Looking into the lectionary
21st Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 24)
29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Matthew 22:15-22
October 18, 2026
As Christians, we live with one foot in our world and one foot in the kingdom of God. We are called to act as citizens of the kingdom of God, a kingdom that doesn’t run on greed, popularity or hierarchy. But we also live in our world with traditions, rules and experiences that run counter to kingdom living.
We are called to share what we have in abundance, making sure that everyone has enough. Yet, we are not fully confident that others would be as generous with us if the tables suddenly turned. We are called to have mercy and not judge others based on worldly definitions of worthiness. Yet, our world champions the independent spirit that can pull themselves up by their bootstraps. We are called to live lives intertwined with others. Yet, we wonder if this is the worst group project ever.
In Matthew 22:15-22, the Herodians and the Pharisees, two groups that generally did not get along, come together to face a common enemy. Both factions are very concerned about Jesus’s influence and seek to trap him. By asking him about taxes, Jesus will either champion the ways of the Roman Empire, risking his popularity with the Jewish population who disfavored the taxes, or champion the ways of the kingdom of God, putting him at odds with the Roman authorities.
Perhaps you have felt this tug before as well. Do you live according to the rules you’ve learned on Sunday, even if that makes living comfortably and getting ahead in the world Monday through Saturday more difficult? How much do you resist your community’s rules for an ideal life that sometimes seems so out of reach? How much do you push back against the community practices or governmental policies when they seem out of line with Christian discipleship?
First, it is important to note that Jesus recognizes the trap set for him. This is not an easy question for him or for us. As Christians who straddle these two kingdoms, we must be mindful about our answers.
So, we listen to Jesus. Jesus says, “Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s” (Matt 22:21b). He seems to indicate that we are to be careful about the two distinct areas of our lives. We should be careful about bringing the church into the state and imposing religious laws on civil activities. We should be careful about what we consider justice and how we work to impose that justice on the world. We should be careful that how we live in the world reflects our calling as disciples, making Sunday a practice for Monday through Saturday.
On Sundays, the church comes together to practice kingdom living. We bring to the church all the particularities of the natural world — our race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, age, disability, socio-economic status, political affiliations, lived experiences, professions, theological convictions, hobbies and skills. In the church, at our best, we find a new community when all those things come together to create the fullness of the image of God in God’s creation and find hope for a new way of living in unity amid diversity in this world. We practice living in harmony, generous giving, forgiveness, and justice-making. We pay attention to the hurt of others in our midst and seek to offer ways to bring peace to their situations. We listen to each other generously and are often transformed by stories we might never have heard if it wasn’t for this place.
We must take these practices with us outside of the church building. It isn’t about winning. It isn’t about being the richest or the best. It is about loving one another in the midst of everything we are dealing with. Imagine if we went into the world like this, not trying to make everyone be like us, but seeking to help wherever we can. We can work and play with these practices in mind. We can listen to each other and truly hear each other, knowing that answers to peaceful communities are never simple and being humble enough to know we have blind spots.
What is God’s? Grace, love, mercy, hope, compassion, humility … these are the things that belong to God. These are the practices that we carry into our daily lives and the values that help us make decisions. And each one of us also belongs to God. Like the denarius that carries the image of Caesar, we carry the image of God within us. So give the denarius to Caesar and the love and grace of God to each other.
Questions for reflection on Matthew 22:15-22
- In this era of Christian nationalism, we see religious people forcing their systems of justice on others with the weight of the state behind it. Yet, questions linger about what justice really is and if their way is just. If forcing a model of justice isn’t just, then how are we called to enact change for justice within systems of government?
- Consider that a neighbor asks you about a law that you disagree with. If they asked you if it was lawful to follow the law, what would you say? How do we respond faithfully to laws that challenge our theological understanding of justice?
- Give an example of some way that you have responded to injustice in society because of your faith. Did you break laws to follow God’s law? How do you walk with one foot in the world and one foot in the kingdom of heaven?
View the corresponding Order of Worship for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Sign up for worship resources in your inbox every Monday.
