The God of All Peoples, Through the Universal Image of God
Isaiah 45:1, 4–6; 1 Thessalonians 1:1–5b; Matthew 22:15–21
It is always good to know when to change one’s game plan or strategy, especially when it fails to yield the desired results. Having used so many parables to speak to the chief priests and the Pharisees to no avail, Jesus now changes tactics and engages the Pharisees in a more direct conversation. How does Jesus go about this straight talk?
A little background information about Jesus’ adversaries is in order today. In their plot to eliminate Jesus, a new alliance is formed, and a new strategy is adopted by the Pharisees. They involve the Herodians, whose political allegiance symbolized the domination of the Jewish people by Rome. The Pharisees move beyond the strictly religious realm and seek to trap Jesus in the politico-economic domain of taxation.
Two observations are important here. First, the Herodians were supporters of the Herodian dynasty and its accommodation with Roman imperial rule. They represented a political order in which Roman authority exercised considerable power over Judea. Their position stood in tension with the hope of those who longed for God’s direct rule over Israel. In today’s language, one might compare aspects of their political allegiance to a secular political orientation, although the historical circumstances were quite different.
Second, the Pharisees, although influential Jewish religious leaders, are rightly called hypocrites by Jesus in today’s Gospel because of their willingness, in this particular encounter, to form an alliance with their political opponents in order to undermine him. Their conduct reveals that their immediate concern is not the pursuit of God’s truth but the advancement of their own interests.
Against this background of Roman political domination, the question about taxation posed to Jesus becomes a test of his allegiance to Roman authority. More precisely, will Jesus remain consistent with his reputation for truthfulness and impartiality when confronted with a politically explosive question? Will he take a position that could be interpreted as sedition against Rome?
The political climate of the time encouraged an either/or mentality: one was either for God, by refusing to pay taxes to Caesar, or for Caesar, by accepting the obligation to pay taxes. The question posed to Jesus reflects this division. However, Jesus’ answer is not an either/or response but a both/and response, which surprises his questioners.
Hidden behind the question of taxation is the need for Jesus to clarify whether the establishment of the kingdom of heaven, the dominant theme of the parables we have been reading over the past few Sundays, necessarily conflicts with the established kingdoms of the earth, particularly the Roman Empire.
Two key statements help us interpret today’s Gospel. They come from Jesus’ question and his subsequent instruction to the disciples of the Pharisees and the Herodians:
“Whose image is this, and whose inscription?”
“Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”
Jesus makes it clear that the coin bears Caesar’s image and inscription and may therefore be returned to Caesar in payment of the tax. But the deeper question Jesus wants his listeners to consider is this: What have the Pharisees and the Herodians received from God that they must likewise return to God?
The answer lies in the creation account in Genesis: humanity was created in the image and likeness of God. Therefore, human beings must give Caesar what belongs to Caesar while restoring and preserving God’s image within themselves.
Jesus uses a politico-economic question to teach the compatibility of the kingdom of God with legitimate human institutions. He recognizes the importance of fulfilling civic responsibilities, but he also reminds humanity never to forget its fundamental obligations to God.
Two additional observations will further enlighten our understanding of today’s Gospel.
First, notice that today’s Gospel follows immediately after the parable of the wedding banquet and the wedding garment. Last Sunday, we reflected on the man who was found without a wedding garment and was expelled because of his failure to meet the moral demands of the invitation.
This connects directly with Jesus’ instruction to give God what belongs to God. What is required of us is a return to the original image of God bestowed upon humanity at creation. The central concern is therefore not merely the payment of taxes to Caesar but the restoration of our moral and spiritual identity as God’s children.
Incidentally, Jesus himself demonstrated a willingness to pay the required tax, as we read in Matthew 17:25–27:
“And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, ‘What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?’ And when he said, ‘From others,’ Jesus said to him, ‘Then the sons are free. However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.’”
Although this passage concerns the Temple tax rather than the Roman census tax, it illustrates Jesus’ willingness to meet certain financial obligations rather than cause unnecessary offense.
The second observation is that the discussion immediately following today’s Gospel (Matthew 22:15–22) concerns the resurrection (Matthew 22:23–33).
This reminds us that earthly kingdoms are temporary, whereas God’s kingdom is eternal. Jesus’ mission was not to organize a political rebellion against Rome but to prepare humanity for the kingdom of heaven. Jesus therefore distinguishes between the obligations associated with earthly government and those associated with God’s eternal kingdom.
The census tax, referred to by the Greek term κῆνσος (kēnsos), is the subject of the controversy in today’s Gospel. It represents a financial obligation imposed under Roman authority. The kingdom of heaven, by contrast, calls us to examine our spiritual and moral worth..Earthly riches do not determine our eligibility for God’s kingdom. Rather, faith, conversion, and moral integrity are essential to our preparation for eternal life.
If we take today’s first reading seriously, we discover that God can use anyone on earth to accomplish his purposes. Consider Cyrus, for example. Although he was not a Jew, God called him “my anointed.” Cyrus became God’s instrument for the liberation of the people of Israel from Babylonian captivity. This extraordinary choice reveals that God’s saving purposes are not restricted by ethnicity, nationality, or religious affiliation.
All human beings are created in God’s image and likeness, and God is free to call anyone to participate in the accomplishment of his divine plan. From this perspective, Jesus was not simply opposing Caesar in today’s Gospel. Rather, he was teaching that God’s authority transcends earthly political divisions.
By extension, the salvation of all humanity is God’s concern. No one is automatically excluded from God’s love or from the invitation to salvation. This truth comes across powerfully in the words of Isaiah:
“I am the Lord and there is no other, there is no God besides me. It is I who arm you, though you know me not, so that toward the rising and the setting of the sun people may know that there is none besides me. I am the Lord, there is no other” (Isaiah 45:5–6).
Notice especially the words: “Though you know me not.” God chose Cyrus and worked through him even though Cyrus did not know God in the same way as the people of Israel.
What a powerful lesson for those who imagine that God can work only through people who belong to their religion, denomination, or circle of friends!
Bishop Audu once told a story about a man whose job was to clean aircraft after the passengers had disembarked.
One day, while cleaning the cockpit, the man came across the pilot’s manual and decided to read it.
To his surprise, the instructions appeared remarkably simple, so he decided to follow them.
“To start the plane,” the manual instructed, “press button 1.”
He pressed button 1, and the engine started.
“To taxi,” the manual continued, “press button 2.”
He pressed button 2, and the aircraft began to move.
“To take off,” the manual instructed, “press button 3.”
He pressed button 3, and the aircraft took off!
Now airborne, the man eagerly searched for the next instruction. To his horror, he discovered the following statement:
“For instructions on how to land, consult the next edition of this manual!”
Imagine his predicament! The Pharisees and the Herodians, like many self-proclaimed holy people today, including some born-again Christians, priests, pastors, and evangelists, have taken off and are already airborne, but they do not know how to land! They do not know how to recognize the image of God in other human beings, especially sinners, non-Christians, and those whom society considers unworthy.
They forget that these people, too, are children of God and that God can still work miracles and wonders through them.
Some religious leaders become so preoccupied with their own perceived holiness that they forget compassion, mercy, and the divine image borne by every human being, whether good, bad, or morally compromised.
Without humility and conversion, such people risk a spiritual crash, just like the unfortunate aircraft cleaner in our story.
Perhaps today’s readings invite us to learn to recognize the image of God in everyone, including those whom we have placed on our personal lists of untouchables, enemies, and supposedly good-for-nothing individuals.
If God could call and use Cyrus, a non-Jew, as his anointed instrument to liberate Israel, and if Jesus could instruct us to give Caesar what belongs to Caesar, is it not possible that Cyrus and Caesar themselves also belonged to God? Indeed, do they not remind us that God’s sovereignty extends beyond the boundaries we human beings construct?
Where will our “holier-than-thou” attitude lead us when we continually make distinctions among people and judge their worthiness before God? When we side with worldly interests and their glamour, as the Pharisees did by plotting with the Herodians, do we realize that we may be fighting against the very purposes of God? When we refuse to listen to God’s Word and put it into practice in our daily lives, do we recognize that we are placing our salvation in jeopardy?
The central lesson of today’s readings is therefore clear: Every human being bears the image of God, and our responsibility is to recognize, respect, and honour that image in ourselves and in others. Caesar may have his image stamped on a coin, but God has his image imprinted upon every human person.
Coins may belong to earthly rulers, but humanity belongs to God. Our political affiliations, social positions, religious identities, and economic circumstances must never blind us to this fundamental truth. To give God what belongs to God is to offer him our hearts, our lives, our faithfulness, and our love for one another.
May God grant us the grace to recognize his image in every person we encounter, especially those whom we find difficult to love.
Assignment for the Week
Make time this week to speak with and pray for your enemies, as well as for those whom you believe are in particular need of God’s mercy, conversion, and salvation.
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