The Pharisees and Herodians thought they had set an
inescapable trap for Jesus with their question about the census tax owed to
Caesar. On the one hand, Roman law required payment of the tax and a refusal to
pay would be viewed as subversive. Subversives were often jailed and summarily
executed for their rebellion. Thus, had Jesus said it was unlawful to pay the
tax, he would have run afoul of the Roman law.
On the other hand, the Mosaic Law prohibited
adoration and worship of any but the God of Israel. Both Exodus and Deuteronomy
record the first commandment in the following terms: “I am the LORD your God,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You
shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a graven image,
or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth
beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to
them or serve them” (Ex 20:2-5; Deut 5:6-9). Because the coin used to pay the
tax bore the image and likeness of Caesar, its use was considered an act of
adoration and worship for Caesar. Thus, had Jesus said it was lawful to pay the
tax, he would have run afoul of the Mosaic Law.
For this reason, the Pharisees and Herodians thought
they had Jesus right where they wanted him. If he said no, it is UNLAWFUL to
pay the tax, the Roman law would be his undoing. If he said yes, it is LAWFUL
to pay the tax, the Mosaic Law would be his undoing. Either way, Jesus was going to fall into
their trap. Or so they thought.
Instead, Jesus springs the trap with an appeal to
the principle of belonging, or being in the right place. For Jesus, being in
the right place with the Roman government meant giving to Caesar what belongs
to Caesar. His reference to the image and likeness of Caesar on the coin shows
that what belonged to Caesar were all those things that bore Caesar’s image and
likeness.
Jesus then makes the same claim for God, for the
same principle of belonging applies to God as well. Being in the right place with
God means giving to God what belongs to God. And what belongs to God is
likewise that which bears his image and likeness. The creation story in Genesis
reveals that each and every human being bears the image and likeness of God.
Thus, we all belong to God. We are his children, and
what is owed to God is care and respect for the wellbeing and dignity of others
and ourselves. Because creation also bears the image and likeness of God, it
too belongs to God. It does not belong to us. For that reason, we owe care and
respect for the environment and its resources as well.
This is the message that Jesus gave with his
response to the Pharisees. His message remains clear and relevant to our own
time. We owe all of creation, especially our companion sojourners, our care and
respect. Caesar may want our money, but
God wants our hearts.
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