Nobody likes taxes. That is definitely not a new thing. In the Roman empire, taxes were sort of like a protection racket,
"Pay Rome a tribute, and we will make sure nothing bad happens to your nice little country. But, if you don't, we can't guarantee something terrible won't happen."
Some of the Jews looked at paying Roman taxes as a necessary evil. Everyone knew Rome had no problem crushing any state that rebelled. Better to keep the peace. Plus, at least the Romans kept other would-be conquerors away. No, don't rock the boat. Just make the best of a bad situation. Let's call these people the Herodians.
Others, like the Pharisees, thought it was a sacrilege. Every Jew already paid a tithe to the Lord; paying taxes to a man who claimed to be a God was blasphemy. What the Jews should be doing is running the Romans out of town. After all, weren't they God's chose people?
As you can imagine, the Pharisees and Herodians did not get along. But, there was one thing they did agree on. Jesus was getting to be a problem for both. He was too popular. In the eyes of the Pharisees, he was a threat to their authority. To the Herodians, he was a threat to stability. The crowds he was drawing couldn't help but draw Roman attention. Both had reason to want to get rid of Jesus.
So, the Pharisees came up with a plan to trap Jesus. They were going to ask him an impossible question, one where he would have to offend the Religious Jews, or the Herodians. Either he would make himself out to be a heretic or a rebel. It was a win-win. Problem solved.
The Pharisees sent their disciples with the Herodians to ask Jesus a question,
"Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?"
They must have thought they had Jesus. A perfect binary choice. You can almost hear them snickering to themselves maliciously, as they rubbed their hands together,
"Hehe. We've got him now! There is no way he can get out of this one."
Jesus, not surprisingly, immediately saw through this ridiculous ploy and replied,
"Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites? Show me the coin that pays the census tax."
This was not at all what they were expecting. But, somebody fished out a denarius and handed it to him anyway. Then, Jesus proceeded to take them to school. He asked, "who's picture is on this coin?" To which the crowd replied, "Ceasar." Then, Jesus replied,
"repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God."
Scripture says they heard what Jesus said and were amazed.
Big lesson: Don't try to pull one over on God. It is NEVER going to work.
But there is a big question for us that needs to be answered. What belongs to Ceasar, and what belongs to God? Well, for starters, you belong to God. Just like the denarius had the image of Ceasar stamped on it, you have the image of Christ in you. You are literally made in his image and likeness. So if the denarius belongs to Ceasar, you belong to Christ. Jesus makes that clear just a couple verses later, in Matthew 22:37. He tells us to Love the Lord with our hearts, minds, and souls. What he is saying is love the Lord with the totality of your being. Everything you are. We are called to give ourselves to the Lord.
This includes our work. That includes our families. That includes our entertainment. That includes our bodies and what we do with our bodies. I would say it even includes our votes. There is not a part of our being that is not called to glorify the Lord.
But what about giving to Ceasar. What does that mean today? We do not have Ceasars, but what in our world is made to glorify the world? What is meant to put the individual at the center of the universe, rather than the Lord?
Any ideology, any media, any action, or political party that declares that "my life, my body, my choices solely belong to me" belongs to the world. Our lives are not our own. They were paid for with the blood of Jesus Christ. Anything or anyone who says differently is speaking the wisdom of the world and not that of Christ. Let the world such things. A Christian can not. Any ideology or philosophy that denies the sacredness of human life, every human life, is of the world.
Truthfully, too many Catholics give to the world what belongs to God. Our lives are far too often lived to glorify us. We declare ourselves the master of our heart, mind, and soul. We refuse to see Christ's image in others. We live like pagans who go to Church. Pornography, human trafficking, promiscuity, abortion, euthanasia, unjust war, all of these profane the sacredness of the human person. None of these have any place in the life of a Christian. None of these should be supported by Christians.
What if Catholics actually gave to Christ what belonged to Him. What if we lived our lives led by Christ's revelation in through the Church? What if we voted based on the sanctity of every human life? What if we gave Christ Lordship over our families, worrying more about our children's holiness than we do about where they will go to college? The world would be different. Our communities would be different.
This week take a look at your life. Ask where you have put yourself or your will above God's. Where have you put political affiliation before God? Where have you put personal freedom above the freedom we are called to in Christ? As I have been speaking, I am pretty sure God has been highlighting things on your heart. Maybe something made you angry. Mabey, you even felt accused. Start with those things. Ask the Lord to move in you and give you the strength and grace to return to him with your whole being. Come Holy Spirit. Renew our faith, and take Lordship over our lives.