Proper 24: Winning and Losing

Then the Pharisees went on and held a meeting about how to entrap him with his own words.

They sent their students, along with the Herodians, to him, to say, "'Teacher, we know that you are truthful and you truly teach the path of God, not caring what anyone thinks of you because you don't defer to those with high status.

So tell us, what do you think? Is it right to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?' Pretenders, Jesus said to them, knowing their corruption.

Why are you posing tests for me? Show me the coin used for the census tax.

So they brought him a denarius.

Whose image and inscription are these? Caesar, they told him, then repay the things of Caesar to Caesar, and the things of God to God, he responded.

At hearing him, they were confounded, so they left him and went away.

I've heard this story many times, as I'm sure many of you have.

The biggest takeaway in the settings I grew up in was mostly about how good Jesus is at winning.

The Pharisees' students ask him a question meant to trap him, and he gives an answer so cunning and wise and full of meaning, yet so vague as to maintain deniability if any of Caesar's cronies happened to overhear, that no one could stand against him.

How proud we must be.

He was unbeatable, the ultimate politician in a campaign debate, answering with a non-answer so powerful as to make his opponents completely fade away.

When I was younger, I did get satisfaction from being on the winning team.

Jesus, the only eternal winner who shares his winnings with us.

How exciting it was.

But thinking about all that now, I realize how much I had no idea what the actual implications of Jesus' example and teachings were all about.

What the gospel actually was.

Because honey, winning ain't it.

As I recently said to a friend, following Jesus means willingness to lose.

Actually, it might even be more specifically the choice to lose.

And if that's true, and Philippians 2 plus, you know, the whole Bible seems to strongly suggest that it is, then just winning the rap battle probably isn't the point of this passage.

There are certainly political themes involved, So maybe that's what Jesus is doing.

Maybe it's that Jesus wins against Caesar.

Then the Pharisees went on and held a meeting about how to entrap him with his own words.

They sent their students, along with the Herodians, to him, to say, "'Teacher, we know that you are truthful and you truly teach the path of God, not caring what anyone thinks of you because you don't defer to those with high status.

So tell us, what do you think? Is it right to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?' Pretenders, Jesus said to them, knowing their corruption.

Why are you posing tests for me? Show me the coin used for the census tax.

So they brought him a denarius.

Whose image and inscription are these? Caesar, they told him, then repay the things of Caesar to Caesar, and the things of God to God, he responded.

At hearing him, they were confounded, so they left him and went away.

I've heard this story many times, as I'm sure many of you have.

The biggest takeaway in the settings I grew up in was mostly about how good Jesus is at winning.

The Pharisees' students ask him a question meant to trap him, and he gives an answer so cunning and wise and full of meaning, yet so vague as to maintain deniability if any of Caesar's cronies happened to overhear, that no one could stand against him.

How proud we must be.

He was unbeatable, the ultimate politician in a campaign debate, answering with a non-answer so powerful as to make his opponents completely fade away.

When I was younger, I did get satisfaction from being on the winning team.

Jesus, the only eternal winner who shares his winnings with us.

How exciting it was.

But thinking about all that now, I realize how much I had no idea what the actual implications of Jesus' example and teachings were all about.

What the gospel actually was.

Because honey, winning ain't it.

As I recently said to a friend, following Jesus means willingness to lose.

Actually, it might even be more specifically the choice to lose.

And if that's true, and Philippians 2 plus, you know, the whole Bible seems to strongly suggest that it is, then just winning the rap battle probably isn't the point of this passage.

There are certainly political themes involved, So maybe that's what Jesus is doing.

Maybe it's that Jesus wins against Caesar.