Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
Jaime L. WatersSeptember 18, 2020
Photo by Paul Skorupskas on Unsplash

In today’s Gospel, we hear the well-known passage that is sometimes used to justify paying taxes or to advocate for a separation of church and state. Instead, Matthew may simply be trying to demonstrate Jesus’ ability to reframe arguments and spotlight important matters.

Give the Lord glory and might. (Ps 96:7)

Liturgical day
TWENTY-NINTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (A)
Readings
Is 45:1-6; Ps 96; 1 Thes 1:1-5; Mt 22:15-21
Prayer

What does “Give to God what belongs to God” mean to you?

How can you live a life that is inspired by the Gospel?

How do you deal with confrontation?

The Gospel begins with the Pharisees plotting against Jesus. At this point in Matthew, Jesus has had multiple conversations and confrontations in which he criticizes the Pharisees and other Jewish leaders. Today we hear a portion of the Pharisees’ counterattack, as they try to entrap Jesus into saying something condemnable and dangerous.

The Pharisees sent some of their followers along with the Herodians, supporters of Herod Antipas, to question Jesus. The group offers disingenuous compliments on Jesus’ sincerity, ability to teach and impartiality. Then they pose the question whether it is lawful to pay taxes to the emperor. Jesus immediately points out their malicious intention: “Why are you testing me, you hypocrites?”

The reason this is a test is that Jesus’ answer could upset different groups of people and could be used against him. If Jesus said people should not pay the tax, this would anger the Herodians, since Herod’s power depended on his relationship to the Roman emperor. If he said people should pay the tax, zealots who opposed Roman occupation would be angry with the assertion.

Jesus carefully sidesteps this trap by asking them whose image and inscription are on the coin used to pay the tax. They reply that it is the emperor. The coin they presented likely bore the image of Tiberius Caesar, who ruled during Jesus’ adult life. Jesus then declares, “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”

The first part of this response is clever. Jesus affirms that the money is issued from the emperor, so giving a portion as a tax is merely returning the money to its owner. Jesus’ thoughtful and safe response likely would not anger those who were pro- or anti-tax. But Jesus also adds a second, more challenging, response: the importance of giving to God what belongs to God. Jesus does not elaborate on what that entails; but since life comes from God, in whose image and likeness humans are made, Jesus could be reminding his hearers of the call to devote their actions and lives to God.

Today’s Gospel reading ends with Jesus’ declaration, but the following verse shows how effectively Jesus reversed this test: “When they heard this they were amazed, and leaving him they went away” (Mt 22:22). Their stunned reaction shows that the Pharisees and Herodians recognize the implications of Jesus’ challenging statement. Likewise, their shock demonstrates Jesus’ ability to provoke people to focus on important matters rather than seeking to justify themselves.

It is very unlikely that Matthew wants to make a claim regarding the separation of church and state. The concept itself would be unfamiliar in Matthew’s context, and it is best not to retroject the idea back to first century Palestine. Instead, Matthew depicts Jesus being clever and thought-provoking, showing Jesus’ ability to recognize and avoid traps and shift the focus to how people live and treat one another.

 

We don’t have comments turned on everywhere anymore. We have recently relaunched the commenting experience at America and are aiming for a more focused commenting experience with better moderation by opening comments on a select number of articles each day.

But we still want your feedback. You can join the conversation about this article with us in social media on Twitter or Facebook, or in one of our Facebook discussion groups for various topics.

Or send us feedback on this article with one of the options below:

We welcome and read all letters to the editor but, due to the volume received, cannot guarantee a response.

In order to be considered for publication, letters should be brief (around 200 words or less) and include the author’s name and geographic location. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

We open comments only on select articles so that we can provide a focused and well-moderated discussion on interesting topics. If you think this article provides the opportunity for such a discussion, please let us know what you'd like to talk about, or what interesting question you think readers might want to respond to.

If we decide to open comments on this article, we will email you to let you know.

If you have a message for the author, we will do our best to pass it along. Note that if the article is from a wire service such as Catholic News Service, Religion News Service, or the Associated Press, we will not have direct contact information for the author. We cannot guarantee a response from any author.

We welcome any information that will help us improve the factual accuracy of this piece. Thank you.

Please consult our Contact Us page for other options to reach us.

City and state/province, or if outside Canada or the U.S., city and country. 
When you click submit, this article page will reload. You should see a message at the top of the reloaded page confirming that your feedback has been received.

The latest from america

March 31, 2024, Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord: The Easter experience is one that unfolds slowly and deliberately.
Victor Cancino, S.J.March 27, 2024
March 24, 2024, Palm Sunday: The readings for Palm Sunday this year highlight both words and actions that seek to make sense of the senseless suffering of God’s anointed.
Victor Cancino, S.J.March 19, 2024
March 17, 2024, the Fifth Sunday of Lent: As the church nears the end of this somber season, the Gospel of John ascends to a beautiful interpretation of Jesus’ approaching hour of glorification.
Victor Cancino, S.J.March 12, 2024
March 10, 2024, the Fourth Sunday of Lent: There are so many places of conflict around the world at the present moment. Each place yearns for peace, stability and the hope that someone will take responsibility. 
Victor Cancino, S.J.March 05, 2024