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Let Me Not Be Confounded Text:
Matthew 22:15-21 “Jesus said to them, …‘Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's….” And I suppose he could have just stopped there. I mean that's where we usually stop, isn't it, when we quote this verse in daily conversation? When we put the final touches on form 1040 and enclose the check we resign ourselves to the fact muttering with a sigh, “render unto Caesar.” The subject was taxes. “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” ‘Seems simple enough. But there was more and the question was not as innocent as it sounds.
It's Tuesday of Holy Week and the heat is on—the heat from the one side of the religious rulers' pride and offense, and from the other side of the political correctness of the Herodian party, and behind it all the demonic designs of the Tempter himself, the devil who has been stalking Jesus ever since his first defeat in the wilderness.
Oh, they put on a good show, these stand-in emissaries of the Pharisees. You see the Pharisees didn't come themselves but sent their “disciples”—cronies—to try to trap Jesus in his words. Jesus hadn't seen these particular folks before. Were they seriously asking an innocent question? I mean they appeared to be friendly. They said, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone's opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances.” True enough. Jesus is true and speaks the truth regardless of the true motivations of those who question him. So, whether it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not, he could have just answered, “render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's” and moved on.
But Jesus not only knows and speaks the truth impartially, he IS the Truth. He was “aware of their malice.” Though he had never seen these guys before, he knew that they were front men sent by the Pharisees. He knew their words were nothing but manipulative flattery, “schmoozing” as we say, “buttering him up.” He knew why they were accompanied by the party of the Herodians—those Jews who supported Herod as being at least less bad than the direct rule of Caesar himself. How did he know all this? Only God knows the hearts of men (Acts 1:24). Again, in this Gospel, you are asked to consider the question, Who is Jesus?
He could have just said, “render to Caesar.” But he didn't. Whereas in the previous confrontations Jesus made his enemies speak their own condemnation with their own mouths, now he puts them to silence. In doing so, however, once again, his answer is actually a way of reaching out to them. The Gospel in this reading is in these words, when Jesus has them produce a coin and asks, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” The Greek word translated “image” or “likeness” is “icon.” On the coin was a picture of Caesar. The trap was that they hoped if he said it is right to pay taxes to Caesar then he would incur the wrath of the Pharisees and the religious establishment. On the other hand, if he said it is not right, the Herodians, they hoped, would have him strung up as an insurrectionist.
“Whose likeness, image, icon and inscription is on this coin?” They answered, “Caesar's.” So? But he didn't just leave it there. “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” There is a bit of a difference between what belongs to Caesar and what belongs to God. Oh, it's not a fifty-fifty deal. There are those in our country these days that imagine that there is a “wall” dividing church and state, a sort of 50-50 deal, “and never the twain shall meet.” No. And it's not a “one-or-the-other” sort of deal either. In our Old Testament reading we heard how the Lord would call and employ the unbelieving Cyrus the Great, king of Persia to do His will even as he would soon employ Pontius Pilate, whom Jesus reminded, “You would have no authority…unless it had been given you from above” [John 19:11 (ESV)]. “There is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God” [Romans 13:1 (ESV)]. Ultimately, it all belongs to God; all are accountable to him.
“Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar?” Of course. But what are these “things of God” we are expected to render? If the icon or image of Caesar marks what is his, then it is the image of God that marks what belongs to him.
Human beings originally bore the image of God, therefore we belonged to him. The Book of Genesis says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him” [Genesis 1:27 (ESV)]. The image of God is what makes us different than the animals. Only man can possess knowledge of God, righteousness and truth (Apology II), “righteousness, innocence and blessedness” as the little catechism says (Creed II). As the image of God man was created immortal, created to live forever in a unique relationship with God, and to exercise complete dominion over all the animals.
This image, however, was lost in the fall into sin. Oh, we are still God's creation, but, because of sin, something is missing. On our own, because of our fallen nature, our knowledge of God is only of the lowest form. Instead of being able to accurately know what kind of God he is people argue about whether he even exists, even though “what can be known about God is plain to them” in the creation around them (Romans 1:19).
It was solely because God loves his creation that he sent his only-begotten Son, who is the icon, the image of God. St. Paul writes, “He is the image of the invisible God” [Col. 1:15 (ESV)]. The Incarnate Word is also the icon or image of created man, “being born in the likeness of men” [Philippians 2:7 (ESV)]. And salvation consists in this, “to be conformed to the image of his Son” [Romans 8:29 (ESV)]. It is through the forgiveness of our sins that we are restored to a right knowledge of God, righteousness, innocence and blessedness. That forgiveness was won for us by Jesus' innocent, bitter suffering and death on the cross. Therefore, all who would be saved must behold this image of the love of God: the crucifix. Only there is repentance of sins and true, saving faith possible. Our connection with and our beholding of the cross is in the sacrament of his Body and Blood, for there we learn to be horrified by our sins when we see the great price of our forgiveness and find joy and comfort in Christ alone, and through faith in him be saved [Luther's Christian Questions with the Answers for Those Who Intend to Go to the Sacrament].
When the inquiring minds heard Jesus' answer, Matthew tells us, “they marveled.” Confounded, confused and perplexed “they left him and went away” [Matthew 22:22 (ESV)]. Then unraveled the mysterious, mighty grace of God, taking the anger and disobedience of both church and state, turning their seeming victory of wiping Jesus out to be his own victory over sin, death and the devil. The blood of Jesus spoke defeat—but not his own. Rather, “the blood of Jesus…cleanses us from all sin” [1 John 1:7 (ESV)]. Redeemed, restored, forgiven in his blood we are saved by faith. And so our daily prayer is in the words of the hymn: In you, Lord, I have put my trust; Leave me not helpless in the dust, Let me not be confounded, Let in your Word My faith, O Lord, Be always firmly grounded. It is the same as in the petition following the Great Te Deum Laudamus: O Lord, in Thee have I trusted; let me never be confounded.
In Christ you now bear again the image of God. You belong to him and can know him as Father even now as we still await the great consummation in the resurrection of all flesh when that image will be restored in its fullness. Remain in Christ and in his mighty Word that you may never be confounded but abound in hope. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” [Romans 15:13 (ESV)]. ___________________
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