Rev. Fr. (Dr.) Osmond Anike

Readings:

First Reading: Isaiah 45:1, 4-6 – I have taken Cyrus by his right hand to subdue nations before him

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 95(96):1, 3-5, 7-10 – Give the Lord glory and power.

Second Reading:1 Thessalonians 1:1-5 – We constantly remember your faith, your love and your hope.

Gospel: Matthew 22:15-21 – Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar.

One doesn’t have to be an exegete or a biblical scholar in order to read, basically understand, and, get spiritual nourishment from the Bible. However, a little bit of expertise and knowledge of some historical events are important in order to correctly interpret certain portions of the Bible, or, in order to deeply understand certain statements in it. Perhaps, one of the most popular quotations in the Bible was recounted in today’s Gospel, namely, “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God”. This particular quotation has found favour with both Christians and non-Christians alike. Every conceivable interpretation of this statement but the correct one has been proffered. Since this homily is destined for an African audience, I am going to limit examples of the incorrect interpretations to the ones found mostly among many ill-informed groups in many African communities.

For some traditional worshippers (the so-called pagans), this statement is a proof that Jesus does not discriminate between Christian and non-Christian religious practices. Therefore, there is no need preaching to them for conversion since they (the non-Christians) have chosen to give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and the Christians have chosen to give to God what belongs to God. Everybody should therefore, mind his/her own business. With this type of misinterpretation, the whole idea of Christianity as a missionary religion is seriously undermined.

For the “half-Christians”, the statement means that one could practice both Christianity and traditional religion all at the same time without any qualms of conscience. For such people, one can comfortably go to church on Sundays to worship God, and then afterwards, go to the local deity to sacrifice to it. After all, you have given to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God.

For many African politicians, it means that one can indulge in all sorts of crimes associated with politics in Africa such as thuggery, theft, embezzlement, ritual killings, murder, kidnapping, deceit, lies, etc., and still feel comfortable with such atrocities. All one needs to do is to go to church on Sundays and give offerings and one shall have given to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God. This particular attitude, unfortunately, is not limited to African politicians. Even in the so-called developed and civilized countries, it is disheartening to see how some of their politicians are hiding under to the cloak of Christianity to commit and get away with all sorts of atrocities. There appears to be a sort of disconnect between what they profess to believe as Christians and what they do in reality. In one of this so-called civilized country, for instance, a particular political group has for long hidden under the cloak of evangelical Christianity to unleash all sorts of imaginable terror on the citizens. All what one has to do is to teargas one’s way to the front of a church and raise the Bible (even if it is in an upside down position) in a photo op, and that will subsequently justify whatever crimes and atrocities one has committed or is about to commit.

Back to our African examples, to some traders, this statement means that one can cheat people with reckless abandon in the market (after all, cheating, for them, is a sign of a good business man), and then pause in the middle of that cheating to pray the angelus. These people believe that cheating to make profit is a way of giving to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and saying the angelus prayer is a way of giving to God what belongs to God. There is this story of a Muslim man who was viciously pursuing somebody with a knife to kill him. In the midst of that pursuit, it was time for Islamic prayer, whereupon the pursuer ran into the nearby mosque and muttered his prayers as fast as he could and then, ran out to continue his pursuit.

These and other interpretations have been given to this single statement of Jesus all in a bid to justify one’s action. But what exactly does Jesus mean? The issue here is very simple. It has to do with the question of payment of a head tax of one denarius required by Rome from all subject people. But the drama here is that this question was raised by representatives of two groups: the Pharisees, who objected strenuously to having to pay the tax; and the Herodians, who presumably favoured the tax since they were sympathetic with the family of Herod who ruled as Rome’s puppet. It was interesting that these two groups who didn’t agree on this issue, joined forces together to lay a trap for Jesus. For Jesus to have sided with the Herodians would have alienated all those who longed for Israel’s freedom. For him to have sided with the Pharisees (the opponents of the tax) would have laid him open to charges of subversion.

Jesus was very much aware of the intrigue when he quickly wriggled out thus: Fulfilling one’s civic responsibility does not stop one from practicing one’s religion. In other words, paying taxes is a civic duty which, when fulfilled, does not and should not negate one’s practice of religion. Caesar, in this statement, does not mean the devil. It rather represents civil authority. But it does not also mean that Caesar owns one half of the world and God the other half. Everything, including Caesar, belongs to God.

In our own situation, some are hiding under the cloak of Christianity to avoid fulfilling their civic responsibilities. Jesus has given us his word on this, that fulfilment of one’s civic responsibilities and practice of one’s faith can and should go together.