Daily Catholic Lectio. Tue, 2 June 2026. Knowing Their Hypocrisy

Daily Catholic Lectio
Tue, 2 June 2026
Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
2 Pt 3:12-15, 17-18. Mk 12:13-17

Knowing Their Hypocrisy

In today’s Gospel, the Pharisees and the Herodians come to Jesus with a question: “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” Their question sounds sincere, but their intention is not sincere. They are not seeking truth. They are setting a trap. Mark tells us clearly: Jesus, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, “Why are you testing me?”

Hypocrisy is a divided heart. It says one thing and hides another. The Herodians supported Caesar and his political power, yet they pretended to discuss whether tax should be paid to Caesar. They carried the coin with Caesar’s image, but they wanted to use the question to accuse Jesus. What looked like wisdom was only manipulation.

Jesus does not fall into their trap. He asks for a coin and says, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They answer, “Caesar’s.” Then Jesus gives a powerful reply: “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God.”

This answer is not only about tax. It is about justice. In the previous parable, the wicked tenants refused to give the owner of the vineyard what belonged to him. They wanted to possess what was not theirs. Jesus now teaches the same truth: we must give to each one what is due. To Caesar, what belongs to Caesar. To God, what belongs to God.

But what belongs to God? Everything. Our life, our heart, our conscience, our time, our talents, our worship, and our love. The coin bears the image of Caesar. But we bear the image of God. Therefore, we must give ourselves back to God.

Many times, we mistake hypocrisy for prudence. We call it diplomacy, maturity, or cleverness. But before God, every mask falls. He sees the heart. He knows whether our words are true, whether our service is sincere, and whether our faith is only external.

In the first reading, Saint Peter says, “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” This is the way to overcome hypocrisy. The more we know Christ, the less we need masks. The more we grow in grace, the more our inner life and outer life become one.

Today the Lord invites us to live without hypocrisy. Let our words, actions, prayer, and choices become truthful before God. Let us give to the world what justice requires. But above all, let us give to God what belongs to Him: our whole self.

Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi
Archdiocese of Madurai

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