Homily for 29th Sun OT, Year A
Fr. Albert
St. Peter Catholic Church, New Iberia
Where do you think that coin has been? The one that these people show to Jesus when asks them for a coin; Where has it been? When was it made? Where did it enter circulation? Who was paid with it? What sort of things did it buy before coming to rest in the human hand of the divine creator? Where is that coin now?
These aren’t idle questions either. Jesus’ famous line “render unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar” is not a shallow endorsement for paying taxes. We don’t read this Gospel passage the week before April 15 because taxes aren’t really the point. It’s not as if we might have gotten lucky if they handed Jesus a coin without any images on it. The Christian belief in being a good citizen would not have changed if this story went another way. Jesus, as always, is leaving us with a subtle connection, and invitation to see more than the world sees.
His quip doesn’t just end with “render unto Caesar,” but he continues “render unto God what belongs to God.” This second line, this parallel statement invites us to look back on that coin with more spiritual eyes. Jesus asked about the image and inscription on the coin and that led us to Caesar. So where exactly is Jesus getting the idea to talk about giving something to God? Where is the image and inscription of God in this scene?
In the souls of human beings. As Genesis has famously recorded: “in the image of God he created” man and woman. The Greek word for “image” in this gospel and in Genesis is identical. “Icon.” The coin is the icon of Caesar; Human beings are the icons of God. Suddenly, our questions about the money take on a much broader meaning. Where did we come from? Where have we been? More importantly, what have we been spent on? Are we payment to someone else? The roman coin was destined to end up back with Caesar through the census tax, but where will our souls end up?
The roman coin – and all money – is ultimately a lifeless object used in an exchange. The reason this roman coin or any money is created is not for artistic purposes. Caesar creates these coins and distributes them throughout the world. They become the medium of exchange and bring a kind of economic life to all sorts of place. The farms, the markets, to craftsman and soldiers. Just as our dollar does today, the roman coin could cross through hundred and thousands of hands, but ultimately, why? So many of these exchanges could have been handled with bartering, so why money? What does Caesar want?
Taxes. By introducing and regulating this medium of exchange, it gives Caesar an easy way to collect taxes. These coins become a kind of symbolic grasp on the whole world. Through his coins, Caesar has a piece of everything and can make everything come back to him.
But what about God and us? He creates us and introduces us into the world. Like roman coins, we pass through countless different situations, but for what purpose? To go back to God, and to bring the rest of the world with us. Truly, we are the bridge between the physical and spiritual world because we alone are both body and soul. God’s original design is for human beings to be the great priests of all creation. By entering into the world and bringing our spiritual depth with us, we can make all things work for the Glory of God.
And that’s where the analogy to the roman coin ends. The roman coin’s value actually depended on the stuff it bought. It’s not really worth anything now, except maybe as a collector’s item. But our value doesn’t depend on the economy or the government. We actually bring value into this world. It is the image of God, the Imago Dei, that makes us far more valuable than the entire material universe. And this fact leads us to the most difficult question: how do we spend ourselves?
Jesus isn’t really interested in settling a legal dispute or playing the games of the Pharisees. It’s true that God cares about how we spend our money. It’s true that God cares about how we contribute to the society in which we live. What these conspirators miss, however, is that God cares most of all about how we spend ourselves.
Do you have any idea how valuable you are to Him? Each and every one of you. Unlike this small roman coin, you are no forgotten quarter. You are not like the penny: cast off and abandoned in the gutter. When was the last time you saw a penny lying on the ground and felt the impulse to not only pick it up but to die as proof of how much that cent matters to you? We were meant to bring divine value to the world, but original sin and our own sins have us asking the world to make us valuable.
And the world plays along. It tells us “get this job, date that man, wear these clothes, laugh at those jokes, contribute to our ‘progress.’ Do these things and then you’ll be valuable! Then you’ll be loved!” It is a lie. Ironically, the truth is found in the mouths of the lying Herodians and Pharisees. They say to Jesus “we know… that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. And you are not concerned with anyone’s opinion, for you do not regard a person’s status.” Jesus really doesn’t care about your social or political status, but he does care about you.
There is only one thing worth spending ourselves on. It’s not money or politics. It is the way of God. Spend yourself on God and you will come to know how valuable you really are. Not even friends and family are worth spending ourselves unless it is done in reference to God’s image in them and God’s love. For thousands of years, God has sought nothing more than to gain our trust, to show us how valuable we are to Him – so much so that he traded His Son for us. So yeah, render unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar. It’ll cost you, but it’s what the Lord teaches. Then, render unto God what belongs to God. That will cost you too, but unlike paying taxes and following the law, God ultimately pays us far more than we pay Him. Render unto God what belongs to God and then you will see just how loved you really are.
