MATTHEW 22:15-22

[15] Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words.

[16] And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “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.

[17] Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”

[18] But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites?

[19] Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius.

[20] And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?”

[21] They said, “Caesar's.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.”

[22] When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.

These days you can’t trust anyone. That’s the way it seems anyway. Politicians will lie and tell you just about anything so they can get re-elected. Athletes cheat and take performance enhancing drugs so they can get a big contract.  Bernie Madoff proved that just because someone wears a $2,000 suit and has a lot of money that doesn’t mean he won’t steal from you. Yes, there isn’t a lot of integrity out there these days.

Consider if you will the conversation that two men had one day while they were out golfing.   The first man said, “Did you the news about Bert?  He embezzled $10,000 from his company.” “That’s terrible,” the friend said.  “Bert always was a shady character.”  “Yeah,” the first man said.  “Not only that but when he skipped town he took Tom’s wife with him.”  “That’s terrible,” the friend said. “Bert always did have a bad streak in him.” “Yeah,” the first man said. “Not only that but he also stole a car to make his get-a-way.”  “That’s terrible,” the friend said. “You never could trust Bert.” “Yeah,” the first man said, “Not only that but he was also drunk when he drove out of town.”  “I always knew Bert was no good,” the friend said, “but what really bothers me is…who’s going to teach his Sunday School class this week?”

Integrity is in short supply these days but it’s always been that way.  After all there wasn’t a lot of integrity on display when the Pharisees went to Jesus that day in the Temple and asked him that question.  Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar?  It sounds like a simple and sincere question but it wasn’t.  The Pharisees only asked the question because they were convinced that it would get Jesus into trouble.

You see the Pharisees knew that if Jesus said “yes” it would get him into trouble with the people who hated paying taxes to the Romans.  On the other hand the Pharisees knew that if Jesus said “no” it would get him into trouble with the Romans.  By the way, that’s why the Pharisees brought the Herodians with them when they asked the question.  The Herodians were collaborators.  They were Jews who supported the Romans. Usually the Pharisees didn’t like the Herodians but they were willing to work with them if meant getting rid of Jesus once and for all.

So, Jesus was right when he called the Pharisees a bunch of hypocrites. In fact, Jesus proved it when he asked them to show him a coin.  The fact that the Pharisees were able to quickly provide one of those coins proves they were hypocrites.

You see on that coin was a picture of the emperor and these words, “Tiberius Caesar Filius Augustus.”  Tiberius Caesar “majestic son of God.”  It meant that the emperor was divine and that according to the Jews was blasphemy.  So, why were the high and holy Pharisees and their money changers trading coins like that in God’s holy Temple?   Not only that but the picture of the emperor on that coin was a graven image. Apparently, the Pharisees had forgotten all about the commandment that said you shall not make for yourself a graven image.

So, the Pharisees really weren’t pillars of piety. They were hypocrites. They didn’t have a lot of integrity and when you look at what happened that day to Jesus it makes you wonder.  What do you do when you have to live in a world where there isn’t a lot of integrity?

What do you do when people who don’t have a lot of integrity make life difficult for you?  It happens all the time.  Someone at school talks about you behind your back and spreads a rumor that he or she knows isn’t true.  Or someone at work messes up and blames the problem on you.  Or what do you when you know that if you do the right thing someone is going to ridicule you or accuse you of being a trouble maker?

Well, you could become very cynical and decide that the whole world is just a cesspool of deceit and dishonesty.  Or you could shrug your shoulders and decide that if you can’t beat them then the only thing you can do is join them. 

Or you could do what Rosalie Eliott did many years ago at the National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C. Rosalie was an eleven year old contestant from South Carolina and her moment of truth came when she was asked to spell avowal.  Unfortunately she spelled it with an E instead of an A at the end of the word.  Because of her southern accent the judges weren’t sure though if she had spelled the word correctly.  They weren’t sure even after they listened several times to the tape recording of her answer.  So they asked Rosalie what she had said.  By now Rosalie knew that she should have spelled the words with an A instead of an E. She could have lied but without hesitating she announced that she had misspelled the word and walked off the stage.  The entire audience stood and cheered. 

Now that’s integrity and if an eleven year old can do it anyone can do it. Now the key to being a person of integrity is right there in the answer that Jesus gave the Pharisees that day.

Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and render unto God the things that are God’s.   Notice that Jesus doesn’t say what belongs to Caesar or what belongs to God.

There are lots of different things Jesus could be saying here.  He could be saying that it’s okay to pay taxes to Caesar which is what the Herodians wanted to believe.  Or he could be saying, “Give that dirty blasphemous coin back to Caesar and have nothing to do with him.  After all you have been created in God’s image which means that you belong to God.”  That’s what the people wanted to believe.   Or he could be saying something even more basic than that.

Maybe what he’s really saying here is you have to decide for yourself.  You have to decide what belongs to Caesar and what belongs to God.  I, Jesus, can’t answer that question for you.  The Pharisees and the Herodians can’t answer that question for you. The other people in the crowd can’t answer that question for you either.   Oh and for all of you Christians in North Reading who are reading these words on October 16, 2011 you also have to answer that question for yourself.   I can’t answer it for you.  Your parents can’t answer it for you. Your boss can’t answer it for you and your friends at school can’t answer it for you either.   You have to decide for yourself and if you worry about what all of those other people think you’re just going to get yourself into all kinds of trouble.

Believe it or not, without realizing it the Pharisees actually answered the question about integrity when they first went to Jesus.  It’s right there in the first thing they say to him.  You can almost see them smiling smugly and saying, “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.”

Integrity doesn’t start with what other people think or what other people think about you.  It comes from making sure your words and your deeds and your life are all in sync with God’s Wisdom and Will and Ways.

That’s why I think Jesus would agree with these word on a plaque that Mother Theresa put on the wall of her home for children in Calcutta.  The words of wisdom go like this:

People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centered. Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.  Succeed anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.  Be honest and frank anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.  Do good anyway.

They biggest people with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest of people with the smallest minds.  Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.  Fight for some underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.  Build anyway.

It is possible to be a person of integrity in a world full of deceit and dishonesty.  Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and unto God the things that are God’s. As you ponder those words it isn’t hard to see Jesus flipping that coin and saying, “Head or tails?  You call it.”   Amen.

Rev. Dr. Richard A. Hughes

October 16, 2011