It’s…interesting that these two topics still have such sway over the institution of the Church.
Taxes and marriage.
Jesus rather clearly teaches in today’s passage that neither one has an eternal place in God’s kingdom. He does not deny their earthly existence, but he teaches that they are not part of God’s eternal plan. They are boundaried institutions here on earth.
Yet today, the idea of taxes are such a hot topic for the Church in the United States (or rather, institutional exemption from their power). For so long, the religious institution has avoided taxation whatsoever. And because it’s been that way for so long, churches have come to utterly depend on tax exemption financially. It would be very difficult indeed if churches lost tax exemption.
…but would the Kingdom suffer?
Further, the Church has often gone overboard on lifting the institution of marriage to something eternal. It is not. This is not to say marriage is not important. Or that it does not or should not deeply reflect the nature of the Kingdom (or the relationship between Jesus and the Church). But let’s not let’s not romanticize marriage into a fairy-tale “happily ever after.” It is an earthly boundary that can and should reflect Jesus’ love. But it is not eternally salvific or bonded.
We must wrestle with these things so that we can truly know what the Kingdom is into which Jesus has called us to live.
Matthew 22:15-33
Then the Pharisees met together to find a way to trap Jesus in his words. They sent their disciples, along with the supporters of Herod, to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are genuine and that you teach God’s way as it really is. We know that you are not swayed by people’s opinions, because you don’t show favoritism. So tell us what you think: Does the Law allow people to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
Knowing their evil motives, Jesus replied, “Why do you test me, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used to pay the tax.” And they brought him a denarion. “Whose image and inscription is this?” he asked.
“Caesar’s,” they replied.
Then he said, “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” When they heard this they were astonished, and they departed.
That same day Sadducees, who deny that there is a resurrection, came to Jesus. They asked, “Teacher, Moses said, If a man who doesn’t have children dies, his brother must marry his wife and produce children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married, then died. Because he had no children he left his widow to his brother. The same thing happened with the second brother and the third, and in fact with all seven brothers. Finally, the woman died. At the resurrection, which of the seven brothers will be her husband? They were all married to her.”
Jesus responded, “You are wrong because you don’t know either the scriptures or God’s power. At the resurrection people won’t marry nor will they be given in marriage. Instead, they will be like angels from God. As for the resurrection of the dead, haven’t you read what God told you, I’m the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He isn’t the God of the dead but of the living.” Now when the crowd heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.
Psalm 90:1-2
Lord, you have been our help, generation after generation.
Before the mountains were born, before you birthed the earth and the inhabited world—from forever in the past to forever in the future, you are God.
Prayer
God,
Help us understand what is and what isn’t. We make a lot of things it. And other things that are it, we tend to ignore.
So help us, God: Give us eyes for your eternally-revealing Kingdom all around. Help us see it and make it seen.
By your Spirit & in Christ,
Amen.