Matthew 22:15-21

Isaiah 45:1, 4-6

Psalm 96:1, 3, 4-5, 67-8. 9-10

1 Thessalonians 1:1-5b

Matthew 22:15-21

The Pharisees went off

and plotted how they might entrap Jesus in speech. 

They sent their disciples to him, with the Herodians, saying,

“Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man

and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.

And you are not concerned with anyone’s opinion,

for you do not regard a person’s status.

Tell us, then, what is your opinion:

Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?”

Knowing their malice, Jesus said,

“Why are you testing me, you hypocrites? 

Show me the coin that pays the census tax.” 

Then they handed him the Roman coin. 

He said to them, “Whose image is this and whose inscription?”

They replied, “Caesar’s.”

At that he said to them,

“Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar

and to God what belongs to God.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, you are the Lord of history, and no earthly power can thwart your purposes. Teach us to recognize your providence at work even in circumstances we do not understand. Give us wisdom to fulfill our responsibilities in this world while remembering that everything ultimately belongs to you.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Authority of Caesar: In today’s Gospel, the Pharisees attempt to trap Jesus with a seemingly impossible question: “Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?” They send their disciples together with the Herodians, hoping that Jesus will give an answer that can be used against him. The trap is carefully constructed. If Jesus answers “yes,” the Pharisees can accuse him of compromising Israel’s loyalty to God by supporting the Roman occupation. If he answers “no,” the Herodians can report him to the Roman authorities as someone encouraging rebellion against Caesar. A similar tax revolt had occurred under Judas the Galilean in A.D. 6, when he opposed the Roman census. Jesus, however, sees through their malice. He asks them to show him the coin used to pay the census tax. They produce a Roman denarius, bearing the image and inscription of Caesar. Jesus then asks, “Whose image is this and whose inscription?” When they answer, “Caesar's,” Jesus responds: “Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” Jesus does more than escape their trap. He exposes the false assumption behind their question. They have presented him with a choice between loyalty to Caesar and loyalty to God, as though the two were necessarily incompatible. Jesus refuses to accept their false dilemma. Earthly governments possess legitimate authority, and citizens have legitimate obligations toward them. Paying taxes, obeying just laws, and contributing to the common good are not necessarily compromises of our faith. At the same time, earthly authority is never absolute. Caesar receives what belongs to Caesar, but God receives what belongs to God. There is an important irony here. The coin bears Caesar’s image, but the human person bears God’s image. Genesis tells us that God created humanity in his own image and likeness. If Caesar can claim the coin because it bears his image, then God can claim us because we bear his. Jesus exposes their question as a false dilemma. “He is saying that political and religious obligations can both be legitimately met. Paying taxes is not a compromise of one’s duties toward God, nor does serving God exempt one from supporting the civil government” (Mitch and Sri, The Gospel of Matthew, 286).

2. God is the Lord of History: This helps us understand the First Reading from Isaiah. The historical setting is very different. Israel is living under the shadow of the Babylonian Empire, which has conquered Jerusalem and carried God’s people into exile. Yet God announces that he will bring about Israel’s liberation through a surprising instrument: Cyrus, the king of Persia.

Even more astonishingly, God calls Cyrus his “anointed” (Messiah). Cyrus is not an Israelite king. He does not belong to the covenant people. He does not worship the God of Israel as his own God. Yet God says to him: “I have called you by your name, giving you a title, though you knew me not.” God has chosen Cyrus for a particular purpose: “For the sake of Jacob, my servant, of Israel, my chosen one.” God will use this pagan king to accomplish his purposes. Cyrus will conquer Babylon and eventually permit the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple. Historically, Cyrus conquered Babylon in 539 B.C., and shortly afterward permitted the Jewish exiles to return. Why would Isaiah emphasize this remarkable fact? Because Israel must learn that God is not limited by the political powers of this world. Earlier in Israel’s history, God had worked through Moses, Joshua, David, and other leaders from within his covenant people. Now he works through a Gentile king. Babylon may appear to possess overwhelming power, but Babylon does not have the final word. Persia may appear to be the great power of the moment, but Persia does not have the final word either. God does. That is why the Lord declares through Isaiah: “I am the Lord, there is no other.” The rise and fall of empires does not mean that God has lost control of history. He remains Lord even when his purposes are accomplished through people who do not know him or intend to serve him. The connection with today's Gospel becomes clearer. The world of Jesus is dominated by another empire: Rome. Like Babylon and Persia before it, Rome appears powerful and permanent. Caesar’s image is stamped on the coins. Roman armies occupy the land. Roman officials collect the taxes. Yet Jesus reminds us that Caesar’s authority exists within a much larger reality. Caesar may possess the coin, but God possesses history. Every earthly authority and empire – Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome – is temporary and subordinate to the Lord who created the nations and directs history toward his purposes. In the First Reading, Isaiah is reminding the people that God is the Lord of history.

3. Faithful Citizens Who Await the True King: The Second Reading shows us how Christians are to live in the midst of this world of earthly powers. Paul begins his First Letter to the Thessalonians by giving thanks for their “work of faith and labor of love and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This is significant because Thessalonica was a major city of the Roman Empire and the capital of the Roman province of Macedonia. The Christians there lived within the political, economic, and religious structures of the Roman world. They could not simply withdraw from society. Yet they had undergone a fundamental transformation. They had “turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God” and to await “his Son from heaven.” Here we see the Christian response to earthly authority. Christians are not called to despise the world or flee from every political structure. They are called to live faithfully within the world while recognizing that their ultimate allegiance belongs to God. The Thessalonians had faith, love, and hope because they knew that the Roman Empire was not the final reality. Neither Caesar nor any other earthly ruler could determine their ultimate destiny. They were awaiting the return of Jesus Christ, the true Son of God and the true Lord of history. This gives us an important perspective on our own lives. Political powers rise and fall. Nations expand and decline. Governments change. Economic systems flourish and disappear. Leaders come and go. We may be deeply concerned about these things – and rightly so – but we must never allow them to become ultimate. We belong to God. We are called to fulfill our responsibilities as citizens, to obey legitimate authority, to contribute to the common good, and to pray for those who govern us. But we must also remember that every earthly authority is temporary. Our citizenship in any earthly nation is temporary as well. Our deepest identity is found in Christ. The coin bears Caesar’s image and can therefore be returned to Caesar. But we bear God’s image, and therefore we belong entirely to God. The Lord who used Cyrus to liberate Israel from Babylon is still the Lord of history. The Lord who sent his Son into the world under the rule of Caesar is still guiding history toward its fulfillment. And the Christians who lived faithfully in Thessalonica while awaiting Christ’s return provide an example for us.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are the true King and Lord of history. Help me to fulfill my responsibilities in this world without allowing earthly powers, possessions, or concerns to become more important than you. Remind me that I bear the image of God and therefore belong entirely to him. Keep my heart fixed on your kingdom and your glorious return.

Living the Word of God: What earthly concerns or political events are causing me anxiety or taking too much of my attention? Can I entrust them more completely to God’s providence? What belongs to Caesar in my life? What responsibilities toward my family, community, Church, and society is God asking me to fulfill faithfully? What belongs to God? Since I bear God’s image, what part of my life am I still reluctant to surrender completely to him?