Repaying God for All We Have Been Given

Homily for Tuesday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

The twelfth chapter of St. Mark’s Gospel recounts many of the verbal skirmishes that Jesus had with the Pharisees. Today we hear that the Pharisees are now in league with the Herodians. Apparently, the Pharisees are so desperate to eliminate Jesus from their midst that they find it necessary to consort with people that they were known to hate. The Pharisees were a group of men who maintained that steadfast obedience to the commandments should be the aim of every good Israelite. The Herodians, on the other hand, were known for their life of excess and immorality. The hypocrisy that is evident by this accommodation on the part of the Pharisees is extreme.

In today’s episode, we hear the familiar story about the question that they pose to Jesus about paying taxes. In the past we have translated Jesus’ statement this way: “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s.” However, the newer translation doesn’t use the word “render.” It uses the word “repay.”

The entire idea behind repayment speaks to the issue of having already received something of worth. In the case of the Pharisees and Herodians, they have already received benefits from their association with the Roman occupation of Israel. Because they gave in to the demands of Rome, they were accorded protection by the Roman army. At the same time, we must admit that we have received much from God. So, the idea of repayment is an accurate situation. Those who received the protection of Rome were liable to pay the taxes. Those who have received much from God our liable for all God’s gifts.

At each Eucharist, after the Liturgy of the Word, we place both bread and wine on the altar of sacrifice. These two elements represent our repayment for the gifts we have received. They represent all that we have, and so they should because we owe so much to God for the gifts of mercy, compassion, health, and general human welfare. At the same time, we need to be aware that many in our world go without the necessary elements for survival. By offering bread and wine to God, we also pledge to be generous to the poor and to ensure justice for the oppressed. These two actions were built into the covenant of Sinai for the Jews, and they are built into the covenant that we have with God through the blood of Jesus.