I remember reading a Ziggy cartoon. With a downcast look on his face, Ziggy slowly hobbled out of the psychiatrist’s office. In the background the psychiatrist whispered to his assistant, “All he really needed was a hug, but insurance doesn’t cover that.”
Today we read the familiar story of simple solution, but, we humans have a way of choosing a complicated one instead. And, then we are surprised Jesus being confronted by his opponents on the question of paying taxes (Mark 12:13-17). It was a hot issue, because the religious people who felt oppressed by the Romans, did not like paying taxes to the pagan authorities.
“Some Pharisees and Herodians were sent to him (Jesus) to ensnare him in his speech. They came and said to him, ‘Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that you are not concerned with anyone’s opinion. You do not regard a person’s status but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.”
The Pharisees were pushing for rebellion, the Herodians were on good terms with the Romans, but they both wanted to get rid of Jesus. So they “were sent” (why didn’t the “senders” come themselves?) to tangle Jesus in a dilemma that was inescapable. Whatever side Jesus took, he was trapped. And doesn’t their hypocrisy make us gag? They baited him with compliments, even though they hated him in their hearts. They were dull-witted enough to think that Jesus would fall for their tricks.
Then they dropped the bomb that was meant to destroy Jesus.
“Is it lawful to pay census tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or should we not pay?”
They reduced this complicated issue to a simple question: “pay or don’t pay.” They assumed there was no third option They knew that whatever answer Jesus suggested, he was trapped. Would Jesus side with the Jews or the Romans? If he favored the Jews, the authorities had enough evidence to convict him.
Immediately Jesus gave God’s answer to the dilemma. He told them to hand him a denarius.
“Whose image and inscription is this?” They replied to him, ‘Caesar’s’. Jesus said to them, ‘Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”
Think of the hours of debate that had been wasted on this question. Think of the fights that were instigated by such arguments. And in spite of all of this time and energy, the leaders were no closer to an answer than when they started. In the middle of this conflict, Jesus solved the problem. In effect he said: “both.” Caesar had manufactured the coins, so give them back to him and you will be free from the entanglement of his system– free to devote your life to doing what really counts—paying to God the love, worship, obedience, and devotion that is his due. Take the denarius that belongs to Caesar and give it back to him; then join Jesus in living the “Kingdom” life.
God has a simple solution to all the questions that entangle our minds. He wants to set us free so we can joyfully follow Jesus. There is no need to fall into the traps that the “Accuser” uses to try to pull us down to his level. We have been given the gift of wisdom at Baptism. It is ours for the using. When we call upon the Holy Spirit, wisdom awakens in us, we are lifted above the mundane solutions of the world, and taken up into God’s solution.
Today as we ride the winds of Pentecost, we repent from depending on our own limited powers of thinking. We resolve to turn quickly to the Holy Spirit as our Advocate who is waiting to give us God’s solution to our every question.
“Amen, I say to you: whatever you ask for in prayer, believe you will receive it, and it will be yours” (Mark 11: 23-24).
