Sermon for the 22nd Sunday after Pentecost
Rev. Charles Lehmann + Matthew 22:15-21 + Pentecost 22
In the Name of + Jesus. Amen.
Cyrus was an evil, pagan king. After He conquered Babylon, Cyrus had the following written in the account of his victory: “Marduk, the great lord, moved the noble heart of the residents of Babylon to me. Marduk, the great lord, rejoiced in my pious deeds, and graciously blessed me, Cyrus, the king who worships him.” Cyrus couldn't have picked a more disgusting false god to worship. Not even the Babylonians who worshiped this false god had anything good to say about him. In their stories, their so-called god murdered his parents to become the king of the gods. He created humanity to be his slaves, even though he hated all the noise they made.
That was the sort of false god that Cyrus worshiped. But Cyrus really wasn't all that picky. He both allowed and encouraged the peoples he conquered to worship their gods instead of the gods of Persia. He probably would have done well in the November elections.
We have no reason to believe that Cyrus ever worshiped the true God. But even though Cyrus did not acknowledge the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to be the only true God, the Lord doesn't need a king's permission in order to use him for His purposes. Because of this the Lord still calls Cyrus His Anointed One. He says, “I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me.” In Hebrew the word for “Anointed One” is “Messiah.” Cyrus is the only pagan that God ever calls by this name. All the others who are anointed by God are priests or kings of His people. They are set apart for holy purposes. But here, God does a new thing, a strange thing.
Here God calls Cyrus, an evil, pagan, idolater his “Messiah,” His Anointed One. Why would God do this? He does it because the Lord has set Cyrus apart for a holy purpose. Cyrus will free Israel from their captivity in Babylon. He will send them home to rebuild their temple. Cyrus will not do this because He believes in the true God. He will not do it because He has cast aside His satanic idols. He will do it because it will make him look good politically. He will do it because He doesn't think any one god is more important than any other. Cyrus will be a self-absorbed pagan conqueror and he will do what he does for self-absorbed pagan conqueror reasons.
But more than all this, Cyrus will do these things because God said so. He has ordained it at least a hundred years before Cyrus' birth. Just think of it. Isaiah is given this prophecy about a century before Cyrus is born. When Isaiah spoke this Word of God to the kingdom of Judah they probably thought he was nuts. Not only had Judah not been taken into captivity, but Cyrus's grandfather probably hadn't even been born. But God knew who He would use to bring Israel back to their land. The Lord was going to work it out so that the political ambition of a pagan conqueror would bring His people home.
God gives good gifts to all of his creatures. The sun shines each day both upon the godly and the ungodly. This year, as the time of harvest approaches, the Lord will gather up the earth's bounty and use it to feed all people. He will feed the baptized and the unbaptized. He will feed the godly and the wicked. He will feed school teachers, farmers, and even prostitutes.
God has given the riches of His bounty to all creation, and He does not give to His creatures on the basis of their works. He hates nothing He has made. He has regard for the death of a sparrow, and He has counted every hair on your head. He collects your tears in a bottle. He wipes them from your eyes. The Lord's love is so universal that He desires the very worst of humanity along with the very best.
This gives the Christian great comfort. We Christians, after all, confess with Saint Paul, “It is a sure and trustworthy saying: Jesus Christ came to save sinners, of whom I am the worst.” Paul doesn't make this confession because he's trying to exaggerate his sinfulness so that he can rejoice all the more in the Lord's mercy. He says it because it is a creed. It is a “sure and trustworthy saying.”
Any Christian can say it, and all Christians should. No one should be a worse sinner to you than you. When you look at your neighbor, you can only see the superficial sins. You can only see the sins of word and deed. You can't see the most ugly sins. You can't see the constant struggle against satanic temptation that is going on in their mind. You can't see the sins of thought.
But you can see into your own mind. You know your sinful desires. You know your secret sins that cause you such great shame that you wish you could forget about them forever. You can't escape yourself. Because of this, it is easy for me to say, “Christ came to save sinners of whom I am the worst.”
It is good that God gives out His bounty to the very best and the very worst. That He gives His bounty to the very best means that the Lord gives His gifts to you. That He gives His bounty to the very worst means that He gives them to me.
Paul confesses it in another way, too. You've likely heard it before. “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.” This comforts us too. I tells us that no matter how bad things get, no matter what horrible things we do, God will still work everything out for our good.
Though the world is filled with great evil, there is nothing that your Savior cannot use to help you. There is nothing that God can't use to provide for all your needs.
In today's Old Testament and Gospel readings, God makes this point very clearly. We've already heard about Cyrus. Through this pagan Persian king, God delivered His people from captivity in Babylon. God used Cyrus to begin the building of the second temple.
God has always served the holy church through the princes of this world. Through our government the Lord has given us a peaceful society where we may share the Gospel freely. God doesn't do this because our government is filled with Christians. There are Mormons, Jews, Christian Scientists, Unitarians, and even a Scientologist in the United States Congress. And though none of these religions worship the true God, God works good for you through these idolaters.
God works all things for the good of those who love Him. And so, in today's Gospel reading, when the Pharisees try to trap Jesus in His Words, they find it a more difficult task than they expected. He asks them for a denarius. On the denarius is a picture of Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus, the second emperor of Rome. This is a strange thing for the Pharisees to have. The Caesars claim that they are gods. According to the way the Pharisees would interpret the Ten Commandments, having a picture of Caesar in your pocket would be idolatry. So Jesus asks, “Whose image is this, and whose inscription?” The embarrassing answer is “Caesar's.”
Jesus replies, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that belong to God.” The answer seems simple enough, but it confounds the Pharisees greatly. Jesus has caught them breaking their own rules. Even worse than that, He's suggested that they should give away all their idolatrous money.
It's as if Jesus says, “It has Caesar's name and picture on it. Clearly it belongs to him.” Jesus has no problem with taxes. Caesar needs money to maintain the peace, build roads, and provide for commerce. Jesus has established government for that very purpose. If Caesar is to punish evil and reward good, he needs money to do it. And Jesus wants Caesar to do his job. He wants the people to live in a safe place. He wants them to be able to live their lives and hear the saving word of the Gospel. Jesus is about to go to the cross to destroy their sins. He needs people like Caesar to keep the peace so that the cross can be proclaimed in all nations.
But what about the second part of Jesus' answer? He says, “Give to God the things that belong to God.” What are those things? What belongs to God? In the first answer it was obvious. The image of Caesar and his inscription were on the coin. It's not so obvious with God. Where is His name written? Where is His image?
Maybe you see where I'm headed. You know where God's name is written. You know where His image is. God's name is on you. He put it there with the waters of Holy Baptism. His image is on you too. Though we lost the image of God when Adam and Eve fell into sin, you received it again through those very same baptismal waters. God did a new thing. He gave you His name. He promised that in Christ's death for you on the cross that you have eternal life and salvation. It is by the Lord's gift of faith that you believe this Word that God has spoken to you in Baptism. It is by this faith that you bear again the image of God. As many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. You wear Him and His righteousness. When God the Father looks at you He sees the image of His Son.
Paul has said in his letter to the Colossians that Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. That image is on you, people loved by God. That name, the name of the Holy and Blessed Trinity, has been put on you with the waters of Holy Baptism. Jesus does want you to give to God the things that belong to God. But the joy is that you don't need to. God has you already.
When the Triune God put His holy name on you, He claimed you as His own. Hear the Word the Lord spoke through Isaiah, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”
Jesus loves you, dear Christians. He has gone to the cross to save you. He has carried your sins to the cross and destroyed them there. He works all things for your good. In the past Jesus worked good things for His people through a pagan named Cyrus. Later He did it through Caesar. Now He does it through your government. But He doesn't stop there. Not all the food you eat was grown by Christians. Not every doctor confesses Jesus as Lord. Many who serve as police and in every good and beneficial profession lack faith in the true God. But that won't stop Him. God will work all things for your good. All creation is God's instrument to give you good gifts.
No circumstance, no evil event, and no selfish motive can turn God aside. He loves you, and He will take care of you. What He gives you is always best. What he provides you is always the most wonderful thing that you could receive.
We don't know this because we can see it. We don't know it because it is obvious to us. We know it because He has said it, and God does not lie. We know it because the one who has said it is also the one who has died on the cross. We know it because God the Father doesn't even hold back His own Son when He is giving you all that you need.
And so we await that happy day when Jesus, who for you became a curse and forgave all your sins, will come back in glory. He will come back for all those who bear his name. And He will give you life eternal.
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In the Name of + Jesus. Amen.
Cyrus was an evil, pagan king. After He conquered Babylon, Cyrus had the following written in the account of his victory: “Marduk, the great lord, moved the noble heart of the residents of Babylon to me. Marduk, the great lord, rejoiced in my pious deeds, and graciously blessed me, Cyrus, the king who worships him.” Cyrus couldn't have picked a more disgusting false god to worship. Not even the Babylonians who worshiped this false god had anything good to say about him. In their stories, their so-called god murdered his parents to become the king of the gods. He created humanity to be his slaves, even though he hated all the noise they made.
That was the sort of false god that Cyrus worshiped. But Cyrus really wasn't all that picky. He both allowed and encouraged the peoples he conquered to worship their gods instead of the gods of Persia. He probably would have done well in the November elections.
We have no reason to believe that Cyrus ever worshiped the true God. But even though Cyrus did not acknowledge the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to be the only true God, the Lord doesn't need a king's permission in order to use him for His purposes. Because of this the Lord still calls Cyrus His Anointed One. He says, “I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me.” In Hebrew the word for “Anointed One” is “Messiah.” Cyrus is the only pagan that God ever calls by this name. All the others who are anointed by God are priests or kings of His people. They are set apart for holy purposes. But here, God does a new thing, a strange thing.
Here God calls Cyrus, an evil, pagan, idolater his “Messiah,” His Anointed One. Why would God do this? He does it because the Lord has set Cyrus apart for a holy purpose. Cyrus will free Israel from their captivity in Babylon. He will send them home to rebuild their temple. Cyrus will not do this because He believes in the true God. He will not do it because He has cast aside His satanic idols. He will do it because it will make him look good politically. He will do it because He doesn't think any one god is more important than any other. Cyrus will be a self-absorbed pagan conqueror and he will do what he does for self-absorbed pagan conqueror reasons.
But more than all this, Cyrus will do these things because God said so. He has ordained it at least a hundred years before Cyrus' birth. Just think of it. Isaiah is given this prophecy about a century before Cyrus is born. When Isaiah spoke this Word of God to the kingdom of Judah they probably thought he was nuts. Not only had Judah not been taken into captivity, but Cyrus's grandfather probably hadn't even been born. But God knew who He would use to bring Israel back to their land. The Lord was going to work it out so that the political ambition of a pagan conqueror would bring His people home.
God gives good gifts to all of his creatures. The sun shines each day both upon the godly and the ungodly. This year, as the time of harvest approaches, the Lord will gather up the earth's bounty and use it to feed all people. He will feed the baptized and the unbaptized. He will feed the godly and the wicked. He will feed school teachers, farmers, and even prostitutes.
God has given the riches of His bounty to all creation, and He does not give to His creatures on the basis of their works. He hates nothing He has made. He has regard for the death of a sparrow, and He has counted every hair on your head. He collects your tears in a bottle. He wipes them from your eyes. The Lord's love is so universal that He desires the very worst of humanity along with the very best.
This gives the Christian great comfort. We Christians, after all, confess with Saint Paul, “It is a sure and trustworthy saying: Jesus Christ came to save sinners, of whom I am the worst.” Paul doesn't make this confession because he's trying to exaggerate his sinfulness so that he can rejoice all the more in the Lord's mercy. He says it because it is a creed. It is a “sure and trustworthy saying.”
Any Christian can say it, and all Christians should. No one should be a worse sinner to you than you. When you look at your neighbor, you can only see the superficial sins. You can only see the sins of word and deed. You can't see the most ugly sins. You can't see the constant struggle against satanic temptation that is going on in their mind. You can't see the sins of thought.
But you can see into your own mind. You know your sinful desires. You know your secret sins that cause you such great shame that you wish you could forget about them forever. You can't escape yourself. Because of this, it is easy for me to say, “Christ came to save sinners of whom I am the worst.”
It is good that God gives out His bounty to the very best and the very worst. That He gives His bounty to the very best means that the Lord gives His gifts to you. That He gives His bounty to the very worst means that He gives them to me.
Paul confesses it in another way, too. You've likely heard it before. “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.” This comforts us too. I tells us that no matter how bad things get, no matter what horrible things we do, God will still work everything out for our good.
Though the world is filled with great evil, there is nothing that your Savior cannot use to help you. There is nothing that God can't use to provide for all your needs.
In today's Old Testament and Gospel readings, God makes this point very clearly. We've already heard about Cyrus. Through this pagan Persian king, God delivered His people from captivity in Babylon. God used Cyrus to begin the building of the second temple.
God has always served the holy church through the princes of this world. Through our government the Lord has given us a peaceful society where we may share the Gospel freely. God doesn't do this because our government is filled with Christians. There are Mormons, Jews, Christian Scientists, Unitarians, and even a Scientologist in the United States Congress. And though none of these religions worship the true God, God works good for you through these idolaters.
God works all things for the good of those who love Him. And so, in today's Gospel reading, when the Pharisees try to trap Jesus in His Words, they find it a more difficult task than they expected. He asks them for a denarius. On the denarius is a picture of Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus, the second emperor of Rome. This is a strange thing for the Pharisees to have. The Caesars claim that they are gods. According to the way the Pharisees would interpret the Ten Commandments, having a picture of Caesar in your pocket would be idolatry. So Jesus asks, “Whose image is this, and whose inscription?” The embarrassing answer is “Caesar's.”
Jesus replies, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that belong to God.” The answer seems simple enough, but it confounds the Pharisees greatly. Jesus has caught them breaking their own rules. Even worse than that, He's suggested that they should give away all their idolatrous money.
It's as if Jesus says, “It has Caesar's name and picture on it. Clearly it belongs to him.” Jesus has no problem with taxes. Caesar needs money to maintain the peace, build roads, and provide for commerce. Jesus has established government for that very purpose. If Caesar is to punish evil and reward good, he needs money to do it. And Jesus wants Caesar to do his job. He wants the people to live in a safe place. He wants them to be able to live their lives and hear the saving word of the Gospel. Jesus is about to go to the cross to destroy their sins. He needs people like Caesar to keep the peace so that the cross can be proclaimed in all nations.
But what about the second part of Jesus' answer? He says, “Give to God the things that belong to God.” What are those things? What belongs to God? In the first answer it was obvious. The image of Caesar and his inscription were on the coin. It's not so obvious with God. Where is His name written? Where is His image?
Maybe you see where I'm headed. You know where God's name is written. You know where His image is. God's name is on you. He put it there with the waters of Holy Baptism. His image is on you too. Though we lost the image of God when Adam and Eve fell into sin, you received it again through those very same baptismal waters. God did a new thing. He gave you His name. He promised that in Christ's death for you on the cross that you have eternal life and salvation. It is by the Lord's gift of faith that you believe this Word that God has spoken to you in Baptism. It is by this faith that you bear again the image of God. As many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. You wear Him and His righteousness. When God the Father looks at you He sees the image of His Son.
Paul has said in his letter to the Colossians that Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. That image is on you, people loved by God. That name, the name of the Holy and Blessed Trinity, has been put on you with the waters of Holy Baptism. Jesus does want you to give to God the things that belong to God. But the joy is that you don't need to. God has you already.
When the Triune God put His holy name on you, He claimed you as His own. Hear the Word the Lord spoke through Isaiah, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”
Jesus loves you, dear Christians. He has gone to the cross to save you. He has carried your sins to the cross and destroyed them there. He works all things for your good. In the past Jesus worked good things for His people through a pagan named Cyrus. Later He did it through Caesar. Now He does it through your government. But He doesn't stop there. Not all the food you eat was grown by Christians. Not every doctor confesses Jesus as Lord. Many who serve as police and in every good and beneficial profession lack faith in the true God. But that won't stop Him. God will work all things for your good. All creation is God's instrument to give you good gifts.
No circumstance, no evil event, and no selfish motive can turn God aside. He loves you, and He will take care of you. What He gives you is always best. What he provides you is always the most wonderful thing that you could receive.
We don't know this because we can see it. We don't know it because it is obvious to us. We know it because He has said it, and God does not lie. We know it because the one who has said it is also the one who has died on the cross. We know it because God the Father doesn't even hold back His own Son when He is giving you all that you need.
And so we await that happy day when Jesus, who for you became a curse and forgave all your sins, will come back in glory. He will come back for all those who bear his name. And He will give you life eternal.
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.