Collect for Trinity 21
2 Thessalonians 2: 1-5, 13-17
Matthew 22: 15-22
When politicians are being questioned on Radio or TV, a well-prepared interviewer will have a number of loaded questions or traps laid to which there will be no answer that doesn’t put the subject in a bad light. The classic one is ‘Have you stopped beating your wife?’ The answer ‘No’ implies you still do – ‘Yes’ implies you used to in the past. Outrageously protesting that you never started leads to listeners thinking there’s no smoke without fire, and that you might in the future. The only way to counter such loaded questions is to expose the motive of the questioner and the validity of the assumption the question is based upon.
‘Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor?’ If Jesus says ‘Yes’, the Anti-Roman Pharisees will have evidence that He condones the Roman occupation. If He says ‘No’, the Herodians will accuse Him of treasonous rebellion against the Government. One way or another, they’ve got the evidence they will need to condemn Him.
Or so they think.
The fallacy of the question is that it is based on the assumption that the two things are opposites; whereas in reality, they are not related. If you want infrastructure, it has to be paid for in taxes, and you’re probably better off with Roman project managers rather than relying on the incompetent leadership of Herod. The currency is a piece of metal called a denarius, the value and validity of which is supported and controlled by a Roman-based economy.
On the other hand, God’s currency is love. Unconditional love, expressed in service, justice, freedom. It is not based on physical things, coins, possessions, power; but grace. God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.