Allegiance and Discernment: Matthew 22:15–21 Gospel Reflection through the Lens of Alcohol Recovery
Then the Pharisees went and took counsel how they might entrap him in his talk. They sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are honest, and teach the way of God in truth, and aren’t partial to anyone, for you don’t look at the face of men. Tell us therefore, what do you think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”
But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, “Why do you test me, you hypocrites? Show me the tax money.” They brought to him a denarius.
He said to them, “Whose is this image and inscription?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.”
Then he said to them, “Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
This passage is about allegiance.
About living responsibly in society while giving ultimate allegiance to God. When this was written, there was really only one other sphere of authority outside God—government, represented by Caesar. But today? Government’s sphere of influence has been significantly reduced. Not by revolution. But by technology—which government does not control, and never will.
The New Spheres of Influence
Outside of God, we now have government, multinational corporations, and tens of millions of smaller businesses. These deliver efficiency in the manufacture of basic human needs: food, water, shelter, safety, love, and belonging. But self-actualization? That still belongs to the ultimate sphere of influence—God.
Respect Without Worship
So we honor these man-made spheres. We pay our taxes. We respect resource allocation. We understand profit and efficiency. We acknowledge the capitalist system’s contributions: sewage, electricity, modern medicine, digital processing power, global travel, longer life spans. We’ve come a long way from sandals, linen robes, and cooking by fire. These systems were built by God’s children. So respecting them doesn’t contradict our allegiance to God. It complements it.
Healthy Skepticism
But respect must be paired with discernment. Because government doesn’t always get it right. And neither do capitalist organizations or markets. What’s missing today is deep skepticism. Not the hysterical kind. Not the hypocritical kind. But the considered, discerning kind. The kind that asks: Who’s really accountable? What’s the motive behind the message? Is this system serving people—or optics?
Recovery Requires Discernment
As a recovering alcoholic, this passage reminds me: I must give ultimate allegiance to God. But I must also live responsibly within the man-made spheres of influence. And I must do so with respect, skepticism, clarity, and grace. Because these spheres—government, business, technology—are not divine. But they are creations of God’s children. And they deserve both honor and interrogation.
This article is a chapter from Jason Bresnehan's book A Catholic Gospel Journey Through the Lens of Alcohol Recovery — Jason Bresnehan.
What does Jason Bresnehan do?
Jason Bresnehan is a Business Consultant and conducts due diligence, systems development and commercialisation consulting through Evahan Group.
Jason Bresnehan is a Recovery Consultant
Jason Bresnehan is a Songwriter and you can find his music on his independent label Seventh Ribbon Music, YouTube Channel, Apple Music and Spotify by Searching for "Jason Bresnehan" and or "Seventh Ribbon Music".
Jason Bresnehan is an Author and you can purchase his books on Amazon
A Catholic Gospel Journey Through the Lens of Alcohol Recovery — Jason Bresnehan.
The AI Orchestration Engineer — Jason Bresnehan
BOLD SWOT - Jason Bresnehan