Replay Caesar what belongs to Caesar & to God what belongs to God - 29th Sunday, Cycle A

Our Gospel today ends with Jesus telling his opponents to repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.   This may be a familiar saying of Jesus, but what point was he trying to make?  Some background on the situation may be helpful to provide some insight.

The Pharisees were the Jewish religious leaders who would outwardly appear pious, but in their hearts were far from God.  They were constantly trying to accuse Jesus of violating the hundreds of Jewish laws they held everyone to. The Pharisees were also in opposition to Roman authorities who were in control of Jerusalem.   The Roman Emperor, Caesar, was the political leader, and also claimed to be divine. The Pharisees did not accept this claim.  The Roman currency used for commerce had Caesar’s image stamped on one side and the claim of his divinity on the other. The Pharisees would not permit the Jews to use the coins as they thought it was a form of idolatry.  They were only allowed to use unmarked copper coins for trade in the Jewish community.

The Herodian’s were a group of Jews who supported the Roman occupiers.   For this they received many favors to their benefit.    To protect their own interests, they would inform the Romans of anyone who opposed them.  They really didn’t have anything in common with Pharisees.  

So why would these two opposing groups come together?  So the Pharisees could trap Jesus and put him to shame, in order to get rid of him. The thought that by asking Jesus if it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, he would be put in a no win situation.    If Jesus said it was ok to pay the taxes the Pharisees would turn the Jewish people against him.  If Jesus said paying taxes was unlawful the Herodian’s would report him to the Roman and have him hauled off to prison. The Pharisee’s had it all worked out to get rid of Jesus.

But Jesus knew their hearts were up to no good. True to form Jesus catches them in being hypocrites by asking for a coin used to pay the census taxes.   The Pharisee’s produced a Roman coin with Caesars image on it.   If they were truly practicing what they preach, they wouldn’t have any. Jesus turns the tables on them and shames the Pharisees by their actions.

Jesus finally answers with something they didn’t expect: to pay what’s due to both Caesar and also to God.   The Jews were living under Roman occupation and had to coexist with them.   Paying taxes to the Romans was not something that is inherently sinful. But if not paid the Jews would be subject to punishment or even death by the Romans. So paying the census tax to peacefully coexist was necessary.  

Jesus was trying to make a point to his adversaries: God is the one they owe their greatest debt.  The Herodian’s and Pharisees were both Jews.  As Jews they were called to give their all to God: to love him with all their heart, mind, and soul and to love their neighbor as their self.   They owed everything to God because he is author of life.  The actions of the Herodian’s and Pharisees reflected their inner disposition, which was to only benefit them.  They were trying to keep at the center of attention, rather than God. They weren’t open to Jesus’ message of making present the Kingdom of Heaven by loving God and neighbor.   They were focused on themselves and all the privileges they received, rather than being the selfless servant as Jesus was.

We all live in a world today that is ruled by secular powers that may not always follow Gods ways.   God has allowed them to be in power.  If there is something contrary to God’s ways we can make a difference by living out our Christian faith and making the Kingdom of Heaven present.  How can we do this?

-         By praying at meals at home and when out in public

-         Through patience and forgiveness when driving

-         By sticking up for someone whose being bullied or made fun of

-         In being present to others when they experienced a loss

-         By supporting issues and candidates that support the dignity of life

Or we can choose to ignore the situation and only look out for ourselves like the Pharisees did.

As citizens of the United States of America we are subject to taxes just like the Jews were.  We may not like to pay taxes, but to live peacefully we are required to pay them as well.  We pay those taxes with the hard earned money from the talents God gave us.    The currency we use has an important reminder on it: “In God we trust”. This is a reminder for us that God is the one we really owe everything:  our country, homes, families, and our own lives.  We all have to pay our taxes, but do we remember to pay to God what belongs to God? Do we give God all our heart, mind, and soul and love our neighbor as ourselves? As we come forward for the Eucharist today let’s thank God for all he has given to us, and ask for the grace to enable us to give Him all our heart, mind, and soul.