29th Sunday - Fr. Leo
“Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and unto God what is God’s”
When the Pharisees and Herodian's plotted against Jesus they bated him with a pat on the back saying, “Teacher, we know you are a truthful man…” Then they set before him a syllogism to trap him so they might get him to deny Caesar so they could have the Romans put him to death since they were not permitted to kill themselves.
What Jesus encountered was not unlike what some journalists put people through. They ask questions with a bias because they already have the story they want in their head. They give it a ‘spin,’ as they say.
In this passage another vailing of truth is trying to find a way to have Jesus killed by someone else rather than themselves. Isn’t that still killing? Isn’t that like murder by hire? This officiation of truth is another sin so prevalent in our world today. In Truth, it is something we all participate in to some degree. Not necessarily deliberately, but blindly because we don’t see as God sees.
Jesus offers a remedy in today’s gospel. He simply replies to his questioners, “Render unto Caesar what his Caesar’s and unto God what is God’s.” God, and God’s truth are above everything, every person and every institution be it church or state. So too in our lives we are called to be open to God’s truth, which is beyond culture itself.
What a timely message as we look at all the divisions in the world today. If Russia rendered unto God what was God’s, would they be invading another very religious and Christian country? Yet we hear nothing from Kirk, the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church. He would risk martyrdom if he did, but shouldn’t he? Is he blinded by nationalism not realizing that Christ is above culture?
The Middle East is now under siege and has the potential of igniting the whole world with war. All because human ideologies are substituting for God’s ways of truth. When humanity doesn’t render unto God, we pay the price for sin for it brings its own reward.
We can change this by accepting in our own minds and hearts the remedy of Christ. To render unto our loving Father through the gift of the Spirit, our faithfulness to love. Let us contemplate this, this week and pray for the gift of Holy Spirit to ignite us with love for God’s will above all things. Yes, let us strive to love each other in Truth with a love that is both divine and human.