DGeMs- Daily Gospel eMessage
Dear Friend in the Lord,
“Hypocrisy – Faith”: In today’s Gospel, the Pharisees want to trap Jesus with questions on paying taxes to Caesar. Their hypocrisy was to create animosity between Jesus and the Roman authorities. Ponder on, “As sinners we live our faith imperfectly. However, living our faith hypocritically is to deceive others intentionally into thinking that we are holy, when we are not.”
Fr Philip Heng, S.J.
Mark 12:13-17
The chief priests and the scribes and the elders sent to Jesus some Pharisees and some Herodians to catch him out in what he said. These came and said to him, ‘Master, we know that you are an honest man, that you are not afraid of anyone, because human rank means nothing to you, and that you teach the way of God in all honesty. Is it permissible to pay taxes to Caesar or not?
Recognising their hypocrisy he said to them, ‘Why are you putting me to the test? Hand me a denarius and let me see it.’ They handed him one and he said to them, ‘Whose portrait is this? Whose title?’ They said to him, ‘Caesar’s.’
Jesus said to them, ‘Pay Caesar what belongs to Caesar — and God what belongs to God.’ And they were amazed at him.