I have a couple more thoughts about this passage.  If I ever preach on this passage again, here are some of the lines of thought I might pursue.  I find it interesting that the religious leaders send their acolytes, their followers or students, to question Jesus about taxes rather than go themselves.  Was this an act of cowardice?  Were they afraid of Jesus?  Or were they to full of themselves to go to Jesus directly?  Perhaps they didn't think this upstart from the provinces was worthy of direct conversation.

The other thing I find interesting about the passage is that the question revolves around the legality of paying taxes, instead of the illegality of paying taxes.  Is it against the law to pay taxes?  Think about that question.  Of course the religious leaders are talking about the Jewish law called Torah, and the imperial tax is imposed by Roman law.  But I can't help thinking of Peter and John in the book of Acts.  We will obey divine law rather than human law.  What is different in this passage is that the burden of proof is on those advocating paying the tax.  Paying the tax is illegal, unless it can be proven that a good Jew should do so.

The coin itself is offensive, idolatrous in that it bears the image of a human being, with an inscription claiming divine status.  It is an odd choice for Jesus to use as the centerpiece for answering the question.  The image on the coin must have been seen as grotesque, adding force and power to its contrast to the image of the true God, which is a thing of beauty.  There is a way that this contrast calls into question the entire religious and political economic system.  It is puny, tiny, inconsquential, when compared to God.

Well, I am beginning to ramble.  Feel free to discuss these thoughts, ask more questions, and I will check back.

Blessings,

Phil

More thoughts on 11.30 sermon

I thought I would add a few more thoughts to Sunday's sermon.  One thing I would like to do is clarifying that I am supportive of ministries of service, compassion and peace.  I sure hope that came through.  The issue isn't whether such things are important or whether we should do them.  The issue is attitude.  Do these things grow out of our faith in God, as expressions of and witnesses to God's love?  Or do they point to our own goodness?  Have they become an end in themselves?  I very much fear it is these last two.

The other thing I hope came through is that the burden of survival does not fall on us.  That burden falls on God.  The only thing asked of us is to be witnesses to who God is and what God does.