Christ, the Light of the World

May you experience the presence of Christ, the Light of the World, everywhere, in everyone, so that hope will abound in your life and the world you live in. There is no corner of the planet where Christ is not. And may you share the light of Christ that is within you with everyone you meet, wherever you are, everyday.


Wilfredo Juan Baez

Monday, October 17, 2011

Give to Caesar Caesar's, Give to God God's


Give to Ceasar What is Caesar’s, Give to God What is God’s

Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and give to God what is God’sWhat is Caesar’s and what is God’s?  This question is to you today?  What is Caesar’s and what is God’s?  Will you figure that out today?

We begin our inquiry with the question of who and what was Caesar?  Caesar was Emperor, the ruler of the Roman Empire of which Jerusalem, Judea and Palestine were parts.  Think about what Caesar is for you today here in the United States of America.

From the Roman perspective, Caesar was divinely appointed King and Son of God.  His empire was comprised of all the land of Rome and the land conquered by Rome.  His kingdom or empire was a physical realm and reality.  We are living in such a physical empire today.

Caesar exacted from his subjects two things: loyalty and a tax.  It’s what the government exacts from us today.  And we submit to the government’s authority willingly.  These things belonged to Caesar and he expected them to be paid in full.  These things belong to the United States of America and  we are expected to pay our due.

From the perspective of Jesus and that of his disciples, Jesus was divinely appointed King and Son of God.  His kingdom was not comprised of land like Caesar’s, but was a spiritual realm and reality.  It didn’t belong to Jesus, but belonged to God, who exacted from his subjects, obedience and love. 
These things belonged to God and God expected them to be paid in full.  And these things belong to God today.  And made by God, in God’s very image, you belong to God.  You owe your very existence to God.  You have your very life in God.   And God expects your allegiance!

An interesting thing about the coin to be rendered to Caesar is that it bore Caesar’s image.  The money you use today has our past presidents’ images.  Although it’s a little different because we frame our most basic currency in the context of a simple phrase that speaks to what we believe is the relationship of the physical to the spiritual, “In God we trust!”  It is the basis of our American economy.  In God we trust!           

What image was borne on the face of the coin used in the Temple?  The image of God?  Devout Jews would not render an image of God.  That doesn’t mean that there wasn’t an image of God, just that it could not be made; certainly not by humans. The image of God was imageless, so there was no image on the Temple coin.  That image wasn’t even made, because God wasn’t made. Rather God was and is forever, eternal, infinite, from before the beginning . . .
Let’s look a little more at what constitutes Caesar in our world today.  The simplest understanding would be that some combination of the state, nation-state, consumer-state, and military-industrial complex are to us what Caesar was to the Roman empire of his time. 

You belong to this complex state.  You pay into it to the extent that you participate in it.   You work in it, participate in its economy, take from it and give to it.  It expects and exacts your participation.  It is what you know as the world. You can opt out of it, but not completely and not without difficulty, because it pays to participate in it.  It’s not bad to participate in it, only to be mastered by it, owned by it, controlled by it, and lost in it.

Let’s look at what constitutes God in our world today.  The simplest understanding would be a combination of the religious institutions that represent the religions of the world, their scriptures, beliefs, practices, activities, and structures are what constitute God’s presence in the world just like it did during Jesus’ day.  You belong, directly or indirectly to one of these religious entities.  You live in and though our religion, participate in its economy, take from it and give to it.  

But a deeper level, you belong directly to God, you participate in God’s economy, and you take from God and you give to God! And God expects and exacts your participation.  You can opt of God as well, on the surface, more easily than you can opt out of world, but not ultimately, because God is the ultimate reality.  The physical world will end, but not the spiritual!  God will continue forever, and you, when you are invested in God will live forever!
It’s interesting, isn’t it, that Jesus does not tell the Pharisees to opt out of the Roman world.   He does not tell you to opt out of the material world.  Rather, he says to you “participate in both.”  Participate in the world and participate in the spiritual reality of God’s Kingdom or realm.  

Jesus’ answer to Pharisees was astounding.  Surely they had him trapped.  He would have to say “Don’t pay Caesar” which would render him a traitor and enemy of the Roman state.  And to say “Pay Caesar” would render him disobedient to God and unclean as a Jew.  But Jesus says “do both.” 
The physical and spiritual are different obligations that don’t have to conflict.  You have physical obligations and you have spiritual obligations. Obviously the Pharisees had been doing both, but not with the pure heart Jesus exhibits. Jesus says “Give Caesar his due.”  Obviously what you give him belongs to him and not to God.  Jesus says to you “Pay your taxes. Pay your debts and bills.  Honor your marital vows and family commitments. Pay your child support.  Use your physical resources wisely!”

And Jesus says, “Give God God’s due! Give God everything else!  Give God your life because your life is issued from God and it returns to God!  If you want to realize God’s gifts and rewards invest in God and God’s enterprises now!  What you sow is what you reap?  You have obligations to God!  Build up your spiritual treasure in your physical life so you will have spiritual treasure to take with you on your eternal spiritual journey!

Recall how Jesus instructed his disciples to be in the world but not part of it.  As Christians, you do not deny that you are American Citizens, or New Yorkers, or earthlings,  or Yankee fans,  or Red Sox, but you identify yourselves in your core as citizens of heaven living here on earth.  The challenge Jesus offers you is to give to Caesar what is Caesars and give to God what is God’s.  Give to the world what belongs to the world and to God what belongs to God!

But, and Jesus is keenly aware of this, you can become spiritually tainted by the world.  You can get so caught up in the world and its ways that you lose yourself.  You can have your spirit corrupted.  You can lose your sense of spiritual vision and direction and have your values perverted for physical or social or material gain.  It was possible for the Temple of Jesus’ time to be corrupted.  It’s possible for the Church today.  It’s possible for Government.  And it is possible for you and for me!
                                               
So save yourself and your generation! Render to Caesar what is Caesars, what is the world’s to the world, but give to God what belongs to God. 
Be a good citizen of your country and world.  And at the same time seek God’s will for you,  and trust God and obey God!  Live your life like you belong to God!  Pay God what God expects of you, his off spring, his child, your obedience and your love.         

Will you put your trust in God today and every day?  Then say after me, “In God I trust!”  “In God I trust!” Right now,  “In God I trust!” Will you give yourself to God today?  Then say after me, “I will give myself to God!”  “I give myself to God!” Right now I will give myself to God!  Alleluia! Amen!
                                                
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