Give to God what belongs to Him. 29th Sunday Ordinary Time Year A

 

Give to God what belongs to Him. 29th Sunday Ordinary Time Year A

 

First, Isaiah 45:1, 4-6, second, 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5, Gospel Matthew 22:15-21

 

            

Many people today underrate and downplay the importance of God. So, many people relegate God to the ground and think that they do not need God to live. As days go by, many keep losing faith in God. They think, that God has no role to play in their lives and therefore, everything about God must be jettisoned to extinction. 

 

Many of us who had the opportunity to be in a certain position at a point see themselves as gods. Some even demand that others worship them. It is time we have to understand that everything that we have belongs to God. We have to give to God what belongs to Him. 

 

When Jesus says give to God what belongs to God, He is invariably affirming the sovereignty of God over us. He is also reminding us that we belong to God.

 

Since we did not create ourselves, God is the creator, which means He owns us. If God is our owner, then we owe Him our time, honour, gratitude, homage and worship.

 

Give to God what belongs to Him is a reminder that we have to offer ourselves wholeheartedly to God as a living sacrifice. We give to God a total surrender to Him. This is the proper sacrifice pleasing to God. We have to offer all that we are.

 

Our existence is simply to serve God and love Him with all our hearts. This is what belongs to Him. We do not withhold this from God. 

Give to God what belongs to Him and Caesar what belongs to Caesar is one of the most important portions of the bible that many misunderstand today. Some people use it as a backup to perpetrate crimes and evil. While many lukewarm Christians use it as an excuse not to be so strong in their relationship with God.

 

Some analyse it to mean that there is a time to worship God and also a time to worship the devil. While some conclude that it means to go to church and also do other things that do not concern God” some politicians see it as “going to church” and yet playing your dirty games. None of these and others is true.

 

We will in an exegetical manner take this gospel bit by bit and do some necessary applications to it. Let us begin from the first reading. In this homily, we shall critically analyse all the readings to fit the message of today.

 

Sovereignty, Power and Authority Belong to God

 

The first reading from the book of Isaiah is part of the prophecy in the book of Isaiah addressing the rise of Cyrus the Great and the roles God appoints Him to play in the history of His people Israel.

This passage begins by declaring Cyrus as the Lord’s anointed one, therefore demonstrating that God elevated Cyrus to a position of power and authority.

 

Here, God makes it emphatically, that He is the one who chooses Cyrus, therefore, revealing that every power and authority comes from God. It also predicts the significance of Cyrus and his conquests as he will later cause mighty kings to tremble before him. 

 

The passage also talks about the opening of the fortress gates which symbolizes the unstoppable force Cyrus will become.

 

The verses move on to depict God’s promise to go before Cyrus and remove any obstacle to his path. The mention of levelled mountains and broken gates of bronze and iron signifies the Divine assistance provided to fulfil Cyrus’ mission. The promise of hidden treasures and secret riches suggests the abundance and blessings that await Cyrus.

Now when we critically evaluate these, we will come to understand that God is the one in charge of whatever Cyrus is becoming. However powerful he is, is through the power of God. Also, whatever God bestows to him is for a reason.

This reminds us that every sovereignty, power and authority belongs to God and not to us. We are what we are only through the grace of God.

God calls and equips every individual for some specific tasks even those that may seem unlikely and unfamiliar, Since God even uses Cyrus, who is a non-Jew but a pagan.

So, this means that even though you are not a Christian, God is still the one in charge of you. We owe Him our time, love and worship. Always give to God what belongs to Him.

 

Therefore, It is time we have to recognize that our accomplishments are ultimately the result of God’s love, guidance and providence.

We have to acknowledge the hand of God in everything that we do. Therefore, to give to God what belongs to him also entails that we have to use our positions, gifts, talents, resources etc that God grants to us to bring about positive changes in the lives of the people, just as Cyrus did for the people of Israel. 

 

God Makes it Possible

 

In the second reading, Paul addresses the Church in Thessalonica, expressing His gratitude to God for their faith and perseverance. Paul commends them for their work of faith and their labour of love and steadfastness in the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

In this passage, Paul then reminds them that their acceptance and belief in the Gospel were not just mere words but also accompanied by the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

Therefore, every good thing that happened to them which led to their change of life is by the power of God. Paul acknowledges that the Thessalonians are chosen by God.

 

In essence, this reminds us that when things change in our lives we have to first of all understand that God is the one who makes this possible. We should not lose sight of this.

 

When we understand that God is fully behind what we do, we will always give Him all glory and exaltations. it will surely encourage us to live our faith fully and strongly.

We shall then give to God what belongs to Him, especially by living our lives as light to others. Whatever that we are, God makes it possible. And everything He makes possible is for a reason. 

 

In the bid to test Him

 

After the parable of the banquet, in which Jesus lashes at the Jewish leaders for their stubbornness of heart, the Pharisees begin to plan how to trap Him. Their first attempt today is to send their disciples together with the Herodians.

The Herodians are members of a political party who derive their name from King Herod. Historically, they are in total opposition with the Pharisees but always unite to fight and attack Jesus. Today, these are their tactical approaches:

 

1. Honorary Salutation

 

When they came before Jesus, they hid their intention and saluted Him with respect. Their first greeting is full of flattery. The salutation begins with “master”, and the flattery continues “We know that you are very honest and very keen in teaching the way of God and you are not fearful of anyone and pay no attention to human pride. Tell us if it is right to pay tax to Caesar or not”.

 

Here let us observe strictly their entry point. This alone would have taken Jesus off. He would have danced to the rhythmic approach of their flattery. He would have been glad to hear such praises from the camp of his main attackers but Jesus keeps His mind cool.

 

Hereby Jesus teaches us to keep our minds cool when people flatter us with faces. Because we may not know what is behind their intentions.

Secondly, by calling Jesus “master’ they categorically affirm the supremacy of God still over individual affairs without knowing. 

 

2. Is It Lawful

 

This question is highly tactical and vague. When we look critically at this question, we will observe that there is a lack of clarity on which law they mean, is it the law of Moses or that of the Romans? This is like putting someone in the middle of the sea.

 

If Jesus states that it is lawful and not lawful, they will accuse Him of breaking either of the laws. So, this question has no clear-cut answer. Because the law in question is not clear.

Any straightforward answer to the question will certainly be a problem. Hence it teaches us that whenever we are not certain of any particular thing, we have to be cautious, both in our statements and approaches. Always think before you do.

 

3. To Caesar or Not

 

The question then becomes, since Jesus is a master and higher authority and hears from God directly what can He say about paying taxes to Caesar, is it right? 

In simple terms, if Jesus supports the right to pay taxes to Caesar, that means He is now on the side of the Romans and against the Jews. They may now see Him as a traitor. They may even accuse Him of being a false teacher, putting Caesar on a higher pedestal than God.

If Jesus says no, it then means he is invariably fighting against the Romans and thus the Herodians will certainly descend on Him.

 

According to Josephus the Historian, Herod was given the “King of the Jews” by the Romans in 40 BCE. Here we have two camps, one for the Jews and one for the Romans. Any yes or no answer from Jesus must always be a problem.

Here, Jesus teaches us that, in life, we must not answer every question with a yes or no answer. We have to find a way out of every question sent to trap you.

 

Jesus’ Approach

 

1.Jesus is aware of their tactical approach and evil intention towards Him, and He immediately rebukes them by saying “You hypocrites”. He did not try to paint and sugarcoat his words. Sometimes when we are aware of people’s evil plans against us. Do not waste your time, trying to pet or caress the truth. Sometimes it is good to let people know that you know what they know.

 

2.Instead of giving them a straight answer, Jesus requests for the coin they pay tax with. In this approach, it is no longer Jesus trying to give them a directive but they have invariably trapped themselves.

 

3.Since the coin has the portrait and inscription that belongs to Caesar Jesus says “Give to Caesar what belongs to Him and God what belongs to God”. In essence, Jesus is telling them that this question of paying to Caesar is of Caesar’s.

 

Give to Ceasar what belongs to Him.

 

The coin with the image of Caesar is a sign that Jews are under Roman authority and taxation. Therefore, the taxes must be paid. They have to fulfil their human and political obligations. Jesus in essence tells us that being a child of God is not an opposition to our human responsibilities.

 

We have to pay attention to our political, human, social and economic responsibilities in as much as we also pay attention to our religious responsibilities.

Jesus did not tell us that being a Christian is not a reason we will not perform our political responsibilities like casting votes, paying our dues and maintaining a stable socio-political environment.

 

Give to God what belongs to God.

 

Jesus also says “Give to God what belongs to Him”.

Here, then lies the question, “What truly belongs to God”? This is a critical question that all must ask.

God is the Creator of all universe and everything we have belongs to Him. As we said in the first and second reading, Every sphere of authority belongs to Him. Our lives, nations, plans, children, future etc belong to the Lord.

 

This then means that despite how we might respect and obey the government, and other societal organisations, God should not be relegated.

Give to God what belongs to Him, does not mean there are times you will abandon Him and do whatever you want. It does not mean we should relegate Him to the backdoor and behave the way we want.

Since God is the creator of the universe where we are, we have to make Him first in everything we do. You are not the owner of life, and life should not be treated the way we want. Like the Thessalonians, we are the chosen people of God.

 

We are not the owner of our bodies and our bodies should not be treated the way we want. We are not the owners of our souls, so we have to make sure that our souls are also given ultimate attention by giving them the chance to worship His Creator.

In essence, Jesus is saying, that despite how we try to make the world a living place, God should not be relegated. If He is the creator, then we have to give to Him what belongs to Him. We have to give Him all. 

 

 

Conclusions

 

1.Genesis 1;27 says that God created man in His likeness. So we are the imago Dei. So we give to God what belongs to His image. We give to God ourselves and in total obedience and relationship. Jesus did not in any way tell us to abandon God or to worship God and to worship the devil at the same time. Our body, soul, mind and spirit belong to God.

 

2.Just as the image of Caesar is written in the coin, We have God’s Spirit living in us. In Genesis 2.7, God breathed in man which makes Him alive. So let us not forget to give God our entire being.

 

3.In this reading today, Jesus also led a basis for the proper relationship of his people to the government. To be a Christian does not mean we should disobey our community and Government orders, for the fact they are in line with the protection of life and human dignity. We do not abandon our responsibilities because we are a child of God. We have to keep them, but in all, God should be respected.

 

4.Let us not forget, to be very careful in approaching issues. Not everything demands a yes or no answer. And not everyone who comes to us has a genuine intention, many have hidden agendas. Before you do or say anything, always think and deliberate internally about it.

 

5.When Jesus says give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and give to God what belongs to Him. Jesus is simply saying, perform your responsilities. Obey your the rules and regulations of the government, places of work, places of study, law of the state etc , then also Obey your God, which is the most important. Never forget your God. 

Jesus emphasises the importance of giving to God all that we are. We have to understand that our primary allegiance and loyalty should be to God. we must offer Him our worship, love, peace, obedience and devotion.  

 

 

May God bless you. Happy Sunday.