Sunday 22 October 2017
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Matthew 22:15-22 (NRSV)
The Pharisees went and plotted to entrap Jesus 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.” When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.
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Jesus does something remarkable. The leaders were frustrated after time and time Jesus managed to avoid the traps that they set for him to discredit him. They are desperate at this point. This appears to be a "no win" situation for Jesus. If he speaks against taxes, Jesus will show himself to be an enemy of the Roman Empire. The leaders were hoping that he would do that very thing. They knew that the Roman response would be swift and effective, and that the troublesome Jesus would no longer be a thorn in their side. They also knew that if Jesus came out in support of the tax, which was such a heavy weight on the people, who loathed the tax and those who collected the tax, that the people would turn on Jesus. Either way, Jesus would no longer be a force that the leaders needed to address. But there was an alternate that the leaders never fathomed as a possibility. Jesus does not reject the tax, neither does he approve of it. Jesus calls for those who hear his voice to give what is due to whom it is due, both to God and to Caesar. In this we find a wisdom that continues to be relevant even in our generation.
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Fr. Timothy Alleman
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