dual personalities

Then the Pharisees went and took counsel how to entangle him in his talk. And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Hero’dians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true, and teach the way of God truthfully, and care for no man; for you do not regard the position of men. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the money for the tax.” And they brought him a coin. And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” When they heard it, they marveled; and they left him and went away.
–Matthew 22: 15-22

I wish I could tell you what the sermon was about today, but I really can’t. Our associate rector lost me somewhere early in her rambling exposition on the gospel and how it’s about everything-belongs-to-God-and-we-need-to-share-it. Yadda yadda over and out.

If I had been giving the sermon I would have talked about how great Jesus is and how he could, in just a few words, talk circles around those Pharisees. No wonder they hated him. I mean he had a tone! He’s saying don’t mess with me. These are details. I would have quoted from Salinger’s great Zooey rant about his sister’s mis-use of the Jesus prayer. Here’s part of it:

“If God had wanted somebody with St. Francis’s consistently winning personality for the job in the New Testament, he’d’ve picked him, you can be sure. As it was, he picked the best, the smartest, the most loving, the least sentimental, the most unimitative master he could possibly have picked.”

Yes, indeed.