Rendered in Darkness
“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this ... and see if I will not open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing that there will not be room to receive.”
Rembrandt’s “The Tribute Money” (1635) captures Jesus’ response to the Pharisees’ attempt to trap him with a question about taxes quite vividly. The painting depicts that moment when Jesus replies “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” His words remind us of our dual citizenship as Christians: our ultimate allegiance is to God’s kingdom, but we also have earthly duties and obligations.
Rembrandt juxtaposes the cunning malice of the Pharisees with the calm dignity and wisdom of Jesus. Jesus was not cowed by their schemes, and we too can stand firm in the face of hostility as we fix our eyes on Christ. Yet Jesus’ riposte also challenges those who would withdraw from the world, calling us to balance piety with service to our neighbors. His words echo the themes of this week’s Scriptures, which invite us to ordering our lives to God through just stewardship. As we give God our full devotion and honor earthly authorities, we live into the freedom of Christ.
Rembrandt utilizes dramatic tenebrism, with stark contrasts between light and darkness, to heighten the moral drama. Jesus' face and hands shine radiantly, illuminated by a divine light against the gloom surrounding him. Meanwhile, the questioners lurk in shadows, their hardened faces barely visible. This chiaroscuro symbolizes the cosmic struggle between the forces of good and evil, revelation and ignorance. Yet the variable shading, the delicate hashstrokes, the soft edges between light and dark suggest the grace that permeates our fallen world. Rembrandt’s dramatic painting thus symbolizes the ongoing dance between sacred and secular that we are called to as citizens of heaven dwelling on earth.
You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit.
— 1 Thessalonians 1:6
Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost
Texts for This Week
Prayer
Set us free, loving Father, from the bondage of our sins, and in your goodness and mercy give us the liberty of that abundant life which you have made known to us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Everything Depends on You
Johann Sebastian Bach's 1726 cantata "Es wartet alles auf dich" (BWV 187) (Everything awaits you) resonates deeply with the themes of this week's readings. Here’s a link to the translation of the lyrics.
The opening chorale extols God's generosity in providing for all creation, echoing Malachi's promise that God will open the windows of heaven and pour out abundant blessings on the faithful. In the tenor aria, the soloist sings of rendering one's heart completely to Jesus, much as this week's texts call us into a fuller devotion to God. The bass aria's assertion that God Himself will refresh and nourish the soul recalls the Thessalonians' joyful reception of the word amidst affliction.
Throughout the cantata, Bach employs a variety of musical techniques to depict both the lavishness of God's provision and our own poverty of spirit. Majestic orchestral movements bursting with warm instrumentation evoke the image of God's storehouse brimming over. In contrast, the spare accompaniment of the tenor aria suggests the barrenness of a life that is devoid of Christ. Yet even the most somber movements contain hints of hope, as in the chromatic bass aria's yearning dissonances reaching for resolution. Just as Jesus' wisdom dispels the darkness in Rembrandt's painting, Bach's music illuminates the promise of blessing for those who faithfully steward their lives.
Bach's setting of Psalm 145 in the concluding chorale is especially fitting for this week, as it calls all God's works to praise His kingdom. Through both its poetry and music, this cantata inspires us toward the single-hearted spiritual devotion that flows from contemplating God's majesty and generosity. As we hear these voices lifted in song, may our hearts also rise to meet the abundant gifts of the One who truly awaits and richly provides for all.
John Chrysostom of Matthew 22:15
“Then the Pharisees went and strategized how they might entrap Him in His words.”
Then - when? When most of all they should have been moved to remorse, when they should have been amazed at His love for humankind, when they should have feared what was to come, when from the past they should have believed concerning the future also. For indeed, the things that had been said cried aloud in actual fulfillment. I mean, that tax collectors and prostitutes believed, and prophets and righteous people were killed, and from these things they should not have contradicted concerning their own destruction, but even believed and been sobered.
But nevertheless, not even so do their wicked actions cease, but continue further. And because they could not lay hands on Him (for they feared the crowd), they took another way with the intention of bringing Him into danger, and making Him guilty of crimes against the state.
