22nd Sunday after Pentecost 24.10.10 Give to Caesar
If we are to give to God what is God’s that would have to be everything because He made all things and all things belong to Him.
But we can understand there is a kind of dual ownership of certain things and we can operate at different levels without contradiction.
For example, we have bank accounts. I say the money in my account is mine. But it is also God’s insofar as all things belong to Him and He would want me to use that money according to His will.
There is nothing that I could say is mine in such a way that it is outside of God’s providence or jurisdiction; so that if He had a preference for how I use something I would be able to override Him. So our money, houses, cars, even our lives belong to Him in such a way that He can take them back at any time.
Everything falls under His authority, but for practical purposes He lets us govern things at a lower level (principle of subsidiarity).
So we have systems in place to deal with things at the appropriate level. We have governments federally, for each state, for each local area. We have government of the Church – from the Pope down to the local bishop down to the local priest.
But everyone, high or low, is answerable to God as the Supreme Ruler when all is said and done.
Whatever title we may possess – if we be prime minister or archbishop – we are answerable to God for how we exercise that office.
How easily this is ignored in the world. How people scramble for positions of power not intending in the least to defer to God’s authority.
The three wise kings give us an example of how to be a king: kneel before One greater than ourselves. If we can be truly humble before God then we will be able to exercise power properly, without letting it go to our heads.
Many today deny God even existence, let alone power. They make the mistake of thinking humans are the highest life force around and so can arrange ourselves accordingly.
This is why people are not afraid to make new laws about human life – abortion, euthanasia, stem cell research, cloning, and the like. Who is to stop us? Who is above us to tell us any different?
They are attempting to build a world without God. It won’t work but they think it might.
Give to God what is God’s. How timely those words are in an age when it is fashionable to deny Him.
How much we need to return to the straight path of living by His will.
We are seeing the chaos caused by social engineering, by man’s attempts to build again the tower of Babel.
Only humble repentance can return us to the wisdom that will enable things to work properly.
We cannot exclude God from His own creation.
The same applies to our own personal lives, the way we organize ourselves. Here also we are tempted to think we have complete dominion. Who is to tell me how to live my own life? Surely I have the power to decide what is right for me?
No, there is One greater and we must kneel before Him. This is the only way to order our lives towards happiness. Other solutions may give some partial or temporary happiness but ultimately will fall to pieces.
The world is lurching out of control so long as we do not acknowledge our Creator who is also our Father; also our Saviour; also our daily Guide. Father, Son, Holy Spirit.
Give to God what is His, in a word, authority. Recognize and obey Him and we will see the world transformed.
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