HOMILY FOR THE 29th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A

1. Isaiah 45: 1,4-6

2. 1 Thessalonians 1: 1-5

Gospel:  Matthew 22:15-21

                          " Giving back to God and Caesar."

When politicians are being criticized and challenged by the religious authorities, to justify their climes they usually use this bible verse, " Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's" ( Matthew 22:21).  I remember sometimes back in Tanzania when we were in the process to have the new constitution, different parties, peoples and religious leaders gave their opinions supporting the idea. However, some political leaders who were against this proposal; objected some  views of the religious leaders by  basing their claims in this verse. Didn't the Bible say to give to Caesar what is Caesar's- meaning the whole sphere of civil, economic and social affairs- and to God what is God's - meaning the sphere of spiritual affairs? According to this interpretation, human affairs are divided into two areas: the spiritual side which belongs to God and God's ministers, and the secular side which belongs to civil authorities. Does Jesus really teach this kind of dualistic view of human existence? To understand the full import of this saying of Jesus we need to consider it in relation to the context in which Jesus said it originally.

 While the statement, " Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's" is true, however, we must not forget that Jesus said it as a way to escape from a trap. " The Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying,....... Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?"( Matthew 22:15-17). In fact this is not a sincere question asked by people who really wanted to know the truth about church- state relations. Thus it would be wrong to treat the saying as the straight forward teaching  of Jesus on the ideal relationship that should exist between  church and state. Jesus being confronted with the double-ended trap of the  Pharisees and Herodians, in which it was unsafe to clearly say yes or no, Jesus framed his answer in such enigmatic language that it would be hard for either party to trap him. It is under this background that he succeeded  in confusing not only his interrogators but also many of us who read the Bible today. If you think Jesus meant that we should have two parallel loyalties, it might help to know that the Pharisees who heard him did not understand it in that way. Remember what happened during Jesus' trial before Pilate, one of the charges they brought against him was that he forbade paying taxes to Caesar ( Luke 23:2).

An interesting shift in Jesus' answer could give us another insight. The question was whether one should give tribute to Caesar. But Jesus' answer spoke of giving back, paying back as if one already owed something. In summary what Jesus said could be paraphrased as: " Give back to

Caesar what is Caesar's due, and to God what is God's due." With this kind of response, Jesus raises the question to another level, that of principle of Justice. Going back to ancient and Greek philosophy we may remember one fact about principle of justice. Greek philosophers defined justice as "giving back to everyone what is their due." Therefore in this context, Jesus seems to be saying that the only binding  obligation is that of Justice, that of giving to every person what is due to them. Really serving God is basically a matter of justice? If God has given us all that we are and have, then we are bound in justice to give back to God some gratitude, loyalty, and service. The central act of Christian worship is called Eucharist, which means " thanksgiving." It is basically a question of paying back the debt of gratitude we owe to God.

With regard to what is Jesus' teaching  to be loyal to civil authority, He is recommending not absolute but qualified loyalty. That is to say, if a government provides needed goods and services then on our part we must, in justice, give back to the government our loyalty and support. However, if the government  is a dictatorship that imposes itself on the people's will, a leech that sucks itself fat from the life-blood of the people and do not provide services, what then  do the people have to give back? To such despotic governments, the principle of Justice does not demand that people give their loyalty and support. Christians must together discern whether and to what extent a given government and its polices merit their loyalty and support. But total and absolute loyalty and service is a debt that we owe to God and to God alone.

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