The central message in the first reading is that God is the creator of all, and therefore, God can use what or

who he wants to accomplish his plan of salvation. In this case, God uses a pagan king, Cyrus, to restore Jerusalem and Judah. Non-believers may serve God even though they may not know the God of Israel. Regardless of the circumstances, God must be known from the rising of the sun to its setting.

In his letter to the Thessalonians, Paul states that they have become part of God-s chosen people because the word of the Gospel preached by him was not mere human words but was filled by the power of the Holy Spirit. His preaching was effective because God-s Spirit was at work.

In the Gospel, Jesus answers the question put to him by the Pharisees and Herodians. The Pharisees resented paying taxes to a foreign power, and the Herodians were unhappy they were forced to arrange for the collection of the taxes on behalf of the Romans. Together, they wanted to trap Jesus.

Sensing their hypocrisy, Jesus points out that since the Pharisees and the Herodians use the coin bearing the emperor's image, they should pay taxes to the emperor. Then, Jesus takes the debate to another level. He challenges his accusers to be as observant about paying their debt to God as they are in paying their debt to the emperor. Nothing can prevent God from fulfilling His plan of salvation. Human beings may plan and propose, but God it is who decides how and what happens to us and the world.