The WORD in other words (2021) by Fr Jerry Songcog SVD – Madagascar
Tuesday 9th Week in Ordinary Time
The Pharisees and the Herodians were up for a surprise. They did not expect the answer of Jesus. They had thought that they would get him this time: Either Jesus would say, “Yes we have to pay the census tax to Caesar” and would sound unpatriotic, supporting a foreign power that oppressed their people and whose emperor claimed to be a god, or he would say, “No, we do not have to pay tax to Caesar” and so put himself directly in conflict with the Roman authority.
Jesus’ answer, however, was simple: it was just right to pay back to Caesar what belonged to him, as shown by his image stamped on the coin. The reasoning, however, did not stop there. There was a catch here.
By using the image of Caesar to make a point, Jesus was also implying something that his Jewish audience would surely get: The book of Genesis tells us that man is created in God’s image and likeness. If we owe something to Caesar for using something that bears his image, how much more do we owe God since his image is stamped on us.
It is but right and just then for everyone – including all the Caesars of this world – to give God honor, glory, and thanksgiving.
