Jesus asked the Pharisees: Whose head and title is on this coin? They answered: "The emperor's." Then he said to them: "Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor's and to God the things that are God's." [Mt. 22] About six years after the birth of Jesus, the Roman Empire imposed a head-tax on the citizens of Judea. The tax could only be paid with Roman coins, which contained an image of the emperor, and an inscription considered to be blasphemous by many Jews. The inscription read: "Tiberius Caesar, august son of the divine Augustus, high priest." Simply having or using these Roman coins was considered idolatrous for many of the religious Jews. Why idolatrous? Caesar believed that he was a god to be worshiped and that the empire needed to revolve around him and his desires. In other words, Caesar placed himself at the center where only God belongs. Whenever we focus our primary attention and energy on something or someone (other than God) as our ultimate goal or focus, we call this distorted view of life idolatry.
In today's gospel, Jesus declared that paying taxes to support secular and pagan governments was not against the will of God. After all, most governments work hard to provide an infrastructure that allows for the well ordering of society. "Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor's." However, Jesus also said something of ultimate importance that went beyond the original question that was asked of him. He said: "Give to God the things that are God's." Today's gospel does not represent the teachings of Jesus on the separation of church and state. Rather, it represents Jesus' teaching on our ultimate loyalty to God. It is within this context of images, idolatry, and loyalty that I want to talk about what it means to belong to God and how this posture affects our image & character.Jean-Paul Sartre (a famous 20thC French existentialist) once suggested that human beings create their own faces. That's a daunting thought to ponder! When a baby is first born, its face exhibits very little in the way of individuality. Despite mothers' protests to the contrary, all babies look very much alike. Their features are not well defined. Looking at a baby's face gives us very little indication as to what kind of character s/he will mature into. As children begin to grow and develop, whether or not they have a good-looking face or a homely face, depends almost entirely on their genetic makeup. That is why a younger person can still look beautiful on the outside yet be very selfish on the inside.However, by the time a person reaches the age of forty, the experiences and attitudes a person has held throughout life, begins to show on one's face. Our face begins to speak volumes about who we are internally and spiritually. From the age of forty onward, our faces manifest individuality, character, and a beauty beyond all genes. From then onward, we look like what we believe in. If I am anxious, petty, selfish, bitter, narrow, and self-centered, my face will show it. Conversely, if I am warm, gracious, humble, and Christ-centered, my face will also show it. So the questions for us today become: What do you want your face to look like as you age? What image do you want to project out into the world? Is your character in alignment with your deepest held beliefs? Is your goal to be transformed into the image of Christ? And if not, why? Some critics have said that Americans have lost their moral compass. Others say, we have reset our compasses according the values of the secular world. Instead of striving for the cardinal virtues of courage, temperance, prudence, and justice; or the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity; or the virtues of practical wisdom, integrity, sincerity, and conscientiousness, many people seem to strive for success, money, power, pleasure, and outer beauty. Slowly but surely, our secular and commercial society has convinced us that it is "all right" to place ourselves and our desires at the center of the universe. Our secular and commercial society has convinced us that it is "all right" to pursue a life that focuses on ourselves as the highest good. In religious terms, this is called idolatry.When success becomes more important than integrity, we begin to treat others as the competition rather than as brothers and sisters in Christ. When success becomes the ultimate good, we can understand why teenage girls at Monte Vista High trade their bodies for academic favors while others do not feel guilty about cheating on their exams. When success and winning become idolatrous goals, reality TV shows become part and parcel of our entertainment; - T.V. shows that portray people eating worms, sucking udders, enduring torture, displaying body parts, and treating each other with disrespect.When money becomes more important than relationships, we begin to choose long hours and soul-deadening jobs over family life, inner joy, and opportunities to reach out to those in need of help and healing. When money is an idol, it becomes difficult for us to discern the rightness of a war, or the integrity of our national budget, or the importance of environmental laws.When outer beauty becomes the focus rather than character development, Hollywood models and actors become the standard to be emulated. In this distorted perception of the human body, it is no wonder that people are suffering from eating disorders or having breast enlargements at the age of 18 or hating themselves for being born with a large rear end. The problem with having idols is that they crumble. There is no truth behind idolatry. That which has no truth can not endure. Great empires that were based on idolatry, crumbled. Just take a look at the Roman Empire, the Greek Empire, the British Empire, and the Soviet Empire. Perhaps, our empire is next. When justice, peace, and the dignity of every human being are not at the center of a society, that society (i.e. idolatrous) will eventually crumble. Finally, individuals who elevate success, money, and outer beauty as their ultimate focus, will also be very disappointed in the end. Their faces will eventually reflect their idolatrous choices and true joy and peace will escape them. Do you ever notice how unhappy our children are today? They walk around with sullen faces, disappointed countenances, and demanding postures. Adults are not doing much better. We are overly anxious, impatient, depressed, and worn out. Idols are always disappointing. What are we to do?Jesus said: "You are to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind…And you shall love your neighbor as yourself." [Mt. 22:38-39] So what exactly is it that belongs to God? What belongs to God is our heart, our soul, our mind, and our love! When we begin to order our lives in a way that places God at the center of our loyalties, it becomes easier to develop our character into the image of Christ. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control begin to blossom in our hearts and on our faces, even in the midst of the challenges of every day life. This does not mean that it is easy to develop Christian character. It is not. It is very difficult to resist the secular values that bombard us through advertising. It is very difficult to rise above the self-centered culture in which we find ourselves. It is very difficult to have both the fortitude and the insight to say no to those things that steer us off course from our spiritual compass. If the world at large hates the gospel of Christ, preferring to rebel against God's desires, preferring to establish it own priorities and goods, preferring to elevate other relationships above the relationship with God, then why hasn't Christianity just died out over time?The good news is that the Holy Spirit is active in the world, continuing to keep the truth of the gospel alive. It is the Holy Spirit who leads us into all truth and enables us to grow into the likeness of Christ. The Spirit gives us the desire to choose life over death. When we offer our selves, our souls, our minds, and our love to God, the Holy Spirit can work on us and empower us in tremendous ways. We do not have to depend on our ego strength alone. With God, all things are possible!
So, whose image is that on the coin? It really doesn't matter because it is only money. What ultimately matters is the image on your face. What ultimately matters is the image that you are projecting out into the world and passing on to the next generation. So sing a new song unto the Lord. Give to God the things that are God's that you may become truly beautiful.
