MATTHEW 22: 15-22  NIV

JESUS IN THE TEMPLE

Over the past weekend, what with the Kavanaugh hearings, I think we’ve all learned a bit about trying to answer questions designed as a trap. As Jesus teaches in the Temple, he’s approached by Pharisees and Herodians who are well-prepared to present him a lose/lose question.

The Pharisees were the “true believers,” the ones who were really on fire for the Lord (not like those lukewarm Presbyterians!). The Herodians were a political party of devout Jews associated with the “king” of Israel and his authority. In short, Jesus is surrounded by lawyers in a very public place. Jews and Gentiles are in the audience, all waiting for Jesus to say things they would like to hear. The questions come to Jesus thick with unctuous rhetoric:

“Teacher,we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are.”

The flattery may have disarmed the zealots in the crowd from thinking of the Pharisees or Herodians as the bad guys. They seem respectful and sincere until their question comes:

“So Jesus, do you still beat your wife?”

That’s not an exact quote, but we get the effect. Jesus calls them out and exposes their hypocrisy.

The actual question—Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?—is a calculated one. From the time of the first census, the Jews were taxed by their Roman occupiers. This tax could run as high as 30%. If they failed to pay their taxes, their land could be seized. It’s no wonder the Jews despised the Romans and longed for a Messiah who would overthrow Rome and enact political and economic reforms. It’s also no wonder why they hated tax collectors—Jews who profited from the losses of the people.

Aside from the 30% taxes, Jews were expected to pay a tithe to the Temple. For many ordinary Jews, the burden of both was enough to break them or force them to make difficult choices. If they didn’t pay their taxes, they lost the land passed down to them by their parents and grandparents, but if they failed to tithe, then they lost their relationship and standing with the Temple and were cut off as Jews. It is these—the Jews who lost ties with the Temple—who were called “sinners” in the gospels. They may have loved God and served God, but in withholding their tithe, they were disowned by Temple authorities.

In answering the question, Jesus asks to see one of the Roman coins. Whoever it was that produced it revealed a hypocrisy, for the coin—a denarius—holds the engraved image of Caesar upon it. Furthermore, as Caesar claimed to be God, the coin constitutes an idol by every definition, and here was a devout Jew carrying one within the Temple grounds!

Those who sought to trap Jesus had asked a simply yes-or-no question. If Jesus had answered, “Yes, it’s right to pay taxes,” then the common folk and zealots would have been angered, for in doing so Jesus would have condoned the people’s oppression and implicitly denied the legitimacy of Israel’s self-rule. If he answered, “No, it’s not right to support our oppressor,” then the radicals in the crowd would have been overjoyed, but the Gentiles would have seized him for sedition. It was a lose/lose question.

Jesus’ answer is brilliant. He says, in effect, “If Caesar’s name and image are upon the coin, then they clearly belong to Caesar and he is rightful to claim it.”

Any listeners hoping that Jesus would initiate a tax revolt would have been deeply disappointed.

Jesus doesn’t end it there, but adds the cryptic: “and give to God what belongs to God.” The Temple tithe also needed to be paid.

During the second Temple period—including the time when Jesus was there—expected all payment in the form of Temple-approved shekels (half-shekel from late 60s pictured below). As taxes belong to Caesar, tithes belong to God. Jesus says, “Pay both.” Many common folk would have said, “but it’s impossible!” We privately hear the same thing today whenever we suggest that tithing is a worthy practice for Christians. Here’s the thing: if Jesus expects it, he will empower it as well. That we have to take on trust.

TITHES, GIFTS, ETC.

Tithing means giving 10% off the top. The first biblical instance comes in Genesis 14:18-20:

Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth.  And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

Next, we hear Jacob after his experience with the stairway to heaven in Genesis 28:20-22:

Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father’s household, then the Lord will be my God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.”

Once the people were established, tithing became the norm. The Levites were the first recipients as we read in Numbers 18: 21-24:

To the Levites I have given every tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service that they do, their service in the tent of meeting…. It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations, and among the people of Israel they shall have no inheritance.  For the tithe of the people of Israel I have given to the Levites for an inheritance. Therefore I have said of them that they shall have no inheritance among the people of Israel.

We hear it again in Leviticus 27: 30-32:

“‘A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord. Whoever would redeem any of their tithe must add a fifth of the value to it. Every tithe of the herd and flock—every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd’s rod—will be holy to the Lord.

To withhold one’s tithe was seen as a way of stealing from God, as we read in Malachi 3:8-9:

Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you.

But tithing came with a reassurance as well—that God would bless back the one who tithed. According to Malachi 3: 10, God invites us to test him in this:

“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the LORD of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.”

NEW TESTAMENT TITHING AND GIVING

In the New Testament, we hear Jesus in support of the practice of tithing, even in the midst of an admonishment:

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.” Luke 11:42

Christians have practiced tithing from the beginning of the Church to the present day. It doesn’t matter how much you make; tithing affects us all the same. We can’t begin too soon, nor should we wait until we can afford it, because the amount will always go up as our salary does.

Listen to the world’s wealthiest man, John D. Rockefeller(worth $350 billion by today’s standards, which is more than twice the net worth of Jeff Bezos, presently at about $ 136 billion), who was a practicing Baptist and inveterate tither: 

Most of us feel that if we lean into a full ten percent giving, the rest of our life will grind to a standstill. We’re saying the opposite is the true case—the reality. It was well-put by Billy Graham: 

I’ll remind you that we are invited to test God in this! Even so, most will not dare to tithe. Here are the facts:

TITHING FACTS

According to Pew and Gallup research, a mere five percent of Christians in America practice tithing.80% give roughly 2% of their income. The five percent who tithe affects the overall average such that Christians give 2.5 % per capita. During the Great Depression Christians gave at a 3.3% per capita rate.

And now, for the bigger reveal: the New Testament encourages giving at levels well above the tithe! As early as John the Baptist’s ministry we hear:

“Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.” [Luke 3:11]

That’s clearly 50%. Jesus expects more:

As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others.All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” LK 21:1-4

Jesus wants 100%, not a mere tithe.

The early Church was characterized by a boundless generosity, which is still a desirable virtue. We read in Acts 2: 44-45:

And all who believed were together and had all things in common.  And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.

And again in Acts 4: 34-35:

There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.

In my semester-and-a-half as a socialist in college, these verses were my support. While the early Church did not continue in these practices, nor do I feel that they represent the basis of a workable economy, I hear their call to abandon all attachments to the love of money, wealth,  and possessions. We, like the early Church, ought to emulate that healthy attitude which can and does say: “It’s only money,” or “It’s just stuff.” A clear word is spoken by Paul in 2 Corinthians 9:7 when he says:

"Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver"

So we’re crystal clear here:

1. 1.Tithing in not required
   
2. 2.Tithing is an excellent practice.
   
3. 3.Tithing is an excellent discipline.
   
4. 4.Tithing is a witness to the world.
   
5. 5.Tithing is a worthy standard still.
   

GIFTS & OFFERINGS

We always refer to “Tithes, Gifts, and Offerings” at First Pres, and as we covered tithes, let’s consider gifts and offerings.

Gifts can be thought of as our particular giving to the poor. In the Old Testament we have strong support for giving to the poor, widows, and orphans.

When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you. I am the Lord your God. —Leviticus 23:22

This is popularly referred to as “the corners of your fields” and amounts to about 3% of our income. This is echoed in Deuteronomy 14: 19-22:

 When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.  When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow.  When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt.  That is why I command you to do this.

Granted, all who give to the church today are already giving care to the poor, but we still can spare more for those who are down on their luck. 

Other “gifts” might include other opportunities, as you feel moved, to support the work of God in the world.

I’ve known businessmen who offered special gifts to the Lord when they were blessed beyond expectations in a given year.

Sometimes we become aware of special mission opportunities that we had not budgeted for but feel the need to support. This is true of natural disasters and new mission project initiatives.

There are many reasons for such gifts, but chief among them all is that God moves our hearts t that same spirit and attitude of generosity that drove the early church in its sharing.

PERSONAL GIVING

Offerings can be thought of as those very personal ways of giving to the Lord as a result of your relationship with him. Perhaps you need to offer a special gift of thanks, or you feel moved to special praise of his name. I’ve known devout Christians who have offered gifts as personal sacrifices in response to personal matters of restitution or making amends—perhaps with someone in mind for whom direct contact is impossible. Such offerings can be a way of turning a problem over to God in entirety.

I once knew a man who had been dishonest in business but could not make direct amends any more. He had been conscience-stricken for decades, but found peace as he prayerfully turned over  his offerings to God.

I know a woman who inwardly battled her deceased father for years after he was gone. After years of agonizing soul-searching, she felt completed after a special—and very personal—offering helped her find closure for her heart.

GENEROSITY RULES

The end of all this is simple stewardship—doing well with what God has given us in the time we are here. There are no rules for giving. If there were, they would be a flawed observance because in the end of things, our aim has nothing to do with money or stuff and and everything to do with the shape of our heart and soul.

It is impossible to love Christ and to love the stuff of this world at the same time. Our spiritual development is a matter of growing more and more Christlike in our detachment from the wiles of this world’s riches—all while growing more completely compassionate and interested (that is, invested) in the good welfare of others. That we should become more completely generous is non-negotiable, for we love and serve a Lord whose generosity is both reckless and  wild with its grace.

As well, we all grow by investing ourselves more completely in faithfulness. We should indeed trust more and more completely that God will attend us, providing for us as we go. We must at some level renounce the “securities” we see with our own eyes in order to immerse ourselves in the providence of God.

We’ll close with Paul’s words from 2 Corinthians 8:6-7:

The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.  Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. †

Matthew 3: 4-17  NIV

Warm-up Artistes

Generally, if you’re a headliner, you want an opening act that is beneath you on the talent/popularity scale. Did you know that Queen opened for Mott the Hoople? Stevie Ray Vaughan for Huey Lewis and the News? The worst: Hendrix opened for…(wait for it)…the Monkees!

When the opening act is so great, you’ve got to expect a phenomenal headliner. Following the shootings in Paris a few years ago, U2—perhaps the biggest band in the world at the time—served as the opening act for the Eagles of Death Metal, a band from Palm Desert. There was something beautiful and gracious about it. U2 took used all of its talent and gravitas in filling that stadium—all in order to pave the way for the Eagles of Death Metal, whose concert had been interrupted by terrorist gunfire. U2 turned over all its movement and momentum to a mostly unknown band and honored them beyond comparison.

When the best of the best says “Something’s coming, and we are not worthy to shine their shoes!” The people’s expectations go off the charts.

This is Israel. 430 years of waiting for a prophet—particularly the one who would introduce the long-awaited Messiah—built the tension like a winding coil. The spiritual hunger for God’s arrival and justice was feverish. The people awaited “Elijah,” who was not only the greatest prophet but the promised warm-up act for the Messiah.

The nation was poised for God’s self-revelation. Like a long-awaited Star Wars movie, the last preview has been shown, the lights dim, and the opening chord sounds—the audience is put on the edge of its seat, crazed with anticipation.

The people are ready.

John B. is Elijah

John created a movement—a revival—that drew people from all over Israel down to the Jordan river. His message is that of all the Old Testament prophets: God is holy and demands our righteousness but we—individually and collectively—fall short. He called Israel to confession and repentance. Baptism signified God’s mercy and forgiveness, the washing away of sins.

A few weeks ago, when we were still up at Camp Yerganawana, we remembered the account of Jesus’ transfiguration. A voice came out of the clouds and said, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.”
At Jesus’ baptism, it is the same. Though he needs no baptism—since he was without sin—he steps into the water like the rest of us. He goes in to wash away the sins of Israel, perhaps even for those who have not yet repented, in order to “fulfill all righteousness.”

A voice comes from Heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased.”

As with the Transfiguration, Jesus is being authorized and legitimized by God the Father himself. This is terribly, terribly important.

First, it means that Jesus was not self-authorizing. Jesus didn’t just show up and say, “Hey everybody, I’m the Son of God in the flesh—you ought to believe in me because I say so.” Jesus could have said this because in truth he had that authority but he did not. Jesus’ self-revelation came through the way he lived—through his works, deeds, and character—not by proclaiming himself.

Second, it means that Jesus’ messiahship was not culturally constructed—it wasn’t an invention of the Jewish people. It couldn’t have been because though ravenous for a Messiah (and they had advanced more than a dozen candidates in previous years), they could not have conceived of one who would be both figuratively and literally God’s Son.  That was nowhere in the Jewish imagination; in fact, that was categorically excluded.

In his baptism, Jesus has the authorization of Israel’s greatest prophet and the voice of God the Father to proclaim him as more than Messiah; he is God’s Son which means he is God in the flesh.

Lest anyone think that John might have been an unbalanced cult leader like Jim Jones or David Koresh, Jesus makes clear that  John was the greatest human being ever born: 

Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist.  —Matthew 11:11a

Furthermore, Jesus later reveals that John is the Spirit of Elijah:

For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come.  —Matthew 11:13-14

This is followed by a marvelous promise to you and me—the promise of what we are made into by the grace of Christ:

Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.     —Matthew 11:11b

John glorifies Jesus. John’s movement in time is handed over to Jesus, and now John’s powerful popular movement all un veeringly focuses and points to one thing: that Jesus is Messiah.

Not John only, but the proclamation has become that the Law, the Torah, and the Writings—the entirety of the Old Testament—constitute a grand pyramid leading to one, central point: a capstone of utter fulfillment and God’s self-revelation. John names it when he sees Jesus and proclaims him the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

The warm-up act has done its job and Jesus is announced and steps onto the stage. The only problem: Israel was such a social/political/theological mess that it had lost all eyes to see and ears to hear.

ISRAEL: MESSED UP

Providing a picture of the context into which Jesus is introduced is necessary, for we will be reading through this all Fall. It is important that we know and understand who are the main players in the gospel drama of Israel. As we consider them, I invite you to find some of yourself reflected in each.

The Players

Sadducees

These were the Jews who followed the Torah alone. No prophets, no Wisdom literature—just the basics, just Moses. They were  aristocratic, wealthy, and constituted much of the ruling class. The Sanhedrin was Sadducee-heavy. They were sophisticated—probably well-educated in Greek as well as Hebrew—and they in large part ruled the Temple. Theologically, they were fiercely materialistic. They denied the supernatural almost entirely, disbelieving in angels, demons, or an afterlife. They denied all talk of resurrection.

Today, the Sadducees are probably best represented by seminary-educated clergy, especially those who went to Princeton Theological Seminary and like to quote high-brow theologians like Karl Barth. They stand around at Alumni meetings and chuckle amusedly over the escapades of trailer park evangelists. [Okay, I need to take a breath now].

Pharisees

Pharisees were the true believers and true practitioners of Judaism. They were “on fire for the Lord” laypeople, following the Torah, Prophets, & Writings to the letter (all KJV, no doubt). They were the most-committed, most-observant devotees of Judaism and referred to themselves as “the Righteous Ones.” Purity, devotion, and sincerity above all shaped their discipline.

These are like the “on fire” Christians who are better believers than you and me. They are super-Christians, super on fire for the Lord and tend to call attention to the fact that most other Christians just don’t measure up.

These first two groups—Sadducees and Pharisees—are the ones who riled Jesus the most, the ones who merited his anger and harshest words. We clergy and devout believers need to keep that in mind as we read through the New Testament.

Essenes

These were those who had departed the rest of the world in order to seek ultra-purity. The Essenes resided down toward the Dead Sea at Qumran, and embraced a life of ultra-purism and separation from the evils of the world.

We think John the Baptist may have started here, as one who shunned the things of the world in order to focus on pleasing God.

Essenes were monastic, celibate, and spent their days as scribes and practitioners of righteousness. They had several baptisms, sometimes several in the same day. To them, cleanliness meant godliness.

No just anyone could be an Essene. They were strictly exclusive and elitist. They believed that a Messiah, a Son of Man/Son of God, would come and initiate the battle for Israel. God and the angels would come down and fight against the Sons of Darkness, and the Sons of Light would be eternally vindicated.

Do we know people like this? They are overwhelmed by the modern world to the extent they just want to stay at home in their basements surfing the internet for end-of-the-world scenarios? They long for that special, insider information that sets them apart from the hoi polloi and distinguishes them as part of the elite group of “knowing ones”?

The People

The people are those Jews living throughout Palestine who are just trying to survive. They too are looking for hope and deliverance. They are loyal to God, country, and Temple, but frustrated by the Roman occupation and the self-serving interests of the Temple leaders.

Among them, there were Zealots—political revolutionaries and radicals who sought the Messiah as a military rallyer who would lead the people to take back Israel by violent revolution, if necessary. The Zealots were activists who sought justice and the vindication of the Jewish people.

Today, we would call these “folks” with the additional “radicals” for the Zealots.

Sinners

Sinners may not be who you think. When the gospels mention “sinners,” our contemporary imaginations run to scenes of gangsters in Las Vegas surrounded by gambling, booze, drugs, wild sex, and other corruptions. For the New Testament context, the word “sinners” usually refers to Jews who had no connection to the temple—Jews who had lost their status in the larger Jewish community.

Non-tithers could be cut off from the Temple. They were disconnect, non-observant or semi-observant Jews just making their way in the world.

Sinners were those who had been disowned by the temple leadership for whatever reason. They were still “Jewish” in every sense of the word, but they were not considered Jews by the top brass.

When Jesus says, “I’ve come for the lost sheep of Israel,” he means these. When he is accused of eating with “sinners and tax collectors,” it means he was meeting with his people who had been pushed beyond the margins of Jewish acceptance.

Today, these could be lapsed Christians, non-observant Christians, or even beyond—that group of wild folks converging on Vegas. Sinners are never hard to find.

Gentiles

Gentiles means all non-Jews. In the gospel environment, it meant the Romans who ruled, occupied, and taxed Israel. It meant Arabs sharing the land  and doing commerce in their cities. Greeks, Egyptians, Syrians, and others made livings in Palestine and were generally looked down upon by the Jews. They are regularly referred to as “aliens,” and a premier virtue among Jews included showing hospitality and fair treatment to all aliens in their land.

To Christians today, our “gentiles” are people of other faiths and non-western cultures. We too should be diligent in practicing responsible hospitality.

Seeing Ourselves

As we see ourselves in these different people groups, we too are called to repentance and confession, but unlike the baptism of John, we have a different foundation.

Jesus the Messiah fulfilled all righteousness for us. When we offer him our sins, he takes the full weight upon himself. In that hole left from our discarded sins, he places his Holy Spirit.

When we remember our baptism, we recall that Jesus was baptized for us as well, making our baptism all the more powerful.

The life we live is a response of gratitude. We are no longer obliged to fulfill righteousness because that has already been finished by Christ.

We “practice” righteousness because it is no longer demanded of us. As a lawyer practices law and a doctor practices medicine, we disciples of Jesus practice righteousness. We are practitioners of righteousness, neither assuming we master the tasks nor complete them in the flesh.

May God receive all praise and glory for all he has done on our behalf! †