Even in dark times –
especially in dark times –
navigating life with a moral compass calibrated to the ways taught by Jesus,
remembered through our faith,
yields a fuller, more abundant, more satisfying life in so many ways.
Today, it seems that we have so many temptations that come to us in so many ways to violate
the first commandment, to have other gods,
to have other allegiances that take precedence over our allegiance to God.
Deuteronomy 6:4-5, 13
Matthew 22:35-40
Jesus said I have come that you might have an abundant life – that you might live a full life – that you might live it to the max – being all you were meant to be (which is so much more than you ever thought possible).
Jesus told his followers that it was a matter of choice – for them and for us –
echoing Joshua who said: It is a matter of choice. And you had best choose now!
Jesus referred to this abundant life,
this full life,
this MAXlife,
as the Kingdom of God (sometimes translated at the Kingdom of Heaven).
This metaphor of the Kingdom of God worked for those who heard his words, because everyone knew what a kingdom was.
The Jewish people had had their own kingdom with King David and a whole host of other kings –
and they knew their history.
They knew about kings and kingdoms.
In fact, they had spent many many years living under the rule of foreign kings – to whom they had to pledge allegiance.
And, although it was not called a kingdom, they lived under the aegis of the Roman Empire
with the Caesar, the Emperor, in the role of the king.
They knew about taxes and they knew about the allegiance expected by the king or emperor of his subjects.
Jesus’ talk about the Kingdom of God was about living with a radical reorientation of societal benchmarks:
the least shall be first,
care for others preempts care for self,
peaceful pursuits trump war and violence.
In story after story, point after point, Jesus turned the accepted values of the society on end
in contrast to the values of life in the Kingdom of God.
We all remember the story that appears in Matthew just before the text I read today,
the story where the Pharisee came to have it out with Jesus asked plainly:
So, Jesus, you talk of this Kingdom of God and the all the differences in the way we are to live, and you say that the Kingdom of God is here, so what do you say?
Should we pay taxes to the Emperor, or not?
Ultimately, for them then, and for us now, it was and is a question of and of ultimate authority.
By what criteria or authority are you to make decisions?
By what criteria or authority are you to establish values?
By what criteria or authority are you to find meaning and purpose in life?
Up to this point what Jesus had been saying challenged the listeners' thinking,
challenged their belief system,
challenged their traditions,
challenged their allegiances,
challenged their positions of privilege,
and, yes, challenged their patriotism.
Attention was on edge.
So they put Jesus to the test.
They wanted to get Jesus to comment and say what they thought he was saying,
so they could discredit him,
entangle him in his words,
prove to the audience that he was a revolutionary that should be silenced.
They suspected in their hearts that he was soft on patriotism, so they went after his Achilles' heel.
You can feel the atmosphere.
The air is tense with emotion.
"What do you mean God may take the kingdom away from us and give it to another nation?
Are you suggesting that our faith, our religious values, our leaders are wrong - are misguided -
are leading us down the wrong way?"
Their conscience is pricked.
Their long held traditions are challenged.
They are upset because Jesus exposes their hypocrisy, their idolatry.
So they pick an issue he has alluded to and they try to pin him to the wall.
Let's ask him about allegiance to the empire, to government authority.
That will get people stirred up, divided.
They'll stop listening to him if we can expose his lack of patriotism.
We'll get this radical teacher to say something that will call his patriotism into question.
He's been questioning our uncritical acceptance of those in authority - the status quo - the present world order.
Let's give him a scenario that will force him to reveal his lack of allegiance to the government, to Caesar.
"Teacher - we know you are true and teach the way of God."
Teacher, you don't seem to care what the polls say, what popular opinion is.
You are not that impressed or care what a person's title is or how many degrees one has or where one hails from.
Tell us, is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?
They knew that Jesus taught a way that was in direct conflict with Caesar on many points.
Caesar stood for the sword - conquer, control by violence.
Jesus taught non-violence – turn the other cheek, equality among the sexes.
They knew that Jesus taught the way of justice, cooperation and partnership.
Caesar stood for power over others,
acquisition of wealth,
dominance over others
and manipulation.
They knew that Jesus was polls apart from Caesar in his teachings about loving one's enemy,
about suffering on behalf of others,
about respecting all people.
There was no doubt in their mind where Jesus stood with regard to Caesar and his politics,
his economics, his warring madness.
So in their crafty manner they plot, "Let's test Jesus to see if he will say it.
Let's bring out the implication of his teachings.
Then they will accuse him of being unpatriotic."
For the questioners in those days,
and for Jesus,
it was a matter of allegiance.
Jesus knew that there is nothing that belongs to Caesar and does not first belong to God.
His disciples knew that.
He made it clear that you cannot serve two masters.
You cannot serve God and money
– God and Caesar -
God and the empire -
God and something else.
You have to choose where your ultimate allegiance is.
Whether we pay taxes (money) to Caesar, we must pass the first test: Does this please God?
Does this enable me to be faithful to my supreme allegiance, which is the kingdom of God?
Does it serve the cause of justice for all God's creation?
For sure, Jesus is not suggesting that there can be two gods for us.
We cannot split our ultimate allegiance in two directions.
Part of me follows God, part of me follows the empire.
Money belongs to Caesar and the Bible stories belong to God.
On Sunday I listen to God and on Monday I listen to Caesar.
As we grapple with life's choices and values, Jesus reminds us that there is nothing, not even taxes or orders from Caesar to go to war, that can escape passing through the test of my allegiance to God, my obedience to my conscience.
The ultimate issue at stake here is the first commandment.
You shall have no other gods before me.
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind.
If Jesus would have suggested by his answer that some things belong to Caesar, no matter what, it would have been in direct violation of the first commandment.
Nothing belongs to Caesar that does not first and ultimately belong to God.
It is about allegiance.
Today, it seems that we have so many temptations that come to us in so many ways to violate
the first commandment, to have other gods,
to have other allegiances that take precedence over our allegiance to God.
Do you remember the story of Daniel in the lion's den?
Caesar, who then was called Nebuchadnezzar, had decreed a law that no one should pray to any other god but him.
The empire needed a sign of loyalty and a gesture of unity from its citizens.
He asked all citizens to give their full allegiance to the empire.
Daniel, however, had a higher allegiance.
So it was again a question of allegiance - Caesar or God,
the power of public policy vs. the individual conscience.
That story of Daniel is pertinent for you and me today.
For you and me, as it was for Daniel, it is and was a question of allegiance.
Where is our ultimate allegiance?
You may be tempted to cheat on your income tax.
You may be tempted to cheat.
You may be tempted to sleep in on Sunday.
You may be tempted to waste your money on the lottery or some other risky venture.
You may be tempted to lie, steal, covet, swear.
But the great temptation,
the one that is the ultimate test,
the one that shapes everything we do,
is the temptation to idolatry.
The temptation to have more than one God, to serve two masters.
The temptation to give part of our ultimate allegiance to Caesar and part to God.
The temptation to bow our knees before two altars - the ways of the society around us
and the ways of our faith.
It is a powerful temptation.
It is real for every one of us.
If we have not wrestled with it, maybe we have already given in to it.
If we do not recognize this temptation with its modern application, it may be a sign that we have not come to grips with what it means to follow Jesus.
Folks today feel the effects of strong peer pressure,
pressure from our surroundings -
pressure from popular opinion polls,
pressure to not rock the boat for financial reasons.
No one wants to be considered different.
There is strong pressure to try to have it both ways.
We want God and we want national security and prosperity.
We want God and we want the benefits of Caesar's policy.
So we try to separate our religion and our politics, our Sundays from our Mondays.
There is strong pressure to delay our decision of ultimate allegiance,
to put off choosing,
to living in the middle of the road,
to being silent,
hoping that somehow we won't have to decide,
you know?
That we won’t have to take sides,
that we won’t ever have to reveal our true master.
The great temptation – is it God or Caesar that I follow – comes to the surface for us at special moments in our lives.
It came in a powerful way to Jesus when he was in the wilderness for 40 days just after his baptism.
There are certain moments in life when we are confronted, tested, tempted.
Will our ultimate allegiance be to God and the conscience God has given us,
or will we divide our allegiance and try to live with two ultimate authorities in order to get along,
to avoid conflict.
To be sure, the choices seldom seem to be black and white, right?
We are confronted when we are most vulnerable. And, it's not easy.
But, the fact of the matter is that we have evidence that life is better,
life is fuller,
life is more abundant,
when we align our value system in a certain way:
the way of Jesus,
the way of the Kingdom of God.
Even in dark times –
especially in dark times –
navigating life with a moral compass calibrated to the ways taught by Jesus,
remembered through our faith,
yields a fuller, more abundant, more satisfying life in so many ways.
And, the thing is, this is no secret.
None of us is bound by some sworn sacred duty to never reveal the secrets we talk of in this room.
You and I can experience this fuller life.
And everyone you know can experience this fuller life.
And even those you don’t know –
and those you may not even care to ever know –
can experience this fuller life.
And, that’s the purpose of this series of sermons on the MAXlife.
You can help spread the word around.
Being a part of this fuller life,
this more abundant life,
is a matter of choice –
and it is about allegiance.
It is about aligning yourself with the ultimate power of the universe –
as some in this room will attest,
when you do, all sorts of benefits come your way.
Amen.
The congregation of Christ Presbyterian Church of Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, USA, heard this sermon as a part of their worship service September 25, 2011.
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