+ + + In Nomine Jesu + + +
Please join me in prayer: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. (Amen.)
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. (Amen.)
You may be interested to know that, by one report, only about 13-percent of the world’s countries have their country’s current leader on circulating metal coins, though now that percentage may be a little higher, since the United States more‑recently began circulating commemorative gold dollar‑coins featuring an image of President Trump. (This is not the first time that a current U-S president has been on a coin, however, as in 19‑26 there was a commemorative half-dollar featuring then‑president Calvin Coolidge alongside George Washington.) And, if Congress changes the law against depicting living people on our paper banknotes, then there will be a 250‑dollar bill featuring President Trump, and the United States will join the about 15‑percent of the world’s countries that have their current leader on their paper banknotes. (USC Dornsife News) The likeness and inscription of their country’s current leader, Caesar, were on the denarius that the Jewish leaders brought Jesus in today’s Gospel Reading, and, as you heard in the Reading, Jesus used the coin to tell the Jewish leaders to “render”, or to “discharge what is due”, to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. Usually understood is that the things that are God’s includes us: who were created in the image of God, who lost some or all of that image of God in the fall into sin, and who are having that image of God renewed in us. So, considering primarily today’s Gospel Reading, this morning we direct our thoughts to the theme, “Regaining the image of God”.
One of the first things that we need to remember about the image of God is that it does not refer to an outward appearance. That God created humankind in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:26-27) does not mean that the first man and woman somehow looked like God, nor did they look like how Jesus would look when He was conceived of the Virgin Mary thousands of years later (Luke 1:31). Rather, that God created humankind in His image and likeness means that some of God’s un‑limited attributes were reflected in a limited way in human beings. More importantly, that God created humankind in His image and likeness means that human beings’ minds and hearts were inclined towards God; they knew God and only wanted to do God’s will. They were free of any un‑godly inclinations. They had a right relationship with God and with all the other creatures, exercising dominion over them and receiving their willing service in return. (Pieper, I:515-523)
As I mentioned, humankind lost some or all of that image of God in the fall into sin; people lost their original righteousness, are ignorant of God, and are hostile to Him. Adam and Eve’s children were conceived in their fallen image and likeness (Genesis 5:3). Not surprisingly, then, in today’s Gospel Reading, the Divinely‑inspired St. Matthew says that Jesus was aware of the Jewish leaders’ “malice”, or “iniquity”, or “wickedness”, or “evil purposes and desires”, their “active exercise” of their “vicious disposition”. Jesus called them “hypocrites”, those who appear pious but are sinful to the core. By nature, each one of us is just like them. We may put up a good appearance, but we are still sinful, and so we sin against God and against our fellow human beings, in thoughts, words, and deeds, committed and omitted. Our sinful nature and our actual sin warrant temporal and eternal punishment, such as death here and now and eternal torment in hell—that, apart from the Holy Spirit’s leading us to turn in sorrow from our sinful nature and all our actual sin, to trust God to forgive our sinful nature and all our actual sin, and at least to want to stop sinning. When we so repent, then God forgives us. God forgives our sinful nature and all our actual sin, whatever our actual sin might be. God forgives us for Jesus’s sake.
What the Jewish leaders in the Gospel reading said hypocritically and flatteringly (confer Luke 20:20) ironically is accurate: Jesus is true and does teach the way of God truthfully; He does not care about anyone’s opinion, for He is not swayed by appearances. The Divinely‑inspired St. Paul, in writing to the Corinthians, calls Jesus the image of God (2 Corinthians 4:4), and, in writing to the Colossians, St. Paul does likewise (Colossians 1:15). Bearing the image of God, Jesus rendered Himself to God. Jesus lived the perfect life that we fail to live, and then Jesus died for our failures to live that life. Days after the event of today’s Gospel Reading, the Jewish leaders played their role in Jesus’s death, but Jesus died on the cross for all people—including you and me—out of God’s great love for even fallen humankind (Romans 5:8). Jesus died in our place, the death that we deserved, and then He rose from the dead. By faith in Jesus, we are forgiven and receive His righteousness, and, St. Paul also writes to the Colossians, we are being renewed in knowledge after the image of our creator (Colossians 3:10), and likewise St. Paul also writes to the Corinthians that just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven (1 Corinthians 15:49).
In today’s Gospel Reading, the Jewish leaders arguably asked for Jesus’s opinion about whether it is lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not, they asked Him what He thought, how it seemed to Him. They did not ask what the Word of God says, because they wanted to entangle Jesus in His words, and perhaps also because they did not consider Jesus to be an authoritative interpreter of God’s Word. In contrast, in today’s Epistle Reading (1 Thessalonians 1:1-10), St. Paul describes how the Gospel came to the Thessalonians not only in word but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction, and, a few verses after today’s Epistle Reading, St. Paul refers to the Thessalonians’ receiving the word of God not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God (1 Thessalonians 2:13). Indeed, as St. Paul writes to the Romans, the Gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes (Romans 1:16), whether read or preached, or applied with water in Holy Baptism, with touch in Holy Absolution, or with bread and wine that are Christ’s Body and Blood in the Holy Supper and so give forgiveness, life, and salvation.
Receiving the forgiveness of sins in faith through God’s Word and Sacraments, with the image of God being renewed in us, we, like our Lord, render ourselves to God. God has blessed us with resources and abilities that we put to use in His Kingdom in this place. We give sacrificial first-fruit offerings to help fund the operation of our Pilgrim congregation, and we volunteer to serve the congregation as officers and other position‑holders, all so that the congregation can stay open and operate as we have designed for it to operate, especially providing us a place to receive God’s gift of forgiveness. When we fail in these regards, as we will fail, then, with daily contrition and faith, we live in the forgiveness of sins that we receive from God and in the forgiveness of sins that we extend to and receive from one another. So already now we have God’s peace and joy that we will have for eternity.
As we have considered this morning, we are “Regaining the image of God”. Although our currency lacks an image or likeness of God, He is mentioned in its inscription, “In God we trust”. Perhaps having the country’s current leader on our currency makes more sense when we pay our taxes, for we are paying taxes to President Trump, more than we are paying taxes to Presidents, Lincoln, Jefferson, Roosevelt, Washington, Kennedy, and Eisenhower. As in today’s Old Testament Reading (Isaiah 45:1-7), God can and does use even pagan rulers as He rules over all for the good of His Church (Ephesians 1:22). God institutes all governing authorities, and because they are ministers of God, we pay taxes to them (Romans 13:1-10). Ultimately, as we prayed in the Collect of the Day, with God as our ruler and guide, we so pass through things temporal that we lose not the things eternal. So, as we sang in today’s Psalm (Psalm 96:1-13; antiphon: v.9a), we ascribe to the Lord the glory due His Name; we bring an offering; and we come into His courts.
Amen.
The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Amen.)
+ + + Soli Deo Gloria + + +
