The Real Deal

October 16, 2005 (Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost; Proper 24)

  by The Rev. Canon Linda Yeager, Canon Deacon

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

(From The Lectionary Page)

The other day, I was reading about the newly revised and recently unveiled United States ten dollar bill with an innovative and more secure design. The most noticeable difference in the new design is the introduction of subtle background colors, which makes it more burdensome for potential counterfeiters because it adds complexity to the note. This redesigned currency is safer, smarter and more secure. In fact, the U.S. government expects to redesign its currency every seven to 10 years. And did you see the picture of Thomas Jefferson as he appears on the new nickel — no more profile for him. He will be looking directly at us as we use “his” coin.

We, in this country, spend a lot of money in order to protect our money. It’s an interesting thing about money. It takes on a certain sense of reality when we know the value of the items which it will purchase. For example, I know that when I fill the tank of my Honda Civic, it will take about $25. (small tank) I also know that when I go to purchase a birthday gift for a friend, it will take about $20 by the time I find something appropriate and buy a card. I also know what my salary is, although I seldom take enough time to discover what the relationship is between what I earn and what I spend — that is on specific items. My checkbook tells me what I have left, or not, as I reach the end of a month.

People who, on the other hand, make counterfeit money, lose the sense of relationship between income and out-go and also the value of that which they purchase. The money becomes a ticket to buy what they want — reckless spending, along with, I suspect, a certain thrill in getting by with the passing of fake money itself — the old get-something-for-nothing routine.

The importance and value of money is present in today’s gospel passage. Immediately preceding this passage, Jesus had told three parables which placed the orthodox Jewish leaders in a poor light. You remember last week’s parable of the condemned wedding guests, which was the third of the parables. So now the Pharisees wanted their turn trapping Jesus. There were several regular taxes which the Roman government demanded. The one being addressed in this setting is the poll tax, required of all adults, male and female. The tax was equivalent to one denarius, about the normal wage for one day’s work.

The leaders thought that they had Jesus caught in their snare. If he said that people didn’t have to pay the tax, the officials would report him to the government and he could be arrested. If he said that all should pay the tax, he would be discredited. Now, no one wanted to pay this tax, especially the Jews. They believed that God was the only monarch, so to pay a tax to an earthly king would mean that they recognized the Roman emperor as a king and, in doing so, would insult God. It seemed that Jesus would have a difficult time untangling himself from their trap. But Jesus, of course, knew what their motives were. He asked to see the denarius. Looking at it, he asked them whose image was on the coin and, after their response, instructed them to give to Caesar what is his and to God what is God’s.

While it is fairly clear what we owe to Caesar, just what exactly is it that we should give to God? The easy answer is, of course, everything. OK, but let’s get a little more specific. I can give God praise and thanksgiving for all the blessings of my life. I can entrust those whom I love to God’s enduring care. I can give a tithe to the church in response to my acknowledgement that everything comes from God. These things are not easy, but certainly doable. What about the rest of me—my flaws, my pain, my sins, my fears, my anger, my anxieties, my failures? Just as the counterfeiter tries to fool the authorities, sometimes we, too, try to keep from God that which is real. We are unwilling to offer to God the realities of our lives, all of them. We want to hang on to them, to control them ourselves, to work things out, to make our own decisions, our own plans. We may be willing to ask for God’s help in making our decisions, but we are unwilling to let go and give God the painful parts, the embarrassing parts, the shameful parts of our lives.

What are we afraid of? What will happen if we truly give God our pain and worries, our petty thoughts and weaknesses? Perhaps we won’t be able to hang on to them any longer. Perhaps God will take our burdens and allow us to concentrate on bringing glory to God. Perhaps we will have to give up the pain that has become our companion. Sometimes we cling to these feelings because we don’t know how to function without them. Take, for example, the person who has been through a bitter divorce and has harbored righteous indignation for a long time. If he gives that indignation to God, he must find a new emphasis for life. Take, for another example, the person who has blamed her parents all her life for her failures. If she offers this pain to God, she can no longer focus her frustrations on her parents. Take, for yet another example, the person who has lost his job and can’t secure another one. If he offers this sense of failure to God, he must use his gifts in continuing to seek a position.

Jesus tells us to offer to God what is God’s. Think of the time and effort that it takes to create that which is not real — be it money or ourselves. Financial counterfeiters try to trick the government and gain rewards with bogus bills. Those who are successful believe that they have gotten away with something, that the bounty they have schemed to secure is somehow worth the effort that they put into making the bills, which, incidentally, is much more difficult each time the government redesigns our currency.

In the case of ourselves, it is a waste of time and effort to try to trick God because we already get something for nothing. God’s unconditional love is ours for free. This is good news — we can unburden ourselves. We can feel God’s love in more enriching ways. We can be free to grow in love and acceptance of others because we are valued and treasured for who we are.

If we take this message seriously, we will use our time, energy, talents, feelings, and abilities for God’s glory. And this can be a fearful thought, for we lose our excuses. How, then, do we proceed? The answer, of course, is that God not only will relieve us of our burdens, but God will also give us the strength, the courage, the hope, and the desire to live our lives to God’s glory. This takes practice, just as any new habit does. We have held on to our pain and hatred and weaknesses for a long time, many of us. So, giving them to God creates a new space in our lives, space that must be filled. With prayer, study, conversation and the blessing of the sacrament, we can, with God’s help, find a new way.

Most of us spend a lot of time avoiding giving to God that which is God’s already. Like the counterfeiter, we offer to God what we have created and not what God has created. But we can’t cheat God, for God knows when we are being counterfeit — and God loves us anyway. God accepts us as we are with love, forgiveness, and hope.

Today, we are offering healing in the service. This experience of healing offers an opportunity to give up those burdens which we try to carry alone, those problems that weigh us down and isolate us from both God and others. The litany of healing will be read at the time of the Prayers of the People, followed by healing at the communion rail. Whatever hurt or grief you are feeling, whatever hard spot that lies locked in your heart, whatever pain you have been carrying, I encourage you to bring your burdens to the rail and offer the grief, the pain, the stubbornness, the anxiety to God. As you receive the laying on of hands and the anointing of oil, allow God’s holy healing to take away the pain and leave you time and space for joy and service.

Please think seriously about letting go. Let’s offer to God today the real us.