Taxes, Tricks, and the Roman Coin

"Render Unto Caesar" by Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)

A Scriptural Reflection on the Readings for Sunday, October 19, 2014 | Carl E. Olson

Readings:
• Isa 45:1, 4-6
• Psa 96:1, 3, 4-5, 7-8, 9-10
• 1 Thess 1:1-5b
• Matt 22:15-21

Jesus was asked many questions during his public ministry. Some were asked in curiosity, some out of an honest desire for truth; some were expressed with hope, and some were touched with fear or anger. But few, if any, were asked with such careful cunning and devious planning as the one heard in today’s Gospel: “Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?”

It is evident that the question was the result of attentive scheming because of the unlikely alliance of those who asked it. The Pharisees were nationalistic and strongly opposed to Roman rule; the Herodians were supporters of the Roman-backed Herod and sought the reestablishment of his power in Judea. What they shared was a common dislike and fear of a mysterious, itinerant preacher whose popularity among the people had gone from annoying to troublesome.

The question was a rather brilliant attempt to trap Jesus, for it set up a seemingly airtight conundrum. If Jesus had said Caesar’s tax was unlawful—that is, opposed to the Torah and Jewish beliefs—he would have been immediately charged with political insurrection against Roman rule. If he said the tax was lawful, he would have alienated and angered many of his followers and effectively destroyed his growing influence. “On the political level occupied by the questioners,” wrote Fr. Hans Urs von Balthasar of this confrontation, “he can find no third possibility, no back door exit. But Jesus does not permit himself to enter this level.”

Put another way, Jesus did not believe that liberation from political oppression was Israel’s greatest problem, nor did he believe it was best dealt with through violence and political agitation. Revolts against Roman taxes and rule were not uncommon in first-century Palestine. When Jesus was a young boy, around A.D. 6, Judas the Galilean led one such revolt, and was summarily destroyed by the Romans, an event mentioned by the Evangelist Luke (Acts 5:37).

Recognizing the intention of his interlocutors, Jesus requested to see “the Roman coin”, a silver denarius, worth about one day’s wages. It was marked with the image of Tiberius Caesar (A.D. 14-37), identified on one side as “son of the divine Augustus” and on the other as the “high priest.” That the questioners had the coin in their possession meant they operated willingly within Rome’s economic system, thus exposing the hollowness of their feigned interest in Jesus’ opinion.

Jesus’ response was both direct and enigmatic: “Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” Caesar had legitimate power to tax and carry on the proper work of a government, but was subordinate to the all-encompassing power of the all-mighty Creator. Some things belong to Caesar, but all things belong to God, notes von Balthasar, “because man is created according to God’s image, not Caesar’s, and because God is Ruler over all earthly kings. Kings think they are sacral powers and claim divine attributes; Jesus demystifies this sacrality.”

The Greek word used by Jesus for “image” (“eikon”) was the same Greek word found in the Septuagint translation of Genesis 1:26-27: “And God said, Let us make man according to our image and likeness…” Caesar could make rightful claim to coins bearing his image, but only God can make claim to each man, woman, and child; only God can rightfully ask for worship and adoration. All governments, whether they acknowledge or not, are ultimately answerable to God, “for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been established by God (Rom 13:6-7; cf. 1 Pet 2:13-15; Catechism, par 2242).

Jesus’ answer to the trick question could itself be rendered as a question, but without any trickery involved: “Who made us and what are we made for?” Made in the image of God, man is meant for eternal communion with God. Our faith in him must guide us in every area of our earthly lives, including the realm of politics and temporal power.

(This "Opening the Word' column originally appeared in the October 16, 2011, edition of Our Sunday Visitor newspaper.)

Regnum Christi

Signed, Sealed and To Be Delivered

U. S. A. | SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

October 19, 2014. Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Matthew 22:15-21

Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the Emperor, or not?" But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, "Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax." And they brought him a denarius. Then he said to them, "Whose head is this, and whose title?" They answered, "The Emperor´s." Then he said to them, "Give therefore to the Emperor the things that are the Emperor´s, and to God the things that are God´s."

Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, my Creator and Redeemer, everything good comes from you. You are the one source of peace and happiness. Thank you for bringing me into existence and insuring I received the inestimable gift of the faith. Thank you for accompanying me in every moment. I am grateful for your mercy and love and wish to respond more generously to you in my life.

Petition: Lord, may I remember who I am: one who bears the name “Christian.”

1. Signed: How often do we reflect on what we are doing when we make the Sign of the Cross? In The Spirit of the Liturgy, the future Pope Benedict said: “to seal oneself with the Sign of the Cross is a public and visible ‘yes’ to him who suffered for us, to him who in the body has made God’s love visible, to a God who reigns not by destruction but by humility of suffering and love which is stronger than all the power of the world and wiser than all the calculating intelligence of men.” We are saying that we believe in the power of the cross and particularly in what it means for our own life – our own bodies will rise again. We sign ourselves as belonging to the one who has won our redemption by his blood on the cross, as belonging to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We are signed and we belong to God. The Sign of the Cross is a daily reminder that we are to give to God what is God’s, that is, our very selves.

2. Delivered: Christ prayed at the Last Supper, “They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.... Father, I desire that those also whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world” (John 17: 16-24). And so it is that we are to be delivered to where we will see his glory and be with him. We bear an inscription as those baptized into his life, and we outwardly recall this when we make the Sign of the Cross with water from the fonts in the entrances to our churches. It is up to us then – with the thoughts, words and actions of our lives – to live this truth coherently, giving to God what is God’s.

3. Detached: Pope Saint John Paul II, reflecting on Psalm 145, writes: “Man therefore finds himself facing a radical choice between two contrasting possibilities: on the one side is the temptation to ‘trust in princes,’ adopting their criteria inspired by wickedness, selfishness and pride. In fact, this is a slippery slope, a ruinous road, a ‘crooked path and a devious way,’ (Proverbs 2:15) whose goal is despair. Indeed, the Psalmist reminds us that man is a frail, mortal being, as the very word ‘adam’ implies; in Hebrew this word is used to signify earth, matter, dust. Man – the bible constantly states – is ‘like (…) a strip of grass that is green at dawn but has withered by evening (Psalms 89:5-6).’ With this in mind, we “give to the emperor” what is of this world by relinquishing or simply detaching ourselves from it. We give what is eternal, namely our souls, over to God because we belong to him.

Conversation with Christ: Lord, Jesus Christ, sometimes I am attracted by the things of this world and influenced by those who try to convince me to trust only in the world’s ways. May I not be hoodwinked by this world but keep my heart set on the world that will never pass away. Only in your world will I be filled with your grace forever.

Resolution: Today I will examine my conscience to do some “house cleaning” of my soul. I resolve to treat the goods of this world only as a means towards holiness, stepping stones to communion with God.

God’s Unwitting Accomplice

Dr. Mark Giszczak

shutterstock_10700218

October 19, 2014
Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
First Reading: Isaiah 45:1, 4-6
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/101914.cfm

Does God dupe people into doing what he wants? Does he use them to accomplish his goals without their knowledge? This Sunday’s first reading presents just such a puzzling question. Somehow, God’s providence pulls together those who don’t even know his name and employs them for his own designs. The mystery of God’s unwitting accomplices might shed some light on how it is that he can “work all things for good of those who love God” (Romans 8:28 NAB).

Context

This passage from the beginning of Isaiah 45 falls in the second part of the Book of Isaiah, often referred to as the Book of Comfort (chapters 40-66). The book as a whole points to the Babylonian exile as a punishment from God for his people’s infidelity and also to the eventual collapse of Babylon as a moment of redemption. While the Babylonians had exiled the Jews from their homeland, the Persian conquerors, led by Cyrus, will allow them to return home. God thus uses Babylon as an instrument of judgment, while he uses Persia as an instrument of deliverance.

Who is Cyrus?

Cyrus the Great was the founding ruler of the First Persian Empire (or Achaemenid Empire) in the sixth century B.C. While books have been written about all his accomplishments, his most significant achievement from a biblical perspective was to release the Jews who had been held captive at Babylon when he conquered it in 538 B.C. Cyrus had a more tolerant policy regarding conquered peoples than did the Babylonians. (This policy seems to be confirmed by the non-biblical Cyrus Cylinder, a cuneiform text that celebrates Cyrus’ victory over Babylon.) He even allowed the Temple in Jerusalem to be rebuilt (Ezra 5:13). Because of all of the help Cyrus gave to the Jews, the prophet surprisingly refers to him as “messiah” (“anointed one”), a title normally reserved for the Davidic king of Judah and of course, for the ultimate heir to the throne of David.

The Cyrus Cylinder, via Wikimedia Commons.

Cyrus, the Unwitting Savior

Isaiah 45 describes how the Lord empowers Cyrus to “subdue nations” and “ungird the loins of kings,” to open doors that will not be closed again (RSV). Cyrus holds an odd position. He is not a Jew. He might not even believe in God, and yet God “anoints” him with authority and empowers him to conquer kings and peoples for the sake of his people. The reading selection leaves out verses 2 and 3, which amplify the impact of God’s help to Cyrus. He precedes him into battle, breaks down doors and delivers secret treasures to this pagan king. Yet God makes clear that he is not simply stroking Cyrus’ ego, but that he aids him “for the sake of Jacob,” for the Jews. God calls Cyrus “by name” in order to use him to deliver his people from captivity in Babylon and return them to the Promised Land.

Divine Providence at Work

People often talk about divine providence or “God’s plan” as a way to explain the evils and sorrows of our world, but here we see the flip-side of divine providence, the good news. Here God is using a created reality, namely Cyrus, to accomplish his purpose, the purpose for which he created the world, to glorify him. Cyrus’ actions of conquering and door-smashing may look like run-of-the-mill ancient despotism and in some ways they are. But God lifts this ancient conqueror above himself, to do things which did not even intend, to deliver God’s people from their oppressors. God can even say to Cyrus “it is I who arm you, though you know me not” (Isa 45:5 NAB).

We might have a knee-jerk reaction against a greater power arming a lesser one who may have twisted purpose—one need only reflect on the Iran-Contra affair or the C.I.A.’s 1980’s Operation Cyclone in Afghanistan—but the U.S. government is not omnipotent. God the Creator will not fail in the purpose for which he designed all of creation: to glorify him. He can take even the sinful and evil designs of men and bring good out of them in the end. His providence is not just a way to try and explain away the lousy stuff in life, but it reveals the fact that God succeeds in the end, that everyone and everything really will give glory to him.

The Bible repeatedly shows how God upends our expectations, how he loves paradox. He brings good out of evil, lets the weak triumph over the strong, makes the wisdom of the world foolish and even brings renewed life out of the most violent of deaths. This prophetic passage about Cyrus gives us hope that God knows what he is up to. The darkness around us can close in and even lead us to doom-and-gloom mentality where it seems that our Lord’s purposes for the world are being undone. Yet somehow, even in the midst of the blackest tragedies, he can reach out to us through the most unexpected person or event. If he can use an ancient conqueror as a Gentile Messiah for his Chosen People, then how much more can he use us and his unwitting accomplices in our world to bring his Creation that much closer to its final goal of giving glory to its Creator?

Scripture Speaks: What Belongs to God

Gayle Somers

shutterstock_177354065

Jesus’ enemies try to set a trap for Him. A coin buys Him freedom from it.

Gospel (Read Mt 22:15-21)

For the last several weeks, our Gospel readings have shown us that Jesus used parables to help the religious elites of Jerusalem hear a call to believe in Him as their Messiah. They fell on deaf ears. We find today that “the Pharisees went off and plotted how they might entrap Jesus in speech.” They were unable to recognize themselves in the many stories Jesus told them. Instead, they sent “their disciples” to put a question to Him that they were sure would force Him into trouble. A measure of their “malice” is that “the Herodians” went with them. The Pharisees and Herodians were as different from and as opposed to each other as Republicans and Democrats are today. The Pharisees believed that the Jews needed to live as separately as possible from Gentiles in order to preserve their religious identity and power. The Herodians were Jews who believed that their nation was best served (and their own positions of influence best protected) by cooperating with their Roman governors. Theirs was a policy of assimilation, not separation. Why did the Pharisees want the Herodians to go along to the confrontation with Jesus, temporarily setting aside their radical differences? As much as they despised the Herodians, they were even more threatened by Jesus. They were ready to do anything to silence Him.

Reading through the extravagant and insincere flattery from this little entourage is uncomfortable, isn’t it? “Teacher, we know that You are a truthful man and that You teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.” They didn’t believe this, of course, but they wanted to sound respectful, perhaps out of fear of angering those gathered around Jesus who did believe it. Then they pop their trick question: “Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?” If Jesus said the tax should be paid, the Pharisees could have discredited Him in the eyes of the people, who resented Rome’s control. If He said it was unlawful, the Herodians would have been able to denounce Him to the Roman authorities.

Jesus saw through this sham: “Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites?” Why was Jesus so harsh with them? If their question had been an honest inquiry from people who truly cared about His opinion, surely His response would have been quite different. Wherever we see insincere religion in the Gospels, we see this anger in Jesus.

Then Jesus asks for a coin, and He turns the questioning back on His interrogators: “Whose image is this and whose inscription?” By His question, He requires them to identify the coin as Caesar’s. They could not possibly have imagined the trap would be sprung for them instead of Him! Once they identify the coin as belonging to Caesar, it was easy for Jesus to give them a reasonable, satisfying answer: “Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar.” Where’s the controversy? Where’s the “gotcha” line? No one can question Caesar’s right to receive back what is actually his. Paying the government’s tax represents paying back what the government has, in fact, paid out in the way of services. It is a fair exchange and does not present a conflict for religious people.

However, Jesus then presses on, getting to the heart of what His questioners should actually be concerned about: “Repay…to God what belongs to God.” A coin stamped with its maker’s image clearly belongs to him; a human being, made in the image and likeness of God (see Gn 1:26), likewise belongs to God. The men who sought to trap Jesus out of malice, trying to hide it with insincere pious talk, had a much bigger debt to pay than their tax bills!

Possible response: Lord Jesus, I know You can see through insincere pious talk. Please keep my lips from speaking it.

First Reading (Read Isa 45:1, 4-6)

Our reading from Isaiah helps us understand better why Jesus saw no inherent contradiction between the Roman government and the national life of God’s people, the Jews. Isaiah, writing in about the 6^th century B.C., foretells of Cyrus, the LORD’s “anointed.” Cyrus was the Gentile king of Persia who conquered Babylon, where the Jews had been held captive for seventy years. As we can see from the prophecy, Cyrus was allowed by God to become king and ruler over Babylon “for the sake of Jacob, my servant, of Israel, My chosen one.” We see that Cyrus, although he did not know the LORD, nevertheless did the LORD’s work. He was the one who allowed the Jews to return to the Promised Land. He even helped to fund the re-building of their beloved Temple in Jerusalem. This prophecy reveals the reality that kept Jesus from falling into the Pharisees’ trap. God is much greater than all earthly powers. In fact, He can use them to do His bidding, even though they know Him not. St. Paul wrote about this in his letter to the Romans: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God” (Rom 13:1).

This truth explains why Jesus did not feel beholden to Pilate when He was being interrogated by him. When Jesus refused to answer Pilate’s question, he said to Him, “’You will not speak to me? Do You not know that I have power to release You, and power to crucify You?’ Jesus answered him, ‘You would have no power over Me unless it had been given you from above’” (Jn 19:10-11a). The rulers of this world exercise only delegated authority. Because Jesus knew this, the Pharisees’ trap was doomed to fail before it ever began.

Possible Response: Heavenly Father, help me remember that You are greater than any power on earth; none can thwart Your plan of love and goodness for us.

Psalm (Read Ps 96:1, 3-5, 7-10)

When Jesus told the Pharisees and Herodians to “repay…to God what belongs to God,” He was urging them to do what the psalmist does here: “Give the LORD glory and honor.” The psalmist proclaims God’s exalted place of honor and authority “among all the nations, among all the peoples.” Here, not only are nations and their rulers subservient to Him, but He makes “all the gods of the nations…things of nought.” There are kings who rule by God’s favor, but all should know that “The LORD is king; He governs the people with equity.” To embrace this truth is to protect ourselves from anxiety that can threaten us when we look around the world today and see the abuse of earthly power. Our rejoinder to that temporal fear is to sing with the psalmist: “Great is the LORD and highly to be praised; awesome is He, beyond all gods.”

Possible response: The psalm is, itself, a response to our other readings. Read it again prayerfully to make it your own.

Second Reading (Read 1 Thess 1:1-5b)

When Jesus says in the Gospel, “repay…to God what belongs to God,” what is He asking of us? St. Paul answers this question in this epistle to the church of the Thessalonians. He had preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ there, and people had responded in their “work of faith and labor of love and endurance in hope.” Our works of faith, hope, and love are our repayment to God for all He has done for us. In a concrete way, this helps us to make the right response to Him, to give Him what He is due. Yes, we pay taxes to the government, but to God we give ourselves.

Possible response: Lord Jesus, please help me today to offer simple works of faith, hope, and love to the Father, to Whom these are surely due.

One Bread, One Body

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All Issues > Volume 30, Issue 6

<< Sunday, October 19, 2014 >>

29th Sunday Ordinary Time

Isaiah 45:1, 4-6
1 Thessalonians 1:1-5
View Readings

Psalm 96:1, 3-5, 7-10
Matthew 22:15-21
Similar Reflections

MISSION-MINDED?

"...so that toward the rising and the setting of the sun men may know that there is none besides Me." —Isaiah 45:6

On this World Mission Sunday, the Church asks us as Christians what our relationship is to the nations of the world. We must give the nations what belongs to them (see Mt 22:21). Especially, we must give Jesus to the nations, for He belongs to all people and we all belong to Him (see 1 Cor 3:21-23). Therefore, Jesus commands us to "make disciples of all the nations" (Mt 28:19) and "tell His glory among the nations" (Ps 96:3). We must "say among the nations: The Lord is King" (Ps 96:10) so that the "families of nations" may "give to the Lord glory and praise" (Ps 96:7).

Are you giving the nations their due? Do you pray daily for all nations "to be saved and come to know the truth?" (1 Tm 2:4) Do you love and befriend people from other nations in your schools, businesses, and neighborhoods? Are you praying for yourself and others to become local or foreign missionaries? Do you give substantial offerings to further the Church's missionary outreach?

One of Jesus' last and greatest commandments is: "Make disciples of all the nations" (Mt 28:19). By grace, in love, and for Jesus — do it!

Prayer: Father, send the Spirit to make me a witness for Jesus and a missionary (Acts 1:8).

Promise: "Our preaching of the gospel proved not a mere matter of words for you but one of power; it was carried on in the Holy Spirit and out of complete conviction." —1 Thes 1:5

Praise: Praise be to "our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Glory be to Him now and to the day of eternity!" (2 Pt 3:18)

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