Dear Folks,
Life can be polarizing. Often times in our journey, we are faced with making difficult decisions. Will we vote for candidate A or candidate B? Will we cheer for Bengals or the Browns? Which ice cream do we get with our wonderful pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving Dinner, vanilla or chocolate? And perhaps the most challenging dilemma we often face, in trying to find direction in our narratives, do we Apples or PCs? Whether we are just beginning our exciting adventures, or we are on the final chapters of a beautiful expedition, life is full of choices.
Many times the choices are much more difficult than flavor of ice cream or computers.
Friends and foe alike can complicate our path, can't they? Friend might ask us to choose between time studying for that final exam over going skiing in the Rockies, proclaiming that one can study on the road, but the snow covered peaks will not always be so inviting. Skiing, obviously, won out.
But our 'foes' can invite many hurdles to our life journeys, ones that aren't so easily overlooked or laughed off. Life and death? Do we report the abuse of a young boy, in a shower? Or do we remain silent? Is reporting to our superior enough? Should we go to the police? These are questions that make life more than challenging; they make life nearly impossible. Because to choose one often means that other areas of our lives will be adveresly impacted, we might even lose our jobs, our lives, our reputations. When we face these trying questions, rarely is the answer quick to come or so easily made.
This is the nature of life in general, right? We, at times in our story, will face two forks in a road, and we will have to choose the one that appears less damaging. Or we will tell ourselves that we are choosing the path that seems 'better' as a whole. But this lesser of two evil theology leaves a gaping question in my being. What if it is not about what is the lesser of two evils? But the question is truly about right and just versus what is easy and safe?
Jesus faced this dilemma.
When the leaders wanted to corner and question and catch Jesus in a quandary, they finally figured they had a question Jesus couldn't 'ignore.' They asked him about the Roman Imperial Tax, and whether it was right or not to give to the Roman Empire. Jesus asked them to pull out a coin, and he asked them whose inscription was on the coin. They did so and said, "Caesar." Jesus looked at them, and in a statement about as clear as mud, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar, and give to God what is God."
Without any explanation of what Jesus meant, the others were simply amazed.
So what did Jesus mean? This is the thousand dollar question, and it is one that i put to you. What does this statement say to you?
I will only add these caveats: It was against Jewish Law to carry/hold false idols, so to have a coin with the image of Caesar on it, an image that suggest that Caesar was God/Savior/Messiah, it would put the Jewish leaders in a precarious situation. They were carrying a false god. They were violating the Torah. Jesus' question makes them face their breaking of God's law. So knowing this, what does Jesus' words say to you now?
----Or. With the understanding of Caesar being 'savior' of the world and 'son of God,' Jesus seems to put the two kingdom at odds with each other, doesn't he? Which kingdom will the people choose? God's? Caesar's? What are your thoughts?
-----And finally the Roman Empire was, in many cases, taxing the people to death, and Jesus wanted to end this injustice. They pulled out the coin, and Jesus makes a point to ask them, will they continue to follow an empire that punishes, crushes, and murders their own people, or will they stand with the Divine who comes to liberate? Jesus came proclaiming the year of Jubilee, (go to your Old Testaments to understand what that means), so Caesar's image stands in the way of freedom from bondage.
Knowing some of the complications involved in Jesus' statement, what does this say to you? What is your most gut reaction to Jesus having the leaders hold the coin saying, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar and give to God what is God's?"
Then the question needs to have relevance today, so what does this mean for us today? Which 'false god' are we following, pledging allegiance to? And where is God in our lives?
Be ready for a great conversation on Sunday, and may the FACE OF THE ONE TRUE GOD, shine upon you all... Amen.
Shalom,
jerry
PS: there is another question that can be asked, who decides what the "ONE TRUE GOD" is?
No comments:
Post a Comment