Hello friends,
This is Mark Gladman,
Also known as Brother Frederick James,
Your friendly neighbourhood monk in dogs.
Welcome to this time of Lectio Divina reflecting some more on some of the questions that Jesus asked.
As we begin today,
I invite you to take a slow breath in.
And gently breathe out.
Allow yourself to become still.
Let your attention settle into the present moment.
Let the noise and urgency of the world soften for just a little while.
As you rest here,
Remember that beneath every role you carry,
Every expectation that's placed upon you,
Every success or every failure,
There's something deeper and more enduring about who you are,
As today.
We sit with a question that Jesus asks in the middle of political tension and religious debate.
So we're in Matthew chapter 22.
And the Pharisees and the Herodians are attempting to trap Jesus with a question about paying taxes to Caesar.
Now,
This isn't just a financial question.
It's a political,
Religious and very dangerous question.
If Jesus opposes the tax,
He risks conflict with Rome.
If he supports it,
He risks alienating the people suffering under Roman occupation.
So Jesus asks for a coin.
Holding it before them.
He says,
Whose image is this and whose title?
And they answer,
The Empress.
And then Jesus replies,
Give therefore to the Emperor the things that are the Emperor's.
And to guard the things that are God's.
Now,
There's a lot of stuff that's been written about politics and taxation in this passage,
But contemplatively,
There's another layer beneath the surface.
The coin bears the image of Caesar.
And therefore belongs to Caesar's economic system.
But human beings bear another image entirely.
In the book of Genesis,
Humanity's described as being made in the image of God.
And maybe this is the deeper question that's quietly unfolding beneath the conversation.
If the coin bears Caesar's image.
What bears God's image?
Every human being does.
Which means your deepest identity.
Doesn't belong to empire,
Achievement,
Status,
Ideology,
Productivity or any public approval.
And yet.
.
.
Even today.
The world constantly tries to claim ownership over us.
I mean you think about it,
We're shaped by systems of comparison,
Consumerism,
Nationalism,
Success,
Performance and fear.
We identify ourselves through roles and possessions and tribal groups.
Accomplishments,
Wounds,
Failures over time.
We can forget who we truly are.
And that's why contemplative spirituality continually returns to identity.
Now be careful here,
This is not the constructed self we perform for the world,
But the deeper self that's held in God,
The image of God within us.
That's not earned is received.
It exists beneath success and failure alive,
Beneath titles,
Beneath reputations,
Beneath everything we spend so much of our energy defending.
And I think one of the great spiritual journeys is slowly disentangling ourselves from false identities so we can rediscover what's always been true.
That we belong first to God.
So in doing this,
We don't withdraw from the world or ignore our responsibilities.
Jesus doesn't deny the earthly realities here,
But he's refusing to allow empire.
To define ultimate belonging.
I think we need that reminder today.
A lot of us are completely exhausted from trying to prove our worth.
We carry pressure to succeed,
Performance,
Produce.
And we maintain an image that's totally for other people.
But the image of God within you can't be increased by success or diminished by failure.
It's already there and it simply is what it is,
Sacred,
Beloved and held in divine love.
So as we move into the reading,
Listen closely.
Notice the tension in the passage.
Notice the coin.
Notice the question beneath the question and maybe.
.
.
Allow Christ to ask you personally.
Whose image is this?
As we reflect on Matthew chapter 22 verses 15 to 22.
Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said.
So they sent their disciples to him.
Along with the Herodian saying.
Teacher.
We know that you are sincere and teach the way of God in accordance with truth.
And show deference to no one.
Or you do not regard people with partiality.
Tell us then what you think.
Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor or not?
But Jesus,
Aware of their malice,
Said,
Why are you putting me to the test,
You hypocrites?
Show me the coin used for the tax.
And they brought him a denarius.
Then he said to them,
Whose head is this and whose title?
I answered,
The Emperors.
Then he said to them,
Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor's,
And to God the things that are God's.
And when they heard this,
They were amazed,
And they left him and went away.
Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said.
So they sent their disciples to him.
Along with the Herodian saying.
Teacher.
We know that you are sincere and teach the way of God in accordance with truth.
And show deference to no one.
For you do not regard people with partiality.
Tell us then what you think.
Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor or not?
But Jesus,
Aware of their malice,
Said,
Why are you putting me to the test,
You hypocrites?
Show me the coin used for the tax.
And they brought him a denarius.
Then he said to them,
Whose head is this and whose title?
I answered,
The Empress.
Then he said to them,
Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor's,
And to God the things that are God's.
When they heard this,
They were amazed,
And they left him.
And went away.
Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said.
So they sent their disciples to him.
Along with the Herodians saying,
Teacher.
We know that you are sincere and teach the way of God in accordance with truth.
And show deference to no one.
For you do not regard people with partiality.
Tell us then what you think.
Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor or not?
But Jesus,
Aware of their malice,
Said,
Why are you putting me to the test,
You hypocrites?
Show me the coin used for the tax.
And they brought him a denarius.
Then he said to them,
Whose head is this and whose title?
I answered,
The Empress.
Then he said to them,
Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor's,
And to God the things that are God's.
When they heard this,
They were amazed,
And they left him.
And went away.
As we bring our time together to a close,
I invite you to pray with me.
God of all creation.
You have placed your image within every human soul.
Beneath our striving,
Beneath our fears,
Beneath our identities,
We construct and defend.
Your presence remains.
Yet so often we forget who we are.
We allow the world to name us by achievement,
Failure,
Status,
Productivity,
Appearance or opinion.
We become shaped by pressures that pull us away from the deeper truth of belonging to you.
Gently awaken us.
Teach us to rest not in the approval of empire.
But in the quiet dignity of being your beloved.
Where we have become fragmented by comparison,
Gather us.
Where fear has distorted our identity,
Heal us.
Where we've given ourselves completely to lesser things,
Call us back to what is eternal.
May we learn to see your image not only within ourselves,
But within every person we encounter.
Especially the overlooked,
The wounded,
The forgotten,
And the difficult to love.
And as we move through this world with all its demands and distractions,
May we remember that our deepest identity isn't something we achieve.
But something we receive.
In you.
And may grace,
Peace and love go with us and remain with us today and always.
Amen.
Until next time,
Friends.
May God's grace and peace always be with you.
Bye for now.
