Gospel reading: Matthew 22:15-22
General Comments
In order to bring the saying alive in this way, we need to read it in the context of a story, which is how it is presented to us, not as an abstract timeless truth but as a response to a situation. The question for us then is, when did we experience a similar situation? And then, who was the Jesus who spoke as he did?We must be careful to interpret the saying correctly. In the course of the Church’s history, it has often been taken to mean that there are areas of life which are Caesar’s domain and other areas which are God’s.
This could not possibly be the meaning, however. The entire teaching of Jesus, indeed the entire bible, insists that the whole of creation “belongs to God” – “his is the earth and the fullness thereof”. There is no question of “separate domains” therefore, since everything belongs to God.
The saying is rather about keeping priorities right. The Pharisees voice a concern which seems at first sight to be harmless but is in fact a “trap”. They are not neutral. For them, paying taxes to Caesar is important, whereas for Jesus (as for all people whose priorities are right) it is only of relative importance: he says in effect, “you can give back to Caesar whatever belongs to him (whatever has his head engraved on it); just make sure you don’t give him what belongs to God”.
“What belongs to God” must be taken in a wide sense to mean what is so precious that we cannot make concessions where it is concerned – family, friendship, the sanctity of sex, self respect, compassion,humility, care for the poor, etc.Jesus then is challenging the Pharisees to get their priorities right.
– His position can be expressed positively: treasure what is primary for you, and you will find that you will have no problem looking after (“paying your taxes” to) what is secondary.
– It can also be expressed negatively: don’t take secondary things so seriously (“pay taxes to them”) that you end up compromising what is primary.
We enter into the drama of “whose head is this?” Feel Jesus’ inner freedom (a hint of disdain) when he says, “well then, give it back to him”. On the other hand feel the terrible sadness of a priority gone wrong
– allowing something that is sacred (“belongs to God”), to have “Caesar’s head” engraved on it.
The passage is intended to evoke memories of people or communities getting priorities wrong:
– parents who provide material benefits for their children but neglect to give them quality time.– teachers who stress success in examinations and forget to praise those who are not successful but do their best.
– Church leaders who are more concerned with what people think than with being faithful to the message of Jesus.
– public officials who work for popularity and compromise their integrity.
Jesus is the person (or community) pointing out that priorities have gone wrong. As with all insightful statements, his answer is simple but surprising (“it took them by surprise”) and deeply satisfying (“they left him alone and went away”).
A sign that we have made a good meditation is that we identify with the Pharisees. If we find ourselves looking down on them, it means that we haven’t really entered into the story. They represent us (sometimes an inner voice within us) when we voice concerns which are important but which are really “a trap” in which more important values are lost. This situation occurs in:
– our personal lives, e.g. concerns with health, job security, standing in the community;
– the life of the Church, e.g. concerns for large numbers, prestige, structures;
– the development of a social movement, e.g. concern with taking political power, finances.
The details of how the Pharisees “went about” asking their question are all significant and can help us recognise them from our experience.
– They “set traps”: their concern hampers true growth.
– They “work it out”: their arguments are very subtle; note in particular the unctuous language; we are never more “pious” than when we are rationalizing our fears and prejudices.
– They do it “between them”: what they say represents the thinking of many, an entire class or even a culture.
The Pharisees’ flattery in verse 16 is part of their “trap”, but we can take their words at face value. They were right to say that Jesus was “an honest man” who “taught the way of God in an honest way,” that he was “not afraid of any one” and that people’s rank “meant nothing to him”. We celebrate people (or communities) like that; we read these words as a call to repentance.
Prayer Reflection“See the Divine self in all and all in the Divine self.” …The Upanishads
Lord, there was a time when we had become overly concerned for what was relatively unimportant:
– what people thought about us,
– being financially secure,
– not making mistakes,
– being hurt.
We recognise now that this concern was undermining our priorities,
like the Pharisees working out between them how to trap Jesus in what he said.
We thank you that you sent us Jesus,
– close friends,
– members of our community,
– some of our children,
– national leaders.
They made us aware of the malice in this concern,
told us that we were quite right to give to Caesar what belonged to him
but that we had allowed ourselves to give to Caesar what belonged to you alone.
We thank you, Lord, for the insight, so simple and yet so surprising.
What had seemed an insoluble problem was now solved,
we left it alone and went our way. Thank you, Lord.
“We ought not to consider our chance of living or dying, we ought only to consider whether we are doing right or wrong.” …Socrates
Lord, from time to time you come into our livescalling us to re-establish right priorities:
– through a bible passage or a homily;
– through some friend or a member of our family pointing out our faults;
– when one of our dream projects collapses in failure.
Forgive us that we refuse to hear what you are saying.
We know that if we did we would have to change our ways.
So like the Pharisees working out how to trap Jesus in what he said,
we think up all kinds of arguments:
– following this way will harm our health or hurt those dear to us;
– it is against common sense and no one else is doing it;
– it will offend powerful people and cause confusion in the community.
At such times we become very pious,
we say how much we long to be true and how open we are,
but really we are marshaling a thousand reasons for staying as we are.
Lord, have mercy on us Pharisees.
Lord, our culture lays too much stress on things that are important but secondary,
like wealth, prestige and popularity.
We are like the Pharisees in the time of Jesus
worrying about whether or not they should pay taxes to Caesar,and so we end up setting traps for the idealists you have sent us
and are totally surprised at their answers.
Lord, we pray that we, the members of your Church, may be wise like Jesus
with the wisdom that comes from being honest,
from not being afraid of anyone because people’s rank means nothing to us,
and from giving you what belongs to you.
Once rooted in his wisdom we can escape from the traps
that are set for us by the false values of our time;
we will recognise the things that have Caesar’s image on them
and have no problem giving them back to him.
On the other hand we will recognise the things that bear your image alone.
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Thomas O’Loughlin
Introduction to the Celebration
The Holy Spirit has gathered us here to offer thanks and praise to the Father through our union with Jesus. But in discovering our relationship with God, we also discover our relationship with other human beings, and our place within God’s creation. So we are called to love and serve God and we are called to love and serve others. We often think that it is enough to serve either God or humanity: serve one and ignore the other. But life just isn’t that simple: we have to give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and give back to God what belongs to God. Part of our mission as Christians is to negotiate and balance these responsibilities. It is this mission we are going to reflect on today.Homily Notes
1. The phrase ‘rendering to Caesar the things of Caesar, and to God the things of God’ is one of the bits of scripture that people often use without recognizing its origin. But it is a phrase that we can do well to keep with us.
2. We all know we have a variety of duties and responsibilities:
To those immediately around us who love us and whom we love: care, respect, and tenderness are not optional in our relationships.
• We have responsibilities to those we work with and to those who employ us – honesty and integrity are supposed to be hallmarks of Christians;’
• We have responsibilities to the larger society ; we.are called to be responsible citizens.
• We have responsibilities toward the whole of humanity in that we must work for peace and development – this is something’ .. that we are conscious of today but which it would hardly having been worth mentioning a century ago;
• We have responsibilities toward the environment and the care of the planet, indeed because we believe we are all creatures and that God has made us stewards of creation we have an interest in this that is far more demanding than that of an environmentalist who would not recognize the divine origin of the creation – again this is not something that would have been given prominence even a few decades ago and some who call themselves Christians still think environmental concerns are not really ‘religious’ issues despite saying each week’ we believe in one God … maker of all that is, seen and unseen’.
• And we are called in the Spirit to follow the Christ, to become part of his body the church, and offer praise and thanks to our heavenly Father – prayer and praise and an awareness of the mystery that surrounds us is part of our humanity.
3. If we had a little score card of all those duties with this question before each of them: ‘Do you think this is part of the duties of a member of the People of God?’, then virtually every one of us would tick the ‘yes’ box for each question.4. However, just as at the time of Jesus, we try to play one off against the other.
5. Some Christians try to argue that it can be an ‘either … or’ situation. Some people who are opposed to religion argue that religious people are only concerned with ‘spiritual’ things. Others opposed to religion argue that they should be only concerned with ‘spiritual’ things. Many, for various reasons, argue that ‘religion has no place’ in this or that sphere of human living. Thus they imply that we should not consider ourselves as having any responsibilities in this or that concern.
6. In the face of this we must remember that God is the Lord of all creation. In his love God has given the creation a freedom and integrity, and given humanity responsibilities within it. We are called to live lives of prudence, always keeping in mind the variety of our duties to self, others, the world, and God. It is in taking care of this variety of responsibilities that we fulfill the command to render Caesar’s thing;s to Chesar, and God’s things to God.
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John Litteton
Gospel Reflection
It is always heartening when a bully comes off the worse for wear in a confrontation. And it is all the better if there is a comical element in the situation.
Some people might perceive a humorous element in the conversation between Jesus and the Pharisees when they were trying to entrap him by asking him if it was lawful to give tribute to the Roman Emperor Caesar. Matthew informs us that the Pharisees were up to no good. They were discussing among themselves how they could ensnare Jesus when he was teaching the multitudes (see Mt 22:15).
They knew that if Jesus said anything that could be interpreted as criticising Caesar, they would be able to accuse him of treason, although they hated the Roman occupiers and the Emperor themselves. They were blatantly duplicitous and were shameless in their plotting and planning to outwit Jesus.
Cunningly, they began by praising Jesus, telling him that he was a truthful preacher and that he taught God’s will. Therefore, they said mischievously, they would welcome his thoughts about the issue of paying tribute to Caesar.
But Matthew revealed that Jesus knew their wickedness and, instead of answering directly, he asked them for a coin. Then Jesus asked them to look at the coin and explain whose image was on the coin, whose inscription. He was forcing them to confront the truth. When they replied ‘Caesar’s’, Jesus told them, famously, that the answer to their question was to ‘give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar — and to God what belongs to God’ (Mt 22:21).There are several lessons that we can learn from this episode. The first, perhaps the most obvious, is that it is not only legitimate for a Christian to obey the just laws of the state and to pay taxes but we have a duty to do so. We have this example from Jesus who was born into a nation that was subject to an oppressive invading regime. Here he said nothing about a change of regime. Yet he advocated being subject to the law and paying due taxes.
Another lesson from this encounter between Jesus and the scheming Pharisees is that we need to use our imaginations to take the truth to those outside the Church. Notice that Jesus did not dialogue with the Pharisees in an effort to reach some kind of consensus on the matter of whether or not the Jews should pay tribute to Caesar. He simply confronted them with the facts in an imaginative way. They were unable to refute that he was speaking the truth.
So it will be with us if we make a point of faithfully rendering the Church’s teaching to those around us, whenever the opportunity arises. Indeed, we pray for the zeal to seek opportunities to bring others into the Church where the fullness of God’s revelation and grace is to be found.
We know that we have a duty to render to Caesar, that is, our civic and political responsibilities. But we cannot forget that there is also a need to give time and energy to worshipping God in prayer and charitable works. That is how we give to God what belongs to God.
For meditation
You hypocrites! Why do you set out to trap me? (Mt 22:18)
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Donal Neary SJ
A place for everything!
My mother used always say – put things where they belong. Newspapers, food, the bicycle not in the hall, and other homely advice. Jesus says the same here – give what belongs to where it belongs and to whom.
So Jesus is being asked about taxes and politics. He knows he is being trapped about money. He moves on to higher questions. Something about the answer of Jesus asks us — where do we belong?
Belonging can sound heavy – as if we are being controlled, or our money belongs to us and we can do what we like with it But for Jesus it’s the belonging of love, not of power and control.
Much is not in our control. We are born and die at God’s time. This reminds us that we are not the masters of our lives, we come from God and go to God. This belonging is the centre of our human family and community. God doesn’t want to control us but to love us.
*****
Jesus appeals to us to look beyond the simplistic politics and black-and-white legalisms represented by the coin and realize that we are called to embrace the values centered in a faith that sees the hand of God in all things and every human being as part of a single family under the providence of God.
The Pharisees who confront Jesus with Caesar’s coin are trying to trap him into making a choice between one’s country and God. But Jesus’ response indicates that one’s citizenship does not have to be at odds with one’s faith; in fact, when government seeks to provide for the just welfare of its citizens, it becomes a vehicle for establishing the reign of God.
God and Caesar do not have to be at odds, Jesus tells the Pharisees. In God, we realize the dignity of every man, woman and child as sons and daughters of God and our brothers and sisters; in setting up systems of government, we provide for the common good of one another and protect the welfare of all, providing for public safety, educational opportunities and clean water and air.
Jesus’ answers are not the clear, unambiguous solutions we hope for to these and many other questions. But his response is the heart of living our faith: the struggle to return to God what is God’s. Through prayer and discernment, each one of us has to do for ourselves the hard work of deciding exactly what is God’s will in our complex world of politics, money and human relationships.
Jane Knuth has collected stories of her experiences at “St. Vinnie’s” in a delightful book Thrift Store Saints: Meeting Jesus 25c at a Time. Thrift Store Saints includes some two dozen stories about the volunteers and patrons of the St. Vincent’s thrift shop. The Kalamazoo thrift store sells everything from furniture and clothing to basic household items, but also offers financial assistance, referral services — and prayerful and emotional support — to the needy and lost.
Rather than viewing society’s poor as problems to be solved, Jane and her colleagues see them each in a completely different light: as saints who can lead us straight to the heart of Christ. Jane Knuth writes:
“From all appearances, it looks as if we are running a thrift store at St. Vincent de Paul. At our meetings we frequently get into discussions about how to better run the store. Should we raise our prices? Give away less? Not accept so many donations? Lock our dumpster? Move to a better retail location? All these issues would come up with any resale shop. Eventually, it occurs to us that our purpose is not to run the most profitable, shrewd, efficient, riff-raff-free store in town. Our purpose is to help the poor and to change our way of thinking and being. It only looks as though we run a store. The store is just our cover . . .
“I still keep looking for the ‘deserving poor’ – the innocent ones who are blatant victims of injustice and hard luck. I want to help them and no one else. From what I can see, apart from children, most poor people’s situations seem to stem from a mixture of uncontrollable circumstances, luck, and their own decisions. Same as my situation. Do I deserve everything I have? Am I somehow more moral, smarter, or a harder worker than poor people? Sometimes I am, most times I’m not. Do poor people deserve their daily struggle for existence? Are they immoral, stupid, and lazy? Sometimes they are, most times they aren’t.”
God’s image of his human family is realized in the kindness and charity extended by a small thrift store. In today’s Gospel, Jesus articulates the Father’s vision for humanity: a “banquet” at which all are respected and honored for who they are and the goodness they bring to the king’s table, be it the “table” of the classroom, the clinic, the playground, the home. If we are to be truly faithful to God’s vision, the compassion of God must transform our heart’s perspective, enabling us to see beyond ethnic stereotypes, economic distinctions, class and celebrity, to recognize every man, woman and child as made in the same image and likeness of God in which we were all created; we must be willing both to give joyfully what we have and to accept humbly what others bring to the table. God’s “banquet” is only realized when we embrace a radically new vision of humanity, a perspective that ignores suspicions, doubts and stereotypes and, instead, recognizes everyone, first, as a child of God, worthy of respect, love and compassion.
****
ILLUSTRATIONS:
1) “I die the King’s good servant, but God’s
first.” Perhaps we can illustrate all this with one case, that of St.
Thomas More, the English martyr who was councillor to King Henry VIII
and Lord High Chancellor of England. Robert Bolt dramatized More’s
conflict – regarding what is Caesar’s and what is God’s – in the drama, A Man
for All Seasons. Recall the story. King Henry VIII of England was, by Papal
dispensation, validly married to Catherine of Aragon, his elder brother’s
widow. Seeking a male heir and attracted to Anne Boelyn, Henry appealed to Rome
again to have his marriage to Catherine annulled – which would mean that the
Papal dispensation had been sinful! Rome refused. Henry took matters into his
own hands, declared himself Head of the Church in England and “married” Anne.
He then ordered his friends and officials to sign a document declaring that
they agreed he had acted rightly in the matter. Many of More’s friends signed,
but More refused. Henry demanded that he sign or face arrest, trial for
treason, and execution by the state. More refused: he knew he had two
obligations, one to God and one to his country. When they conflicted, More knew
he had no choice but to remain faithful to his obligation to God. On his
way to public execution in 1534, More encouraged the people to remain steadfast
in the Faith. His last recorded words were: “I die the King’s good servant, but
God’s first.” Today’s Gospel reminds us of our dual citizenship. We are
citizens of the world and citizens of Heaven. We have an allegiance and an
obligation to each. We hope the obligations will never clash. But if they ever
do, we must resolve them as Thomas More did, without compromise to our God or
to our conscience. (Mark Link in Sunday Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho).(Fr.
Tony) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
2) Caesar and God: In his Inaugural Address on
January 20, 1961, John F. Kennedy, the newly-elected President of the United
States, gave the famous challenge: “My fellow Americans, ask not what your
country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country. My fellow
citizens of the world ask not what America will do for you, but what together
we can do for the freedom of man. Finally, whether you are citizens of America
or citizens of the world, ask of us here the same high standards of strength
and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure
reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the
land we love, asking God’s blessing and His help, but knowing that here on
earth God’s work must truly be our own.” If we personalized Kennedy’s
statement it would read, “Don’t ask, ‘What can my country do for me?’
Instead ask, ‘What can I do for my country?’” And add, “Don’t ask,
‘What can God do for me?’ Instead ask, ‘What can I do for God?’” Today’s
Gospel lesson gives the correct answer. (Fr. Tony) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
3) Honesty and Trigonometry: Dr. Madison Sarratt taught Mathematics at Vanderbilt University for many years. Before giving a test, the professor would admonish his class, “Today I am giving two examinations—one in trigonometry and the other in honesty. I hope you will pass them both, fulfilling your obligations to your teacher and to your God. If you fail, fail for trigonometry. There are many good people in the world who can’t pass trigonometry, but there are not many people in the world who cannot pass the examination of honesty, the debt we owe to God.” This piece of advice sounds like what Jesus said in today’s Gospel: “Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar — and to God what belongs to God.” (Fr. Tony) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
1) No dues to God: A prosperous farmer was miserly in what
he gave to his Church. So, his pastor went to visit him with the hope of
getting him to increase his donation. The pastor pointed out to him that
the Lord had given him a fertile piece of land and had blessed him with
sunshine and rain so that his crops would grow. The priest added, “You
know, this farm and everything you have is really on loan to you from
God. You should be more grateful.” The farmer replied, “I don’t
mean to complain, Father, but you should have seen what a mess this place was
when God was running it by Himself!”
2) Journey to God with a parcel of Caesar: There once was a
wealthy man who was determined to take his wealth with him when he died. He
prayed and prayed until he convinced the Lord to let him bring his wealth
inside the Pearly Gates. There was one condition: He could only
bring one suitcase of his wealth with him. Therefore, the rich man filled his
suitcase with gold bullion. Then one day, he died. St. Peter greeted him at the
gate and told him he could come in, but his suitcase would have to be left
behind. “But I have an agreement with God,” said the man, “to bring one
suitcase into heaven.” “That’s very unusual,” replied St. Peter. “Let me look
inside that suitcase.” The man opened the suitcase to reveal the shining gold
bullion. St. Peter was amazed. He asked, “Why in the world did you bring
more paving stones to heaven when we have already finished Heaven’s flooring
with pure gold and beautiful diamonds?”
3) Remember the movie, “Oh, God!” with
George Burns? In that movie, the idea was mentioned that the reason God
gave Adam and Eve no clothes to wear was because God knew that once they had
clothes, they would want pockets. Once they had pockets, they would want
money.
4) “Will the Reverend also have a martini?” A pious pastor
who had been a teetotaler all his life, was invited to dinner by a new
parishioner. “Would you gentlemen care for a drink?” the waiter asked. “I’ll
have a Martini,” said the parishioner. “Will the Reverend also have a martini?”
the waiter asked. “I’d sooner break all Ten Commandments,” said the pastor. “I
didn’t know we had a choice,” said the parishioner. In today’s Gospel Lesson,
the Pharisees ask Jesus a question involving choice.
1) Value of one vote: We have all learned the
value of our vote. It’s a lesson we need to be taught again and again. Look at
history: One vote gave Oliver Cromwell control of all England in 1645.
One vote in the Rump Parliament caused King Charles I of England to be executed
in 1649. Had it not been for one vote in 1776, the official language in
the United States would be German instead of English. One vote kept Aaron Burr
– later charged with treason – from becoming President (1800). Had it not been
for one vote in 1845, the state of Texas would not have become part of the
United States. One vote saved President Andrew Johnson from impeachment (1868).
One vote admitted California, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho into the Union.
(1850, 1850, 1889, 1890). One vote changed the entire nation of France from a
monarchy to a republic in 1875. One vote elected Rutherford B. Hayes to
the Presidency, and the man in the Electoral College who cast that vote was an
Indiana Representative also elected by one vote (1876). It was by one vote that
in 1923 Adolph Hitler became the leader of the Nazi party, an event which later
resulted in the slaughter of six million Jews. Had it not been for one
vote, World War II with all its pain and death might never have taken place.
One vote maintained the Selective Service System only 12 weeks before Pearl
Harbor (1941). One vote per precinct would have elected Richard Nixon, rather
than John Kennedy, President (1960). One vote by Al Gore in 1993 approved the
largest tax increase in U.S. history. These events clearly show that our
exercise of the right to vote can make a tremendous difference. When we
use our right to vote we are giving our dues to Caesar as Jesus
commanded. “I am only one, but I am one. I can’t do everything, but I can
do something. The something I ought to do, I can do. And by the grace of God, I
will.” (Edward
Everett Hale). That should be the attitude of every Christian citizen. (Fr.
Tony) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
2) True Integrity: the dues we owe to God and
our country. Mr. Cleveland Stroud had coached the basketball team,
the Blue-Collar Bulldogs, of Rockdale County High School
(Conyers, Georgia, U.S.A.), for 18 years before his team made it to the state
championship. Stroud recalls, “It was the perfect night when they
won, a night you dream of.” He was carried around the gym on the
shoulders of his triumphant players and their proud parents. The local
paper put his picture on the front page. But the excitement was
short-lived. Two months after the championship, during a routine grade
check, Stroud discovered that one player had been academically ineligible.
The player had only played 45 seconds during the regional qualifying
tournament, and he wasn’t an important player. Stroud says, “I thought it
was all ruined. I went through a phase where I was really depressed.”
He struggled with what to do next. Yet, his commitment to integrity
led him to the right decision. “Winning is the most important thing for
any coach,” he says, “but your principles have to be higher than your goals.”
He reported the error to the league and the Bulldogs forfeited their
trophy. When the team lamented their loss in the locker room, he told
them, “You’ve got to do what is honest, what is right, and what the rules
say. That’s how we pay to God what’s His. People forget the scores
of basketball games, but they don’t ever forget what you are made of” (In
Touch Magazine, January 1999). (Fr. Tony) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
3) “Large-scale gangs of criminals!” St.
Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, Church patriarch, was the Church’s greatest
theologian in the tradition of justice. In both his Confessions and The
City of God, the theme of justice is a recurring one. While he denied that
social justice was necessary simply to maintain order, Augustine, the expert
rhetorician, also wryly noted, in words that have become famous, “Remove
justice, and what are kingdoms but large-scale gangs of criminals!” In his
commentary on today’s Gospel text, Augustine immediately focuses on the real
point of Jesus’ words “giving to God what is God’s.” Augustine insists that
when we truly succeed in “giving to God what is God’s,” we are, in his words,
“doing justice to God.” Doing justice to God requires that we return to God,
with dividends, that which God has entrusted to us. (Fr. Tony) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
4) “Caesar died a long time ago.” A father was
trying to teach his fifth-grade son the value of tithes and offerings. The boy
listened attentively, and then he went on to say, “I still don’t understand why
you have to pay taxes.” To this the father replied, “Because the Bible says we
must give unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar and unto God what belongs to God.”
His son looked puzzled. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you, Dad. Caesar died a
long time ago.” (Rev. Jeff Hughes). (Fr. Tony) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
5) Luciano Pavarotti says that when he was a boy, his
father, a baker, introduced him to the wonders of song. He urged him to
work hard to develop his voice. Arrigo Pola, a professional tenor in his
hometown of Modena, Italy, took him as a pupil. Pavarotti also enrolled in a
Teachers College. On graduating, he asked his father, “Shall I be a teacher or
a singer?” “Luciano,” his father replied, “if you try to sit on two chairs, you
will fall between them. For life, you must choose one chair.” Pavarotti, later
in life wrote: “I chose one. It took seven years of study and frustration
before I made my first professional appearance. It took another seven to reach
the Metropolitan Opera. And now I think whether it’s laying bricks, writing a
book–whatever we choose–we should give ourselves to it. Commitment, that’s the
key. Choose one chair.” (Fr. Tony) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
6) “Do you go to Church every Sunday?” A young
lady was soaking up the sun’s rays on a Florida beach when a little boy in his
swimming trunks, carrying a towel, came up to her and asked her, “Do you
believe in God?” She was surprised by the question, but she replied, “Why, yes,
I do.” Then he asked her: “Do you go to Church every Sunday?” Again, her answer
was “Yes!” He then asked: “Do you read your Bible and pray every day?” Again,
she said, “Yes!” By now her curiosity was very much aroused. The little lad
sighed with relief and said, “Will you hold my quarter while I go in swimming?”
The little boy was straightforward and honest in his questions because he
wanted to entrust to the lady something valuable. The Pharisees are not being
honest. They have no intention of entrusting anything to Jesus. They are not
looking for the answer to a question. They don’t want someone to hold their
quarter. They are looking for a way to get rid of this trouble-making Nazarene
named Jesus. (Fr. Tony) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
7) “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States
of America…” Some years ago in a U.S. District Court, I had the
privilege of participating in a naturalization ceremony. Some sixty
foreign-born persons were ready to take their citizenship vows. Every place on
earth was represented. They reminded me of that old Coca-Cola commercial, “I
want to teach the world to sing.” These sixty folks had waited five years for
this day. They had learned the language, studied the nation’s laws, and passed
a test and a security check. Behind them sat several hundred proud relatives
with cameras. An Army color guard marched in with the flag. Then a soloist sang
the National Anthem and God Bless America. The guest speaker was himself
a naturalized citizen. Today he is a vice-president of a bank. His very
presence spoke volumes about the American dream. Finally, the new citizens
stood to take their vows. But before they could do so, they first had to
renounce their previous citizenship, whatever it was. Then all together, with
tears flowing down their cheeks, they declared, “I pledge allegiance to the
flag of the United States of America…” I want to declare to you today that we
Christians hold dual citizenship. Simultaneously, we are citizens of America
and also citizens of the Kingdom of God. (Fr. Tony) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
8) “We are ‘one nation under God.’” Not long ago
in Blackwood, New Jersey, the Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that
the senior class could not have a non-sectarian prayer at commencement. The
senior class had voted to offer this prayer: “Please bless us in the future and
thank you for the blessings of the past. God keep a watchful eye on us in the future.
Amen.” The court backed the ACLU’s contention that the prayer was
unconstitutional. But surely our constitution’s authors did not mean to
prohibit 17- and 18-year-olds from saying such a prayer if they elected to do
so. The principal of that high school did have the last word. At the end of his
commencement speech he declared, “God bless you and God bless the United States
of America!” Immediately the students jumped to their feet and applauded. We
are not “one nation without a God.” We are not “one nation afraid to name its
God.” We are “one nation under God.” (Fr. Tony) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
9) We have something as Christians to render to God as
well as something to render to Caesar! American heritage is full of
Christian influence. When the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth in 1620, they paused
to write the Mayflower Compact, the first law of American shores. It reads in
part: “In the name of God, Amen. We whose names are underwritten … having
undertaken for the glory of God and advancement of the Christian Faith … a
voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia….” George
Washington, in his first presidential inauguration, added to his oath, “So help
me God” and then kissed the Bible. (It is disputed if George Washington added
the words “So help me God” to the oath or somebody else). Ben Franklin, in 1778
at the Constitutional Convention, made motion that proceedings each day be
opened with prayer. He said, “I have lived for a long time, and the longer I
live, the more convincing proof I see of this truth, that God governs the
affairs of men. If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is
it probable that an Empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured by
the Holy Scriptures that ‘Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain
to build it.’ I firmly believe this, and I also believe that without His
concurring aid, we shall proceed in this political building no better than the
founders of Babel.” Every Presidential inaugural speech, save one, has
mentioned God. Our coins have In God We Trust on them. The Ten
Commandments are mostly still in our law books, forbidding theft, lying,
murder, and such. Congress is still opened with prayer. George Washington, in
his farewell address, said: “The truth is, politics and morality are
inseparable. As morality’s foundation is religion, religion and politics are
necessarily related.” So, you see, politics and religion can and have mixed in
our nation’s past. Fact is, as Jesus did say, we have something as Christians
to render to God as well as something to render to Caesar! (Fr. Tony) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
10) Things we owe to God? (Give to God what is God’s): Our
gifts to God are a response to a gift. This means that we give out of gratitude
for what God has already done on our behalf and not in order to get something
back, nor because we hope to receive special favor in return. But there are
some Churches that foster the idea that if we give a lot to the Church, then
God will make us prosperous in our lives. In order to see how ludicrous such
theology is, all we have to do is look at what happened to Christ’s disciples
who gave themselves fully to his cause. Matthew suffered martyrdom by the sword
in Ethiopia. Mark died at Alexandria after being dragged through the streets of
that city. Luke was hanged on an olive tree in Greece. Peter was crucified at
Rome with, at his own request, his head downward. James was beheaded at Jerusalem.
James the Lesser was thrown from a pinnacle of the Temple and beaten to death
below. Philip was hanged against a pillar in Phrygia. Bartholomew was flayed
alive. Andrew was bound to a cross, from whence he preached to his persecutors
until he died. Thomas was stabbed to death by Hindu fanatics in Madras, India.
Jude was shot to death with arrows. Matthias was first stoned and then
beheaded. Barnabas was stoned to death at Salonica. John, leading the
Church in Ephesus, was arrested during the reign of Diocletian, and was
condemned. He was plunged into a cauldron of boiling oil from which he
miraculously emerged unhurt. He was then banished to the island of Patmos. In
his oldest age, he was set free, returned to Ephesus and died peacefully in his
sleep. His whole life was his gift to God. (“How did John the apostle die?”
www/gotquestions.org). Yet, every one of them considered his sufferings and
death a privilege! (Fr. Tony) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
11) The Christian and Politics: Christians
should not shirk public office, but see it as a chance to serve their fellow
men and women and thereby God. The Pharisees opted out of real life and kept
themselves apart. The result was a vain religiosity which had little or nothing
to do with daily life. Dag Hammarskjöld was Secretary General of the UN. When
he died in a plane crash in central Africa in 1961 at the age of fifty-six, the
world lost a great servant of peace. He was that rare person for whom public
service is not simply a career or a means of achieving power but a religious
vocation, a way of being faithful to God. He drew inspiration from the Old
Testament prophets. He said, “Indifference to evil is worse, than evil itself,
and in a free society, some are guilty, but all are responsible.’ Gandhi is
another example of a deeply religious man who involved himself in politics. He
said, “I’m in politics because I cannot separate life from belief. Because I
believe in God, I have to enter politics. Politics is my service of God.” And
Nelson Mandela is yet another example. Mandela tells how when he began to get
interested in politics a friend tried to warm him off, saying, “Politics brings
out the worst in people. It is the source of trouble and corruption and should
be avoided at all costs.” Fortunately for South Africa and for the world,
Mandela ignored his advice. (Flor McCarthy in New Sunday and Holy Day
Liturgies; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (Fr. Tony) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
12) Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s: There is
a story about a minister who in the early part of the last century was asked to
give the Memorial Day address at the national cemetery in Gettysburg, PA.
Like most of the speakers in previous years, he felt a need to conclude his
talk by reciting Lincoln’s famous address. The minister thought that the
speech had gone well, but afterwards an old man came forward and said to him,
“Son, you’ve made an awful mess of Lincoln’s speech.” Taken aback the minister
said, “How so? I didn’t miss a word. Look, here are my notes.” “Oh,
I don’t need your notes,” said the man, “I know it by heart. You see I
heard it the first time around.” The minister then realized that this man
had been present when Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address. So the
minister asked, “How did my recitation differ from that of the great
President?” The old man said, “Abe put his hands out over the people like
a benediction and said, ‘That the government of the people, by the people and
for the people, should not perish from the earth.’ You got the words
right,” the old man said, “but you got the emphasis wrong and you missed the
message. You emphasized government. Lincoln talked about people.”
When government seeks to provide for the just welfare of its citizens, it is
doing the work of God. (Fr. Joseph Pellegrino). (Fr. Tony) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
13) “I love my country but there is a higher authority,
God!” Franz Jaggerstatter was born in Austria and was brought up a
Catholic. He was an ordinary, unremarkable young man; however, at some stage he
suddenly matured. He became very responsible and began to take religion
seriously. By this time the Second World War was raging. At thirty-six he was
called up to serve Hitler’s army. He refused to join up. “I cannot join because
I believe that this war is not a just war. Therefore, it would be wrong for me
to join up. It would be against my conscience.” He said. “But where’s your
loyalty to your people, to your country, to your flag?” his friends protested.“
Franz replied, “I love my people and I love my country. But there’s a higher
law–God’s law. And God’s law tells me that this war is wrong.” It wasn’t that
he wanted to die. He had a lot to live for — his family and friends. He was
arrested and put into prison. Then further efforts were made to get him to
change his mind. Even his wife begged him to reconsider his decision, to no
avail. Franz was beheaded on August 9, 1943. He felt he was obeying the words
of Christ: “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to
God.” (Flor McCarthy in New Sunday & Holy day Liturgies; quoted
by Fr. Botelho). (Fr. Tony) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
14) “Is Pat Murray on board?” We all laugh at
the reputed story of Pat Murray at the Battle of Trafalgar. His version of the
Battle was as follows: “Lord Nelson came on deck and said ‘Is Pat Murray on
board?’ And I said, ‘Here I am, me Lord.’ Then said his lordship, ‘Let the
battle proceed.’ And yet, while this was written for a joke, there is more to
it than we are apt to think. For had it not been for the Pat Murrays, or John
Joneses or Tom Smiths and others who were on hand doing their duty, there would
have been no victories for the Nelsons, Wellingtons, Napoleons or Grants, who
now live in history as great commanders. When Christians properly discharge
their dues to God and to their government, the country and God’s cause
prosper. (A.W. Graham in More Quotes and Anecdotes; quoted by
Fr. Botelho).
15) Spiritual Foundations: The Great Wall
of China was a gigantic structure, costing immense expenditure and labour, and
when finished it seemed a superb way to gain security; but within a few years
of its building it was breached three times by the enemy. Only note — it was
breached, not by breaking down the wall but by bribing the
gatekeepers! It was the human element that failed; what collapsed was
character, proving insufficient to do the task neecessary to make the great
structure men had built really work. A like fate awaits all those who, absorbed
in political tasks, forget the spiritual foundation. (Quoted by Fr.
Botelho). (Fr. Tony) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
16) Give back to God…Theologian Jon Sobrino
published a book Spirituality of Liberation: Towards Political Holiness. A
political holiness is what the Church badly needs. I sense that we have too
much of “Church Politics” and too little of a “political Church.” There’s
politicking present in demands for ecclesiastical appointments, but hardly any
interest in burning issues facing society and the Church. The current issue of
granting concessions to Dalit-Christians (former untouchables) in India is
significant. Is this a political or a religious question? I frame the question
differently: “Is there anything which is not political? Or anything which is
not religious?” Evidently, everything belongs to God. Let us give back to God
even what belongs to Caesar. (Francis Gonsalves in Sunday Seeds for Gospel
Deeds; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (Fr. Tony) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
17) Separation of Church and state: “One nation
under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance. A Ten Commandments monument in a local
courthouse. A Manger Scene on the town common. “In God we trust on our
currency.” What do you think of when you hear those things? For millions of
Americans it’s the following: “YOU CAN’T DO THAT! THAT’S A VIOLATION OF THE
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE! But is it? Is that true? Is it really
unconstitutional to pray or hand out Bibles in school? Is it really wrong for
politicians to form their views based on their Faith? Is it wrong for the state
to give Churches “Tax Exempt Status”? Let me get straight to the point and say
NO! No, it’s not wrong, no it’s NOT unconstitutional, No, this is NOT a
violation of the separation of Church and State! But what about all those who
say “YES? Yes, it is wrong, yes, it is unconstitutional and yes, it is a
violation!” Three statements to remember: 1) Separation of Church and State
does not mean that the Church must stay out of the affairs of government and
public life IT MEANS THAT THE STATE IS TO STAY OUT OF THE AFFAIRS OF THE
CHURCH! 2) Those who tell you otherwise are either blatantly dishonest or they
simply do not know, understand or care about the history of the United States
of America! 3) This is an organized attempt primarily being carried out by
those who have contempt for Christ, hate the Bible, and despise the influence
the Church has had on Western Culture, and they are literally willing to
rewrite history in order to demonize the Christian Church. That being said, we
can close early, and all go home! I mean, what else is there to say? No, this
morning we are going to look at what America has believed traditionally, and we
will also take a look at what the Scriptures say about the role of the Church
and government. (Rev. Michael Grant). (Fr. Tony) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
18) Tax Day, it is also the day the Titanic was sunk and
the day Lincoln was shot. It’s still a long time until April 15th,
and I don’t mean to remind you of that prematurely, but did you know that April
15th is not only Income Tax Day? It is also the day the Titanic was sunk, and
the day Lincoln was shot. You see, it is just a bad day all the way
around! Someone said once, “You may not agree with every department of the
government, but you really have to hand it to the IRS.” Another cynic has said,
“Death and taxes may always be with us, but at least death doesn’t get worse
every time Congress meets.” Arthur Godfrey once said, “I feel honored to pay
taxes in America. The thing is, I could probably feel just as honored for
about half the price.” Someone also once said that the Eiffel Tower is the
Empire State Building after taxes. Most people don’t enjoy paying taxes.
We just do it. Well, the people had to pay taxes in Jesus’ time,
too. Even worse, they had to pay them to a government they despised —
Rome. Today’s Gospel is about our duties to God and our nation. (Rev. Edward F.
Markquart). (Fr. Tony) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
19) Rockefeller started giving to God His due and lived: That
was a lesson learned by John D. Rockefeller, Sr. He drove himself hard to be a
success. He became a millionaire by this age of twenty-three and by the
age of fifty was the richest man on earth. Then at fifty-three years of
age, Rockefeller developed a serious illness which caused the hair on his head,
his eyebrows, and eyelashes to drop off. Even though he was the world’s
only billionaire and could have almost anything on earth he wanted, he could
only digest milk and crackers. He became shrunken like a mummy. He
could not sleep, would not smile, and nothing in life meant much to him at
all. Doctors predicted that within a year he would be dead. One night,
however, as Rockefeller struggled to fall asleep, he came to grips with his
life. He realized that he could take nothing with him into the next
world. The next day he embarked on a new way of living. Rather than
hoarding his money and possessions, he began to give them away to persons in
need. Establishing the Rockefeller Foundation, he channeled his fortune
into hospitals, research, and mission work. His contributions eventually
led to the discovery of penicillin as well as cures for malaria, tuberculosis,
and diphtheria. At age 53, Rockefeller was given a year to live. By
learning to live by the principle of giving rather than getting, he altered his
life so dramatically that he eventually lived to the ripe old age of ninety-eight.
(Rev. Edward F. Markquart). (Fr. Tony) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
20) “To God What Is God’s:: St. Justin, a layman who
died a martyr around the year 165, was born of Greek parents in Palestine, and
was a philosopher by profession. His search for truth brought him into
Christianity; and after his conversion he staunchly defended the Faith in
speech, in writings and finally in blood. During a period of persecution,
Justin, who had come to Rome, was arrested as a Christian along with several
other believers. The prefect, Rusticus, after some initial questions, said to
the Christians: “Let us come to the point … Agree together to offer sacrifice
to the gods.” Justin the philosopher replied with dignity, “No one of sound
mind turns from piety to impiety.” Rusticus warned: “If you do not obey, you
will be punished without mercy.” Justin said, “We are confident that if we
suffer the penalty for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be saved…”
His companions concurred: “Do what you will. We are Christians, and we do not
offer sacrifice to idols.” So Rusticus pronounced judgment: “Those who have
refused to offer sacrifice and yield to the emperor’s edict are to be led away
to be scourged and beheaded in accordance with the laws.” Justin and his
companions not only accepted the sentence, they thanked God for it. “… Give to
Caesar what is Caesar’s but give to God what is God’s.” (Matthew, 22:21. Gospel
of the day). (Father Robert F. McNamara).(Fr. Tony) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
21) Restoring the rights of God: The Rosary
Saves Brazil from Communism, 1962-1964: The world was in a
state of fear and confusion. Russia was trying to make headway in converting as
many countries as possible to Communism under their rule. Impoverished
nations with corrupt governments in turmoil were easy targets. Cuba had just
fallen to the Soviets in 1960, and Brazil was another planned conquest. The
president of Brazil, Joao Goulart, was pushing for a Communist form of
government. He began to install known
Communists into high governmental positions while at the same time dispatching
representatives to convince the citizens that Communism was good for the
country. With Catholicism still strong in the country, Cardinal de Barros
Camara told people through a weekly radio address that by following the directives
of Our Lady of Fatima regarding prayer and penance, Brazil could overthrow the
Communist threat. In a speech, President Goulart mocked the rosary,
saying that governmental control, not reciting the prayers of the rosary, would
save the economy from collapse. During this time, he was lining his pockets
with dollars given to Brazil in foreign aid from the U.S. and other countries.
A Brazilian woman named Dona Amelia Bastos was very
concerned about this imminent danger. Her husband belonged to a group of men
called the Anti-Reds who were opposed to Communism in Brazil. One-night Dona
Amelia listened as the Anti-Reds discussed the threat facing their beloved
country. She decided that she too could do something about it. Of her
decision, she said, “I suddenly decided that politics had become too important
to be left entirely to the men. Moreover, who has more at stake in what’s
happening to our country than we women?” She immediately formed a group called
Campaign of Women for Democracy (CAMDE) and started to recruit as many people
as possible to pray the rosary in large groups to thwart the plan for Communist
takeover. In a town called Belo Horizonte a group of 20,000 women
reciting the rosary aloud broke up a pro-Communist rally. The success of this
peaceful protest fed the impetus for the Catholic women to do more. With the
help of Heaven and the strong influence of Archbishop Cardinal de Barros
Camara, Dona Amelia recruited an amazing 600,000 women who marched in Sao Paulo
to pray the rosary for peace. They called their protest, “March of the Family
with God Toward Freedom.” under the declaration, “Mother of God, preserve
us from the fate and suffering of the martyred women of Cuba, Poland, Hungary,
and other enslaved nations.” Leone Brizola, a Communist high government
official, left in a rage when his planned speech was thwarted by the
rattling of 3000 rosaries and the murmuring of the prayers in the assembly
hall. Not one life was lost in this most amazing peaceful anti-Communist
protest, which is described by many witnesses as, “One of the most moving
demonstrations in Brazilian History.” Many more rosary rallies were held
in major cities in spite of threats of military action against the crusading
women. Under this mounting pressure, on April 1, 1964 President Goulart fled
the country along with many members of the government. Pray the rosary to
protect our country from falling to corruption! (Lectio Divina). (Fr.
Tony) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
22) How a Christian in today’s world can render to God
the homage of truth. When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the
new session of the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual
generalities, but this is what they heard: “Heavenly Father, we come before you
today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know
your Word says, “Woe to those who call evil good”, but that is exactly what we
have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We
have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness
and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have
shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline
our children and called it building self-esteem. We have abused power and
called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it
ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it
freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our
forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, O God, and know our hearts
today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Amen!” The response was
immediate. A number of legislators walked out during the prayer in protest. In
six short weeks, Central Christian Church, where Rev. Wright is pastor, logged
more than 5,000 phone calls with only 47 of those calls responding negatively.
The church is now receiving international requests for copies of this prayer
from India, Africa and Korea. Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his
radio program, “The Rest of the Story” and received a larger response to this
program than any other he has aired. With the Lord’s help, may this prayer
sweep over our nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can
be called “one nation under God.” (Lectio Divina). (Fr. Tony) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
23) “Billy, you are, and the Head Chief, Jesus,
is holding your hand.” In Phoenix, Arizona, a 26-year-old mother
stared down at the 6-year-old son who was dying of terminal leukemia. Although
her heart was filled with sadness, she also had a strong feeling of
determination. Like any parent, she wanted her son to grow up and fulfill all
his dreams. Now that was no longer possible! The leukemia would see to that.
But she still wanted her son’s dream to come true. She took her son’s hand and
asked, “Billy, did you ever think about what you wanted to be once you grow up?
Did you ever dream and wish what would you do with your life?”
“Mommy, I always wanted to be a fireman when I grow up.” Mom
smiled back and said, “Let’s see if we can make your wish come true.” Later
that day she went to her local Fire Department in Phoenix, Arizona, where she
met Fireman Bob, who had a heart as big as Phoenix. She explained her son’s
final wish and asked if it might be possible to give her 6-year-old son a ride
around the block on a fire engine. Fireman Bob said, “Look, we can do better
than that. If you have your son ready at seven o’clock Wednesday morning, we
will make him an honorary Fireman for the whole day. He can come down to the
fire station, eat with us, go out on all the fire calls, the whole nine yards!
And if you give us his sizes, we can get a real fire uniform for him,
with a real fire hat – not a toy – one with the emblem of the Phoenix Fire
Department on it, a yellow slicker like we wear and rubber boots. They’re all
manufactured right here in Phoenix, so we can get them fast.” Three days later
Fireman Bob picked up Billy, dressed him in his uniform and escorted him from
his hospital bed to the waiting hook and ladder truck. Billy got to sit on the
back of the truck and help steer it back to the fire station. He was in heaven.
There were three fire calls in Phoenix that day and Billy got to go out on all
three calls. He rode in the different fire engines, the Paramedic’s van and
even the fire chief’s car. He was also videotaped for the local news program.
Having his dream come true, with all the love and attention
that was lavished upon him, so deeply touched Billy, that he lived three months
longer than any doctor thought possible. One night all his vital signs began to
drop dramatically and the head nurse, who believed in the hospice concept that
no one should die alone, began to call the family members to the hospital. Then
she remembered the day Billy had spent as a Fireman, so she called the Fire
Chief and asked if it would be possible to send a fireman in uniform to the
hospital to be with Billy as he made his transition. The chief replied, “We can
do better than that. We will be there in five minutes. Will you please do me a
favor? When you hear the sirens screaming and see the lights flashing, will you
announce over the PA system that there is not a fire? It is the department
coming to see one of its finest members one more time. And will you open the
window to his room?” About five minutes later a hook and ladder truck arrived
at the hospital and extended its ladder up to Billy’s third floor open window —
16 fire-fighters climbed up the ladder into Billy’s room! With his mother’s
permission they hugged him and held him and told him how much they LOVED him.
With his dying breath, Billy looked up at the fire chief and said, “Chief, am I
really a fireman now?” “Billy, you are, and the Head Chief, Jesus, is
holding your hand”, the chief said. With those words, Billy smiled and said, “I
know. He’s been holding my hand all day, and the angels have been singing.” He
closed his eyes one last time. (Lectio Divina). (Fr. Tony) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/20
The little boy was straightforward and honest in his questions because he wanted to entrust to the lady something valuable. The Pharisees are not being honest. They have no intent in entrusting Jesus with anything. They are not looking for the answer to a question. They don't want someone to hold their quarter. They are looking for a way to get rid of this trouble making Nazarene named Jesus.
The Pharisees were so angry it blinded them. Think for a moment about the ironies here: We know, because we live on this side of the resurrection, that Jesus was God. They thought he was demonic, an agent of Satan. We know that Jesus is the King of kings. They thought he wanted to be the King of Israel. We know that he was the Son of God. They thought he was simply Joseph and Mary's son. We know that Jesus has influenced the world for 2000 years. They thought his influence would end at the cross.
It's a fascinating story. We look at the Pharisees and we shake our heads...
It is unthinkable that a Christian would not vote! It is unthinkable that Christians would not run for public office! It is unthinkable that Christians would withdraw from the responsibility of taking part in public life. The Christian has a responsibility to Caesar for all the privileges which the rule of Caesar brings. We are citizens of this world and must be good ones, if we are Christ's disciples.
I have also heard it argued that "Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's" implies a strict separation of church and state, that Jesus is dividing life into two separate and distinct parts - a spiritual part and a secular, or worldly, part. Dedicated and committed Christians have been arguing for this separation for centuries, and we probably won't settle the issue once and for all today. Their argument has been that with these words Jesus is telling us to obey God in the spiritual realm and to obey the government in everything else. Now, that's a nice, neat little division, and it solves many difficult problems. Politics is politics and religion is religion and never the twain shall meet. Let the church take care of its own business and keep their noses out of social and political issues. That would be fine if it worked. You and I both know that it doesn't. Yes, there are obligations we have to the governing authorities, such as paying taxes, exercising our right to vote, and obeying civil laws. But as followers of Jesus Christ, our ultimate obligation is to "seek first the kingdom of God," and all other obligations have to have a lower priority. There can only be one top priority.
Our many loyalties and commitments can do the same to us. We may feel that the strings of power and persuasion tied to us need only be tugged a bit, and then we have to move as they direct. The company we work for, the government we live under, the family we belong to, the possessions we own (more so, the one's we're still paying for) - all these things exercise varying degrees of control over our lives. To a large extent they determine how we spend our time, our money, our energy, our being. It isn't rare at all these days for people to be pulled in so many different directions that they jump and jerk across the stage of life, often feeling helplessly out of control.
Our problem is that there are too many Caesars before which we stand accountable. It's impossible to please them all. Rendering to Caesar what is Caesar's is more than some folk feel they can handle.
D. Wayne Burkette, Life in Heaven's Kingdom, CSS Publishing Company
We have good news that is essential to every human being; it's a matter of their eternal life or death. We may be the only conduits God has to certain persons. We must help him reach them.
"That's crazy," said his friend.
"Yes, it's true," came the reply. "It depends on what is really important to you. Here, let me show you."
He reached into his pocket, pulled out a few coins, and discreetly dropped them on the sidewalk. And then, with the noise of the crowded street still blaring in their ears, they noticed every head within twenty feet turn and look to see if the money that tinkled on the pavement was theirs.
Do you eat cereal for breakfast, or don't you like football?
Are you Lutheran, or do you live in America?
Will you obey God, or will you pay taxes to Caesar?
Welcome to the world of false dichotomies-thing that are wrongly set against each other, "either/or"s that really aren't. Can you wear shoes and come to church in a car? Can you eat cereal and enjoy football? Can you be Lutheran and live in America?...
