Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time 

Matthew 22:15-21

Translated from a homily by Don Fabio Rosini, broadcast on Vatican Radio

The enemies of Jesus approach him with sweet words, but their intention is to trap him

This is the famous Gospel where Jesus says, "Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God!" In the passage that leads to Jesus uttering this phrase, the Pharisees and the Herodians approach Jesus with a question. In normal circumstances, the Herodians (those who considered Herod to be the legitimate successor of the Kings of Israel) would not have had much in common with the Pharisees, but in this case both factions join forces in an effort to trap Jesus.

            They begin by praising Jesus for his honesty, truthfulness and impartiality. This is already a sign that they are seeking to ensnare him. Real friendship is not marked by adulation. Our enemies speak sweetly to us in order to lure us into a false sense of security; real friends, by contrast, speak to us honestly and forthrightly. And, in fact, Jesus reacts immediately to their two-facedness. "Hypocrites", he says, "Why are you putting me to the test?" The word "hypocrite" literally means one who does not publicly reveal his true face, whose true opinion or criticism remains underneath the surface.

A question that appears to have no satisfactory answer

The question is put to Jesus: "Is it legitimate to pay the tribute to Caesar?" A question such as this has been well chosen, for it has no satisfactory answer. If Jesus responds with a monosyllabic "Yes" or "No", then in both cases it will place him in a difficult position. On the one hand, we can discern in the biblical texts of the Old Testament a general attitude of deference towards the demands of the governing authorities. In the story of the return of the Israelites from exile, great respect and honour is shown towards King Cyrus, who allowed the Jews to return to their homeland.  Therefore, it would be to go against the Scriptures for Jesus to encourage people not to pay the tax to the governing authorities. On the other hand, to tell people to go ahead and pay the tax would be to affirm the definitive power of Rome. The Jews considered the Roman regime to be an oppressive one that placed great burdens on the people. Thus, as far as his listeners were concerned, whichever answer Jesus gave would have been the wrong one.

Jesus changes the playing field and leads us into much more profound territory

Jesus responds with a technique that he often uses when confronted by his enemies. He simply refuses to play the game that his adversary wants him to play and instead leads his listeners into much deeper waters.  He himself asks a question, thus bringing his adversaries onto his playing field. Firstly he says, "Show me the coin that pays the census tax". This coin would have had the image of the emperor on it and would have described him as "divine". There are two issues here that are highly relevant for the mentality of the Hebrews. In the first place, the coin has an image, and images were not allowed by the prescriptions of the Hebrews. Secondly, we have an inscription in which a human being declares himself to be God. Jesus invites his adversaries to focus on these issues by asking "Whose image is this and whose inscription?" When they reply, "Caesar", Jesus says, "Give to Caesar what belongs to him and to God what belongs to God". In so doing, Jesus implicitly turns the question of his adversaries on its head. Jesus' listeners are preoccupied with mundane matters. Their concern is; "How should we behave towards the earthly authorities?" Jesus, instead, prompts his listeners to ask how we ought to behave towards the heavenly authorities. If the payment of this coin suffices to fulfil our duty towards Caesar, then what do we need to do to fulfil our duty towards God?

The coin carries the likeness of Caesar but we carry the likeness of God

The coin carries the image and likeness of Caesar, but it is man himself who carries the image and likeness of God. What should be given by us to Caesar? That very limited part of reality that belongs to Caesar and his system of governance. And what should be given to God? It is man himself and his entire existence that belongs to God. Jesus is not just talking here about placing the civil and the spiritual components of life in little compartments. To give to God what belongs to him is to give him the most fundamental part of our existence, for we bear the likeness of God and belong completely to him. Here the issue at stake is true conversion; we are talking about how one should live the Gospel fully. If we wish to understand this text properly, then we must comprehend the radical nature of what Jesus is saying to us. 

The martyrs and St Francis refused to give to Caesar that which belonged only to God

Men and women have been martyred for refusing to give to Caesar that which is not his. Caesar wished to take the place of God, declaring himself to be divine, and the martyrs of the early centuries died for not professing Caesar to be a God. Certainly they would have been good citizens, and would have paid their taxes. Christians of all ages give scandal by not obeying the civil authorities. But to give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God is not resolved by just paying one's taxes. It requires a process of discernment in which we come to appreciate the immensity of what is properly due to God. Saint Francis, for example, when he gave to his father all of his clothes and declared himself to be a child of the heavenly Father, was giving to Caesar the riches of this world, and was giving to God what belonged to God - his very life and daily existence.

            This is the call that was placed before us at baptism when we were asked not to be of the world. All too often, in practice, we give to Caesar what actually belongs to the Lord. Too often we give to this world the things that should only be offered to God. This is also the case with money, which has a logic of its own. We are called to show love through our use of money, to utilize money to love and to serve others. We are asked to relate to money in such a way so as not to be completely caught up in the affairs of this world.

This is NOT a Gospel that compartmentalizes the spiritual!

The Lord, through this Gospel, wants to bring a certain clarity to our lives. We have all been given a mission. If, for example, we have been given the mission of raising a family, then we must strive to give to God what belongs only to him. If a man has been called to be a husband and a father, but is busy most of the time doing other things, then he is giving to Caesar that which belongs to God. He is giving to the affairs of this world the same dedication that God requires of him to fulfil his mission as father and husband. It is the same with the mission of the priest. A priest who occupies himself doing endless meaningless things; who busies himself with matters that are mundane and of secondary importance, is giving to Caesar that which belongs to God. Let us be absolutely clear about these things; let us put them in order, and, in so doing, let us attain freedom.