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Pay Tax Unto Who?

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Mark 13:17 – March 22, 2026

“Pay Tax Unto Who?”

            If you have lived in Chicago for any length of time, you probably know how much many people around here are involved with politics.

My mother, God rest her soul, was a volunteer for the League of Women Voters. She wanted to get as many people involved in the political process as possible. Even though politics was sometimes crooked, and sometimes politicians played dirty, still – my mother had great integrity, and she wanted to get as many people involved in voting and in democracy as possible.   

            The people of the first century did not have that option. The Roman Empire had all the power at that time, and Rome was certainly not a democracy. The Jewish people were under the heel of Roman occupation, and every Jew knew it. Plus, like any large bureaucracy, the people who worked for the Roman empire and the Roman occupation had its bad apples and crooked employees. Just like many political bureaucracies throughout the centuries.

Sure, the Roman empire had its governors, and its tax collectors, and most importantly its garrisons of Roman soldiers to make sure everything in the provinces was kept in order. And, a very large part of that order was convincing the local population to pay taxes to Rome. Which is where our narrative begins: two separate factions of Jews are both trying to catch the Rabbi Jesus in a big boo-boo. Something that would get the Rabbi Jesus in big trouble with the Roman authorities. These two groups – factions – opposing teams, if you want to think of them that way – are the Pharisees and the Herodians.

These two groups or factions are not friendly with each other at all. However, both of these groups want to discredit Jesus! They want to make the Rabbi Jesus look bad, and if possible, get Him in trouble with the Roman authorities!  

            Let’s take a look at what the Gospel of Mark says. The Triumphal Entry on Palm Sunday has just happened. Jesus has entered the City of Jerusalem, and the stakes are higher than ever. Let’s listen to how Mark sets up this interaction:         

“They sent some of the Pharisees and some supporters of Herod to trap him in his words. 14 They came to him and said, ’“Teacher, we know that you’re genuine and you don’t worry about what people think. You don’t show favoritism but teach God’s way as it really is. Does the Law allow people to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay taxes or not?’”

            I want everyone to be sure we all understand. The Pharisees are the ultimate, strict rule-keepers. They not only keep every rule or Law in the Mosaic Law Code themselves, but they are ready and eager to shake their fingers at any Jew who does not keep all of the rules! And then, we have the supporters or followers of Herod. Some translations call them Herodians. These are more secular Jews, more lax in the rule-following department.

Let’s hear what these two groups ask Jesus, again: ’“Teacher, we know that you’re genuine and you don’t worry about what people think. You don’t show favoritism but teach God’s way as it really is. Does the Law allow people to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay taxes or not?’”

“So, here are two parties whose only point of agreement is their fear and hatred of Jesus. The Pharisees object to the tax on religious grounds. The Herodians support it on political grounds.” [1] And, both factions wanted to get the Rabbi Jesus in big trouble!

This seemingly straight-forward question is a trap! If Jesus answers, “Yes! We all must pay our taxes.” Then, the strict rule-following Pharisees will be mad at Him for putting something before God, who is over all! However, if Jesus answers, “No! We can’t pay taxes to an outside, foreign and pagan government!” Well, then, the Roman empire and occupation will come down hard on the Rabbi Jesus for fomenting radical and treasonous activity! Telling people not to pay taxes? Lock up this upstart Rabbi! He’s preaching rebellion and civil disobedience!

            As is so often the case in dealing with suspicious or downright angry groups of people, our Lord Jesus has great finesse. He is able to read the room. And actually, our Lord is helped by His Godly ability to discern the intentions of people’s hearts.

Listen to what Mark says in the follow-up to this question: “Since Jesus recognized their deceit, he said to them, ‘Why are you testing me? Bring me a coin. Show it to me.’ 16 And they brought one. He said to them, ‘Whose image and inscription is this?’ ‘Caesar’s,’ they replied. 17 Jesus said to them, ‘Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.’ His reply left them overcome with wonder.”

            So many times, these responses of Jesus are absolutely on the money! (see what I did there?) Seriously, these responses of Jesus are so on the mark, they absolutely flabbergast the people interrogating Jesus.

            As the Rev. Alyce McKenzie says, “The trouble is that we want blueprints and prescriptions. We want someone to tell us what to do and think. To know that Jesus is still available, through the presence of the Holy Spirit, to guide us in evaluating our own and others’ motives and making decisions about our allegiances and priorities may not be specific enough for our tastes.” [2]

            This whole subject of taxes is a matter of jurisdiction. We see the coin, and can hold a depiction of Caesar. Caesar clearly has staked out his realm in this visible world. However, God’s realm is very different. I hope many people do not criticize me for turning all touchy-feely, but that is exactly what Jesus is saying repeatedly in His description of the Realm of God. He does not give a definition of the Kingdom or Realm of God right here in this particular reading from Mark, but Jesus certainly does in other parts of Mark chapter 12!

Let us go a bit further down in Mark 12, to verses 28-34. This is where the Rabbi Jesus tells everyone which the most important feature of the Kingdom – the Realm of God. Jesus tells us what is the Greatest Commandment in the Law of Moses. Love God, and love your neighbor as yourself. That’s it. That is all. Love God, first and foremost, and love your neighbor – any neighbor, near or far, of any nationality, any language spoken, any faith tradition, any other similarity or difference – love your neighbor as yourself. Period. That commandment encompasses the Law and the Prophets. That is rendering to God what is God’s. 

The issues of today may be weighty, indeed. Plus, we all can hold up the heavenly values we see our Lord Jesus consistently live. “We all can look for God’s work beyond our community, and the places we normally expect God to be. We can call each other back to God’s word and promise and charge that we are each made in God’s own image and likeness and are therefore called to live in a way that others may detect the family resemblance.” [3]

Could we consider our situation in the modern day? Instead of squabbling about nonessentials, with some television preacher or self-help book telling us all what to do or think, what blueprint to follow or which prescription to take, why don’t we all consider loving God, and loving our neighbor. Period.

That’s the way to follow Jesus. Amen.

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

[1] https://www.patheos.com/resources/additional-resources/2011/10/state-vs-god-alyce-mckenzie-10-10-2011  

[2] Ibid.

[3] https://www.davidlose.net/2017/10/pentecost-20-a-image-likeness-and-identity/

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Playing Favorites!

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“Playing Favorites!”

James 2:1-10, 14-17 (2:17) – September 8, 2024

            Sometimes, my husband and I step back and observe our fellow human beings. For example, when we are at a coffee shop, or walking through a park. My husband calls it “people watching.” And sometimes, we catch snatches of conversation, too. Some of these bits of conversations are quite revealing! Sometimes, we can even hear about relationships between these people, and their family or friends. These relationships are not always the most healthy.

            Who has all really healthy, happy relationships in their family? Or, friend groups, and acquaintances? Do you – do I – have friends or family members who are mean sometimes? Or who gossip? What about family who have bad habits, like rooting for the wrong sports teams? Or to be more serious, what about friends or family members who play favorites? Who prefer certain people because of their fancy clothes, or their popularity, or how much money they have?

            That is exactly what James is talking about here in chapter 2. This letter from James is so practical! Yes, he does refer to theological concepts now and then, but James wants to give us a manual of Christian living: living the way we as believers are called to live! The description in this reading today is a pertinent, hard-hitting example. 

            James says, “Suppose a rich man wearing a gold ring and fine clothes comes to your meeting, and a poor man in ragged clothes also comes. 3 If you show more respect to the well-dressed man and say to him, “Have this best seat here,” but say to the poor man, “Stand over there, or sit here on the floor by my feet,” 4 then you are guilty of creating distinctions among yourselves and of making judgments based on evil motives.”

            One of my biblical commentators says, “The problem is ‘status serving’ – favoritism. Playing favorites! We are easily attracted toward the successful, wealthy and beautiful people. Yet for James, such partiality is something quite evil.” [1] Playing favorites is definitely not a way for anyone to please God, or to live the way we as believers are called to live. 

            The Gospel reading from the Revised Common Lectionary today also has some difficult, hard-hitting points. Jesus and the disciples are in the racially-mixed area of the Decapolis, near the Sea of Galilee in the far north of Israel. A Gentile woman approaches the Rabbi Jesus while He is at dinner, and asks Him to please heal her daughter. Jesus says some challenging words to her about being a Gentile. She convinces Jesus to help her and heal her daughter, which He does.

            This Gospel reading deals with favoritism and being partial to one group while excluding another group. Who would Jesus exclude? Would He exclude me and my family? Would favoritism include you? How about your children, or grandchildren? 

            These are difficult issues raised by both the apostle James and the Gospel writer Mark.

            Favoritism is all over the place! At work, in the school room, on sports teams, at home. Even – perhaps, especially, as James says – in our local churches. “To seek out the ‘beautiful’ people in our congregation and give them honour because of wealth, status in society, looks, youthfulness, race, education, breeding, success….. is a most ugly way to develop a Christian fellowship. Favoritism is rife in society, let it not exist in our church.” [2]

            Preferring one person over another or one group of people over another is a very worldly way of approaching life. James tells us point blank that we are not to behave this way. Period.  If we take the bare bones approach and look at what the apostle Paul tells us, that we are all one in Christ, and that we are to all love one another, as both Paul and John remind us, some might say we can all simply join hands in a big circle around a campfire and sing “Kum-by-yah” feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and that would be more than enough for the Christian life.

            If that simplistic attitude and short-sighted way of behavior was the only thing we had to do to live the Christian life, then the Christian life would be an insular, warm-and-fuzzy thing indeed. But, as James tells us throughout this letter, there is much more to the Christian life. In this letter, he gives us a how-to manual. A manual for living the way believers are called to live.   

            If we take the example that James gives us, one quick solution would be to simply buy the poor person a new outfit. See? Now the two people coming into church look the same! But, that is only a shallow, simplistic quick-fix for the situation. Instead, James “is asking them to treat the [poor] man with the same respect they would offer a well-dressed man.  Learning to do that in a culture that separates and creates fear between the richer and the poorer requires practice.” [3] This problem goes deep down in people’s attitudes, and is much more serious – even insidious. James says plainly, “Don’t be snobs! Don’t play favorites!”

            I can remember a church I attended some years ago was part of a group of houses of worship that hosted midday meals for the homeless once a week, as well as hosting a warming center during the winter months for five hours in the afternoon and early evening, allowing the homeless to gather inside in a safe space that was warm and welcoming. My husband volunteered at the warming center, and some of those friends who attended regularly mentioned how grateful they were for the church opening their doors freely.

            Yes, make sure our internal attitudes line up with the way that is pleasing to God. Remember, practical, matter-of-fact James shows us a manual for Christian living. Does God choose favorites? What if you are one of those excluded homeless people, or left-out high school kids, sitting at the loser lunch table, with no way to even get close to God? Shut out from God’s loving, caring, nurturing presence?

            Thank God we are always God’s beloved children! We are always the favorites – all of us! Here is a quote by Max Lucado. See if it resonates with you. “If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. If God had a wallet, your photo would be in it. God sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning Face it, friend – God is crazy about you!“

            Does God choose favorites? No! That is the way God feels about each one of us! Please, remember that as you go into the world. Treat every single person you meet as a very beloved child of God – because, they are! No matter what, no matter who!

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

[1] http://www.lectionarystudies.com/sunday23be.html

[2] Ibid.

[3] http://worshipingwithchildren.blogspot.com/2012/08/year-b-proper-18-23rd-sunday-in.html

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Faith in Action!

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“Faith in Action!”

James 2:1-10, 14-17 (2:14) – September 5, 2021

            I watched a lot of movies and television series in the past – usually with my children, when they were children and teenagers. A lot of these shows were about young people on a high school campus, complete with all the groups and cliques, exclusion and favoritism. All the “popular” kids were beautiful people, and all the “nerds” and “dorks” were unpopular. Heaven help you if you were really poor and came from the wrong side of the tracks!

            Does this sound familiar? Is this favoritism similar to what James talks about here, in our reading today? James mentions one person coming to worship in fancy clothes, with expensive jewelry. He follows that up with a description of a poor person, in ragged, threadbare clothes, coming to that same worship service. You and I need to ask: who would James exclude from worship service? Who would James exclude from fellowship in the church?

            When we consider the typical high school campus and the typical high school kids, we may give them a pass. Some say they don’t fully understand how damaging and how hurtful their actions are, to many people. Others say that only weak, socially-awkward people get hurt from the rough-and-tumble world of high school…that is just something everyone has to put up with, and to live with. Suck it up, people! Get on with life!

            Except, this rough-and-tumble, catty, mean way of carrying on is not the way that Christians are supposed to be! Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are supposed to be better than that! Believers are not supposed to play favorites! Aren’t they? James says so! Doesn’t he?

Who would James exclude? “If we’re honest, we have to squirm a little bit as he describes the scene. Of course, we’ve all done this; we’ve all shown partiality in this. We hope we’re overcoming it; we hope we’re countering it; we hope we’re better than that. But our society has drilled into us to value people on outward appearances more than essential being.”[1]

            This letter from James is so practical! Yes, he does refer to theological concepts now and then, but he wants to give us a manual of Christian living: living the way we as believers are called to live! The description in this reading today is a pertinent, hard-hitting example.  

            The Gospel reading from the Revised Common Lectionary today also has some difficult, hard-hitting points. Jesus and the disciples are in the racially-mixed area of the Decapolis, near the Sea of Galilee in the far north of Israel. A Gentile woman approaches the Rabbi Jesus while He is at dinner, and asks Him to please heal her daughter. Jesus says some challenging words to her about being a Gentile. She convinces Jesus to help her and heal her daughter, which He does.

            This Gospel reading deals with favoritism and being partial to one group while excluding another group. Who would Jesus exclude? Would He exclude me and my family? Would favoritism include you? How about your children, or grandchildren?  

            These are difficult issues raised by both the apostle James and the Gospel-writer Mark.

            Perhaps the world does things like this, almost all the time. Perhaps the common, sinful people in the world act and speak and think like this, almost all the time. But, we as believers are not to act like the world!

            As commentator Dr. Derek Weber says, “James points out the economic distinctions that we are all too likely to make in our hospitality ministry. But it wouldn’t be too big a leap to talk about racial and immigrant and gender and orientation distinctions at the same time. This is not, however, a recommendation to avoid the issues We are called to speak up, to follow the boldness of James and talk about the lines of respectability that we too often draw, consciously or unconsciously. It is better to enter into these delicate subjects knowingly than to be surprised.”[2]

            Today, we often use the word “believe” to mean intellectual assent, or understanding. The New Testament agrees – except the full understanding of the word “believe” is deeper and richer than simply the intellect. “When John 3:16 declares that “whosoever believes,” it is asking for a life that reflects that core belief. It isn’t really asking “do you believe” but “are you willing to put your life on it?”

“Does your life and your witness, do your actions and your words tell us that you believe that Jesus Christ is Lord of your life?” That’s what it means to believe in New Testament terms. For James, then, at the heart of believing is how we view and then treat others.” [3] Listen again to the hard-hitting words of James: “My friends, what good is it for one of you to say that you have faith if your actions do not prove it? Can that faith save you?”

            Who would you exclude? Who would I? Do we act like we prefer someone who wears fancy clothes and expensive jewelry to someone who wears ripped, patched blue jeans and shoes with holes? But, it’s more than that. No one deserves favoritism, or a fancier place to sit, or more attention, or more service. Does God choose favorites? What if you are one of those excluded high school kids, sitting at the heavenly loser lunch table, with no way to even get close to God? Shut out from God’s loving, caring, nurturing presence?

            Thank God we are always God’s beloved children! We are always the favorites – all of us! Here is a quote by Max Lucado. See if it resonates with you. “If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. If God had a wallet, your photo would be in it. God sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning Face it, friend – God is crazy about you!“

            Does God choose favorites? No! That is the way God feels about each one of us! Please, remember that as you go into the world. Treat every single person you meet as a very beloved child of God – because, they are! No matter what, no matter who!

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

[1] https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/worship-planning/doers-of-the-word/fifteenth-sunday-after-pentecost-year-b-lectionary-planning-notes/fifteenth-sunday-after-pentecost-year-b-preaching-notes

[2] https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/worship-planning/doers-of-the-word/fifteenth-sunday-after-pentecost-year-b-lectionary-planning-notes

[3] https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/worship-planning/doers-of-the-word/fifteenth-sunday-after-pentecost-year-b-lectionary-planning-notes/fifteenth-sunday-after-pentecost-year-b-preaching-notes