Pentecost 21A – “The story of release (not holding on)”
October 19, 2026
Matthew 22:15-22
INTRODUCTION
Religion and politics. The two things you should never talk about in polite company, right? And certainly not together! Yet today the lectionary brings these two together in an undeniable way. In the Isaiah text, the prophet announces that God is using a Gentile king, the Persian Cyrus, someone who “does not know God,” to bring about God’s purpose of bringing the Israelites out of Babylonian captivity, out of exile, and back to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple. It’s a story by which we see how God can use even an unfaithful, secular ruler to bring about God’s justice and plan.
Then in Matthew, some Jewish leaders try to trick Jesus – again – with a question about taxation, and whether taxes should be paid to the emperor, the king. It doesn’t get much more political than that! And to be sure, this is no idle inquiry – this question about taxation is a particularly hot button issue of the day, one of the hottest. This is all made more intense by the broader setting – Monday of Holy Week. Earlier that day, Jesus has “cleansed the temple,” turning over the money-changers tables because of the financial corruption going on. Then he has delivered a couple of hard-hitting and pointed parables. The atmosphere is hot to the touch.
The stewardship theme today is “The Story of Release (Not Holding On).” As you listen today, consider what perspectives, ways of life or thinking, or possessions you try to hold onto, and what it feels like when you are able to loosen your grip a bit. Let’s listen.
[READ]
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
This little vignette from Jesus’ life, “give to Caesar what is Caesar’s,” has over the years been used for political purposes, endorsing willing participation in civic systems. And understandably so! What is more political, what feels more relevant to our civic life, than a dispute about tax policy?
But of course, the question I bring to the text each week is not, “What can we learn about politics, or taxation?” My question is, “Where is the good news in this text? Where is the promise?”
This week I’m also thinking about our stewardship theme, which is “the story of release (not holding on).” I will admit to you that as I started preparing this sermon, I was puzzled as to why Deacon Emily and I had selected that theme for this Sunday! I mean, as a stewardship concept, it’s not bad – so much of our resistance to giving is a desire to hold onto what is ours because it gives us comfort or a sense of safety and security, and because, frankly, it is hard to let go! There is real power and liberation in the ability to let go of things that are holding us back. Sue will share an example in today’s temple talk that I suspect you will be able to relate to about the power and freedom of letting go. And I can think of several Gospel readings that would have supported that theme of release very well. But what about this text brought to our minds all those weeks ago, the idea of release?
The key is in that sermon-guiding question I posed: where is the good news in this text? To get at the answer, we need a bit more context on what exactly is going on here.
The economic system in 1st century Palestine, as you can imagine, was different from ours today. I don’t understand the ins and outs of 1st century tax code, but what I do know is this: Israel is under the rule of an oppressive Roman empire, and so for Israel, to pay taxes to Rome was to participate in their own subjugation. Another thing to know is that there were several different taxes that they had to pay, and they required different coinage. The kind of coin used to pay Roman taxes was one that had Caesar’s face on it, and the words, “Tiberius Caesar, son of the divine Augustus, Emperor.” So, in addition to contributing to their own oppression, the use of these coins broke two Jewish laws: they contained a graven image of a secular ruler, and a blasphemous statement about him being divine. Insult to injury. You can see why paying Roman taxes was such a hot button issue for Israel.
The Pharisees and the Herodians who have teamed up to trap Jesus have nothing in common other than their disdain for Jesus – certainly they had different opinions about taxation! The Pharisees, along with the Jewish masses, were against paying Roman taxes, where the Herodians were Roman sympathizers, who benefitted from these same taxes. No matter which way Jesus’ answer goes, it seems, he is going to upset someone and potentially get himself in big trouble. It’s a very good trap.
Okay, so with all that in mind, let’s look at Jesus’ clever answer. He asks them to pull out a coin, the type for paying Roman taxes, which they do. He asks, “Whose image is on it, and whose likeness?” It is the same language used in Genesis 1, when God “created humans in his image, according to his likeness.” Here, on this coin, the answer is Caesar. And so, Jesus says, “It belongs to Caesar then. So give it to him.” But then the next bit: “and give to God what is God’s.” If we use Jesus’ definition of what indicates ownership, then what belongs to God? It is the thing that bears his image: humans, who are made in his image, according to his likeness. We are what belongs to God, what is to be given to God.
Now, to return to the original question, which guides every sermon: where is the good news in this text? It is definitely not in an oppressive tax system, nor is it in enemies teaming up to trap Jesus. That’s obvious. Less obvious, is that as well as this would fit with a stewardship sermon, the good news is not in the implication that if we are what bears God’s image, then we should give ourselves to God – everything we have and everything we are – since Jesus says, “give to God what is God’s.” Now, don’t get me wrong, that is not a bad thing to do; indeed it is a good thing! Giving yourself to God describes a Christian life, this recognition that since all we have and all we are belongs to God, we should give back willingly from all of our resources: our selves, our time, and our possessions, all signs of God’s gracious love. That message would also go really well with the stewardship theme today, to “release and not hold on.” To give, and give some more, and more different ways! These are all good things to do, and we should do them!
But the gospel is a promise, and a promise doesn’t generally include the phrase “you should.” It is not one more thing we need to do. The gospel is a gift. Is there a promise in belonging to God? Is there a gift in the story of release, and not holding on?
Let me ask you something. Have you ever looked at a situation in your life, and thought, “This all depends on me. If I fail, I will be letting people down, or they will judge me. I’m the only one who can fix this. No one is going to do this for me. I’m on my own here. If I don’t fix it, people will get hurt.” Or perhaps, “I have already failed, and it is all my fault.”
How do those statements feel to hear, to live under? For me, they feel as oppressive as a Roman Empire. The pressure is sometimes too much to take, feeling like I’m all on my own, that it is up to me to fix it, that other’s well-being depends on me, or it’s my fault it broke in the first place. It sucks all the joy out of a task. What could have been a loving act or even fun, becomes drudgery, a duty. And the more I depend on or blame myself, the more I feel like if I don’t hold on, then everything will fall apart. And it will be my fault.
Now, hear the promise in these words: “give to God what belongs to God.” Release all that junk you’re holding onto: the blame, the expectations, the shame, the self-imposed duty. Release the pressure you’ve put yourself under. I don’t mean cast the blame on God, nor to shirk your responsibilities. But do let God hold some of your burden with you, so you are not holding onto it alone. Release it, rather than holding on. “Give to God what belongs to God.”
That is a promise. Give to God what is God’s – not only in the sense of giving yourself in terms of tasks and resources, but in the sense of giving God your wounded and stressed-out heart. Give it to God, so that you can once again find joy and peace in your daily work. Without all the shame and blame and expectation we love to hold onto, giving of time and resources can once again become a joy, something we do out of love. It’s no longer drudgery, but an act of gratitude. And I don’t know about you, but I am a much more satisfied and cheerful giver when I’m not giving from underneath a 10-ton weight on my heart, but rather, out of a sense of joy in God’s presence. It feels less like duty and more like a way to worship the God who provides all things, who made me in their image, who calls me his own, and because of that, promises never to forsake me.
That is a God to whom I want to belong, a God to whom I want to give. It’s a God to whom I want to release all the things that would keep me from the joy of giving of my time, my talents, and my treasure. The work of release is such hard work – whether it’s a mindset, an expectation, or physical things, there is so much connected to it all, and it feels very vulnerable to let it go. It has protected us, we think, for so long. But my friends, it hasn’t protected you. God has protected you all along. And the living and true God will continue to care for that which bears his beautiful image.
Let us pray… Liberating God, we hold onto so much junk, both physical and emotional, thinking it will protect us. Give us the courage to release it, so that we could lovingly live into our identity as your beloveds, created in your image. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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