Sincerely
Matthew 22:15-22
by Jim Westmoreland
Harry Emerson Fosdick was a great preacher of another era. He
once gave a sermon entitled "On Catching the Wrong Bus." He started the sermon
by telling the story of a man who boarded a bus with the clear intention of going to
Detroit. However, when the bus arrived at its destination, the man stepped off the bus in
Kansas City, not Detroit.
The man had gotten on the wrong bus. He would not believe that he had gotten on the wrong
bus and asked for directions to Woodward Avenue. The people said they had never heard of
the avenue and looked at him with suspicious eyes. The man became indignant from the
responses he was getting. He knew Detroit, and he knew there was a Woodward Avenue. It
took him some time before he could believe he was in Kansas City and not Detroit. He had
simply gotten on the wrong bus.
We sometimes get on the "wrong bus" too. We seek to accomplish things and set
lofty goals only to find that we have gone about it in the wrong way. We want the good
things in life, but we have taken the wrong bus to get there. We were sincere in
everything we did--in the goals we set and in our commitment to achieve them. But, when we
get on the "wrong bus," then we'll get to the wrong place. Jesus said,
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads
to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that
leads to life, and only a few find it." (Matt.7:13-14).
Our text today talks about sincerity, whether we should pay taxes to "Caesar"
who, for us, represents the government, or civil authority. It is also often used as a
stewardship sermon to say that we should give to the church.
Notice the little drama that is going on here. The Pharisees plot to entrap Jesus. They
send their disciples along with their political enemy, the Herodians, to Jesus. They start
out with the timeworn compliment in the church, "We know you are sincere, but . .
." I'm sure you recognize that this strategy is not limited to the church. You can
hear it at the PTA, city council, the school board-- "We know that you are sincere
(or that you are trying to do a good job), but . . .!" Then, comes the zinger.
In Matthew 22:16 they really waxed eloquent as they not only say that know that Jesus is
sincere, they go on to say that He teaches the way of God according to the truth and that
He shows no partiality to any one. Having said that they now come with the zinger,
"Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or
not?"
It is obvious that their motive and manner in dealing with Jesus was devious and they were
seeking to trap Him, but, in their own minds, they were very sincere in what they were
doing. They had their belief system. Jesus was a threat and He was challenging what they
believed in and stood for. They were sincere in their belief that it was a good thing to
trap Jesus and to get rid of Him. These disciples of the Pharisees agreed to go to Jesus
because they wanted to become a good Pharisee. They were sincere, but they were wrong.
And, they were sincere about the wrong things.
Now, when we look again at their question to Jesus about whether to pay taxes to Caesar,
or not, we can look at it on several levels. The coin they gave to Jesus, which was used
to pay the tax, had the head of the Caesar on one side raised in bas relief. It
was a graven image of one who claimed to be god. Can a Jew pay a tax to this one who
claims to be a god? That's one level. Another is the question whether any Christian to pay
tax to any government. It is like saying, if God is supreme, then can I give any
allegiance to any lesser thing? And, another level deals with our relationship to God. If
we have a pretty casual relationship with God, if God thinks and acts like us most of the
time, then, when it comes to giving, we don't have much to offer God. We sort of
"tip" God!! That is a far different attitude than suggested in Jesus' words,
"Give God the things that are God's."
Two friends were walking near Times Square in Manhattan. It was during the noon lunch hour
and the streets were filled with people. Cars were honking their horns, taxicabs were
squealing around corners, sirens were wailing, and the sounds of the city were almost
deafening. Suddenly, one of them said, "What an interesting place to hear a
cricket."
His friend said, "What? You must be crazy. You couldn't possibly hear a cricket in
all of this noise!"
"No, I'm sure of it," his friend said, "I heard a cricket."
"That's crazy," said his friend.
The man, who thought he had heard a cricket, listened carefully for a moment, and then
walked across the street to a big cement planter where some shrubs were growing. He looked
into the bushes, beneath the branches, and sure enough, he located a small cricket. His
friend was utterly amazed.
"That's incredible," said his friend. "You must have superhuman ears!"
"No," said the man who heard the cricket. "My ears are no different from
yours. It all depends on what you're listening for."
"But that can't be!" said the friend. "I could never hear a cricket in this
noise."
"Yes, it's true," came the reply. "It depends on what is really important
to you. Here, let me show you."
He reached into his pocket, pulled out a few coins, and discreetly dropped them on the
sidewalk. And then, with the noise of the crowded street still blaring in their ears, they
noticed every head within twenty feet turn and look to see if the money that tinkled on
the pavement was theirs.
"See what I mean?" asked the man who heard the cricket. "It all depends on
what's important to you."
In the end the Pharisees heard from Jesus what they were listening for.--Rev.
Keenan Kelsey, "Making Choices"
What are we listening for? What kind of sincerity and commitment do we have. Are we
sincere about the right things? How are we dealing with the question about what is God's
and what is mine and what is Caesar's? How are we dealing with God as a priority as the
One who gives us meaning and purpose? Does our life show others that God is our priority
and center?
The late Danny Thomas lost his life savings of $600.00 at a time when he was out of work.
He and his wife, Rosie, had a baby on the way, and they needed money. Danny worked at
part-time jobs so Rosie could buy groceries. He also borrowed money from friends. It was a
tough time in his life.
A week before the baby was born, Danny had the grand total of seven dollars and
eighty-five cents to his name. What would he do? "My despair led me to my first
exposure to the powers of faith," Danny would later recall.
On Sunday morning Danny went to church. When the offering plate was passed he put in his
"usual one dollar." But something unexpected happened that day. A special
missions offering was taken. The priest explained where the mission offering would go, and
Danny felt he had to give something. "I got carried away," Danny said, "and
ended up giving my seven dollars."
He had given away all his money that Sunday. What in the world had he done? He walked up
to the altar rail, got on his knees and prayed aloud. "Look, I've given my last seven
bucks," he prayed. "I need it back tenfold because I've got a kid on the way,
and I have to pay the hospital bill." He went home with a mere eighty-five cents in
his pocket--all the money he had in the world.
"You won't believe this," Danny Thomas later wrote, "but the next morning
the phone rang in the rooming house hall." It was a job offer. He was offered a part
in a commercial. The job wasn't much but the pay was good--seventy-five dollars. "I
literally dropped the telephone receiver," Danny remembered. "First I whooped
with joy; then an eerie feeling came over me." He remembered what he had prayed at
church the day before. "The seventy-five dollar fee," he said, "unheard of
for me at that time was almost exactly ten times the amount of money I had donated to the
church."--"Like Parent, Like Child," by Dr. Arthur G. Ferry,
Jr.
Years ago there was a singing group called the McGuire Sisters who were quite popular. I
can still remember the sadly haunting repetition of the word "Sincerely." As we
consider God's call on us for our time, our talents, our energy and our money, let us do
it sincerely.