Whose Image Is Stamped On You?
This is the sermon I'm preaching today at St. Timothy Lutheran Church . The text is Matthew 22:15-22. The question the Pharisees and Herodians present to Jesus is a yes or no question. It sounds simple enough: “Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor or not?” (v. 17). But from the beginning, we’re told it’s a trap. Before they even open their mouths, suspicion has been aroused. Here, together, were Pharisees and Herodians—most unusual bedfellows. The Pharisees were popular with the people. They disdained the actions of religious leaders who kowtowed to the Roman occupation and they were a kind of renewal movement in Judaism. In principle, they resented and resisted the tax, but did not go as far as the radical nationalists who publicly resisted its payment. Then there were the Herodians who wanted to maintain their standing and wealth, resulting from their support of the Roman occupation. What’s the problem with the tax? This is a tax supporting the machinery of the Roma...
