Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's

Peter Paul Rubens, The Tribute Money, ca. 1612.  Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco - Legion of Honor

 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk.  And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men.  Tell us, therefore, what do You think?  Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"  But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, "Why do you test Me, you hypocrites?  Show Me the tax money."  So they brought Him a denarius.  And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"  They said to Him, "Caesar's."  And he said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."  When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.

- Matthew 22:15-22

Yesterday we read that Jesus spoke another parable to the chief priests and elders who questioned Him regarding His authority (after the cleansing of the temple):  "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.  Again, he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready.  Come to the wedding." '  But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.  And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.  But when the king heard about it, he was furious.  And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.  Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.  Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.'  So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good.  And the wedding hall was filled with guests.  But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.  So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?'  And he was speechless.  Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'  For many are called, but few are chosen."

 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk.  And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men.  Tell us, therefore, what do You think?  Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"  But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, "Why do you test Me, you hypocrites?  Show Me the tax money."  So they brought Him a denarius.  And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"  They said to Him, "Caesar's."  And he said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."  When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.  In the questions so far brought to bear upon Jesus by the leaders in the temple, we can see how strong a role the opinion of the public plays.  Jesus subtly turned the tables on His questioners when He asked them about John the Baptist, as John was revered by the people as holy man and prophet, and so the leadership was afraid to say anything against the Baptist (see Tuesday's reading).  In Wednesday's reading, we were told that the leaders wanted to seize Jesus right away, but they feared the crowds, who believe that Jesus is a prophet.  Into this context, and the backdrop of the highly favorable opinion of the crowd to Jesus, comes this question which is posed as a kind of test.  It's, in fact, designed as a trap for Jesus.  If He answers "yes," it would turn the Jewish people against Him, who resent the taxes they're forced to pay to the Romans (and the Jewish tax collectors who take those taxes).  If Jesus gives a "no" answer, it would bring on charges of treason by the Roman state.  But, my study bible says, Jesus defeats their plan and shows that a believer is capable of rendering the state its due while serving God (Romans 13:1-7).  As the coin bears the image of the Roman emperor and is properly paid to him, so each person bears the image of God and therefore belongs to God, my study bible explains.  Conflict arises when the state demands that which is contrary to God.  In another note, my study bible adds that the distinction between things that are Caesar's and things that are God's doesn't imply that there is a division of one's life into the secular and the sacred.  Instead, we must understand that God is Lord over all of life, even including the secular.  We fulfill governmental requirements that don't conflict with our first responsibility to God (contrast the passage in Romans cited above with Acts 4:19, 5:29).  To pay taxes and uphold similar civil duties are not detrimental to personal holiness.

When do civil or other duties contradict with our belonging to God?  In much of the Gospels, we read about "the name of Jesus," or things done "in His name."  See, for example, John 14:14, in which Jesus teaches the disciples, "If you ask anything in My name, I will do it."   This understanding of the name of Christ, or when we use the sign of the Cross, saying, "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit" comes precisely from the time when the image and name of the emperor were essential to the understanding of this question in today's reading.  To do something "in the name" of the emperor or ruler or monarch was to be under his (or her) house, a part of personal identity.  Moreover, anything that denoted the presence of the emperor -- such as an image on a coin -- denoted this name and thereby this authority.   So another question here that possibly cuts to the heart of the matter, and one which would be so crucial to the earliest Christians who might face martyrdom over such a question, is just how far and how deep each identity goes.  If we are, in fact, part of the "house" of Caesar because we are Roman citizens, and yet we are also praying and seeking to live our lives "in the name" of Jesus Christ, where does the conflict come in?  The same could be true of family duties, in which our family name also reveals identity as part of a "house."  Do parents have absolute rights over the souls or their children?  Do brothers and sisters, or husbands and wives?  In such a context, we also have answers from Jesus as well, found elsewhere in the Gospels.  Jesus emphasizes the true permanent monogamous state of holy matrimony, but also makes note for us that such bonds can be broken by sin, and that there are conditions under which divorce is permissible (see 5:32, 19:9), conditions which were expanded in the early Church.  While family or state might demand ultimate authority over identity and loyalty, in truth there is only one authority which is ultimate, and that is the author of our very lives and souls -- the One who bestows and creates all things to begin with.  This is precisely the question which early Christians struggled with in determining a course of action that might result in martyrdom.  Many early saints were soldiers, for example, and those who fought valiantly.  Martyrdom, however, came when they had to choose to accept honors given for their valor, and whether or not that constituted accepting religious loyalty to another god.  These are the saints known as military saints, who refused to participate in Imperial cult rituals although they served as loyal soldiers, such as St. George.  These questions remain important to us today, but also in the sense of loyalty to group, clan, political party, or any other affiliation we might have.  We have to decide to whom we ultimately truly belong, and where our ultimate loyalty and identity are sourced.  These are not simple questions, as St. Paul discusses at length in the Epistle to the Romans.  He clearly indicates an important and good place for ruling authorities, and for the duty of paying taxes (Romans 13:1-7).  But he also notes that while disputes among Christians are possible, they are not worthwhile.  They may do damage to the community, while it is at the same time acceptable for each to follow conscience -- even if that means different choices for different people.  Whatever choices we make according to faith or conscience, each must do according to the Lord and seek to avoid scandalizing others in the faith so as to weaken the community (Romans 14).  Therefore we are to understand that in the fullness of life, all must "live or die" to the Lord.  Therefore what we seek is a life lived through the examples of both John the Baptist and of Jesus, "for John came neither eating nor drinking" and Jesus "the Son of Man came eating and drinking."  While both were condemned by the religious leaders, Jesus said that wisdom is justified by all her children.  (See Matthew 11:1-19.)   In all things, we must seek to live prayerful lives, and be accompanied by prayer through all we do and choose.   St. Paul advises us, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).   In today's reading Jesus clearly gives us the understanding that to pay a tax is not a sin so long as we understand our true and ultimate loyalty to God.  In the Church we are given ways to shore up that loyalty, to make good decisions, and help to do so through the tools we're offered, the saints which surround us, our brothers and sisters, and especially the prayer that connects us all in the Body of Christ.  Let us not forget the Holy Trinity dwells in each one (John 14:15-21), and keep that prayerful communication strong and continual so that we are rooted in the right relations in which we belong, and through which we take meaning and identity.   Our ultimate solution to each question lies in this loyalty, and not in the abstractions of philosophies and debates, for it is here where beauty, truth, and goodness dwell.  Let us keep our connection strong to the place where the Source of love calls us.  This is the fullness through which we find the truly rooted answer to every question, and no real contradiction.

Does your Teacher pay the temple tax?

Now while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up." And they were exceedingly sorrowful.

When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, "Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?" He said, "Yes." And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?" Peter said to Him, "From strangers." Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are free. Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you."

- Matthew 17:22-27

In yesterday's reading, a man whose son suffers from epilepsy asked Jesus, "Lord, have mercy on my son." The disciples could not heal the boy. Jesus said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me." The boy was brought to Him, and healed. The disciples asked why they could not perform the exorcism. Jesus said, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."

Now while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up." And they were exceedingly sorrowful. This is the second time that Jesus is telling the disciples about His death and Resurrection, preparing them for what is to come. It is an understanding that this is something He is going to do willingly. It is something that they must understand and accept is going to happen.

When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, "Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?" He said, "Yes." The temple tax, says my study bible, "was an annual head tax on all male Jews 12 years of age and up, excepting priests and rabbis, for the maintenance of the temple." I think there may be a hint here of a way to trap Jesus. Is He in violation of temple law? I've read in other commentary that it seems Peter is embarrassed, and so immediately answers, "Yes." As representative of Christ, he's in a position to be questioned for what His Master is doing. This is the first time in the gospel that we see Peter in such a situation. Jesus is known as a Teacher, but He's not a student of a famous rabbi, nor is He a priest.

And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?" The really interesting part of this conversation here is that Jesus anticipated Peter. Peter has spoken to the people collecting the temple tax without Jesus' knowledge -- but here Jesus is completely aware of what has happened, and is there to provide guidance for Peter. As I see it, it is a kind of preparation for leadership that is taking place. Jesus is teaching and grooming. The question is interesting: Jesus poses a question about taxation in general, as meted by "kings of the earth." Subjects of all nations may have taxes or obligations for tribute imposed on them, through conquest and compulsion. The question relates to the temple in the sense of Jesus' identity. We have just heard Peter's confession of faith, that Jesus is "the Christ, the Son of the living God." After that came Peter's witnessing of the Transfiguration. So, as "Son" Jesus is asking whether or not it would be customary for Him to pay the temple tax. As Son of God, says my study bible, Jesus is "supremely free of this tax."

Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are free. Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you." This is important to understand, because Jesus pays the tax even though He has established that He is free from it. It is an incident in which He is acting in accordance with the structures and customs -- a kind of mirroring of what will happen in the Crucifixion, in some sense. My study bible says, "Nevertheless, He does not refuse to pay it, nor does He tell His disciples to pay it for Him. But, having proven Himself not liable to it, He gives it. He pays it not as a debt, but in consideration of their weakness and to avoid unnecessary offense." As I see it, Jesus' behavior is loving toward Peter, who has promised His Master pays the tax. Avoiding unnecessary confrontation, then, is part of this ministry. There will be a time when Jesus will, of course, act as Son to cleanse the temple. But the time for that confrontation is not here and not now, and He will not endanger His disciples.

So let us consider today's passage: there is a time for confrontation, and a time to act within the laws of custom and the society. Jesus shows great grace in accepting to pay both for Peter and Himself. Of course, Jesus doesn't have the money Himself -- but instead advises Peter to cast a hook into the water, and find a coin in the mouth of the first fish that comes up. Looking at this image, it's highly symbolic of the Church. We know that a fish will be the symbol of Christ the Savior. The word meaning fish in the Greek was ΙΧΘΥΣ (IXThΥS). It's an acronym: each of its letters begin a word in the following sentence -- "Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior." So, there is a hidden context of the "sons" of the king and the Son of God in the imagery of the fish that holds the coin. It's Peter's confession in a visible concrete image -- and it is that faith that will feed and supply the Church, that provides the coin for the temple.

This passage, and Jesus' acts in it, are permeated with grace -- the tremendous grace of King of kings and Lord of lords, incarnate as human being, teaching, and, with patience, bearing all circumstances of the world in the way the Father wills it. He accepts His fate and strongly pushes His disciples to do the same. Great grace is in His example, and great love in His teaching and care of the disciples, especially Peter who will one day be a great leader of the flock. Elsewhere Jesus will use a coin to teach, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s." But here the coin is a message about faith, and strength, and endurance, bearing all things, acceptance. Can we seek that will as He does, and as He instructs His disciples? Can we practice this kind of patience and endurance? Do we have the faith to do so? The disciples learn from Him, even as they are "exceedingly sorrowful."