Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Rendering of the Tribute Money

Masaccio
1425
Brancacci Chapel
Santa Maria del Carmine, Florence

Reading from the Gospel of Saint Matthew

The Pharisees went off
and plotted how they might entrap Jesus in speech.
They sent their disciples to him, with the Herodians, saying,
"Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man
and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.
And you are not concerned with anyone's opinion,
for you do not regard a person's status.
Tell us, then, what is your opinion:
Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?"
Knowing their malice, Jesus said,
"Why are you testing me, you hypocrites?
Show me the coin that pays the census tax."
Then they handed him the Roman coin.
He said to them, "Whose image is this and whose inscription?"
They replied, "Caesar's."
At that he said to them,
"Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar
and to God what belongs to God."

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Picture above and quote below from Art and the Bible
http://www.artbible.info/

At Capernaum Jesus and his disciples are required to pay tax. The man with his back to the viewer is the publican, or tax collector. Jesus bids Peter cast his fishing line – in the mouth of the first catch a stater shall be found: a penny valued 4 drachms.

In the background left, Peter removes the coin from the fish’s mouth. The right side, not shown here, shows Peter handing the stater to the publican.

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