THE HEART OF THE MATTER

we want to get back to the heart of the matter. Who God is and what He has done for us in His Son Jesus to bring us back to Himself. When someone asks a tough question about God and faith, how should you respond? Guest speaker, Ryan Tenetti, helps us get to the heart of the matter today on the Lutheran Hour. I'm Mark Eisher. Thanks for sharing part of your day with us. The Lutheran Hour is listener supported. Here's Lutheran Hour speaker, Dr. Michael Ziegler, with a special invitation. Each week, the Lutheran Hour proclaims the gospel with help from faithful friends. If this broadcast has encouraged you, would you help offer that same encouragement to someone else? During our Fall Giving Campaign, your gift of any amount, whether it's your first or your first in a while, can help carry Jesus' love to listeners nationwide. And to show our gratitude, we'll send you a copy of my new book, Title Begin Again. Give today at LutheranHour.org, or call us at 800-876-9880, Monday through Friday. The website again is LutheranHour.org, and the number is 800-876-9880. Thank you for listening, and for praying, and for helping others hear the good news. Dr. Ryan Tenetti is an Assistant Professor of Practical Theology at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. Now, with a message titled "The Heart of the Matter," here is Pastor Tenetti. Grace, Mercy, and Peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. How do you escape a trap? How do you slip out of a tight spot? In our reading today from the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus steps right into a trap that's been laid for him by his opponents, the Pharisees. And they try to trap him by asking a question about a topic that was no less controversial than it is today. Let's listen for what it is. A reading from the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 22. Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle Jesus in his words, and they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you're true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you don't care about anyone's opinion, for you're not swayed by appearances. 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 coin for the tax."

And they brought him a denarius. And Jesus said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?" They said, "Caesar's?" Then he said to them, "Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesars, and to God the things that are gods." When they heard it, they marveled, and they left him and went away. "This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God." So, what's the controversial topic? Taxes. The Pharisees asked Jesus a question about taxes. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Now, this is no innocent question. Just think for a moment about the stakes that came with how Jesus should answer it. On the one hand, if Jesus says to them, "No, you shouldn't pay taxes." Then suddenly, he's opened himself up to the accusation of sedition, rebellion. He'd be seen as somebody who was opposing Rome, and so that could seal his fate before its time. On the other hand, if he says, "Yeah, pay your taxes. Nothing wrong with that." Then he alienates those among his tribe who are more nationalist, and they're thinking, "No, you shouldn't be doing that. We're not going to cow-tow to awful Rome." And so, in that case, he'll lose credibility with a number of his followers. So, what should Jesus do? Either answer, either way that he responds to the question, it's going to get something wrong in the eyes of those who oppose him. It's going to offend someone. Not that Jesus ever seems to be too worried about offending people. But suffice it to say, the question is a volatile one. He has a trap right before him. He's in a tight spot. And how is he going to escape it? You and I also find ourselves in tight spots at times. Specifically, the tight spots that come from hard questions and hard conversations. They don't have to be traps that are set in malice, as in the case of Jesus with the Pharisees. But these spots can still be challenging, awkward, and unsettling. They can still be difficult. And they can happen anywhere, anytime. For instance, this time of year, many Americans will go hunting and find themselves at deer camp. Deep theological conversations happen out in the woods,

where you're on the sidelines at the surface. table. And somebody pipes up and says, "How can there really be a God if there's so much suffering in the world?" And you think, "Has the sweet potatoes?" These sorts of tight spots, these hard conversations are out there for us Christians in this world, all over the place. If we're going to be known as followers of Jesus, folks are going to ask, and they should ask. So we need to be ready. But we need to be ready not just in what we're going to say, but in how we're going to approach these conversations, how we're going to handle those tight spots with wisdom, gentleness, and respect. And just a word for those who are listening who might be one of those questioners, I'm grateful for you. Asking questions is how we can all dig down deeper to find the truth. Believers and questioners alike, we all benefit from that quest. Please know the reason we Christians take this stuff so seriously is that we care deeply about Jesus and His Word, and we care deeply about you. We've got good news to share, and we want to share it in a way that is compelling and thoughtful. So again, this is where Jesus himself gives us some great guidance. He shows us not only what to say, but also how to handle those hard moments. What you might call his tactics. How do you navigate between minefields when you find yourself in hard conversations? How do you slip out of a tight spot? What do you say? How do you approach it? That's what I want to talk about today. As we follow our Lord Jesus' lead and observe his tactics, we see how he's able to answer hard conversations by going to the heart of the matter. And more important still, he shows himself again to be the one, the only one, who delivers us from the tightest of spots and frees us from the traps we all find ourselves in. So let's look at our Lord Jesus and learn what's his process, what are his tactics, his maneuvers, that he's able to work out of this trap. Step one is this. Recognize that you're in a tight spot. Recognize that you've got a trap right in front of you. It's apparent in this Gospel reading. We're told that the Pharisees were scheming to figure out how to entangle Jesus in his talk. How are we going to trap Jesus? And they do it by trying to butter him up with a little bit of flattery. Teacher, they say, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully and you don't care about anyone's opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. They're really laying it on thick. But Jesus just says, why do you put me to the test? He simply calls a spade a spade. He's not even

going to get in the arena with these guys when they ask this question. He refuses to engage on their terms. Why? Because he recognizes the trap that's been set for him. And notice that the problem with their question isn't just its content, but its structure. It's the way that it's framed. It's this kind of either or question. Should you pay taxes to Caesar or not? There's just two options that are put right before him. Psychologists call this narrow framing fitting, since that sounds like a tight spot. Narrow framing is when an issue or question is put forth in an either or sort of way so that you only see a little sliver of the issue at hand. And the problem is if you and I give into that and we step into that tight spot and we accept whatever narrow frame is put before us. So imagine, for instance, you're at a neighborhood block party and there's a bunch of folks from the community. You know them a little bit. Your acquaintance says, and they know you well enough to know that you're a Christian, a follower of Jesus. Well, somewhere along the line, one neighbor suddenly pipes up and says, Hey, you're Christian. Why are you Christians always against LGBTQ people? What's the deal? Ooh, that's a tight spot. What do you say? If you accept the question and the way that it's framed, then you concede to unhelpful ground for conversation. So first, you simply have to recognize that this is a tight spot and not enter it naively. We'll go back to that conversation in a moment, but let's go back to the gospel reading in our Lord. So next, Jesus shows us step two, which is this. Return a question with a question. In this tatatat with the Pharisees, he refuses to enter the narrow frame that they set, but instead returns the question with a question. He says, OK, bring me a denarius. And he asks them to show him the coin. Who's likeness and inscription is this? He says. He volleys back to them the question that they ask. He goes right back to it. He's answering their question. Now why is this so strategic? Author Greg Kuckel in his book called Tactics from which I've received a lot of inspiration for this sermon, he calls this the Colombo tactic. Now if you're under 40, you probably don't know who Colombo is. He was a TV detective who seemed to be bumbling

like he couldn't argue his way out of a wet paper bag, but in fact he was a coy and clever detective. Colombo would ask questions that seemed silly or just totally harmless. And yet he would be on the offensive in an inoffensive way by asking simple questions like, "Huh, can you tell me more?" This is the Colombo tactic, and this in a sense is what Jesus does here. Now why is this beneficial? How does this tactic help? For one thing, sometimes when you get thrown a hot potato right in your lap, asking another question can buy you some precious time to think, "What am I supposed to say here?" For another thing, everybody likes to be asked questions. If you're genuinely curious, people are happy to be asked. They want to share what they believe, and so it can establish trust to ask questions, and it can also gain information. Maybe there's a question behind their question. And finally, in a non-threatening way, the Colombo tactic restores you to common ground in the conversation. You're not just back on your heels. You're able to slip out of the tight spot by asking your own question.

So to return to our example from the neighborhood block party, you've suddenly had this hot potato thrown into your lap about Christian's attitudes toward LGBTQ people. What could be a natural next question for you to ask in response? Well, you might say, "Why do you think that?" What makes you say that we Christians are against people, whether they be LGBTQ or anyone else? Then they might start telling you their own story, situations that they've experienced, attitudes that they've encountered from Christians along the way. That's some really valuable information as you're having that conversation. And not only that, now it's put you back on common ground where you're able to make a connection rather than pick a fight. So how do you escape from a tight spot? Looking to Jesus, we've seen step one, recognize the spot you've got. Step two, return a question with a question, and then step three, as we see from our savior, is this. Reframe the issue. So Jesus asks this question, whose likeness and inscription is this on the coin? And they say, "Well, it's Caesars." Then Jesus drops these famous words. Therefore, render unto Caesar the things that are Caesars and to God the things that are gods. With these words, Jesus doesn't just give an answer about taxes.

Sure, he says, "Give to Caesar the things that are Caesars. "His face is on the coin, fine. "Pay him the coin that is his due." So the Lord does say that. But more importantly, with these words, Jesus gets to the heart of the matter. Render to God the things that are gods, he says. What he means is this, you, your heart and soul, your very self made in the image of God, you are the things that are God's property. So your relationship with your creator is the chief thing. That's what matters most. You can give Caesar your dues, but give God your devotion. Thus, Jesus speaks to the Pharisees. And in doing so, he reframes the issue. We can do likewise. When we find ourselves in tight spots, we want not only to ask questions, we want to get back to the heart of the matter, who God is and what he has done for us in his son Jesus to bring us back to himself. That's how we want to reframe things around our Lord, his identity, the gospel, what he's done for us, the things that matter most. So in the course of our imagined conversation with your neighbor, who's put the hot potato in your lap, now you've asked some questions, you've gotten some more information and you say listen, I'm open to a longer conversation about this

and it's going to be a longer one, but you just need to know what's most important is that we have a God who loves all people, who desires that all people be saved and that Christ laid down his life, not just for some people, but for everyone, including you and me. Because this is the true heart of the matter. All of us, each and every one of us, at times find ourselves in tight spots in life and we can't get ourselves out of them by our own powers. You fall into a trap and sometimes it's of your own making, but this is why Jesus came, not just to escape the trap laid by the Pharisees in this particular moment recorded by Matthew. He came in order to free you and me from the ultimate trap to pull us out of the tightest of spots, the trap made by our own sin and far worse than any scheming of humans is the conniving of Satan, the devil, our ancient enemy. St. Augustine, a great teacher from the early times. him on the cross. Now I've got him once and for all, Satan thought. But Augustine uses a delightful phrase. He says that the cross was the devil's mouse trap. Just when Satan thought that he had Jesus right where he wanted him, it turned out that the trap went the other way. And now the devil himself was caught because Christ was sprung from the ultimate trap of death.

He broke out of the grave and now, having escaped from that trap, he frees you and me. Not only from the tight spots that we might find ourselves in day to day, in hard talks, tricky interactions and sticky wickets of all kinds. He frees you and me from the most fearsome traps of sin, death and hell. Jesus by his death and resurrection has delivered you and me from them all. When we fail and when we fall as we all do, he still lifts us up. You can be sure of that. It's why we can enter into our day to day life with boldness and confidence prepared to have those hard conversations at deer camp, around the Thanksgiving table or at the block party. You know, this example that I've been using, it's inspired by a true story. Some years back, our neighborhood at the time was having a block party. My wife Ann was having a nice visit with one of our neighbors, who was herself a person from the LGBTQ community. Well, at one point, I don't know where the woman stops, puts a halt to the conversation and she says to Ann, "Hey, wait a second, why are you even talking to me?" And Ann says, "I'm sorry, I was just enjoying this cookie in our conversation." And the woman says, "No, no, no, you're a Christian, right? Aren't you against people like me?" Talk about a tight spot. But Ann doesn't look to pick a fight, but to make a connection. Instead, she says, "Why would you think I wouldn't want to talk to you? We're neighbors!" Jesus said to love your neighbor as yourself, right? And she smiled and took another bite of her cookie. Suddenly, that conversation was brought back to the heart of the matter. I'd love to tell you that in that moment, our neighbor was totally convinced and transformed, but that didn't happen and it rarely does. But it did open the door for a continued conversation. And in the course of those conversations, a relationship can grow and you and I are able

to point to the heart of the matter, that Jesus is the one, the only one, who's able to set us free now and eternally. Amen. You're listening to the Lutheran Hour for free online resources, archived audio, our mobile app, and more, go to LutheranHour.org. And in the course of those conversations, we're going to be able to find a way to make a difference. And in the course of those conversations, we're going to be able to find a way to make it clear that in the course of those conversations, we're going to be able to find a way to make a difference. And we're going to be able to find a way to make it clear that in the course of those conversations, we're going to be able to find a way to make it clear that in the course of those conversations, we're going to be able to find a way to make it clear that in the ♪ The earth, the wonders in the end ♪ ♪ Oh yet, just one is true for me ♪ ♪ God, ever yet also give me ♪ ♪ The soul that's trusting me in me ♪ ♪ In me, in me, in me. ♪ (choir singing in foreign language) ♪ I'm going by this ♪ ♪ And I know will depend on this ♪ ♪ And I know will depend on this ♪ ♪ May it so God to deliver me ♪ ♪ May it so help me, oh Lord ♪ ♪ Come be to the Father and to the Son ♪ ♪ And to the Son ♪ ♪ And to the Holy Spirit ♪ ♪ As it falls in my way ♪ ♪ May it be me ♪ ♪ May it so help me, oh Lord ♪ ♪ May it be you, oh Lord ♪ - Next week, Dr. Michael Ziegler says God's favor

is the relief that is waiting to find us before we knew we had a problem. - Luther had been a Roman Catholic all his life. He had devoted his life 24/7 to right knowledge and right action, but he found no relief. The more he did for God, the more he saw, he had left undone, the more he knew about God, the more he realized just how ignorant he was. And when he finally found relief, we're better when relief found him. It wasn't in right knowledge or right action. Instead, he found relief in a right relationship. That is through faith, a right relationship with God through childlike trust in Jesus. God's Son. - That's Dr. Michael Ziegler's message next week on "The Lutheran Hour." (gentle piano music) ♪ God of grace and God of glory ♪ ♪ On your King, oh, by your power ♪ ♪ Come your ancient church and a story ♪ ♪ Bring his mouth to glorious power ♪ ♪ Grant us wisdom, grant us courage ♪ ♪ All of his sing of his sorrow ♪ ♪ All of his sing of his soul ♪ ♪ All of his sing of his heart ♪ ♪ All of the hostels and evil ♪ ♪ All of the hostels and God of Christ ♪ ♪ All of his praise is from the free ♪ ♪ Christ, all of the hosts ♪

♪ Free of our hearts to faith and praise ♪ ♪ Grant us wisdom, grant us courage ♪ ♪ All living up ♪ Cue your children's glory in madness and not cry to your control. Change our world, and take your steadfast strength in deeds and glory in souls of bread. And our speech comes from the dust of riches, as the King comes forth, which is on the riches, as the King is your King comes forth. Save us from the presentation to thee, as we did for. Let the gift of your salvation be our home, we evermore. Grant us, we stop, grant us glory, save you, we adore, we adore, we adore, save you, we adore. Now, Dr. Teneti leads us in praying the Lord's Prayer. Top by our Lord and trusting His promises, we are bold to pray. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen. Now, receive the Lord's blessing. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you always. Amen. The Lutheran Hour is made possible through the support of faithful listeners like you. To learn how your prayers and gifts can extend the worldwide outreach of the Lutheran Hour, go to lutheranhour.org. Our theme music is by Peter proknow, Emily Rogers and Alicia Enstrom. I'm Mark Eisher. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries. [Music]