Breaking the Word

GOSPEL READING: MARK 12:13-17

The Pharisees and the Herodians wanted to trap Jesus in his words. They came near him and praised him with words that will make anyone forget himself because of the words of praise. Flattery is used to make the listener go flat. They say all good things about Jesus (though they say only what is true about Jesus) hoping that Jesus will be flattened by their saying so that they could trap him in an argument.

Jesus was aware of their hypocrisy and he answered their question and was not influenced by their flattery. Jesus was not affected by their sayings about him. In this he gave an important message to the people around. We are never in a purely secular world neither are we in purely religious world. So he said: ‘Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God’. We are created in the image of God and hence we belong to God.

இயேசுவை சிக்கவைக்கவே பரிசேயர்கள் ஏரோதியர்கள் வருகிறார்கள். இயேசுவை புகழ்ந்து பேசுகிறார்கள். புகழ்ந்து பேசுவது சிக்கவைக்கவே. புகழ்ச்சியை கேட்டு மக்கள் மயங்கிவிடுவார்கள். இயேசு அப்படி அல்ல. புகழ்ச்சி அவரை மயக்குவதில்லை. புகழ்ச்சி சொற்களுக்காக அவர் பதில் சொல்லவில்லை மாறாக கேள்விக்கு மட்டுமே பதில் சொல்கிறார்: ‘சீசருக்கு உரியவற்றைச் சீசருக்கும் கடவுளுக்கு உரியவற்றைக் கடவுளுக்கும் கொடுங்கள்”

GOSPEL READING: MARK 12:1-12

Owner of the vineyard has control over everything though he is far away from the land. He is the master and he has the power over the tenants; power even to pout them to death. So he has the supreme power (power in every respect) and the tenants cannot do anything against the owner. They cannot try to destroy him. But they could do anything with the servants of the owner and even with the son.

The world today and always appears similar to this. The tenants in the world think that they have the power and they can do anything. Their work is negative and destructive. People are also attracted by the seemingly success of the tenants. They seem even to have succeeded in destroying the good ones (son). But the creator God has the final word.

குத்தகைக்கு நிலத்தை எடுத்த தொழிலாளர்கள் தங்களையே உரிமையாளராக கருதுகிறார்கள். தங்களுக்கு முழு சுதந்தரம் இல்லை என்பதை மறந்துவிடுகிறார்கள். தீயவருக்கு கிடைக்கும் வெற்றியை கண்டு மற்றவரும் மனம் வாடுகிறார்கள். ஆனால் இறுதி வெற்றி இறைவனுக்கே.