Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?

 

 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk.  And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men.  Tell us, therefore, what do You think?  Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"  But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, "Why do you test Me, you hypocrites?  Show Me the tax money."  So they brought Him a denarius.  And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"  They said to Him, "Caesar's."  And He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's."  When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.

 

- Matthew 22:15–22 

 

In our current readings it is Holy Week.  Jesus is in Jerusalem, and has made His Triumphal Entry, and cleansed the temple.  He has also been sparring with the religious leaders, who demand to know His authority.  Yesterday we read that Jesus answered and spoke to the chief priests and Pharisees again by parables and said:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.  Again, he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready.  Come to the wedding."'  But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.  And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.  But when the king heard about it, he was furious.  And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.  Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.  Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.'  So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good.  And the wedding hall was filled with guests.  But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.  So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?'  And he was speechless.  Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'  For many are called, but few are chosen."

 

  Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk.  And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men.  Tell us, therefore, what do You think?  Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"  But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, "Why do you test Me, you hypocrites?  Show Me the tax money."  So they brought Him a denarius.  And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"  They said to Him, "Caesar's."  And He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's."  When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.  My study Bible tells us that this question on taxation ("Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?") is designed to trap Jesus.  A "yes" answer would turn the Jewish people against Him, while a "no" would bring a charge of treason by the Romans.  Christ's answer defeats their cunning, and shows that a believer can give the state its due while serving God.  My study Bible explains that as the coin bears the image of the emperor and is properly paid to him, so each person bears the image of God and therefore belongs to God.  Conflict arises only when the state demands that which is contrary to God.  Additionally, my study Bible notes that this distinction between tings that are Caesar's and things that are God's does not imply the division of a believer's life into the secular and the sacred.  God is Lord over all of life, including the secular.  We also fulfill government requirements that don't conflict with our first responsibility to God (Romans 13:1-7; contrast Acts 4:19; 5:29).  To pay taxes and similar civil duties are not detrimental to holiness.  

 

This question about paying taxes to Caesar is an interesting one, because it is framed as a question on what is lawful.   This notion of what is lawful could also extend to what is "moral" or "right" (that is, including the wisdom from the Torah and an understanding of God's desires and purposes), but nonetheless the emphasis is on what is permissible  or not in a legalistic sense.  So, there are two conflicting bodies of Law one might consider here on the basis of the question; there is the Law of the Torah and there is the Roman law.  Under Roman law, as explained by my study Bible, one could be accused of treason by the Romans for not paying taxes.  But in the temple, Roman coins were exchanged for Jewish coins, as the Roman coins bore the image of Caesar (who was worshiped as a god) and therefore were instances of violation of the first commandment, the worship of the God of Israel (see this reading covering the cleansing of the temple, and Christ's overturning the tables of the money changers).  We should remember also that these are Pharisees asking Him this question, together with the Herodians.  The Pharisees were experts in Scripture, who spent their time examining in detail what was written, and searching out and identifying commands therein.  They also upheld what was called the "tradition of the elders," a body of rabbinical judgments, oral laws, and interpretations developed during the Second Temple period.  So this word "lawful" contains all of these meanings, in particular for the Pharisees.  The Herodians were generally opponents of the Pharisees as they are the followers of Herod; that is, the ruling dynasty of Herod which rules for Rome.  So they in turn represent the Roman Law and have made their compromises with it.   Therefore both are present with this question.  But Jesus answers quite simply when He points out that there is no conflict here as to what is lawful.  For the image of Caesar on the coin is a statement of sovereignty.  What bore the emperor's stamp was the emperor's, a part of the empire.  But, as my study Bible points out, by the same way of thinking and understanding, human beings each bear the image of God, as we all are created in God's image and likeness (Genesis 1:26).  Therefore what is sacred and what is worldly can overlap, the two existing at once in one place.  For, as my study Bible also points out, everything is under the jurisdiction of God, both in the spiritual realm and the earthly.  And therein we come to a very interesting conclusion, for only the One who stands before them, Jesus the Christ (or Messiah) contains in Himself all that unites these two realms in one Person.  He is fully God and fully human, and only He truly has the authority to answer such a question -- for it is His image whom all bear or choose to reject and spurn, and it is His authority within which all things exist and will find their fullness (see Colossians 1:17; Ephesians 1:10; Romans 8:28; 14:11).  Moreover, as St. Paul writes, Christ "is all and in all" (Colossians 3:11).  Just as Caesar has jurisdiction (and his imprint) over all that is the Roman Empire, and the Law and Prophets prevail in the temple and the practices of the Jewish people, so Christ is at once superseding all things at once in His authority, and it is this for which He has come into the world.  If we keep in mind the clear claim of Messiah or Christ, we are to understand that in the image of the Cross will come the symbol or declaration of such a victory in this world, for the God-man will shed His blood in sacrifice for all, and thus establish His own sovereignty over this world, and "against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12).  The Cross remains the insignia of victory, and claim of sovereignty in our world, and as His followers we seek the way of the Cross (Matthew 16:24-26).  When we struggle with our own questions for discernment, let us remember who is Lord of all.  For there are things which are beneficial and things which are not (1 Corinthians 6:12; 10:23).  In His way of the Cross, we seek the One who has authority over all.

 

 

 

 

Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's

 

 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk. And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men. Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"  But Jesus perceive their wickedness, and said, 'Why do you test Me, you hypcrites?  Show Me the tax money."  So they brought Him a denarius.  And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"  they said to Him, "Caesar's." And He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."  When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.

 

- Matthew 22:15–22 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus answered and spoke to the chief priests and elders again by parables and said:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.  Again, he sent out other servants, saying, "Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready.  Come to the wedding."'  But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.  And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.  But when the king heard about it, he was furious.  And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.  Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.  Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.'  So those servants went out into the highways gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good.  And the wedding hall was filled with guests.  But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.  So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?'  So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?'  And he was speechless.  Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  For many are called, but few are chosen."

 

  Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk. And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men. Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"  But Jesus perceive their wickedness, and said, 'Why do you test Me, you hypocrites?  Show Me the tax money."  So they brought Him a denarius.  And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"  they said to Him, "Caesar's." And He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."  When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.  This question on taxation is designed as a trap for Jesus.  If He replied "yes" to the question, it would turn the Jewish people against Him.  If He replied "no" it would bring a charge of treason by the Romans.  But Christ's answer yet again evades the intentions of those who question Him and gives a perspective they don't expect.  Christ's answer shows that a believer can render the state its due, and at the same time serve God (Romans 13:1-7).  My study Bible explains that as the coin bears the image of the emperor and is properly paid to him, so each person bears the image of God and therefore belongs to God.  Conflict arises only when the state demands that which is contrary to God.  

 

Christ's answer (and my study Bible's explanation) suggests something interesting to us. If there is not necessarily a contradiction between service to state and service to God; that is, if we can honor both our obligations to the state and to God at the same time, then it is fundamentally possible for even the state to designate "good" as something pleasing to God.  Obviously, human beings need good governance.  Whatever problems we have in the world with power and governments, they do not come about because no government is the answer or pleasing to God.  On the contrary, we understand from the creation story in the Bible that our world is meant to be not a place of chaos and anarchy, not a place where we human beings simply struggle against one another for limited goods, or a life of "all against all."  The Bible tells us that God organized life from its fundamental beginnings, separating land and sea, ocean from ocean, putting man in a specific garden.  Moreover to guide human beings and human enterprises, God gives us angels.  In the Revelation we read of each angel meant to lead every church St. John is told to write to; The Lord tells John to write separate messages to the angels of the churches of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and the church of the Laodicaeans.  In fact, it is an angel sent by the Lord, by Christ, to tell John all of the instructions of the Revelation to the churches.  In the tradition of our faith we understand that angels are put in charge of states, nations, cities, that even each one of us has a particular guardian angel.  What that tells us, then, is that the normal human activities of the regulation of states need not conflict at all with our duty to God.  But, of course, this would mean that the state align itself with the will of God in some sense, for in that case there is no conflict with our loyalty to God.  Good governance is something respected in the Bible, particularly in the New Testament and in the writing of St. Paul (such as the passage in Romans 13:1-7, cited by my study Bible).  Clearly, human beings need governments and states of various kinds, but we may seek good government in accordance with the values of our faith.  Moreover there is a subtle emphasis implied here on the responsibility of the people, both communally and individually.  For in each case we may render proper duty to God and to the state.  Of course, what all of this tells us is that our first duty is to God, and that this is also true of the state.  In a conscientiously secular modern sense, we expect the government to impose no religion upon us, but we cannot get away from conscience and our love of God, for these are where values come from to begin with.  Our very concepts of human rights in a modern sense were developed culturally as a result of our faith (see the book by Tom Holland titled Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World for a greater eye-opening discussion on just how much modern life owes to the Christian faith).  In the ancient world, of course, and in the context of our reading, Caesar was worshiped as a god, and thereby the Jews and many Christians to come would be persecuted.  But Jesus teaches here -- as does the whole history of Christian faith and its effects on culture and society -- that our first duty is to live faithfully to the extent that we are able, for we are first those who render the soul unto God, and the rest of life, including its necessities, follows.  What we observe about today's reading also hinges on another aspect of Jesus' response to these men, and that is that He openly calls them hypocrites. Indeed, the Pharisees, who are exceptionally prideful of their intensely scrupulous observance of the law, here ally themselves with the Herodians, who are the followers of Herod's court, which serves Caesar and rules Israel.  What kind of partnership is that for those who quiz Him regarding paying taxes to Caesar and the Jewish law?  Their own hypocrisy exposes them in their murderous envy of Christ, and the greed for which they are known themselves.  So in the light of today's reading, let us consider what a true examination of conscience is and means.  It does not imply that we ascribe to a particular political theory or philosophy.  Neither does rendering our due to the Lord mean separating ourselves from participation in worldly life.  We walk a fine line by rendering unto both God and Caesar what belongs properly to each, with our faith being the guide for what is good and what is not.

 

 

 

I have sinned by betraying innocent blood

 

 When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death.  And when they had bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor. 

Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood."  And they said, "What is that to us?  You see to it!"  Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went out and hanged himself.  But the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, "It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they are the price of blood."  And they consulted together and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in.  Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.  Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of Him who was priced, whom they of the children of Israel priced, and gave them for the potter's field, as the LORD directed me."

 

- Matthew 27:1-10 

 

Yesterday we read that, as Jesus was being tried in the house of the high priest,  Peter sat outside in the courtyard.  And a servant girl came to him, saying, "You also were with Jesus of Galilee."  But he denied it before them all, saying, "I do not know what you are saying."  And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, "This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth."  But again he denied with an oath, "I do not know the Man!"  And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, "Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you."  Then he began to curse and swear, saying, "I do not know the Man!"   Immediately a rooster crowed.  And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times."  So he went out and wept bitterly.  

 

 When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death.  And when they had bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor.  While the religious Law dictated the death penalty for blasphemers (Leviticus 24:16), and the high priest has declared Jesus to be a blasphemer (see Wednesday's reading), under Roman occupation, the Jews were prohibited from carrying out an execution.  Therefore, my study Bible explains, they had to get permission from the governor.

 

 Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood."  And they said, "What is that to us?  You see to it!"  Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went out and hanged himself.    And they consulted together and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in.  Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.  Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of Him who was priced, whom they of the children of Israel priced, and gave them for the potter's field, as the LORD directed me."  In contrast to Peter who repented in his sorrow, weeping bitter tears of recognition (Matthew 26:75), Judas is remorseful but does not repent.  My study Bible says that suicide is not a sign of repentance but rather of being self-absorbed.  There are two accounts of Judas' suicide given in the New Testament:  here and in Acts 1:16-19.  Both accounts name the purchased field the Field of Blood.  The prophecy is from Jeremiah 32:6-9; compare to Zechariah 11:12-13 (link).

We might ask, what is the difference between repentance and remorse?  If we look at these words in Greek, repentance is μετάνοια/metanoia.  The word translated here as remorseful is a verb, μεταμέλομαι/metamelomai, meaning that he became remorseful.   We can see one significant difference in these words in the fact that the first, for repentance, ends with -νοια, which comes from the Greek word νοῦς/nous.   Meta- is change, as in an effect of transforming; nous is often translated as mind, the root of words like "noetic."  But it is deeper than simply our understanding of "mind" as the place of daily thoughts that come and go.  The "nous" is also understood as the part of ourselves that can receive illumination and understanding from God, from the divine.  Therefore, the change that is repentance is a kind of total internal conversion, an inner orientation to God that transforms us deeply as persons.  Perhaps we could say it deeply or fundamentally changes our whole way of thinking or perceiving meanings in some sense.  But metamelomai is meta- plus -melo, which means "care" or "concern."  So the implication of remorse is regret for a bad outcome, rather than a deeply-felt change of heart.  It quite implies, to my way of thinking, an objectifying way of looking at Christ, rather than the personal loving relationship Christ offers to all.  Possibly the outcome of Christ's trial was not what Judas expected.  Perhaps this horrible outcome struck Judas with the reality which he had actually brought about through his betrayal.  Delivering Christ to the Romans for Crucifixion and death is a betrayal of the society in some sense, to deliver a fellow Jew for judgment.  At any rate, he has betrayed innocent blood, and now bears this burden of this great sin under the law, which the chief priests and elders do not help him alleviate, saying, "What is that to us?  You see to it!"   And these rulers clearly do not receive him with any kind of positive recognition or inclusion for what he's done in collaborating with them; instead he bears the brunt of this sin.  We don't really know the answers as to Judas' motivations and desires (John tells us that he was a thief), but the Gospels give us these words to think about.  Peter does not with forethought betray Christ; it is a kind of impulsive response to fear that prompted his denials, and a forgetfulness of Christ's warning.  His recognition of his own weakness serves to illuminate Christ's words to Peter that he must "watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation" (see Monday's reading).  Judas' action, however, was more deliberate and considered, and he was given many instances in which Christ still sought to save him, to make him think about what he was doing in betrayal, to let him know the reality of his choice, even offering him friendship until the last moment ("Friend, why have you come?"); see Tuesday's reading.  Judas' remorse somehow comes short of restoring relationship with Christ, and the focus is still on the self, as my study Bible explains.  It is akin to a regret for something because it didn't turn out the way one expected.  With this sort of regret, one can go one way and another -- take it to a deeper place in recognition of the true harm one has caused and therefore to repentance, coming to Christ.  Or, the dwelling remains on the self only.  For the Eastern Orthodox, a morbid or excessive guilt is still a form of self-centeredness.  Repentance is finding salvation, coming to Christ for healing and for true transformation of the inner self, allowing oneself to be changed.  It is Christ who heals and transforms, who gives us the true perspective we need in life, and teaches us true reality -- and in that depth of relationship and communion, we are healed.  This is the foundation of our faith, and this is what Judas fails still to realize.  He does not come to Christ with his repentance, but only to the chief priests and elders with his regret.  Let us consider, then, when we think about this passage, the love of Christ that can remit sin, and in which we can truly find ourselves and what we need to heal -- even from our own self-inflicted damage.

 

 

Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's

 

 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk.  And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men.  Tell us, therefore, what do You think?  Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"  But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, "Why do you test Me, you hypocrites?  Show Me the tax money."  So they brought Him a denarius.  And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"  They said to Him, "Caesar's."  And He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."  When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.

 

- Matthew 22:15-22 

 

In yesterday's reading, Jesus gave the parable of the Wedding Feast, as He continued to respond to the religious authorities in the temple at Jerusalem.  He said:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.  Again, he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready.  Come to the wedding."'  But they made light of it and went their own ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.  And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.  But when the king heard about it, he was furious.  And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.  Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.  Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.'  So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good.  And the wedding hall was filled with guests.  But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.  So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?'  And he was speechless.  Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'  For many are called, but few are chosen."

 

 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk.  And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men.  Tell us, therefore, what do You think?  Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"  But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, "Why do you test Me, you hypocrites?  Show Me the tax money."  So they brought Him a denarius.  And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"  They said to Him, "Caesar's."  And He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."  When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.  The Pharisees seek to entangle Jesus by asking a kind of trick question, which works as a trap.  If Jesus gave a "yes" answer it would turn the Jewish people against Him (as they suffer under the oppressive taxation of the Romans).  But a "no" answer would bring a charge of treason by the Romans.  But yet again, the Word Himself is the master of all communication.  His answer defeats their cunning, showing that a believer can render the state its due while serving God (Romans 13:1-7).  More to the point, as the coin bears the image of the emperor and is more properly paid to him, each person bears the image of God and therefore belongs to God.  Conflict arises, my study Bible explains, when the state demands that which is contrary to God.  It notes also that the distinction between things that are Caesar's and things that are God's does not imply the division of a believer's life into the secular and the sacred.  Instead, we are to know that God is Lord over all of life, including the secular.  However, we fulfill governmental requirements that don't conflict with our first responsibility to God (see also Acts 4:19, 4:29).  To pay taxes and fulfill similar civil duties is not detrimental to holiness.  

 

 In Christ's time, we know the demand that was there to overthrow the Romans.  Indeed, many looked to an image of the prophesied Messiah who would be a worldly king, establishing again a throne of Israel and overthrowing foreign rule, with a powerful kingdom which could conquer all enemies.  So the question is more powerfully relative to Jesus than we might at first think.  While the Pharisees seek to entrap Him -- either with the ruling Romans or with the people of Israel -- Jesus is also the Christ, and the nature of this Messiah is not the one anticipated nor possibly even "demanded" by the people in this political sense.  So the question about Roman taxes has not only religious but also politically revolutionary overtones.  We should also note that among those who come to quiz Jesus are both the disciples of the Pharisees, together with their allies the Herodians:  that is, those who support the dynasty of Herod the Great which rules for Rome.  We know that the people (stirred up by the religious leadership who wants rid of Jesus) will demand that Barabbas, a violent rebel, be freed instead of Jesus at His Crucifixion (Matthew 27:15-26), so again, we can't overlook how powerfully relevant these issues really are to Jesus and very nature of His messianic ministry -- and particularly the central role of His Passion.  It makes us reflect upon the nature of what it is for Him to be the Suffering Servant who was prophesied by Isaiah (Isaiah 42:1–4; 49:1–6; 50:4–11; 52:13–53:12).  While there are certainly injustices done by the Romans -- and much more to follow even to the Church -- Jesus makes us think hard about what forms of revolution or rebellion are really about.  How do we correct injustice and throw off oppressive rule?  Of course, at the time of Christ there had never been an empire quite like the Roman Empire and Constitutional rule of law was not something that existed in the forms we know today.  So national expectations of wealth from conquered territory (including in the form of slavery which was virtually universal) also played a role in the ways that people thought about violence and the change of rule.  But let us consider what Jesus seems to be teaching us.  First of all, there is the sense of civic duties that exist for us all, regardless of what type of government we have.  We tend to think very individualistically compared with perspectives in the Bible and the historical perspectives of peoples everywhere.  Christ's response frames this question in both a communal and individual framework.  Whose business is it to govern?  Who mints the coin, who rules trade and exchange?  But both communally and individually, what's our duty to God?  How is our soul loyal to God, and at the same time we have civic duty to function among the wider community?  While faith in Christ calls on us for a type of radical conversion (that is, the loyalty of heart and soul and mind and strength in our love of God), how does that work out in terms of our relationship to neighbor, to community?  The faith of Christ in this sense turns political revolution as solution to spiritual problems upside down:  everything begins with the soul, with an internal loyalty and radical commitment to love of God first coupled and enacted through love of neighbor.   This itself can create radical change within us as individuals, as so many have found in the experience of their faith, but it is a kind of internal transformation and revolution against the things that get in the way of our love of God and its realization in our lives.  It is an overthrow of loyalty to the purely worldly and material with a commitment to put faith first in God's love and how we live it.  In this understanding, our internal change or transformation is also a "rebellion" against the one whom Jesus calls the prince or ruler of this world (John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11; Ephesians 2:2), the one who thrives on sin and all its forms including abuse and injustice and cruelty.  In this understanding, we might discern that abusive and oppressive rule is a product of sin, of "the evil one" (Matthew 5:37, 6:13).  We "render therefore to Caesar" practical and reasonable civic duty, but to render unto God what is God's demands of us no stone left unturned in an ongoing internal repentance, a commitment to knowing God and living as God's children that deepens as we mature and grow in faith.  This just might be the greatest power for transformation we can give to the world, for it goes to the real root of worldly problems.  Let us start there when we look for the change and good we desire.

 

 

 

 

 

Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's

 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk.  And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men.  Tell us, therefore, what do You think?  Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"  But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, "Why do you test Me, you hypocrites?  Show Me the tax money."  So they brought Him a denarius.  And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"  They said to Him, "Caesar's."  And He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's."  When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way. 

- Matthew 22:15-22

In our current readings, Jesus is in Jerusalem.  It is what we know as Holy Week; pilgrims from all over Israel and the Jewish diaspora are gathering in Jerusalem for Passover.  Jesus has made His Triumphal Entry, He has cleansed the temple, and has been disputing with the chief priests and Pharisees regarding His authority to do so.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus gave yet another parable to them:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.  Again, he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready.  Come to the wedding." ' But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.  And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.  But when the king heard about it, he was furious.  And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.  Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.  Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.'  So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good.  And the wedding hall was filled with guests.   But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.  So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?'  And he was speechless.  Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'  For many are called, but few are chosen."

 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk.  And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men.  Tell us, therefore, what do You think?  Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"  But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, "Why do you test Me, you hypocrites?  Show Me the tax money."  So they brought Him a denarius.  And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"  They said to Him, "Caesar's."  And He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's."  When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.  This question is designed to trap Jesus in an answer that will either make Him vulnerable to charges of treason by the Romans or rejection by the Jewish people.   But, as we so often observe about Jesus, He never answers hostile questioners on their own terms.  Rather than accepting the dilemma posed by the Pharisees and Herodians (who are those who support the court of Herod, who rules under Rome), Jesus offers His own basis of understanding.  My study bible says that the distinction between things that are Caesar's and things that are God's does not imply the division of a believer's life into the secular and the sacred.  Instead, the picture is more wholistic:  God is the Lord over all of life, including the secular.  But we do fulfill government requirements that do not conflict with our first responsibility to God (Romans 13:1-7; contrast Acts 4:19, 5:29).   The coin bears the image of Caesar, but each of us is created by God, and bear God's image within ourselves. 

This is an important question, and one that tells us about the place of faith and the Kingdom in our lives.  Rather than severing the tension between the Roman state power and the duty to God, Jesus' answer suspends us in that place where we understand the worldly will always be with us, and the Kingdom will always be "breaking through" in our lives and asking us for discernment.   Rather than battling the world in a political sense, Jesus' sense of the fullness of life gives us a responsibility to bear God's image within us while we negotiate with the world and within it.  Holiness is possible in and through circumstances and dilemmas one cannot imagine if we are simply thinking in terms of worldly political power and might.  Life, in this vision, is a constant place of negotiation, where it is our alertness and state of inner prayer that suspends us in the world but not of it.  Jesus calls for discernment, not rebellion on purely political terms.  We know our first loyalty, we know the Creator of the world and the Giver of our lives.  But we also live within the world as it is, and the story of Jesus' followers is one of prayerful discernment, day by day, as to how God asks of us to respond to the world.  Martyrdom will be a calling for many of His saints.  But martyrdom is not a question of political choice; it is rather a question of spiritual understanding of where and how we are called by God to choose within our own dilemmas presented by the world.  When it is God that comes first, then the field and ground of being no longer is ruled by the merely political.   (Later on in chapter 22, Jesus will give us the fullness of the Law and Prophets summed up in just this first command to love God, and the second to love neighbor as oneself; see 22:37-40.)   Where our depth of connection is to Creator, each moment as we live our lives in this world becomes a point for discernment, a time where a prayerful orientation teaches us how to lead our lives.  This isn't merely a simplistic material consideration of "which side we're on," it is not a choice between one political power or party or another.  That depth of orientation instead requires the alertness to seek where God is leading us and teaching us to grow and expand, and to find new ways to negotiate our lives in this world while our hearts remain firmly first God's.  It is possible to serve God through all things; but in doing so it is the Spirit that chooses the battle, and thereby we enter into mystery and the long learning curve of our faith -- not the certainties of political rules, slogans, and abstract maxims treated as if they were spiritual truth.  The Church fulfills her mission through all things, in all places, under all circumstances, just as Jesus will fill His.  What we find through a life of faith is not absolute certainty, but a life of invitation into mystery, wisdom, and growth.  Christ gives us tastes of this Kingdom not in abstract philosophy, but in joy, love, peace, illumination, and grace.  He teaches us forbearance, endurance, persistence, humility, and true service.  This is the reality of a life of prayer and where it takes us, into that deepening place where we are His first.  To love one's neighbor (in the Greek, this particular word for neighbor means literally the "one who is near") is not to ask first if they share all our opinions and affiliations.  This is where He takes us.

You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish

 Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.  But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did.  Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, "What shall we do?  For this Man works many signs.  If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation."  And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish."  Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.  Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.

Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples. 

- John 11:45-54

Yesterday, we read the completion of the story of the seventh sign, the resurrection of Lazarus (see earlier readings here and here).   Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.  Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there."  Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."  Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.  And He said, "Where have you laid him?"  They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."  Jesus wept.  Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"  And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?"  Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb.  It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.  Jesus said, "Take away the stone."  Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."  Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"  Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.  And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."  Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"  And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth.  Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."

Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.  But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did.  We remember that the term the Jews is used in John's Gospel as a sort of political affiliation with the ruling parties in the temple at Jerusalem:  the Pharisees, priests, elders, scribes, and Sadducees.  (All the people in our story are Jews, including Jesus and the author of the Gospel.)  Many of those who were present at the raising of Lazarus are members of this religious elite from Jerusalem, who had come to comfort Martha and Mary at the death of Lazarus.  In yesterday's reading, we were told that Jesus made this sign so explicit that it was unmistakable the power He had over life and death.  There is no doubt about what happened.  And now were told that many of those witnessed believed in Him.  But others have gone to tell the Pharisees what has happened.

Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, "What shall we do?  For this Man works many signs.  If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation."  And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish."  Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.  Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.  My study bible tells us that Caiaphas, being high priest, is given the authority to speak prophetically.  It is a part of the office; the failings or even wickedness of the officeholder don't diminish the grace of the office itself.  What Caiaphas intends to say is that Christ's death will spare the Jews from Roman intervention.  But God's meaning is more full and potent:  that all people will be saved through the death of the Son.  

Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples.     Jesus knows what He is going to, but it is not yet His time.  He remains away from the cities, in the country near the wilderness, until it is time for Him to go to Jerusalem.

Events take their turn; the Sanhedrin, despite the presence of some believers in Christ, now plots to put Jesus to death.  It is the indisputable miracle of the raising of Lazarus that seals His fate with them.   One would think it would have the opposite effect.  Something that simply leaves no doubt as to what Jesus is capable of doing really should build belief or faith in His ministry, and it does -- but in effect, He is too effective for some people.  He's too effective for those who wish to keep their places as the ruling elite.  He's too effective for those who have already decided they are His enemies.  He's too effective for those who do not want the people to follow Him.  This is what the religious rulers truly fear.  Caiaphas' warning about the Roman intervention is based on this fear:  that Jesus will have such a great following that the Romans will take notice.  Jesus' remarks themselves on this failure of faith in Jerusalem would indicate an opposite outcome than the one that Caiaphas predicts would happen (and that his proposal for Jesus' death is supposedly meant to avoid).  See Luke 19:41-43, in which Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem, and said, "If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes."  We don't really know the outcome of this story had there actually been an acceptance of Jesus in the temple leadership.  We don't know how He would have counseled the people, nor what His leadership would produce or what effect it would have had in the world.  But we do have His words, and we know the ultimate outcome.  At the time of His Passion, the leadership in the temple will rile up the crowd to demand the release of Barabbas, a political "radical" and nationalist, precisely the type of person who would provoke intervention by the Romans.  We may assume that Jesus' leadership would have meant something very different for Israel, as it certainly did for His followers.  But all things work together with God; every outcome has its way of being approached and responded to.  Even our deepest disappointments, and the greatest evils we might find in the world or in our lives may be met with faith, and with a search for the response God would have us make.  This is perhaps the greatest mystery of the Passion, Crucifixion, death, and Resurrection of Christ.  It is perhaps the greatest stumbling block we have.  Nevertheless, it is the truth of what we have -- and perhaps the most full and potent meaning that Christ's mission into the world would give us.  There is a song by Jason Gray that applies this type of perception in its lyrics.  It's called "Nothing is Wasted."    We can be certain that the ways in which Jesus' life and ministry unfold happen for us, to give us something, a great gift that keeps giving more than we can know or expect.  He gives us a way to face the world, and an understanding of redemption, God's work in us and with us, and for every aspect of our lives -- without exception.  Our faith encompasses all of it.  His light shines in the darkness, even where the darkness cannot comprehend.

Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's

 And the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on Him, but they feared the people--for they knew He had spoken this parable against them.  So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor.  Then they asked Him, saying, "Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly, and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth:  Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"  But He perceived their craftiness, and said to them, "Why do you test Me?  Show Me a denarius.  Whose image and inscription does it have?"  They answered and said, "Caesar's."  And He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."  But they could not catch Him in His words in the presence of the people.  And they marveled at His answer and kept silent.

- Luke 20:19-26

In yesterday's reading, Jesus was teaching in the temple in Jerusalem.  He has already made His Triumphal Entry and cleansed the temple.   The chief priests and the scribes, together with the elders, have confronted Him and asked Him, "Tell us, by what authority are You doing these things?"   After responding to them, Jesus then began to tell the people this parable:  "A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time.  Now at vintage time he sent a servant to the vinedressers; that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard.  But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed.  Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.  And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out.  Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do?  I will send my beloved son.  Probably they will respect him when they see him.'  But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.'  So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.  Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them?  He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others."  And when they heard it they said, "Certainly not!"  Then He looked at them and said, "What is this that is written:  'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone'?  Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder." And the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on Him, but they feared the people--for they knew He had spoken this parable against them.

 And the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on Him, but they feared the people--for they knew He had spoken this parable against them.  So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor.   As in yesterday's reading, the Gospel makes it clear to us that Jesus knows the real intent of the people around Him; this applies not only to the leadership but also to those in the crowd who aren't serious seekers but work to help trap Him and create an accusation.

Then they asked Him, saying, "Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly, and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth:  Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"  But He perceived their craftiness, and said to them, "Why do you test Me?  Show Me a denarius.  Whose image and inscription does it have?"  They answered and said, "Caesar's."  And He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."  But they could not catch Him in His words in the presence of the people.  And they marveled at His answer and kept silent.  My study bible tells us:  "The question on Roman taxation is designed to trap Jesus between the Roman government and the Jewish people.  A 'yes' would turn the people against Him.  A 'no' would bring a charge of treason by the Roman governor.  His answer defeats their cunning and shows that no conflict need exist between civic and religious duties.  Christians can render the state its due while serving God.  As the coin bears the image of the emperor and is properly paid to him, so each person bears the image of God and belongs to Him.  Conflict arises when the state demands of Christians what belongs only to God."

Again we notice in today's reading (as in yesterday's)  Jesus' cleverness in His response.   Not only does He respond in measure to His audience (comprised of both the people and the spies among them who seek to trap Him in an accusation to the Roman governor), but He answers in such a way that His critics -- and the spies -- can't use it for their purposes.  He answers in such a way that "they marveled at His answer and kept silent."  And here's something that I believe isn't often pointed out:  Jesus uses words not only to tell the truth as we understand it in a straightforward manner, but also to tell the truth in the ways in which He is willing to respond.  Sometimes He will respond in a very straightforward way, say, to questions from the disciples.  Other times His truth is slightly more veiled.  When He first introduces parables in His teaching (the parable of the Sower), He makes it clear to the disciples that "to you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that 'seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.'"  In Saturday's reading, His deft response to the leadership indicates He will give no ground to those who are dishonest in their intention and dealing with Him.  In a verbal sense, He gives as good as He gets.  In other words, it is His word that teaches and informs according to the situation and appropriately to the situation and His understanding of His audience.  Jesus doesn't just speak to the truths of the world as we understand the ways in which lessons are taught.  That kind of pronouncement is the world of Caesar, perhaps.  Rather, He speaks to the hearts and minds of those who are before Him.  He does this in many ways which are subtle, and yet His meaning is always clear one way and another.  He doesn't want hearts that aren't willing to respond to His love.  His authority is upheld even before those who seek to trap Him.  He will suffer, but that suffering is willing.  It is understood long before He arrives in Jerusalem what is to happen to Him at the Passover.  But in His words and actions, He never falters with respect to the truth that cuts through every appearance, that is the sword that pierces hearts and exposes every thought there.  Today's clever response isn't just a teaching tool about the state and the world and our relationship with God.  It's also a potent declaration of authority, a willingness to stick to His truth and His real identity and authority no matter what the circumstances, and it is also more:  it is a clear declaration of His discernment of their hearts and thoughts and intentions, and His pronouncement of Judgment about them.  He gives as good as He gets, without hiding from any part of the truth about what is happening here.  Let us remember, repentance is always a possibility.  These people in this exchange may come to faith at any time, and His discernment and authority remain also in that possibility.  But let us also marvel at His words, let us also understand all that they teach and reveal, and the ways in which He knows the hearts of everyone -- so much so, that all they need to do is keep silence.  The real fullness of truth is God's and must be rendered to God; silence here is their only option.

It is expedient for us that one man should die for the people

Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him. But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, "What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation." And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish." Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad. Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.

Therefore Jesus no longer walked only among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples.

- John 11:45-54

In recent readings, we have read the story of the seventh and final sign in John's Gospel, and that is the raising of Lazarus. On Wednesday, we read that Jesus was beyond the Jordan, in the place where John was first baptizing. This was because by now the authorities in the temple at Jerusalem seek to put Him to death for blasphemy. But He hears news from His good friends, Mary, Martha and Lazarus. The sisters send to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, He whom you love is sick." They live in Bethany, about two miles east of Jerusalem. Jesus proposes that He go there, but His disciples question Him because of the threat from the temple leadership. Jesus told them, "If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him." He said that Lazarus' illness was for the glory of God. Speaking of his death, Jesus said, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up." On Thursday we read of Martha greeting Him as He approached: "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died." He told her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world." Then He sent for Mary, Martha's sister, who came quickly to Him. In yesterday's reading, we read that Jesus was still at the place where Martha met Him, outside Bethany, when Mary came to Him. There were many who had come from Jerusalem and Judea, who were the followers of the leadership at the temple, to mourn with Martha and Mary. The mourners, weeping with her, followed Mary to Jesus, thinking she was going to the tomb. She said to Jesus the same words of her sister, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." Jesus was troubled and agitated and asked where they had laid Lazarus. "Lord, come and see," they said, and Jesus had tears on His face. The mourners from Jerusalem said, "See how He loved him!" And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?" Lazarus was laid in a cave with a stone shutting it, and Jesus told them to take away the stone. Martha warned Him that Lazarus was dead for four days, and there would be a stench. Jesus told her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me." Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!" And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."

Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him. But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did. The term "the Jews" is used in John's Gospel to denote the leadership in the temple at Jerusalem and their followers, who by now are determined to put Jesus to death -- even before the raising of Lazarus. This was decided for blasphemy, because Jesus had called Himself the Son of God.

Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, "What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation." My study bible says, "The Jewish leaders acknowledge Jesus' signs and are concerned that the Romans will intervene militarily if a popular movement around Jesus gained momentum and threatens the established order." We know already they are concerned about His popularity, but now we get a flavor of a different situation, and that is the political one in which they find themselves. They are leaders under certain conditions of Roman political rule; they have authority over their own people, but it is under the colonial rule of Rome. A reasonable question under such circumstances also might arise to their minds that should Jesus prove to be a popular leader, the Romans might then turn to Him. At any rate, His popularity undermines their authority.

And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish." Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad. Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death. My study bible notes, "Caiaphas, being high priest of Israel, is given through his office the authority to speak prophetically. Caiaphas means only that the death of Jesus would spare the nation from Roman intervention. But the greater prophetic meaning of his words is that the death of Jesus will be for the salvation of the Jewish people and many others throughout the world."

Therefore Jesus no longer walked only among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples. Jesus will avoid the leadership and Jerusalem until it is His time, His hour. His death is in His own hands, as He has repeatedly said.

There's a very interesting book written by a man who began developing his theories as a professor of French literature, named Rene Girard. He wrote about scapegoating, comparing its use in pagan cultures and also through the Bible. There's a very interesting crux going on here in this scene, where Caiaphas, the high priest, speaking in his prophetic capacity, treats Jesus' death in the same way that we would popularly think of a sort of scapegoat: as one who will die or be sacrificed for the nation or the people. But in Caiaphas' view, Jesus is a criminal or an outsider who is shaking up the order of things, and threatening the established order which he seeks to preserve. This is a scapegoat mechanism of the type that Professor Girard would have observed at work in history. But the irony is in the transformation of this perspective through Christ -- as my study bible's note points out to us. Yes, Jesus will die for the people, for the whole world, for those of other folds He will gather into one flock. But it will not be in sin, as a criminal, regardless of the human point of view that may see Him that way. This sacrifice is a triumph upon the Cross, a triumph for all of us, for whom He is raised as a sign of God's love for the world. Jesus' death will be a sign, and continues to be a sign, not of violence and death, but of life, of Resurrection and hope. His is a sacrifice of salvation for the world, and it will be the death of the old order, of those who merely wish to preserve their own places. In the story of Lazarus, Jesus confronts death and wins victorious. So will His death on the Cross be a sign of His victory over death, and it is a victory for all of us - not for those who would use His death as a means of keeping their places. It's like a two-edged sword, a way of seeing life, of choices: how are we going to perceive what life gives us? How do we view Jesus' death upon the Cross? It will forever be a sign of hope, that whatever we think we see in this world, it doesn't mean that our limited perspective is the end of the story. Jesus has told His disciples - and we who follow - that we will have tribulation in the world, but to be of good cheer, for He has overcome the world. Every time we face a defeat by any form of death, of grief, of violence, of manipulation, of scapegoating, in any form a lie may come to us, we have something in which to believe which has triumphed over all forms of such machinations, and that is the Cross of Christ. He will share His spirit with all of us, and in that is the Resurrection and the Life. Let us remember to seek His way, His point of view, His life, in all that we do.