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2017-10-22 – Matthew 22:15-22 – On this rock
I can’t help but reflect on Jesus’s promise, “ask and it will be given, seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be opened.”[1] The Pharisees are out to trap Jesus in a no-win question and Jesus remains faithful to His promises and gives them the knowledge and understanding they seek. But the gift of Jesus’s promise to them did not fuel their malice; rather it amazed them and gives them more to think about. There is a lesson here for all of us that God continues to care for all that are His regardless of our relationship with Him.
The message in the gospel text is one of the most clear and concise responses to an impossible question that Jesus delivers to the people who are plotting against him. His reply is both simple to see and yet difficult to accomplish. Why? Because we know what this world wants, but do we understand what God wants? Give to God the things that are God’s.
Carolyn Henderson is an author and blogger who claims to offer Commonsense Christianity. She shares a story of her earliest memories as a child who wanted desperately to give her mother a worthy gift. With no means to purchase something and no understanding of how to reflect her love in gift-form, Carolyn would go into her mother’s bedroom and wrap figurines from her dresser, which she then presented to her mother as a gift. In her own way, she knew this item was special to her mom, so if she gave it to her it would continue to be special, but a connection to the giver would be established.
Children, most often, have the purest of intentions at the heart of their actions and here again can offer something that we can learn from. At a young age, Carolyn has no idea what to give her mom, but even at a mature age and understanding, do we know what to give God?
Now as a child myself, I was thrilled when the idea of ‘pet rocks’ became popular because I could then go to a rock pile and do all my birthday and Christmas shopping in one place and at one time. Unfortunately this ‘fad’ passed in a few years because I could really use something like this today. And still, when it came time to wrap and present the rock, I did select a nicer rock for my mom verses my sisters… so there was some thought-process involved.
What can we give to God and what does God want us to give Him? Do we give God something that already belongs to Him? Or, do we give Him a rock? What will you give your Lord to reflect the love that you have for Him?
Whenever we have questions, the promise of an answer remains for us and all people; Jesus told us to ask and promised to provide. So consider what the Psalmist tells us, “What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me? I will lift the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people… I will offer you a thanksgiving sacrifice and call on the name of the Lord.”[2]
Here the psalmist reflects ‘returning’ something to the Lord as a gesture of our gratitude and thanksgiving for what we have been blessed with.
In all things, our good and gracious God wants us to reflect a good heart and motivations that are pure. God desires our prayers, our praise and our thanksgiving to Him, but most of all God want our rocks!
When I was young and said something foolish, Mom would tell me I had rocks in my head. Today, that makes more sense than ever in the context of our message because it is the foolish, harmful, and self-gratifying ways of this world that is what God wants us to give Him. God wants us to give Him what is truly ours (not His) out of a heart of gratitude and thanks, so we can reflect the love and salvation that He first gave to us.
In other words, God wants us to give Him rocks; the rocks that burden us, weigh us down, and pull us under. God wants our burdens, our cares, our problems, and our fears, our pain, our tears, and our worries all in exchange for His comfort, His care, and His companionship.
When the offering is taken today, a basket of rocks will follow the plates. Take a rock, several rocks, to represent your concerns, your worries, your fears, and all the things in this world that you can give to the Lord. As you approach the communion table, give the rock to the Lord by dropping them in the waters of baptism and allow yourself to let go. We will find something special to do with the rocks as a reminder. Feel free to take rocks for the benefit of others to represent your participation in their life, their troubles, and their fears as well.
So what about ‘giving to Caesar what is his? We must live in this word and we live under the law of the land. Jesus tells the Pharisees that paying taxes is part of the law they live under. But what else belongs to Caesar; what else belongs to the country we live in?
What do we give the world in reference to our gospel text? Jesus makes it clear that we must be obedient to the authorities of this world and the Law is established for the sake of goodness and prosperity, and not as a burden.
In as much as we are called to be faithful servants we are also called to be responsible citizens in worldly life. The Law, both biblical and civil has two functions; to preserve life and to condemn (meaning a consequence or penalty for breaking the law). What do we owe our country? We certainly owe our obedience in keeping the law, but to become a great country our participation and even our sacrifice is also required.
The Roman Empire ruled by Caesar did not exist without a price; many lives were lost in numerous wars and battles. Laws were enforced and a strong government kept the peace. Furthermore, the Roman citizens benefitted from the prosperity of living in the most powerful empire on the face of the earth.
So give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and give to God what is God’s. Be faithful in your living in both kingdoms; the kingdom of this world and the kingdom of God. God declared, “We shall be holy”, which was accomplished through the death and resurrection of our Lord. So live in that promise and give God your thanks, your praise, and your rocks. Pay your taxes and give the Lord the burdens that weigh you down and pull you under…and live in the peace that passes all understanding to keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
[1] Matthew 7:7
[2] Psalm 116:12-14, 17 - NRSV