Junior School Reflection | Mark 12: 13 - 17, 9th Tuesday of Ordinary Time, Year A, 2026
What comes first in your life? Is it God, or something else that you love most, like football, another hobby, team, or person?
In today’s Gospel, Jesus faces some familiar enemies. They ask him a question with the intention of trapping him. “Master, we know you are an honest man…. and that you teach the way of God honestly.” At first, this sounds like praise, but really, it’s flattery - saying something nice to get what you want. Flattery can sound kind, but it can also be used to manipulate someone to make a mistake. In the case of the Gospel, Jesus’ enemies try making him feel super confident, so they can trap him with a weak response.
Then they asked Jesus a tricky question: “Is it okay to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay, yes or no?”
You might be wondering why this is problematic, and that is a very important and very smart question. You see Jesus’ questioners were hoping he would give an answer that would upset one side or the other, so that they could say Jesus said something wrong which would get him in trouble.
For example, if Jesus said “no, you shouldn’t pay the Roman tax,” the Jewish people would be happy and rejoice; however, the Romans would recognise Jesus as a rebel and would deal with him harshly; if Jesus said “yes, you should pay your taxes,” his own people would turn against him, as they didn’t like paying tax to the Roman authority; so either way, the religious leaders thought they had trapped him, and that Jesus would be in trouble.
But Jesus answers with wisdom: “Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar – and to God what belongs to God.”
So what does this mean?
This Gospel isn’t really about money or politics; it’s about real responsibilities to two sets of authorities: to God, who comes first, and to lawful rules of civil authority, which deserves our respect, so long as they don’t ask us to do what is wrong against God. Both should be honoured, but not equally.
Jesus’ enemies weren’t expecting a response like that; he escaped the trap.
This Gospel is a great lesson for school life. “Should I pay tax to Caesar?” or “Must I obey the Roman authority?” is similar to asking: should I listen to my teachers and follow the lawful rules set around the school grounds by Mr Todd? The answer is yes. Why? We owe what is due to our teachers and Mr Todd as representatives of the school; when we do that, we show them respect and we live with integrity, especially since their rules do not ask us to do something that God forbids. Good rules help keep us safe.
At the same time, and before school… before rules… before anything else, we belong to God, so our first duty is to “Give to God what belongs to God.” Do I pray? Do I tell the truth? Do I do what is right? Do I respect my teachers and Mr Todd’s instructions? The answer must always be yes: because that is what belongs to God.
Before you were born, before you were even formed in your mother’s womb, you were a thought in God’s imagination. Before you even came to school, your parents taught you to respect them, to show them kindness and other people the same… much of what you learn about doing right is connects with the Ten Commandments which come from God.
It’s because of your instruction in God, your love for him first, you are able to do what you’re supposed to for the people in charge of our school, and that’s part of being a responsible student.
So, our obligation to civil authority like Mr Todd, is not equal to God, in the sense that it is our ultimate allegiance; however, our duties at school are real, but God remains first. Jesus’ message to the people who tricked him applies to us today. If we put God first, we can, without fear, let everything else fall into place.
So, what comes first in your life?
Let’s pray for the courage to
do what is right and put God first in our lives, always. Amen.
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