Please accept my apology: In my post on the Gospel for the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, I forgot to mention one thing: exactly how the Pharisees had planned to trap Jesus in His speech. This is explained very well in a footnote from the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: "The collaboration of the Pharisees and the Herodians--representing opposite political views--reveals the extreme measures taken to eliminate Jesus (cf. 12:14, 26:4). Their strategy was to trap him, if Jesus opposed the tax, the Herodians could charge him with treason for instigating a tax revolt against Rome. If Jesus approved it, the Pharisees would charge him as unfaithful to Judaism and its hopes of national independence" [Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch, IGNATIUS Catholic Study Bible: The Gospel of MATTHEW (San Francisco, Ignatius Press, 2000) 56]. The opposing political views of the Pharisees' disciples and the Herodians are as follows: The disciples of the Pharisees were Jewish nationalists who were opposed to Rome's occupation of and rule over Palestine. The Herodians, on the other hand, were supporters of Roman rule and were sympathetic to the Herodian dynasty. Jesus answered in a manner that left both sides astounded. Observing this, we say with the Church Fathers: "O happy fault that won for us so great a Redeemer!"
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