Tag: Matthew 22:15-21

This homily is based on Matthew 22:15-21.

In today’s Gospel reading, our Lord utters his famous line:  “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and repay to God what belongs to God.”  At first glance, the Lord seems to be proposing a division between our usual lives and our so-called spiritual lives.  Sort of like Sunday Christianity, when people act like Christians only when they go to Sunday services.  As for the rest of the week, they act “normally”–that is, not in any particularly religious or even moral way.

This homily is based on Matthew 22:15-21.

With every intention of trapping him, the Pharisees sent their disciples to ask Jesus what is best described as a “damn-if-you-damn-if-you-don’t” question. They pose the Lord a question that virtually leaves him in a no-win situation.

The question is: “Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar?”