Whose Image? Matthew 22:15–22 The Rev. Drake Douglas Watch the sermon here Most of us handle dollar bills so often (or so little) that we rarely stop to really look at them. But on the back of each one dollar bill, just above the large ONE, are four words: In God We Trust. It’s easy to assume that motto has been there since we’ve had a one dollar bill, but it hasn’t, and the story of how it came to be there is a rendition of today’s Gospel in an American key. It’s the week before Passover, and Jerusalem is crowded with pilgrims who’ve come to remember how God once delivered their ancestors from Pharaoh’s oppression, even as occupying Roman soldiers watch from the walls. Jesus is teaching in the Temple courts when the Pharisees send their disciples to him with an unlikely set of companions: the Herodians. The Pharisees resented Roman rule; the Herodians owed their position to it. They agreed on very little, except that this rabbi from Galilee had become a problem. They come to him with flattery on their lips, and then they lay the trap: “Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” If Jesus says yes, he has sided against his own people. If he says no, he’s spoken sedition, and Rome has a clear track record of how they deal with sedition. So, per usual, Jesus doesn’t answer the question. Instead, he asks to see the coin. He doesn’t seem to have one, but they surely do. So, there in the courts of God’s house, they draw out a silver denarius. On one side is likely the face of the emperor Tiberius, encircled by words naming him the son of the divine Augustus. On the other is likely a title: Pontifex Maximus, high priest. It was more than currency. It was a creed in miniature, placing the emperor among the gods. “Whose head is this,” Jesus asks, “and whose title?” When they answer that it’s the emperor’s, he says: “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” Which brings us back to those four words on our dollar: In God We Trust. They first appeared on American currency in 1864, on a two-cent coin minted in the middle of the Civil War, after a Pennsylvania pastor wrote to the Treasury, convinced that God stood with the Union, and that our coins ought to say so. Nearly a century later, at the height of the Cold War, Congress added “under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance, after a Washington preacher warned that without it, Soviet children might recite the same pledge to their own flag. And that just wouldn’t do. In 1956, In God We Trust became the national motto, and soon it was printed on our paper money. Easy to overlook, however, is the motto it replaced, the one used since the earliest days of the republic. It’s still there on the same one dollar bill, on a ribbon in the eagle’s beak: E pluribus unum. Out of many, one. We set aside a motto that gathered people together for one that, by its own champions’ admission, was meant to mark some people as other. I don’t believe the people behind those changes were cynical. I think they were afraid: of communism, of war, of the bomb, of a world coming apart. And that’s how it usually happens. The caesars of the world rarely have to take God’s name by force. Because, in frightened times, faithful people offer it to them freely, hoping for reassurance that God is on their side. Our comparison with Rome isn’t exact, though, and the difference is important here. Rome claimed the emperor was himself divine, one god among many. We’ve never claimed that—at least not most of us. What we’ve reached for instead is God’s favor: not a ruler who is divine, but a nation that is chosen, a cause that is blessed, and perhaps most importantly, an enemy who stands outside of God’s care. In one sense, ours is the subtler danger. Rome’s coin was at least honest about setting up a rival god. Ours invokes the one true God and asks God to bless our boundaries. That was the intent when those words were added, even if few of us think of them that way today. Scripture has something to say about that: “You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain.” The Hebrew literally warns against carrying God’s name for an empty purpose. And we carry it in our wallets. When a nation borrows the name of God for its own purposes, whom is it really serving? Jesus’ answer points us somewhere else entirely, and it turns on a single word. The word Matthew uses for Caesar’s likeness is eikōn: icon, image. The same word the Greek Scriptures use on page one, when God creates humankind in God’s own eikōn, God’s image. So, follow Jesus’ logic here. The coin bears Caesar’s image, so it belongs to Caesar; let him have it. But what bears the image of God? You do. And so, you belong to God. But not only you. Your neighbor bears that image. So does the person you voted against, and the migrant waiting at our border, and the prisoner, and every person we’ve ever been taught to call our enemy. They belong to God too. And yet that is exactly what we forget. We take such care to put God’s name on our cash, and so little care to honor God’s image in one another. We keep drawing lines around who belongs, sometimes in God’s very name, when in truth every person on the far side of those lines already belongs to God. Deciding who belongs was never our task to take up. Notice, too, what Jesus doesn’t say. He doesn’t tell them to throw the coin away. Give it back, he says; it has its place. Money pays the rent and buys the groceries. It keeps the lights on in this building and supports the ministries that reach far beyond it. We can’t live without it, and Scripture never pretends that we can. But Jesus is just as clear that money makes a rotten master. You cannot serve God and wealth, he says earlier in Matthew. The trouble with that Roman coin wasn’t that it was money; it was the creed it carried. And our temptation, I suspect, isn’t so different. Few of us would call money a god. But we’re quite capable of asking it to do what only God can do: to make us secure, to tell us what we’re worth, to decide whom we notice and whom we pass by. Our first loyalty belongs to God: not to a nation, not to a party, not to our bank accounts, and not to the crowd. We can love our country, pay our taxes, and use our money well. But Jesus asks us to remember that the world’s claims on us are limited, and that God’s are not. Caesar may have the coin, but God has our soul. The Christian call is to let money be what it is: a tool. A useful one, a necessary one. When spent with care, saved with wisdom, and given with open hands, it can serve holy purposes. It can support God’s purposes without ever taking God’s place. But it was never meant to bear the weight of our trust. That belongs to God alone. So, the next time a dollar passes through your hands, look at it once more. In God We Trust. I’m not suggesting you scratch those words out. I’m asking you to make them true: to hold the money lightly as you hold the trust firmly, remembering that it is God, and not the nation or the crowd or the coin, who holds us. And in a few minutes, you’ll hold out those same hands for something else. We’ll come forward to this table from different sides of many lines the world has drawn, and each of us will receive the same bread. It bears no emperor’s face. It asks for no allegiance but love. We who are many are one body, for we all share one bread. That’s the motto God has been writing all along, not on our money, but on our hearts. Out of many, one. Amen. Amen.

The Rev. Drake Douglas Readings : Genesis 1:20–22a, 24–26a, 28, 31a; Luke 12.22-32; Psalm 104:10-25 Watch homily here

The Rev. Drake Douglas Readings : Exodus 17:1-7 ; Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16 ; Philippians 2:1-13 ; Matthew 21:23-32 Watch the sermon here

The Rev. Drake Douglas Readings: Exodus 14:19-31 ; Psalm 114 ; Romans 14:1-12 ; Matthew 18:21-35

The Rev. Drake Douglas Readings: Exodus 3:1-15 ; Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45c ; Romans 12:9-21 ; Matthew 16:21-28 Watch the sermon here

The Rev. Drake Douglas Readings: Genesis 45:1-15 ; Psalm 133 ; Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32 ; Matthew 15: (10-20), 21-28 Watch the sermon here

The Rev Drake Douglas Readings: Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28; Psalm 105:1-6, 16-22, 45b; Romans 10:5-15; Matthew 14:22-33 Watch the sermon here

The Rev. Drake Douglas Readings : Genesis 32:22-31 ; Psalm 17:1-7,16 ; Romans 9:1-5 ; Matthew 14:13-21 Watch the sermon here

Joe Swinski Readings: Judith 9:1,11-14; Corinthians 5:14-18; John 20:11-18 Watch the sermon here. 

The Rev. Drake Douglas Readings: Genesis 25:19-34 ; Psalm 119:105-112 ; Romans 8:1-11 ; Matthew 13:1-9,18-23 Watch the sermon here

The Rev. Drake Douglas Readings: Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67 ; Psalm 45: 11-1 8; Romans 7:15-25a ; Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 Watch the sermon here

The Rev. Drake Douglas Readings : Genesis 22:1-14 ; Psalm 13 ; Romans 6:12-23 ; Matthew 10:40-42 Watch the sermon here

The Rev. Drake Douglas Readings : Genesis 18:1-15, (21:1-7) ; Psalm 116:1, 10-17 ; Romans 5:1-8 ; Matthew 9:35-10:8(9-23) Watch the sermon here

The Rev. Drake Douglas Readings : Genesis 12:1-9 ; Psalm 33:1-12 ; Romans 4:13-25 ; Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26 Watch the sermon here

The Rev Drake Douglas Readings : Numbers 11:16-17,24-25a; Psalm 146; Ephesians 4:7,11-16; John 15:9-16 Watch the sermon here Given to the glory of God and to the honor of The Rev K Casenhiser's installation as Rector of Holy Trinity Church, Tiverton, RI.

The Rev. Drake Douglas Readings : Genesis 1:1-2:4a ; 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 ; Matthew 28:16-20 ; Psalm 8 Watch the sermon here

The Rev. Drake Douglas Readings : Acts 7:55-60 ; 1 Peter 2:2-10 ; John 14:1-14 ; Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16 Watch the sermon here

The Rev. Drake Douglas Readings: Acts 2:42-47 ; 1 Peter 2:19-25 ; John 10:1-10 ; Psalm 23 Watch the sermon here 

The Rev. Drake Douglas Readings : Acts 10:34-43; Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24; Colossians 3:1-4; John 20:1-18 Watch the sermon here

The Rev. Drake Douglas Readings : Isaiah 52:13-53:12 ; Hebrews 10:16-25 ; John 18:1-19:42 ; Psalm 22

The Rev Drake Douglas Readings : Matthew 21:1-11 ; Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 ; Philippians 2:5-11 ; Matthew 27:11-54 Watch the sermon here 

The Rev. Drake Douglas Readings: Ezekiel 37:1-14 ; Romans 8:6-11 ; John 11:1-45 ; Psalm 130 Watch the sermon here

The Rev. Drake Douglas Readings : Exodus 17:1-7 ; Romans 5:1-11 ; John 4:5-42 ; Psalm 95 Watch the sermon here

The Rev Drake Douglas Readings : Genesis 12:1-4a ; Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 ; John 3:1-17 ; Psalm 121 Watch the sermon here

The Rev. Drake Douglas Readings : Exodus 24:12-18 ; 2 Peter 1:16-21 ; Matthew 17:1-9 ; Psalm 2 Watch the sermon here

The Rev Drake Douglas Watch the sermon here Readings : Isaiah 58:1-12 ; 1 Corinthians 2:1-12 ; Matthew 5:13-20 ; Psalm 112:1-9

The Rev. Drake Douglas Readings : Isaiah 9:1-4 ; 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 ; Matthew 4:12-23 ; Psalm 27:1, 5-13

The Rev. Drake Douglas Watch the sermon Readings : Isaiah 49:1-7 ; 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 ; John 1:29-42 ; Psalm 40:1-12

The Rev. Drake Douglas Readings : Isaiah 42:1-9 ; Acts 10:34-43 ; Matthew 3:13-17 ; Psalm 29

The Rev. Drake Douglas Watch the sermon Readings : Isaiah 61:10-62:3 ; Galatians 3:23-25; 4:4-7 ; John 1:1-18 ; Psalm 147 :1-12

The Rev. Drake Douglas Readings : Isaiah 62:6-12 ; Titus 3:4-7 ; Luke 2:8-20 ; Psalm 97

The Rev. Drake Douglas Watch the sermon Readings : Isaiah 7:10-16 ; Romans 1:1-7 ; Matthew 1:18-25 ; Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18

The Rev. Drake Douglas Watch the sermon Readings : Isaiah 35:1-10; Canticle 15 (The Song of Mary); James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11

The Rev. Drake Douglas Watch the sermon Readings : Isaiah 11:1-10; Romans 15:4-13; Matthew 3:1-12; Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19

The Rev. Drake Douglas Watch the sermon Readings : Isaiah 2:1-5; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:36-44; Psalm 122

The Rev. Drake Douglas Watch the sermon Readings : Jeremiah 23:1-6 ; Psalm 46 ; Colossians 1:11-20 ; Luke 23:33-43

The Rev. Drake Douglas Readings : Isaiah 1:10-18 ; Psalm 32:1-8 ; 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12 ; Luke 19:1-10

The Rev. Drake Douglas Readings : Genesis 32:22-31 ; Psalm 121 ; 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5 ; Luke 18:1-8

The Rev. Drake Douglas Watch the sermon Readings : Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4 ; Psalm 37:1-10 ; 2 Timothy 1:1-14 ; Luke 17:5-10

The Rev. Drake Douglas Readings : Amos 6:1a,4-7 ; Psalm 146 ; 1 Timothy 6:6-19 ; Luke 16:19-31

The Rev Drake Douglas Readings : Exodus 32:7-14; Psalm 51:1-11; 1 Timothy 1:12-17; Luke 15:1-10

The Rev Drake Douglas Watch the sermon here Readings : Deuteronomy 30:15-20 ; Psalm 1 ; Philemon 1-21 ; Luke 14:25-33

The Rev Drake Douglas Watch the sermon here  Readings : Sirach 10:12-18 ; Psalm 112 ; Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16 ; Luke 14:1, 7-14

The Rev Drake Douglas Watch the sermon here Readings : Jeremiah 23:23-29 ; Psalm 82 ; Hebrews 11:29-12:2 ; Luke 12:49-56

The Rev Drake Douglas Watch the sermon here R  eadings : Genesis 18:1-10a ; Psalm 15 ; Colossians 1:15-28 ; Luke 10:38-42

The Rev Drake Douglas Watch the sermon here Readings : Deuteronomy 30:9-14 ; Psalm 25:1-9 ; Colossians 1:1-14 ; Luke 10:25-37

The Rev Drake Douglas Watch the sermon here Readings : 1 Kings 19:15-16,19-21 ; Psalm 16 ; Galatians 5:1,13-25 ; Luke 9:51-62

The Rev Drake Douglas Watch the sermon here Readings : Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31 ; Romans 5:1-5 ; John 16:12-15 ; Psalm 8 

The Rev Drake Douglas Watch the sermon here Readings : Acts 2:1-21 ; Romans 8:14-17 ; John 14:8-17 ; Psalm 104:25-35, 37