What Are We Rendering?

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Beloved in Christ,

Our Lord is asked what appears to be a question about money: “Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?” But the men asking want to trap him. One answer risks accusation before Rome; the other risks discredit among those who resent Roman rule.

Jesus asks them to produce the tribute money. Then he asks a question of his own: “Whose is this image and superscription?”

They answer, “Caesar’s.” And Jesus says, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.”

A Passing Coin

The coin bears Caesar’s image. It belongs to the passing order of this world. Coins change hands and value. The rulers whose faces they carry die, and their kingdoms pass into history.

But as our psalm reminds us, “The counsel of the Lord shall endure for ever.”

Our Lord does not tell us to despise that passing order. We have real duties within it. Christians should be honest, peaceable, and responsible. We obey lawful authority, contribute to the common good, and pray for those who govern.

Jeremiah gives us a picture of such faithfulness. To God’s people living in exile in Babylon, he says, “Seek the peace of the city,” and pray for it. They were to build houses, plant gardens, and care for their neighbours, even while they longed for home. They still belonged to God, and could serve him faithfully where they were.

But they are limited obligations. Caesar may claim the coin. He may not claim the conscience, the worship, or the soul. No earthly authority is eternal, and none may receive what belongs to God alone.

An Older Tribute

Israel knew an older tribute than Caesar’s penny. In the law of Moses, when the people were numbered, each person gave a half-shekel as a ransom for his life. Rich and poor gave the same amount. It was a sign that the people did not belong to the ruler who counted them. They belonged to God.

Later, when the collectors of the Temple tribute approached Saint Peter, Our Lord declared that the Son was free. Yet he chose to pay, lest offence be given. At his command, Peter found in a fish a coin sufficient for them both: “Give unto them for me and thee.”

The tribute came from creation at the Creator’s word. The Son was free, yet in charity he rendered what was asked.

That coin was enough for Peter and his Master. But no silver coin could finally ransom Peter—or any of us.

The True Ransom

Saint Peter would later write that we were not redeemed with corruptible things, such as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ.

Our Lord rendered no coin for our redemption. He rendered himself. He gave his body upon the Cross—his one oblation of himself once offered. He owed no ransom for himself, yet freely gave his life as a ransom for many.

Before asking what we shall render unto God, we remember what God has given for us. The Father gave his Son. The Son gave his body. Salvation is not purchased by our citizenship, observance, or effort. It is the gift of Christ crucified and risen.

And because he has given himself for us, we may give ourselves to him—not to purchase his grace, but in gratitude for grace already given.

Whose Image Do We Bear?

The coin bore Caesar’s image. But whose image do we bear?

From the beginning, man and woman were made in God’s image. Caesar’s image was stamped upon silver. God’s image is stamped upon the human person.

Our Lord’s answer therefore reaches far beyond taxation. The coin may be returned to Caesar, but the person must be rendered to God. Not one religious corner of life, nor only an hour on Sunday. Mind, body, conscience, possessions, speech, and remaining strength belong to him.

Saint Paul says that “our citizenship is in heaven.” This does not make us useless citizens on earth. Our heavenly citizenship governs how we live here. We fulfil earthly duties under a higher allegiance. We render what is lawfully due, but march under a higher banner.

And each of us is commissioned to bear witness to Jesus Christ: by speaking plainly of our faith, caring patiently for another, refusing bitterness, forgiving an injury, or remaining faithful through illness and age. A quiet Christian life may preach more powerfully than many words.

The Collect calls God “the author of all godliness,” and asks that what his Church seeks faithfully may be obtained effectually. That means our prayer must take flesh in our lives. We ask for godliness, and then—with God’s grace—we must live as those who belong to him.

Coins change hands. Kingdoms rise and fall. But the image of God remains, and his claim upon us does not pass away.

So let us render faithfully what is due in this passing world. Let us pray for those in authority and serve our neighbours in peace. But above all, let us render ourselves to the eternal God, bearing witness to Jesus Christ, who first gave himself for us.

Let us continue to ask the grace named in today’s Collect: that the God who is our refuge and strength will make our faithful prayers effectual in lives wholly offered to him.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.