During the hype for the 250th anniversary of the USA, you may have heard the quote, “a republic if you can keep it.” Benjamin Franklin said that in 1787, just after the Constitutional Convention, when someone asked him, “Doctor, what have we got — a monarchy or a republic?” For the Jews of Jesus’ day, it was the kingdom they did not succeed in keeping. In 586 BCE (aka B.C.), Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and ended the southern remnant of the Kingdom of David, the northern part having already disappeared long before. After that, the biblical Jews were never again independent. After Babylon came various other conquerors, and finally Rome. During the centuries of foreign occupation, various revolutionary groups arose from time to time, including the Maccabees, who may have invented guerilla warfare. But none succeeded like our George Washington’s ragtag fleet did.
In Jesus’ day, Herod and Pontius Pilate reported to Rome, and anyone not siding with Rome was likely to be accused of fomenting rebellion. Today’s Gospel takes us right into the middle of this fraught political situation. The leaders of the Jews wanted to get rid of Jesus because he was challenging their religious leadership. They settled on using the political situation to do it. Would Jesus use a coin with Caesar’s image on it to pay the temple tax? If so, they could accuse him of siding with the oppressor; if not, of being a “bad Jew” for not supporting the temple hierarchy by contributing to it. This time, Jesus slips out of the trap by giving measured advice: Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what belongs to God.
His response recognizes that there will need to be a governing power, kings or republics or … . He seems to be suggesting that each of us needs to find a way to honor both God and the governing power. But his simple statement is not so simple. For who of us would claim that our government is blameless and perfect? And yet our taxes, which are not optional, support the sometimes-harmful decisions our government makes. Catholic social teaching emphasizes the role of responsible citizens we believers in God have. We are not to be passive. We are supposed to stay engaged by sorting through the complex issues before our ruling bodies. We are supposed to learn how candidates for office approach issues so that we can be informed voters. We are to be advocates for the common good. That takes time and persistence, and courage to speak with others who may not think like we do. In a republic, what we must “give to Caesar” is more than taxes. A republic needs watchful and critical observers who speak up. This Gospel serves as a wakeup call just a few weeks before we vote!
— Blog entry by Sister Mary Garascia
The post October 18, 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Giving to Caesar: a Sunday Scriptures blog first appeared on Sisters of the Precious Blood.