Who is God and what do we owe him? The answer to both questions is
“everything.” This question has its origins in the 1st Commandment, “I
am the Lord your God… there is no other.” But what does that mean to us
on a practical level? In short, it is God whom we thank for everything
we have, and because of this, it is only to God whom we owe our
allegiance.
Isaiah 45:1, 4-6
Psalm 96:1, 3, 4-5, 7-8, 9-10
1 Thessalonians 1:1-5b
Mathew 22:15-21
We open with a reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah… in this case, “Deutero” or Second Isaiah. The Exile is coming to an end. The Babylonian Empire has fallen to the Persians and now Cyrus, whom we know as Cyrus the Great, has been, according to Isaiah, anointed by God. Cyrus? A pagan? A foreign king? Yes. How could this be? Simple… God can choose whomever he wishes. The hand God chose to free Israel from her Exile was in fact the hand of Cyrus, the king of the Persian Empire, who through the defeat of the Babylonians, now has set Israel free and wants to send them home. To Israel, this is not only redemption, but an opportunity to show everyone, God’s power and God’s mercy. To show all nations, that it is God whom we thank, God whom we honor, and God who we owe everything. Our Psalm echoes this song of praise.
Our second reading begins our study of Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, which we will be reading from through the rest of this season. This weeks passage starts with the initial greeting. In their greeting they great them in the peace of Christ, and give thanks to God for all of them, reminding them that it was not on their word alone that lead them to Christ, but the power of the Holy Spirit.
Our Gospel from Matthew picks up, again where we left off last week. The Pharisees, whom after having been confronted by a series of parables from Jesus (chastising them severely), go off and plot their revenge. They send their disciples back to confront Jesus with a question about paying the Imperial tax. The question is a trap. If he says pay the tax, he gives the Sanhedrin evidence he’s siding with the Romans. If he says don’t pay the tax, he give the Romans evidence for inciting rebellion. But Jesus knows this is a trap, and finds a way around it. He asks for a coin, and then asks them to identify who’s image is on the coin. It is, obviously, Caesar’s, whereupon Jesus says, "Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God."
This story, shared in all three Synoptic Gospels, marks a profound break from Hebrew tradition… that is, separating fealty to God from that of the temporal authority. Jewish tradition puts its focus on the Jewish state… in other words, Israel ruled by Israelis. Jesus, on the other hand, sees fighting against the Roman occupation (and the Herodian dynasty) as counterproductive. Instead we should focus on our relationship with God and let everything else flow from that. I would argue that it is here where Jesus himself originates the concept of a separation between church and state. Empires come and go, but God remains.
Final Thoughts:
This has to be one of my favorite stories from all the Gospels, because it is here that Jesus defiantly teaches us where our loyalties should reside. Not to the Temple. Not to the Romans. Only to God, only in love.
In that one short sentence, Jesus embodies the Spirit found in Gaudium et Spes, the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World from the Second Vatican Council, which recognizes that the Church does not live outside of the world, but rather is a part of the world and lives in the world. The world for Jesus is one where the Roman Empire rules the land, just as other empires have ruled before. Should we let that stand in the way of our relationship with God? Jewish tradition has strong ties to the land... land given to them by God. Yet here Jesus is advocating for something revolutionary… a faith where the Kingdom of God is wherever two or more are gathered in his name. That place could be anywhere, and could include everyone. The Kingdom of God is not a place, but a state of mind independent of whoever is in charge of the land.
Isaiah 45:1, 4-6
Psalm 96:1, 3, 4-5, 7-8, 9-10
1 Thessalonians 1:1-5b
Mathew 22:15-21
We open with a reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah… in this case, “Deutero” or Second Isaiah. The Exile is coming to an end. The Babylonian Empire has fallen to the Persians and now Cyrus, whom we know as Cyrus the Great, has been, according to Isaiah, anointed by God. Cyrus? A pagan? A foreign king? Yes. How could this be? Simple… God can choose whomever he wishes. The hand God chose to free Israel from her Exile was in fact the hand of Cyrus, the king of the Persian Empire, who through the defeat of the Babylonians, now has set Israel free and wants to send them home. To Israel, this is not only redemption, but an opportunity to show everyone, God’s power and God’s mercy. To show all nations, that it is God whom we thank, God whom we honor, and God who we owe everything. Our Psalm echoes this song of praise.
Our second reading begins our study of Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, which we will be reading from through the rest of this season. This weeks passage starts with the initial greeting. In their greeting they great them in the peace of Christ, and give thanks to God for all of them, reminding them that it was not on their word alone that lead them to Christ, but the power of the Holy Spirit.
Our Gospel from Matthew picks up, again where we left off last week. The Pharisees, whom after having been confronted by a series of parables from Jesus (chastising them severely), go off and plot their revenge. They send their disciples back to confront Jesus with a question about paying the Imperial tax. The question is a trap. If he says pay the tax, he gives the Sanhedrin evidence he’s siding with the Romans. If he says don’t pay the tax, he give the Romans evidence for inciting rebellion. But Jesus knows this is a trap, and finds a way around it. He asks for a coin, and then asks them to identify who’s image is on the coin. It is, obviously, Caesar’s, whereupon Jesus says, "Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God."
This story, shared in all three Synoptic Gospels, marks a profound break from Hebrew tradition… that is, separating fealty to God from that of the temporal authority. Jewish tradition puts its focus on the Jewish state… in other words, Israel ruled by Israelis. Jesus, on the other hand, sees fighting against the Roman occupation (and the Herodian dynasty) as counterproductive. Instead we should focus on our relationship with God and let everything else flow from that. I would argue that it is here where Jesus himself originates the concept of a separation between church and state. Empires come and go, but God remains.
Final Thoughts:
This has to be one of my favorite stories from all the Gospels, because it is here that Jesus defiantly teaches us where our loyalties should reside. Not to the Temple. Not to the Romans. Only to God, only in love.
In that one short sentence, Jesus embodies the Spirit found in Gaudium et Spes, the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World from the Second Vatican Council, which recognizes that the Church does not live outside of the world, but rather is a part of the world and lives in the world. The world for Jesus is one where the Roman Empire rules the land, just as other empires have ruled before. Should we let that stand in the way of our relationship with God? Jewish tradition has strong ties to the land... land given to them by God. Yet here Jesus is advocating for something revolutionary… a faith where the Kingdom of God is wherever two or more are gathered in his name. That place could be anywhere, and could include everyone. The Kingdom of God is not a place, but a state of mind independent of whoever is in charge of the land.
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