On the Back Porch
29th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year A
What We Celebrate
Over the three previous Sunday gospels we have heard parables of sons, servants and invited guests doing (or not doing) what the father, master, or king asks of them. They were all parables of the Kingdom of God. In today’s gospel we have a controversy story between Jesus and religious leaders about paying taxes to the secular kingdom of Rome. It is a story about image, trust, loyalties, and about being a faithful religious person in a secular world. In other words, a story for our times.
There is a lot more to this gospel. Sit with it for a moment on the back porch.
Full Text of the Sunday Readings
Detailed Commentary on the Gospel
The Tribute Money, Peter Paul Rubens (1610–1615), Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, Public Domain PD-US
The Kingdom of God
In the first reading for this Sunday we have an interesting intersection between the secular and the sacred – God calling the Persian King, Cyrus, as his “anointed.” In the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, God is using Cyrus to return the people of Israel from captivity in Babylon back to Jerusalem. It is God’s message to the people that the true King still reigns, is in control, and fulfills his promises that they would be returned. This is another act in the play of God’s kingdom coming to fruition as the world awaits the true King. And this is Good News.