A good practice before we listen to or read the Bible is to pray to the Holy Spirit to reveal to us what he would like us to receive that will help us to grow, to mature, be healed, and/or transformed by his love. The goal of each reading is not only to be moved to live more like Jesus but to be transformed by his love for us.
In today’s Gospel from Matthew, we see that Jesus is confronted by the Pharisees and the Herodians. The Herodians are those politically tied to Herod the Great’s dynasty which have been perpetuated through his three sons. Herod Antipas, one of the three and the ruler over Galilee, was in league with the Roman occupation so they could maintain their power. Many of the Pharisees and especially the Zealots were not happy about the Roman occupation of their homeland and did not recognize Caesar but God as their leader. Neither of these groups were fans of each other but are shown to unite against Jesus.
The question they pose to Jesus “Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not” (Matthew 22:17), is chosen to create conflict and to gather support for making an accusation against Jesus.
The hope was that he would say either it was or it wasn’t. If he chose yes, pay the tax to Caesar, he would alienate those Pharisees and Zealots that were opposed to the Roman occupation and if he said no, he would rile up those Herodians in support of paying the tax because they benefited from Rome. Jesus turns the question into a powerful teaching.
In asking for a Roman coin, Jesus said, “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God” (Mt. 22:22). Jesus is saying to give back to Caesar what already belongs to him, his coinage, but more importantly, to pay back to God what belongs to God.
That which is most foundational and substantial belongs to God, our very life and being. We have seen Jesus repeatedly walk through these traps set by many of these groups because he knows the will of God and acts upon his will free from concern of either their affirmation or consternation. Jesus is more interested in professing the truth as his Father reveals it to him. He does so because he knows his Father and his Father knows him.
This is a lesson we would do well to learn. It is more than willpower or persistence though. We come to know the will of God by knowing God. Relationship is the key to knowing his voice, being willing to hear and then acknowledge his voice, and then being willing to act, to put into practice what Jesus has shared with us.
Our relationship with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit grows as we gather to worship, hear his word proclaimed, receive Jesus in his Body and Blood, praise his name in song. It grows as we savor the love he shares with us in our community of worship as well as in our personal times of prayer, meditation, and contemplation. We also grow in our relationship by inviting God into every moment of our lives and are willing to be led to love others as he loves us.
Knowing God then, being loved by God, we will know better how to render to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God in each situation that arises in our lives.
Photo: May we open our heart to the light of Christ, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the love of the Father. Saturday afternoon walk and quiet time with God, St. Vincent De Paul Regional Seminary, Boynton Beach, FL.
Spiritual Stepping Stones 