"A Penny for Your Thoughts"

(Ex 33:12-23; Mtt 22:15-22) JG White ~ 10:30 am, Sun, Oct 18, 2026, FBC Amherst

‘A penny for your thoughts’ we used to say. Perhaps that phrase is now as rare as a penny. Jesus called for a coin to make a point and share His thoughts. He was actually surrounded by enemies, opponents anyway, but in the end He amazed them. 

There are a variety of enemies that beset us in this chapter of our lives. We can be overwhelmed by everything that surrounds us. Can we possibly think of amazing the enemy, and making our own point?

I had Angela put some Roman coin images on the cover of our service Bulletin. These ancient coins celebrated the Emperor, of course, Caesar. The coin shown to Jesus could have had this phrase, in Latin: Tiberius Caesar, Son of the Divine Augustus, Pontifex Maximus. Romans rulers put themselves at the height, as gods.

Our coins follow this tradition, but don’t go quite that far. Do you know that God is mentioned on our Canadian coins? Most of them. We read upon them: D. G. Rex. (Dei Gratia Rex) By the grace of God, King. Many coins still in circulation say D. G. Regina. By the grace of God, Queen.

Our national anthem still has the phrase, a prayer really, God keep our land glorious and free. Our national coat of arms has a Latin phrase upon it that is from the Bible. Psalm 72, verse eight. A Mari usque ad Mare. From sea to sea. 

A Canadian coin can remind you there is a God. A twenty dollar bill, with the coat of arms upon it, minutely and briefly quotes scripture. We can remember our ultimate allegiance, to Christ the Son of God, who has dominion from sea to sea, and by whose grace any rulers do their good work.

Remembering the God who is for us, not against us, is vital in this time. Pause and consider: what ‘emperors’ rule you? Do you find there are any that threaten us? They may be actual governmental powers, or economic powers, or others. 

Closer to home, people have local ‘bosses’ who cause trouble. A month ago I watched for the first time the 1980 film, 9 to 5, because of the death of Dolly Parton. 9 to 5 was more comedic than I expected, and longer, and surprising. It is about what Dolly’s song says: Want to move ahead, but the boss won’t seem to let me. 

I swear sometimes that man is out to get me!

Today’s Gospel story can inspire us to figure out how to combat an Emperor, how to deal with the management, the government, the economic powers. The first thing I thought of was humour and satire. This wasn’t really Jesus’ main method that day he called for a coin to be produced, though there might actually be a bit of humour in that moment. 

Consider all the comedians who make politicians their targets. All the newspaper cartoonists, with their skill of making their critique, simply with pictures. All the signs protesters make, many of which include a play on words or a harsh joke to combat their ‘enemy.’ The funniest things can be funny because there is a kernel of truth there. And one can get away with a joke when there is something bad to criticize. 

The renaissance theologian & statesman, Thomas More, claimed even “The devil… the prowde spirit… cannot endure to be mocked.”

To face some powerful foe, we must listen to them carefully. In our day of so much - too much - information published about everything, we can only take so much. So much news on TV or radio, podcasts, and social media reels. We can be inundated, flooded. It is easy for some to give up and avoid almost all of it. It takes some discipline & planning & skill to sort thru it all and truly hear from our powerful ‘leaders.’ But we need to hear the truth. 

Part of this is when we listen to their team, their supporters. In some cases we can’t blame only the troublesome one at the top; we must face the whole team, the movement that is on board. In today’s Gospel story, Jesus is met, not by the Pharisees who opposed Him, but by their disciples and others who were sent to Jesus. You and I get to meet people in our neighbourhoods who disagree with us about the economy and business, about town planning, about political issues, about the environment, about religion and spirituality. We may not get to know the powers at the top; we get to meet the supporters at the grass roots.

So we then must remember to love your enemies and your neighbours. A terrible tyrant is a person too, as well as all their minions. Jesus’ teaching on facing a foe is always remarkable. Do good. Turn the other cheek. Pray for them. Be generous to a fault, He seems to say. And Jesus seems to do. Someone told me recently about a great and important prayer they use. “Lord, help me to keep from hating them!” Wow. That’s a large prayer.

How to combat an evil empire? Next, I’d say, remember the image you bear. It is the image of God. Just as a coin can have the picture of some ruler upon it, we, in spirit, bear the image of ours, our God. From Genesis we hear of humanity being created in the image of God, and from the book, Romans, that we are destined to be conformed to the image of God’s Son, Jesus. Ephesians and other texts speak of believers being sealed with the Holy Spirit. 

The image of God in us is a gift, not a personal accomplishment or achievement. Though we should make an effort to live it out. 

The  image is a blessing in us. It is a sign that we belong and are of value to the Creator. We are at our best with God, in God, when we are for God. To know the image of God upon us is to know we are never alone. And this inspires confidence.

The image of God in us is permanent. And it is above all our other allegiances.

Thus strengthened, we learn to resist. To resist the ones who concern us, who confuse us, who even try to crush us. I thought immediately of the story of Deitrich Bonhoeffer. A tremendous pastor and professor, his resistance during the rise and fall of Nazi Germany was inspiring. It led to his death, Bonhoeffer’s execution at a concentration camp. His books, his letters and papers from his time in prison, and the testimony of his friends, paint the picture of amazing resistance by Christians in the face of terrible enemies. 

As things got worse in Europe, Bonhoeffer happened to be teaching in the United States. He returned, returned to his homeland. Strongly opposed to the Nazi regime, he was with a group called ‘the Confessing Church.’ He ran a seminary for training ministers in secret. He joined military intelligence, but became a double agent, and was part of a plot to kill Adolf Hitler - which was unsuccessful. Not long before the war came to end, Deitrich Bonhoeffer was hanged at Flossenburg camp. 

The extreme examples of resistance against evil can teach us, speak to us, in our moments of standing up against our concerns. We continue to wonder, how do we resist? Each situation is different. 

Resist as necessary. Jesus was aware that the Pharisees and Herodians and others plotted against him; He sensed their motives. 

Resist as you can. Jesus knew his opponents spoke in complimentary ways that were insincere. He spoke very wisely.

Resist peacefully. Jesus did not feel the need to give a straight answer. Yet, aware of their malice, Jesus did not speak maliciously. We hear sad stories such as yesterday’s violent protests in Paris. It takes real discipline and grace to remain peaceful, in word and deed.

Resist within reason. Learn your limits. But expect the help of the Saviour. More is possible with God than we can ask or imagine.

Resist with others. We are not alone. You are not alone. There is strength in numbers, don’t we say? Did you ever notice the editorial mission statement of Saltscapes magazine: Some would make us just names on a list. But we are people in a place—and resist. 

Resist even when resistance seems futile. Remember Christ crucified. Meditate upon how strong He was, yet how silent, and how nonviolent. Was His effort futile? He got killed! 

Resist because you are on the side of what’s right, not because you think you can win. Resist when we think we will lose.

Making a sacrifice for a good cause always catches the human imagination. I remember Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977). At the end is an amazing statement delivered by Obi‑Wan Kenobi during his final duel with Darth Vader. “You can’t win, Darth. If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.” Sure enough, Obi-wan is then killed. But the force for good goes on, stronger than ever.

In a way, this mirrors our Jesus story. As we go now, into the rest of this week, this month, this life of ours, let us stick with our ultimate allegiance. To Christ. To the God whose image we bear. To the Spirit who values us so deeply.