Sermon on Matthew 22:15-22

Pastor Jennifer Garcia

This week’s Gospel continues yet again with another story about the religious leaders trying to trap Jesus into either discrediting or incriminating himself in the days between Palm Sunday and Good Friday.

We had Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday,

the cleansing of the Temple,

the religious leadersquestioning Jesus’ authority,

and, in response, Jesus’ inflammatory parables that we’ve been looking at for the past few weeks.

In this week’s reading, which immediately follows, the religious authorities sent their disciples to talk to Jesus instead of going to him themselves. And their disciples resorted to flattery to try to get Jesus off his guard.

Then, they sprang their trap: “Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor or not?”

Jesus could have said, “Yes, obey the law and pay your taxes.”

That doesn’t seem so bad, except that the Jewish people were occupied by the Roman Empire. They weren’t too happy about foreign occupation and high taxes. The taxes the Pharisees and Herodians were talking about here was a flat tax: one denarius (about a day’s wages) due for every person, which meant that the poorest people were the most burdened by these taxes. The people who had celebrated Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem would not have been happy if Jesus responded that they should pay these heavy taxes inflicted by a foreign power.

On the other hand, Jesus could have said, “Don’t pay taxes to these Roman oppressors!” But guess who wouldn’t have been happy about that: the Romans. That’s a real good way to get arrested.

Yet again, Jesus had been asked a question with no easy way out. But hewas a good rabbi who answered questions with questions. He asked to see one of the denarius coins that taxes would be paid with.

It’s worth noting that Jesus didn’t pull out a coin of his own—he probably didn’t have one. Instead, he made his opponents have to physically pull out one of the tax coins they were asking if it was okay to use.

Jesus then asked them, “Whose image is this?”

And they replied, “The emperor.”

Not only were these coins stamped with a picture of the emperor; they were also inscribed with the words “Tiberius Caesar, August Son of the Divine Augustus” and “Pontifex Maximus,” which means high priest. The coins stated that the emperor was the son of God and claimed divine authority.

To the Jewish people, this was blasphemy. It was a graven image—an idol—which was forbidden in the ten commandments. It was a graven image of someone who was definitely not God claiming to be God.

This question wasn’t just about taxes, money, or politics: it was about divine authority.

It was about how to live in occupied territory while staying true to God.

It was about what to do when your government’s orders don’t align with your religious beliefs.

This is still a pressing question: how to be true to your faith in God when your government doesn’t fully align with your religious beliefs.

For most if not all of us, there’s some degree of dissonance between our faith and politics, regardless of what party is in power.

In this election season, this is a particularly pressing difficulty as we cast our votes in these next few weeks.

This reading from Matthew feels timely, if a little perplexing.

Jesus didn’t give a straight answer to the Pharisees and Herodians. This was partly to avoid getting trapped by them. But it was also because there’s no easy answer for how to live in a society that doesn’t align with your faith.

“Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s,

and to God the things that are God’s.”

So, give the coins that have the image of the emperor on them to the emperor when he requires them of you.

Jesus also said, give to God the things that are God’s.

But what has the image of God on it?

Listen to this from Genesis chapter 1:

‘Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image,

according to our likeness...

So God created humankind in his image,

    in the image of God he created them;

    male and female he created them.”’

This mighty emperor could have coins stamped with his image and inscribe a claim that he was divine,

But every human being bears the image of God.

The entirety of creation, in fact, has God’s fingerprints all over it.

“Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s,

and to God the things that are God’s.”

God is not subject to earthly rulers, governments, or political parties.

No political party or government official will save us.

Jesus has already saved us and will bring about the fullness of the Reign of God at the end of time.

But that doesn’t mean we give up on trying to make our world and our country a better place.

But just as Jesus didn’t give an easy answer to the Pharisees and Herodians, there are no easy answers for how exactly we as Christians should participate in the political systems of our day.

But here’s one way to practice giving to God the things that are God’s:

As we vote in this election, use scripture as a guide. If you’ve already turned in your ballot, good for you! You can keep this in mind next time.

What are the parts of scripture you turn to when you have to make a decision? Let them ring in your ears as you consider who and what to vote for.

Perhaps the greatest commandments, which we’ll be reading next week: “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’” and ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:37-39)

What decision puts God first?

What decision is most loving to my neighbor?

Or Micah 6:8: “what does the Lord require of you

but to do justice, and to love kindness,

and to walk humbly with your God?”

Where are justice and kindness and humility in these decisions?

Or when Jesus says in John 10:10: “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

How does this decision support abundant life for everyone?

Or even Jesus’ words from today’s reading:

“Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s,

and to God the things that are God’s.”

How does this decision honor the image of God in every person?

How does this decision recognize that everything was made by God and belongs to God?

It’s not simple to live for the Beloved Community in a world where it hasn’t become complete yet. We have difficult decisions to make.

Whatever you choose to do in the political sphere—vote, educate, protest, run for office, or any number of other actions—remember:

You are made in God’s image.

You live in a world that has God’s fingerprints all over it.

You share that world with billions of other people made in God’s image.

Honor that image of your Creator and entrust God with what is God’s.

Sermon on Matthew22:1-14

Pastor Jennifer Garcia

This week’s Gospel reading picks up right where last week’s left off with yet another parable Jesus told to the religious leaders who were challenging him between Palm Sunday and Good Friday.

It’s similar to the last two parables in that Jesus used it to call out the religious authorities for not accepting what God was up to through John the Baptist’s warnings or Jesus’ teachings.

They were busy maintaining the status quo and guarding the delicate relationship between their people and the Roman Empire. So, they were suspicious and critical of new prophets and rabbis like John and Jesus.

So, Jesus compared them to no-show wedding guests. The parable gets surprisingly violent, with the wedding guests killing the messengers and the king massacring the guests and burning their city.I’m surprised Quentin Tarantino hasn’t made a movie of this parable yet.

But Jesus sometimes used heightened and exaggerated language in his parables and teachings. It’s sureattention-getting!

Meanwhile, Jesus lulled his larger audience into letting their guard down. After two parables criticizing the religious leaders, the crowds following Jesus might have been patting themselves on the back for accepting John and Jesus’ teachings. We humans like to pick sides and root for our side to win.

So, it probably felt pretty good to count oneself among the second round of wedding guests. It is a really beautiful image of the wedding feast of the Lamb, where everyone’s included—anyone and everyone, the good and the bad, regardless of class or background or worthiness.

But the parable doesn’t end there. An underdressed wedding guest gets treated disturbingly harshly.

Since this second round of wedding guests dropped what they were doing to come to the banquet, appropriate clothing may have been provided for them—akin to a fancy restaurant loaning out ties. So, this wedding guest would have had to refuse the clothing hospitably offered.

If the crowds were a little too happy about the religious leaders getting their comeuppance from Jesus’ parables, this one ended with a warning not to get self-satisfied and forget to be a grateful guest.

It was a troubling parable for Jesus’ entire audience, not just the religious leaders.

And it’s a troubling parable for us, too.

As an introvert, I understand the temptation to decide last minute not to go to a social event, and I really hope my home is left standing the next time I cancel.

But really, it’s easy to get caught up in the cares of this world. It’s hard to feel like celebrating when the world is full of political, economic, environmental, and social injustice. The news right now is full of murder and the death penalty and sexual assault and hurricanes and war. There’s a highly-charged election coming up. Things are getting more expensive all the time. And it was so darn hot last week!

Plus, I know many of you are dealing with health stuff and work stuff and financial stuff and family stuff.

How can we celebrate at a time like this?

And yet, as we see in the parable, there is a wedding to celebrate. We’re invited to the already and not yet wedding feast of the Lamb. In the parable and elsewhere, the completion of the Beloved Community is described as a wedding feast—better than the most joyful and exquisite one you can imagine.

Everyone’s invited—the good and the bad, regardless of class or background or worthiness. You don’t have to worry about what to wear.

Because Christ is our clothing. God knows who’s invited to the feast, and God wants you just as you are. We, who were created by God, are celebrating what was done for us by Jesus, who broke the power of death and brings us all abundant life.

Not too long ago, we read from Romans chapter 13, in which Paul exhorts us to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ,” comparing him to armor or clothing.

Just like we baptize people of all ages because baptism is about what God does, not about what we do, we can be part of the banquet, not because we’ve earned it, but because of who Christ is.

If the parable talks of an inappropriately clothed guest, it’s more like C.S. Lewis portrays in The Last Battle, the final book in the Chronicles of Narnia series.

After the final battle between good and evil, the characters arrive in Aslan’s country to spend eternity.

But, there’s a group of dwarves who have decided that they’re going to look out only for themselves and don’t want any part in fighting for what’s good and right or having compassion for others.

So, when they arrive in Aslan’s country, they still think they’re in the damp, smelly stable they were in before the battle ended. They refuse to receive what’s in front of them—not even recognizing what’s real.

It’s not that they weren’t invited to the banquet. They were present at the banquet. But they refused to accept the clothing. They refused to celebrate. They excluded themselves.

Beloved siblings in Christ, what invitations from the Holy Spirit are we ignoring?

What are we refusing to celebrate?

Because, even in the midst of what’s challenging and heart-breaking in this life, God still invites us to see glimpses of the Beloved Community here and now.

It doesn’t mean we have to be happy all the time. It doesn’t mean we have to plaster on a smile and keep the tears inside when life feels like too much.

Joy can coexist with sadness. Joy can remind us we’re human and that God loves us when something silly makes us laugh while we sit in a medical center waiting room yet again.

Love can coexist with anger. Anger can fill us when someone we love is being mistreated and can give us strength to fight for justice. All our emotions have things to teach us, and pretending to be happy doesn’t serve us.

Even while we grieve what’s still broken about this world, we can celebrate that there are still things worth living for as we wait for the world to be made right in God’s time.

Because Jesus already won. He lived and died and rose again because he loves you and wants you to be at his party, telling stories, laughing, eating hors d’oeuvres, and making a fool of yourself when the DJ puts on the YMCA.

Your place card is on the table already. Let’s celebrate!

Sermon on Matthew21:23-32

Pastor Jennifer Garcia

Our Gospel readings for the next several weeks take us back to Holy Week. We’ll be reading several parables and teachings that Jesus gave in response to the religious leaders’ oppositionbetween Palm Sunday and Good Friday.

Let’s start by putting ourselves in the religious leaders’ shoes to see what they were reacting against.

There were rumors of this new rabbi named Jesus getting attention around the area. You don’t really believe the stories of miraculous healings—there are so many charlatans around—but then some people start saying he’s a prophet or even John the Baptist back from the dead. He’s getting more and more attention, and you worry that he might be spreading some unorthodox ideas.

Then, he arrives in Jerusalem on the same day as Roman leader Pontius Pilate. Pilate arrives on one side of the city like the grand, victorious Roman overlord he is.

And then this upstart rabbi Jesus approaches the other side of the city, riding not a warhorse but a donkey, with crowds of people cheering him on like he’s a military hero—an over-the-top form of political theater mocking Pilate and the Roman Empire. This guy is going to get us all killed!

Then, he goes straight to the Temple—the center of Jewish religious and cultural life, and he starts yelling at people and assaulting the merchants.

So, we religious leaders decide it’s time to put a stop to this. We decide to confront him and let him know he and his behavior aren’t welcome here.

We try to trap him into either discrediting himself or claiming divine power so that we can say he blasphemed and arrest him. Either way, we need him to stop talking before he gets Rome’s attention. We can’t be lumped in with this radical.

But then, Jesus parries our question with another question that entraps us instead! The nerve! And then, he tells a parable that portrays us as not doing God’s will and says that the most undesirable people in our society are going to join the Reign of God before us.

This guy is unbelievable! We can’t let him continue like this. Before the week’s up, this has got to stop. We’re going to put an end to this one way or another.

The religious leaders were trying to maintain order, keep the status quo, and placate the Roman Empire.

Jesus was challenging them, saying that they were missing what God was up to.

And since God was sending prophetic messages through John the Baptist and then through Jesus himself, the religious leaders should have accepted those messages, because they were very much in the tradition of the prophets who spoke to God’s people throughout their history.

There’s a whole section of the Hebrew Bible devoted to the messages of the prophets. We read from Ezekiel today, where God invited God’s people to turn from the unjust ways their society was behaving and get “a new heart and a new spirit.”

Surely John the Baptist’s message to God’s people to change their minds and ways wasn’t so different that the religious leaders couldn’t recognize God’s voice.

So, Jesus called them out on it.

And he invited them to change their minds too, just like in his parable.

The way was open. It’s a standing invitation. The doors of the Beloved Community are always open. It’s up to us human beings to be willing to change our minds and hearts to want to be part of it.

The religious leaders feared that Jesus threatened their power and even their safety—unbalancing their precarious relationship with Rome.

But Jesus was showing them a different kind of power—contrasting the military might of empire with the self-emptying power of God made human.

As our Bible study talked about on Tuesday, our reading from Philippians contains an early hymn of the Church that’s the centerpiece of the whole letter. Jesus “did not regard equality with Godas something to be grasped,but emptied himself,” humbling himself to the point of a humiliating execution.

And by the upside-down way God works, that wasn’t a defeat, but the ultimate triumph, breaking the power of death forever.

Jesus’ conflict wasn’t with the religious leaders or even the Roman Empire, but with everything that is death-dealing in this world.

And his purpose wasn’t to wage a military campaign against Rome or overthrow the religious authorities. It was to bring life abundant to the world, building a community that would uplift the lowly, comfort the broken-hearted, and help us to change our minds so that we see the world the way God sees it, with eyes full of love.

And John the Baptist was preparing us human beings for that purpose, proclaiming that God was up to something in the world and that we should pay attention.

But many of the people who should have recognized what was going on weren’t open to hearing God’s prophetic message.

What prophetic messages are we missing today?

It’s good to be discerning and not just accept anything someone tells you.People can use the Bible to support pretty much whatever message they want, depending on how far you take it out of context.

But at the same time, our own interpretations can start to feel comfortable, and we can find ourselves getting complacent or being unwilling to question the status quo.

Are we, like the religious leaders who were opposing Jesus, missing out on what God is up to today?

What prophets are we ignoring?

I was deeply saddened a few weeks ago to hear of the death of an author I consider prophetic.

They published their work under the name Lenny Duncan and used he/him pronouns at the time of publication, but I’ve come to learn that they more recently went by lynnyduncan and used they/them pronouns.

I read their book Dear Church: A Love Letter from a Black Preacher to the Whitest Denomination in the U.S. during my internship, and it was a challenging and important read.

Duncanhad been an ELCA pastor, (the ELCA being the whitest denomination they spoke of in the title of their first book) though they eventually left our denomination and continued to do scholarly and spiritual work in other capacities. They were 48 years old when they died of heart problems.

I wish they had had longer on this side of life to speak their prophetic message.

Their work challenged me. They talked about racism and homophobia in the church. They named specific things that we can change to be more equitable and just. They called out traditions and symbols I have loved and named them as problematic and hurtful. They called me to deeper thought and deeper love.

I can’t do justice to their work in one sermon, but here is one small passage from Dear Church to give you a taste of their prophetic message:

“Dear Church, we are the ones we have been waiting for. No one else is coming. You are the generation that has been chosen for this time, this place, this moment in human history. Stop waiting for some sort of transformative leader to arise from the body politic or the body of Christ. It is you. You with all your flaws, fears, doubts, brokenness, and downright utter humanness—you are called for more. The bags under your eyes are going to get darker. The weariness in your bones will get deeper. The amount of pain you are going to have to hold in your heart will grow bigger and almost unbearable. The calendar will be jam packed, and the road just gets narrower from here. But the narrow road is our only path for survival, Church.

“Dear Church, stretching God’s tent is frontline freedom fighting. Our role in the revolution was started in a synagogue in Galilee, when Jesus unfurled the text from Isaiah. He read to those gathered:

“’The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives

and recovery of sight to the blind,

to let the oppressed go free,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’

(Luke 4:18-19; see Isaiah 61:1-2)

Don’t you get it that the text is fulfilled in your hearing? You have been given a post, armed with grace and armored in love, and you are being drafted to wage peace on the world. When someone gives you hell, you are ordered to give them heaven. This is a radical and dangerous act. If our places of worship really are the nerve centers for the souls of dozens of families in our communities, then this can be a shock to the system. Waging peace is more dangerous than waging war.”

I pray that lynny’s eyes no longer have bags under them and that they rest in God’s complete peace and love. And I’m thankful that their prophetic message can live on in their written words.

Prophetic messages can be painful, humbling, maddening. It’s no wonder so many prophets have historically been discredited, persecuted, and killed. It’s not surprising that the religious leaders resisted John the Baptist and Jesus so intensely.

We need the Holy Spirit to help us discern what messages to listen to, but ignoring anything that challenges us isn’t the answer.

God is still speaking prophetic messages to us. God will never stop speaking and inviting God’s people to change our minds and our hearts to help us embrace the world like God does.

The Beloved Community’s doors are wide open for tax collectors, sex workers, religious leaders, and you, and me. It’s not on a cloudsomewhere in the sky. It’s a way of life and of loving the world here and now that brings heaven to earth. And we get to be part of it.

There are prophetic voices pointing to it all the time. Listen to them with all your heart.