St. Juliana Catholic Church in West Palm Beach shared a recent message on the concept of paying to Caesar no more than that which is his.

“In a no-win situation, Jesus has referred to the function of our system of society based on taxes and regulations that can compromise our life,” the Rev. Ducasse François, pastor, said in the church's Oct. 18 bulletin. “As usual at the center of the conversation in the Temple, which is a great symbol for the Jewish people, Jesus opted for a clear position in many fundamental realities of the Jewish and Christian faith.”

The Pharisees were “politically divided,” François said. They were under Roman rule but questioned the importance of paying imperial taxes as religious individuals. The Roman coin pictured the emperor, who was “crowned as a god with those pretentious letters: ‘Tiber Caesar, divine son of August.’”

The statement of Caesar as divine is perhaps what fueled the controversy about taxation. Paying the imperial taxes seemed to many like a double-edged sword: Reject the taxes and be seen as a revolutionary; accept the taxes and be accused of idolatry.

Jesus’ response to give to Caesar what belonged to him— the money— and to give to God that which is God’s— everything else— was the most balanced approach possible. 

“Don’t make anything else your first priority; God's right has to be your principle priority and objective in life,” François said. “We are in the world for the transformation of the world. This is the reason it has to be an imperative for us Christians to become more proactive as we work diligently in our society to ensure that the authorities don’t promote unjust laws that are not compatible to the Gospel.”

We cannot be forced to act against our conscience. While we may have to pay taxes, we must be careful not to invest too much stock in our earthly government.