29th Sunday in Ordinary Time [A]
October 22, 2023
Matthew 22:15-21

“Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s (Mt 22:21).” Many people understand Jesus’ words as His approval to pay taxes and, thus, to support and honor duly elected or appointed leaders of governments. Though many of us are not comfortable knowing that our hard-earned money is deducted, we can comfort ourselves with the knowledge that our money is used to fund the various governments’ projects. Hopefully, these projects are for the welfare of the people. Indeed, there is nothing wrong with seeing Jesus’ statement in this light, yet we must remember the second half of Jesus’ words.

Jesus also said that we must render to God what belongs to God. Does it mean we must pay ‘taxes’ to God just like we submit it to the government? Surprisingly, the answer is yes. We must remember that we are not just citizens of the kingdoms or nations of this world but also the citizens of the Kingdom of God. To become a good citizen of a country, we must contribute to the development of the country. Typically, we do this by paying taxes, but we are also expected to obey the laws of the land and be involved in various good practices. So, it is the same with a good citizen of the Kingdom of God. We also contribute to the Kingdom of God by obeying the laws of the Kingdom and offering what belongs to God. Then the question is, ‘What belongs to God that we need to render to God?’ What is the currency of the Kingdom of God? To answer this, we must go back to today’s Gospel.

When Jesus was dealing with the Pharisees who attempted to entrap Him, He took a Roman coin. He showed it to those around Him and asked, “Whose image and inscription are there?” They readily answered, “Caesar.” Then, He said, “render to Caesar what belongs to Caesar…” The basis of ownership is the presence of “image.” The coin belongs to Caesar because it bears his image. Thus, paying tax is simply giving back to the coins that, since the beginning, belonged to Caesar and the Roman Empire. Yet, Jesus did not stop there. He taught also, “render to God what belongs to God.” And what belongs to God? The answer is those who possess the image of God. Going back to Genesis 1:26, we discover that we were created in the image of God, and therefore, we belong to God. The only currency of the Kingdom of God is our souls, our lives.

However, we must also remember that our obligation to God surpasses our obligations to men. If we do not pay our taxes and disobey the country’s laws, we may be in trouble with the government. However, if we do not give what is God’s to God, we may lose our souls forever. While the first concerns our survival, the second concerns our eternal destiny.

Do we live our lives as a pleasing offering to God by avoiding sinful lifestyles? Do we offer our daily works, our daily efforts for the glory of God? Do we unite spiritually our bodies with the Body of Christ in the Eucharist to be the worthiest sacrifice?

Rome

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP