Who do we think we are? What do we think we know? What do we think we owe? To whom do we think we owe it?
In today's Gospel reading, Jesus speaks to us about what we owe and to whom we owe it. In those verses we hear
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."*
When asked whether people had to pay taxes or not, Jesus asked for a coin. He asked and was told that the emperor was shown on the coin. Jesus then instructed us that we should give to the government what belongs to the government, and to God what belongs to God.
In expounding upon Scripture, it has been written that we are to give to earthly rulers what is due to them, as long as it does not controvert what is due to God.** With similar reasoning, some people conclude that they do not have to pay taxes, claiming that they need not pay taxes to a government which then uses taxpayers' money to fund warmaking. The logic goes that since war is all too often unjust, citizens are not obligated to pay taxes to support unjust wars.
However, Jesus did not teach us to pay taxes unless the government is waging an unjust war. When he offered his reply on this question of whether we must pay taxes, the Roman empire was conquering and subduing many persons. Jesus could have said that taxes should be paid, but not to the Romans since they were subjecting so many people to their forced imperial expansion. However, he did not say so. Despite the warmaking of the Roman empire, Jesus taught people to give to Caesar what was Caesar's.
Elsewhere in Scripture we hear that we are to pay taxes. Today in his sermon here at the hermitage, Father Cyprian reminded us that Saint Paul tells us, "Pay to all their dues, taxes to whom taxes are due, toll to whom toll is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due."*** When taxes are due, we are to pay them. We are to give the honor and respect to our leaders which is due to them as our earthly leaders. We are to worship God since He is Our Heavenly Father, and we are to give Him the glory, praise, honor and adoration which is His due.
Scripture tells us to pay the taxes we owe. Jesus Himself directs us to give our earthly rulers what is due to them. If we decide not to pay taxes, we turn away from Scripture. We all have to decide whether or not to listen to Jesus.
God tells us what we are called to do. God has already chosen who we are. Yet some people try to decide that they are someone other than who God made them to be. Some people were born men but decide they want to be women. God had already chosen their gender. Some decisions have already been made for us. If we try to ignore who God made us to be, we ignore the truth. If we try to be people other than who God created us to be, we are living lies. We all have to decide how we will relate to the truth.
In deciding how we will relate to the truth, we either accept God or reject Him. If we embrace who God made us to be, we welcome the truth into our hearts. The truth is that God made us; He is our Creator. We owe Him the respect due to Him as our Creator by respecting the choices He made for us when He knit us together in the womb.**** We pay him the respect and honor due to Him when we acknowledge our proper place before Him, that we are nothing without Him, that without Him we can do nothing.***** To God be all glory, praise and honor, now and forevermore. Amen.
* Matthew 22:15-21
** Jerusalem Bible, Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. (New York, 1990), p. 1646, note "d" to Matthew 22:21
*** Romans 13:7
**** Psalm 139:13
***** John 15:5
In today's Gospel reading, Jesus speaks to us about what we owe and to whom we owe it. In those verses we hear
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."*
When asked whether people had to pay taxes or not, Jesus asked for a coin. He asked and was told that the emperor was shown on the coin. Jesus then instructed us that we should give to the government what belongs to the government, and to God what belongs to God.
In expounding upon Scripture, it has been written that we are to give to earthly rulers what is due to them, as long as it does not controvert what is due to God.** With similar reasoning, some people conclude that they do not have to pay taxes, claiming that they need not pay taxes to a government which then uses taxpayers' money to fund warmaking. The logic goes that since war is all too often unjust, citizens are not obligated to pay taxes to support unjust wars.
However, Jesus did not teach us to pay taxes unless the government is waging an unjust war. When he offered his reply on this question of whether we must pay taxes, the Roman empire was conquering and subduing many persons. Jesus could have said that taxes should be paid, but not to the Romans since they were subjecting so many people to their forced imperial expansion. However, he did not say so. Despite the warmaking of the Roman empire, Jesus taught people to give to Caesar what was Caesar's.
Elsewhere in Scripture we hear that we are to pay taxes. Today in his sermon here at the hermitage, Father Cyprian reminded us that Saint Paul tells us, "Pay to all their dues, taxes to whom taxes are due, toll to whom toll is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due."*** When taxes are due, we are to pay them. We are to give the honor and respect to our leaders which is due to them as our earthly leaders. We are to worship God since He is Our Heavenly Father, and we are to give Him the glory, praise, honor and adoration which is His due.
Scripture tells us to pay the taxes we owe. Jesus Himself directs us to give our earthly rulers what is due to them. If we decide not to pay taxes, we turn away from Scripture. We all have to decide whether or not to listen to Jesus.
God tells us what we are called to do. God has already chosen who we are. Yet some people try to decide that they are someone other than who God made them to be. Some people were born men but decide they want to be women. God had already chosen their gender. Some decisions have already been made for us. If we try to ignore who God made us to be, we ignore the truth. If we try to be people other than who God created us to be, we are living lies. We all have to decide how we will relate to the truth.
In deciding how we will relate to the truth, we either accept God or reject Him. If we embrace who God made us to be, we welcome the truth into our hearts. The truth is that God made us; He is our Creator. We owe Him the respect due to Him as our Creator by respecting the choices He made for us when He knit us together in the womb.**** We pay him the respect and honor due to Him when we acknowledge our proper place before Him, that we are nothing without Him, that without Him we can do nothing.***** To God be all glory, praise and honor, now and forevermore. Amen.
* Matthew 22:15-21
** Jerusalem Bible, Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. (New York, 1990), p. 1646, note "d" to Matthew 22:21
*** Romans 13:7
**** Psalm 139:13
***** John 15:5
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