Give God what is God’s – 18 October, 2020

Matthew 22:15-22

To those of us who routinely pay taxes to the secular authority, the strength of the emotions involved in the question of “rendering to Caesar” may seem strange. This is not just the sort of reluctance that we all feel about paying taxes. Jewish nationalists were deeply offended by the requirement to pay taxes to Rome; the Herodians and Pharisees, supportive of Roman rule, would have considered refusal to pay the tax treasonous. Perhaps we can get a better sense of the intensity of feelings about this issue when we realize that the poll tax provoked the Jewish rebellion against Roman rule in 66 (Josephus, War 2.118). His opponents thought they had Jesus trapped. But asking to see the coin used for tribute (which had to be paid in Roman currency), with its image of Emperor Tiberius, Jesus tells them to give the coin to Caesar, while not neglecting to give to God what is God’s. –– Joseph McHugh

Unlike the empire, which has a mandatory deadline and a mandatory rate of taxation with penalties for not giving to the empire what is owed, our God doesn’t commodify us; our loving God does not see you as a statistic or a Social Security number who supports the infrastructure. You, who are created in God’s image, known by name, whose hairs are numbered—this God, our God, values and cares for you, successes and faults, hopes and dashed hopes, good thoughts and bad thoughts, dreams and nightmares, joys and sorrows. Friend, God values all of it, all of you. –– Neal D. Presa

Isaiah 45:1-7

Cyrus II, founder of the Persian dynasty, attributed his success in conquering many nations to his pagan god. But the prophet Second Isaiah knows that it is YAHWEH who is the cause of Cyrus’ success. We should not minimize the impact of the first sentence: Cyrus, a pagan king, is the LORD’s anointed, his “messiah.” This is the only time that scripture bestows the title on a pagan. The prophet calls upon his people to look behind the secular history of his day and see that the LORD has called Cyrus to conquer Babylon and other nations on behalf of Israel. . . Nor does it matter whether Cyrus recognizes his calling. . . To borrow the wording in the Gospel, in conquering Babylon, Cyrus will be giving to God what belongs to God. –– Joseph McHugh

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

After encountering opposition in Philippi, Paul headed to Thessalonica, capital of the Roman province of Macedonia. Today’s reading is from the thanksgiving portion of the letter, probably written from Corinth around 50. This is generally acknowledged as the earliest of Paul’s letters in the canon. Paul is thankful for the fruit his ministry has borne among the Thessalonian Christians, and offers them encouragement in their continuing journey of faith. –– Joseph McHugh

Neal D. Presa, pastor of the Village Presbyterian Church, Rancho Santa Fe, California, and adjunct professor of worship at Fuller Theological Seminary, was the Moderator of the 220th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA).

Joseph McHugh is a freelance writer from New Jersey, and a former weekly newspaper columnist writing on lectionary readings and whose recent writing includes Explain That to Me!: Searching the Gospels for the Honest Truth about Jesus (ACTA Publications).

Homily Service 41, no. 4 (2008): 80-89.