The Collect for the Twenty Third Sunday after Trinity
O God, our refuge and strength, who is the author of all Godliness; we beseech You, to hear the devout prayers of Your Church; and grant that those things which we ask in faith, we may obtain; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Epistle Philippians 3:17-21
17 Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do.
18 For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things.
20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await the Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
The Holy Gospel of St Matthew 22:15-22
15 Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. 16 They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “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.
17 Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?”
18 But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? 19 Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, 20 and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”
21 “Caesar’s,” they replied.
Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
22 When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.
Bishop Ian’s Thoughts
Today’s Epistle Reading is taken from St Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians Chapter 3, Verses 17-21.
St Paul begins this portion of his Epistle with an exhortation to the Christians at Philippi to live their lives, and to conduct themselves, in the same manner as he and other faithful Christians lived and conducted themselves:
“17 Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do.”
St Paul told the Philippian believers that he, and other faithful Christians, have set them an example in their life and conduct. The Philippian Christians are strongly encouraged to emulate the words and deeds of more mature, and experienced Christians.
Living a Christian lifestyle was not an easy in the First Century AD. There were many pagan, idolatrous, and vile distractions to ensnare the followers of the Lord Jesus.
St Paul warns the Philippian Church that there is a great many people around them who through their depraved lifestyle, and lust for pleasure, are the enemies the Holy Gospel:
“18 For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things.”
The pursuit of pleasure and self-gratification consumed the elite, affluent, citizens, and those of the middle to upper classes. Much of this search for pleasure involved feasting drinking and carousing. There was no shortage of prostitutes, both female and male, and facilities to cater for every type of lust.
There was also an abundance of pagan mediums, magicians, and diviners to beguile, lead astray, and fleece a populace desperate to commune with departed family and friends. These desperate people craved to know of the future so as to ensure success of business deals, and to secure good fortune in major life events such as marriage, purchase of property and acquisition of wealth.
Rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ, and His Holy Gospel is a certain recipe for disaster, leading to eternal damnation in Hell, separated from God for eternity.
God is always ready, and desires to forgive any penitent person their sin, through the Holy Sacrifice of the Lord Jesus on the Cross. However to reject this most precious and Holy Gift of God is to bring the full force of God’s most terrible anger and eternal punishment upon those persons.
St Paul then contrasts those who live as enemies of the Lord Jesus, with those who love the Lord Jesus and have committed their lives to His service by promoting the Holy Gospel and seeking always to live lives that are pleasing to Him.
St Paul concludes our Epistle Reading by declaring that Christian Citizenship is not of this world, but rather of the Great and Eternal Kingdom that the Lord Jesus will usher in at His Second Coming, on the Day of Judgement:
“20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await the Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ”
We are told that at the time of the Great Judgement the Lord Jesus will transform our mortal bodies into glorious bodies like His Glorious Body that He revealed to His Disciples and followers after His Resurrection:
“21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”
When we consider all the appearances of the Lord Jesus after His Resurrection, and begin to understand the nature of His Glorious Body we can start to comprehend and appreciate the tremendous Gift that God will bestow on us. Our Resurrection bodies will not age, nor be subject to any disease, and they will be without any blemish.
Our personalities will also be transformed. Gone will be the petty jealousy that often plagues us now, gone also will be all evil thoughts together with anger and hatred. Depression and sadness will no longer consume our thoughts and destroy our lives.
Our New Glorious bodies will be filled with happiness and joy that will manifest itself in perfect love of our Heavenly Father, His Blessed Son the Lord Jesus, and the Mighty Holy Spirit, together with our Heavenly brothers and sisters.
What a wonderful, marvellous, and Blessed thing we can look forward to, and long for, with all our hearts.
May the Lord Jesus give us Grace through the indwelling of the Mighty Holy Spirit to live as those redeemed by the Holy Gospel of the Lord Jesus, having our citizenship in the Eternal Kingdom of God. Amen.
Today’s Holy Gospel Reading is taken from the Holy Gospel of St Matthew, Chapter 22, Verses 15-22.
This portion of St Matthew’s Holy Gospel has been a favourite of mine for many years as it reveals the Lord Jesus’ complete mastery over the “loaded question” technique employed by the Pharisees (a Jewish religious party) in order to trap the Him into making a politically charged, treasonous statement, or committing religious blasphemy.
St Matthew sets the scene:
“15 Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. 16 They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “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.
17 Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?”
Verse 15 reveals to us the Pharisee’s motive in asking the “loaded question.” Verse 16 informs us of the technique used, by these enemies of the Lord Jesus, to set up the “loaded question.”
The “Herodians” mentioned in Verse 16 were a minor Jewish political / religious party who took their name from King Herod and were favoured by his dynasty. They were enemies of the Lord Jesus, and would ally themselves with the Pharisees when it suited.
In this instance they were in agreement with the Pharisees on the question of nationalism verses the yoke of a foreign occupation.
Judea, in the time of the Lord Jesus, was under Roman occupation, as were many countries at that time. The Romans were shrewd masters for they allowed the conquered lands to be ruled by the local kings, and governors, who kept the peace and collected taxes. The taxes were then paid as tribute to Rome.
This arrangement worked well, on the whole, as it allowed the local political and religious customs to be continued, with minimal interference from Rome, and saved Rome the time and expense of enforcing local laws and maintaining huge garrisons in every city.
The other main Jewish party, at the time, was the Sadducees. They were primarily concerned with political matters, especially keeping the peace between the Jewish authorities and Rome.
The paying of taxes to Rome was a very sore point with the Jews. They had to be paid to avoid military intervention by the irresistible Roman army, but the payment, of the tax, was hated by the Jews.
Another sticking point was that the Roman tax was paid in Roman coinage which bore Caesar’s image and this image was seen by the Jews as idolatry, which broke the Second Commandment, regarding graven images.
The Ten Commandments were the summary of the Sacred Law, given by God to Moses.
The Temple Tax paid by all Jews, to fund and maintain the Temple in Jerusalem, had to be paid in Jewish coinage that did not bear the graven image of Caesar. The money changers, whom the Lord Jesus had driven out of the Temple, calling them robbers, were set up in the forecourt of the Temple to exchange Roman, and other coinage bearing images, for Jewish coinage that bore no image.
The Holy Gospel of St Matthew records this incident, with the money changers, in Chapter 21, Verses 12-13:
12 Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.”
The Holy Gospel of St John also records the event in Chapter 2, Verses 12-17:
13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
14 In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.
16 To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” 17 His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
Certainly Temple and Roman taxes were an important, and contentious, part of Jewish life in the time of the Lord Jesus.
It was against this important, but resented, issue of Roman taxation that the Pharisees and the Herodians sought to trap Jesus by posing the “loaded question” regarding the legitimacy and moral correctness of paying taxes to an occupying force.
If the Lord Jesus answered “Yes” to the “loaded question,” then the Pharisees and the Herodians would have denounced the Lord Jesus as a traitor to Judea and the Law of Moses, in the hope of compromising His ministry and credibility. Who knows, in their minds they may have thought they could whip the people up to stone the Lord Jesus, thus solving all their problems.
If the Lord Jesus answered “No” to the “loaded question” then the Pharisees and the Herodians would have once reported His answer to the Roman Governor making the Lord Jesus out to be a trouble maker spreading sedition and advocating rebellion.
The Roman army acted quickly and decisively against those who fomented rebellion. The most decisive, and most convenient solution, was to kill all involved in such activity.
Faced with a seemingly “no way out” situation the Lord Jesus defeated them with the following brilliant manoeuvre:
“18 But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? 19 Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, 20 and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”
21 “Caesar’s,” they replied.
Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
22 When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.”
The conspirators were flabbergasted. They had tried their best to catch the Lord Jesus out but were caught in their own ignorance. They had not considered the nature of the coinage and on whose behalf it had been issued.
I have often wondered if any of the Pharisees or Herodians learned anything from the incident…we may never know this side of Heaven.
May God give us His Grace and wisdom to test all things by the Holy Gospel of the Lord Jesus, and to discern what in our lives belongs to the world, and what belongs to God and may the Lord Jesus to give us the Grace and courage to render to God those things that are God’s and to ignore what belongs to the world. Amen.
Bishop Ian