Divided Loyalties

The Rev. John Wilkinson 10/16/2011

This part of Mathew’s gospel deals with Jesus ‘s triumphal entry into Jerusalem.  He attacks those for whom religion was a vested interest.  He cleansed the temple and cursed the unproductive fig tree.  The chief priests and elders responded by challenging his authority and he responded with a series of parables that continued his attack.  After the first two parables the chief priests and Pharisees realized that he was speaking about them, and wanted to arrest him, gut they feared the crowds so they conspired to destroy Jesus.  They tested him, gut to no avail and then they resumed heir counter-agents Jesus’ influence either by discrediting him in the presence of the crowds or by causing him to make a mistake that will get him in trouble with the Romans.  Our gospel lesson is the first o several questions with which the leadership attempts to discredit Jesus.  “Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor of not?  We know that you are sincere and teach the way of God in accordance with truth and who deference to no one;  for you do not regard people partiality.  Of coursed this is a “No win" answer.  The problem for Jesus is that if he answers that they are lawful hr will alienate the people who hate the tax and if he answers that the taxes are not lawful the Romans will arrest him for sedition.  Either way he  his answers, his enemies win, but Jesus has another answer “show me the coin.  Many of us face similar issues in our daily life when we face “either or questions and we have what I call divided loyalties”  I don’t mean those rare dramatic moments, such as occurred in some families during the Civil Was when one son enlisted with the Union and another with the confederacy or when your teens says “why do I have to do this or that, cause it doesn’t seem fair cause everyone else is doing it. .  I talking about something that does not happen between people so much as within them,  and that is not a matter of rare dramatic moments, but  turns our to be a way of life where to be a way of life wherever with our family members our workplace, our community organizations, our friends we end up in  commitments that unnecessarily challenge one another for our attention and time and resources.  An old phrase for what we find ourselves repeatedly doing is “robbing Peter to pay Paul.”  A new term for this is juggling or multitasking (Doing nothing well”) 

Perhaps the problem of divided loyalties has grown worse as life has become more complicated.  But the problem is an ancient one and it is featured in the story about Jesus and a question  that is asked of him. 

The people who engage Jesus in conversation include disciples of the Pharisees.  These movement, the old men, the wise heads but they are the young upstarts, guys with far more brave  than stature,  Their elders send them in this errand to confront Jesus because they don’t want to risk their reputations, reputations. They are young upstarts however, are still wet behind the ears.  They do not yet have reputations to risk. 

So these fellows approach Jesus and attempt to butter him up.    Jesus recognizes they are up to no good.  He is aware of malice and accuse them of putting him to the test calling

There inquiry is more than a question about taxes, it is more about issues of church and state.  Irt addresses then indexing  hzlldngd ov ci icdc loyzlgidx, not only in regard to choices between government and God, but in the many circumstances, some of them large, others seemingly small, where we find that divided loyalties pull us tiresomely in one direction , then another .

Jesus recognizes his interrogators are up to no l good He is aware of their malice and accuses them of putting him to the test. Calling them hypocrites.  This is no friendly rap session between teacher and students.  It is a full-blown confrontation Jesus asks for a Roman coin the sort used for tax payments.  Someone produces one, Jesus ACERTAINES FROM JHIS INTERROGATORS THAT THE IMAGE AND INSCRIPTION ON IT ARE INDEED THEM EMPEROR’S

HE THEN BRINGS THE CONFRONTATION TO ITS CONCLUSION WITH A JUDGEMENT SOME OF US CON QUOTE “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are he emperor’s and the things that are God’ give to God.

Everyone present knows what Jesus means by this, The coin can be given to the emperor; after all, it has his name and portrait on it by his authority.  He is entitle to have what is his, but  more importantly,  the true king God himself is also entitled to what bears his portrait and that is every human  person  for each is created in God’s image.  We bear the divine image as much as the Roman image.  We bear the divine image  Giving o God what belongs to God is the big issue, it is through resolving this issue that you come to know what to do about but about taxes but ABOUT YOUR TAXES AND ABOUT EVERYTHING ELSE.

What Jesus tells his interrogators is in response to their one malicious  question offers us a basis for resolving our many questions about divided loyalties which we raise in a spirit of honest discipleship.

We also are to give God what belongs to him that bears his image and name.  We are to give ourselves to God.  Not once only but repeatedly.  Giving ourselves to God is to be characteristic of our lives, something that defines and shapes who we are.  On that basis and only on that basis are we equipped to address completely other claims made upon us.  This involves rejecting those that lack legitimacy.  It also involve recognition of claims that are legitimate, and acknowledge the proper place for each  in the ever-shifting network of relationships which is our life.  We are called upon simply to give the emperor what belongs to him.    We are called upon as well to give to relatives, friends, strangers, and all other people whatever it is of us they can rightly claim.  We are charged with the creative and challenging tasks of transforming our diverse and divided loyalties into s unified life governed and directed by our supreme and absolute loyalty which is God and God alone.

Nobody says this is easy, all of us make mistakes along the way but we recognize the task for what it is, and the wonder of it is we must recognize the task for what it is, and the wonder of it is that putting God first the other appropriate demands made of us fall into their places, so that divided loyalties become united in a life that is diverse ever-hanging and creative

Loving God first and foremost gives us the wisdom and the orientation to love others in their uniqueness in that are right for them and for us.  Once we give ourselves absolutely to God, then remarkably we are free to give to others in ways that are gracious and life-giving rather than distorted an destructive, all of our loyalties worthy of the name this blend into a single one.  No longer are these loyalties divided; instead we recognize how, deep down, they are in concord, for each is an invitation from God, moving from loyalties divided to loyalties united has a lot to do with giving yourself totally to God, giving ourselves simply by considering all this generosity, as though we’re asked to put on a picnic for the immediate world.  The logistics overwhelm u.  But when we get the tune right by giving ourselves to God and to no longer picture ourselves as givers we are receivers.  Recipients of divine generosity, this is the truth of our lives and we recognize it.  So we can give to God our entire selves.  We are not the source of that current, but it is ours to enjoy and transmit.