Sermon | Year A - The Year of Matthew

October 19, 2008 | Pentecost 23

Isaiah 45:1-7; Psalm 96:1-9; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10; Matthew 22:15-22

Today I want you to put yourself in the shoes of an ancient Hebrew. This is the setting. The city of Jerusalem has been destroyed. The nation has been overrun by the Babylonians. You, along with thousands of others, are living in exile in Babylon (modern day Iraq).

This horrendous tragedy of the defeat and collapse of Jerusalem has caused a monumental shift in the thinking of all Hebrews. You are able to see how not following the commandments of God led to the fall of the nation. You now see clearly that the call of God to Abraham set the Hebrews apart to be a special nation led by God. This had always been known, however, it had never really been taken seriously. This tragedy has brought the covenant that God made with the Israelites into focus. You see the meaning of that covenant. Like all other Hebrews, you know that each of you has a calling to be the people of God. You know with certainty that it is your duty as God’s people to follow the commandments of God very closely.

You now study the Scriptures with great earnest. You now observe the Sabbath meticulously. You follow the Law of Moses in such a detailed way that you even go beyond what is asked in the Books of Moses. In your worship and in your daily life you find yourself thinking about the destruction of Jerusalem, and like other Hebrews, you vow that never again will you fall away from the faith. You are certain of your role as God’s people and you intend to follow this role forever.

Then the word begins to come that you will be freed from exile in Babylon. You feel the excitement rise up within you. A sense of pride rises within you. All the people of Israel are representatives and agents of God. The words of the prophets are being fulfilled. Soon you will be free and the entire world will revere what a magnificent people you are.

Then the word comes. A Hebrew is not freeing you. A Persian king is freeing you. This Persian king has no knowledge of God. He does not follow the Laws of Moses. However, this is the one God has chosen. To put it in modern terms let us imagine the United States has been enslaved by a nation. After years of exile, we hear that we are being freed. However, our liberator is Fidel Castro. This man has no sense of what it is to be an American.

Such was the plight of the Israelites. There was embarrassment at being liberated by Cyrus the Persian. There was confusion and even an outrage that someone who does not know God would free God’s people. Now, on the verge of freedom not only are they not freeing themselves, a king who is an idol worshiper with no sense of God is liberating them.

This caused a crisis in the Hebrew mind at the time. Liberation was good, but liberation won by such a person was almost too much to bear. What could God be thinking? How could this be?

This is what stands behind the first lesson for today. As Isaiah speaks, God is making an announcement about Cyrus to the Hebrew people.

What is being shown in the call of the Persian king Cyrus is God’s sovereignty. In other words, God is showing the world, including the Hebrews, that he is a God over all people and all places. He is a God who can use anyone he chooses to do his will. He will make his name known even through ungodly people and institutions if he wishes.

Now we come to the Gospel reading today hundreds of years after the Persian king Cyrus freed the Hebrews. The authorities (the Pharisees and Herodians) want to trap Jesus with a loaded question. If Jesus says it is lawful to pay taxes, he will discredit himself with the people; while if he says it is not lawful he will come under the scrutiny of the Romans.

Jesus’ response is quick and direct. First, he calls his opponents "hypocrites" and then forces them to compromise themselves by showing that they possessed unholy Roman coins, which had Caesar’s image and title.

To carry Roman coins was not only to carry the money of the oppressor; it was also to carry an idol. The king of Rome was a god. That means the money with his image on it was a miniature idol. However, God is able to use these governments to his own will even those that run contrary to the dictates of the faith. They provide order and civil laws. Moreover, they can be used to further the faith even as they oppose the faith.

The Roman government opposed the Christian faith. However, because of the Roman government and its empire, roads, commerce, and communication the Christian faith quickly spread all through the known world. God was able to use this nation that worshiped idols to spread the news of the faith.

Both Cyrus and the Roman Empire are ways that God is able to use or work though people and circumstances to advance the work of his Kingdom and salvation. We cannot confine God. Even adverse situations cannot confine God.

Now, I am as critical of the corruption that is in our culture as anyone. So much seems to go against the faith today. However, the time of Cyrus and the time of Jesus show us that there is no perfect time for the faith to be proclaimed. There will be no culture completely open to the Christian faith. What we do is live the faith and look for ways to proclaim it even in the midst of adversity. Greater principles are at work in our lives than what we can see. The gift of the story of Cyrus and the words Jesus says in the Gospel remind us that our faith rises above our shortsightedness to work God’s will in this world and in our lives. Amen.