We can make the effort to purchase clothes and shoes not produced in sweatshops, but it does require effort. We can choose to pay more for products that are manufactured and packaged in ways that care for the earth and natural resources. If we have financial investments, rendering to God involves knowing the practices of the corporations that our money supports.
The more we think about this, the more we recognize that everything belongs to God. If we take seriously the idea of giving to God that which belongs to God, we are required to reckon with how all-encompassing that category is.[3]
Politics, money and religion are all jumbled together in this teaching of Jesus. Politics, money and religion are all things many of us have been taught not to talk about, although I think it is more socially acceptable now to talk about politics and religion than about money.
We do tend to talk about money with our families. Or to be more accurate, we tend to learn about money within our families, but sometimes what we’re taught is not to talk about it. That is one of many messages we might absorb.
Proverbs says “Train up a child in the way she should go, and when she is old, she will not depart from it.” This verse is often quoted as a positive – teach your children well so they will live well. It is a true saying and it is also true in a negative direction. The things we learn in childhood, for good or bad, are not easily unlearned. Because money is often a taboo subject, it seems that we often learn about it at home or we absorb messages from the wider culture.
Messages like:
Money doesn’t grow on trees.
Always save for a rainy day.
A fool and his money are soon parted.
There’s no such thing as a free lunch.
You can never be too rich. More is always better.
How much money you make determines your self-worth.
If you have money, God has blessed you.
If you don’t have enough money, you’ve sinned or you don’t have enough faith.
Many of these messages might be offered from a place of love and concern. They are intended as guidelines for living well, but they have a shadow side. Sometimes we internalize good messages in ways that
only the shadow side is evident. For example, “there’s no such thing as a free lunch” can easily establish itself as inherent distrust of other people’s generosity. Or “always save for a rainy day” might create such fear that the other shoe is about to drop that we would hoard our money and refuse to spend it in ways that might actually create joy in our own lives or for other people.
Jesus said that the greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart and soul and mind. We are to be all in, loving God with everything we’ve got. Loving God with heart, soul and mind means examining the money messages we live by, even critiquing the money messages that came from those we love. It means reckoning with the morality of our financial decisions. It means rejecting practices that don’t enhance our love of God or neighbor and embracing those that do.
When Lynn Twist was the director of the Hunger Project, she went to an African-American church in Harlem to make an appeal for a project in Africa. She said it was raining and there were buckets all around the room to catch the water leaking through the ceiling. She knew that the people in this church did not have much to give. When it came time to ask for donations, her palms were sweating and she began to perspire all over wondering if it was the right thing to do. She went ahead and made the request, and the room was absolutely silent.
After what seemed like a long, long time, a woman named Gertrude stood up. In her late sixties or early seventies, she had gray hair and when she stood up she was tall, thin, and proud.
She said, “I ain’t got no checkbook. I ain’t got no credit cards. To me, money is a lot like water. For some folks it rushes through their life like a raging river, but the money comes through my life like a small trickle. But I want to pass it on in a way that does the best good for the most folks. I see that as my right and as my responsibility. It’s also my joy. I have $50 in my purse that I earned from doing a white woman’s wash and I want to give it to you.” [4]
I love that Gertrude understands the use of money as a right and responsibility, but also as joy. Using the money that flows into her possession in ways that do the most good. That is her joy.
All that we are and all that we have and all that we hope to be belongs to God. We have been imprinted with the image of God. The ways we spend our money, our time, our resources, our life energy, all impact the ways we bear that image. So beloved ones, this week, may we bear the image and share the joy. Laugh. Dance. Love. Help. Breathe the cool fall air and wonder at the beauty around us. Critically examine one money message you live by. Spend money to bring joy. Make a child giggle. Have a long talk with someone – really listen to them and enjoy their company. Give money to ease someone’s pain. Keep giving to God all that is God’s. Amen.
[1] William E. Phillips, Mark Twain's Religion. (Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 2003), p. 157.
[2] Brian Stoffregen at http://www.crossmarks.com/brian/matt22x15.htm
[3] Matthew Skinner, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/christian-economics0matthew-22-15-22_b_1006128
[4] Lynne Twist “Money is a Lot Like Water” http://www.awakin.org/read/view.php?tid=2096