Read Matthew 22.15-22
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Those wily Pharisees - they seem to delight in trying to catch Jesus in a bind. His popularity with the people
is a source of anxiety to them, and we can imagine them wringing their hands in secretive meetings wondering
how best to turn the tide against him. While they were outwardly motivated by the meticulous keeping of
God's law, they were surely inwardly motivated by insecurity and perhaps even jealousy for the way in which
the Lord attracted people to himself.
Of course, we know that that attractiveness was more than human charisma - Jesus spoke and lived out the
Truth, and he shared the grace and compassion of God. His power to heal, and his authority to correct and
teach all came from the same place: his identity with the Father as the only-begotten Son sent to bring healing
and redemption to the world.
In this exchange with the religious leaders, Jesus calls them and us to be good citizens of the state in which
we live. We are to obey the laws of the state to the extent to which they do not conflict with the laws of God -
we are to give Caesar his due and we are to give God His due. While we recognize that those dual allegiances
may at time cause us conflict, we also accept the teaching of the Lord to be mindful of our civic duties while
we seek to be faithful to Him.
As we close this first week of Advent, perform a little week-in-review. In the past week, as you've read these
Gospel passages, how has the Lord come closer to you? How has prayerfully meditating on these portions of
Scripture helped you to prepare for the Lord to come once more into your life?
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