Gospel Mark 12:13-17
Some Pharisees and Herodians were sent to 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. Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or should we not pay?” Knowing their hypocrisy he said to them, “Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius to look at.” They brought one to him and he said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They replied to him, “Caesar’s.” So Jesus said to them, “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” They were utterly amazed at him.
Reflection To live in the world is to live in a society where there are regulations and rules and we follow them. And Jesus is pointing that out to the Herodians and to the Pharisees, because what he's saying, look, okay, I'm not really engaging so much in how the world is working around you. I am working on establishing a different kind of kingdom, a kingdom of love, a kingdom of truth, and it dwells in people and will change the world.
But it is not the world or society that will change us. It is God's truth that changes the world.
Closing Prayer Father, we spend a great deal of time evaluating the way the world is going, but the Kingdom of God is inside, and that is the place where God is asking us to wait for and to experience the Kingdom of God, the peace and the joy that it promises. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.