Subject: Daily Gospel Reading - Tuesday, June 4, 2013
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| Weekday Gospel Reflection |
| Tuesday in the Ninth Week of Ordinary Time |
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13 The religious leaders sent some of the Pharisees and of the Herodians to Jesus, that they might trap him with words. 14 When they had come, they asked him, “Teacher, we know that you are honest, and don’t defer to anyone; for you aren’t partial to anyone, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? 15 Shall we give, or shall we not give?” But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, “Why do you test me? Bring me a denarius, that I may see it.” 16 They brought it. He said to them, “Whose is this image and inscription?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.” 17 Jesus answered them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” They marveled greatly at him. |
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Mark 12:13-17 - World English Bible |
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The controversy over payment of taxes in Mark 12 cut to the heart of the Jews' self identity. Were they subjects to YHWH or to a foreign power? The coin Jesus requested, a denarius, was the average wage of the common man. It had image of the Emperor embossed on it, representing not only the political reality imposed on Palestine at the time, but also the will of the Roman gods. Paying taxes with a denarius, then, recognized the power of the state and its gods. That cut to the heart of the debate. Did a Jew deny his identity and his God by paying tribute to Rome? The leaders thought they caught Jesus in a trap. If he said "No" to paying taxes, he committed treason against Rome, a capital offense. If he agreed, he denied his own allegiance to YHWH. He slipped out of the trap with a realist's answer: give to Caesar the tax owed to him, but give to God your all. Implicitly, Jesus recognized ethical living was not painted in blacks and whites; sometimes there were shades of gray, times of compromise necessary for a greater good. Paying taxes in his time was one of those necessary evils to keep the peace for the region. There were times to stand on a principle and times to compromise. To determine the right time for the right action required wisdom, not zeal. When have you compromised for the greater good? |
| Daily Gospel Reading for the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time Studies for the Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time |
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