\nJesus seminar puts Jesus’s words, \u201cGive therefore to the emperor
\nthe things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are
\nGod’s\u201d in red, indicating that they think this reflects an
\nauthentic teaching of Jesus. In fact, it is one of the statement they
\nare most sure of, it ranks 7th<\/sup>.1<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The
\nchallenge for me is that I read the Social Science Commentary on the
\nSynoptic Gospels this week (which I usually do), and it took issue
\nwith how this text is usually understood. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cIn
\nthe twenty-first century, Europeans and Americans generally believe
\nthere are four basic social institutions: kinship, economics,
\npolitics, and religion. \u00a0These are conceived as separate social
\ninstitutions, and people make arguments about keeping them separate.
\nHowever, in the world of the New Testament, people attended to only
\ntwo institutions as distinctive: \u00a0kinship and politics. \u2026<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In Sooooo…. <\/p>\n I’m Well, <\/p>\n This <\/p>\n For It In <\/p>\n This <\/p>\n Rather <\/p>\n Foss <\/p>\n Maybe <\/p>\n This <\/p>\n And <\/p>\n It <\/p>\n One <\/p>\n But <\/p>\n So, <\/p>\n A <\/p>\n Take <\/p>\n It <\/p>\n <\/p>\n And, <\/p>\n <\/p>\n And 1<\/a>Robert <\/a>2<\/a>Bruce Rev. Sara E. Baron
\ntrying to understand the meaning of Jesus’ statement about rendering
\nto Cesar and God what belongs to each, therefore it would be
\nanachronistic to read back into the statement either the modern idea
\nof separation of church and state or the modern notion that economics
\n(including the tax system) somehow has a separate institutional
\nexistence in a realm of its own. \u00a0To assert here the frequent notion
\nthat \u201ctwo kingdoms\u201d one political\/economic and the other
\nreligious, one belonging to Cesar and the other to God, are each
\nbeing given their due in the reply of Jesus is to confuse ancient
\nsocial patterns with our own.\u201d2<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n
\nwhat does it mean?<\/p>\n
\nnot sure, but my best guess is that the clue comes in Jesus’s
\nquestion, \u201cWhose head is this, and whose title?\u201d \u00a0The answer when
\nit comes to the coin is \u201cCaesars\u201d \u00a0What equivalently bears God’s
\nimage?<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/64.media.tumblr.com\/8b1b2885364f057912f4baeb7c6ac796\/23bab74b490e0d15-4b\/s540x810\/4e32545fd12991068c6389bc7218c1e89e7313a9.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n
\nour faith tradition says… we do. \u00a0We are made in God’s image, the
\nlatin is \u201cimago dei\u201d – image of God. \u00a0 The equivalent of the coin
\nis…. people. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\nis a fantastic answer. \u00a0It is faith-filled, deep, and sidestepped the
\ntrap they were trying to put Jesus into. \u00a0Even better, it took a
\nwhile to sink in. \u00a0You hear, \u201cGive to God what is God’s, and you
\nhave to think, ‘well, what is God’s?’\u201d \u00a0And that is a very useful
\nquestion. \u00a0The coin suddenly seems a lot less important, when both
\npeople and creation are God’s!<\/p>\n
\nme, this is a primary identity. \u00a0Who am I? \u00a0I am a beloved child of
\nGod, made in God’s image. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\nis also expansive. \u00a0Who are you? \u00a0You are a beloved child of God,
\nmade in God’s image.<\/p>\n
\na symposium I did this week, Adam Foss shared about being a District
\nAttorney, and slowly awakening to the depths of injustice in the
\njustice system. \u00a0As he woke up, he realized he needed to ask the
\ncommunity he worked for what they needed, and he was surprised by
\ntheir answers. They told him that what they needed most from him was
\n\u201cto be seen as humans\u201d and \u201cto be treated with dignity.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nhas me thinking about how and when society dehumanizes people. \u00a0There
\nare, unfortunately, A LOT of answers, but I’ve been wondering mostly
\nwhen society has convinced ME to dehumanize people. \u00a0And, the answer
\nis sort of difficult to sit with.<\/p>\n
\nthan share my own list, I’m going to give you a moment to consider
\nyours.<\/p>\n
\nalso talked about the culture in the DA’s office, where if anyone
\nexpressed discomfort (or any other emotion), they were told they were
\n\u201cgetting too close to the case.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nthat’s what really hit me. \u00a0Because, if I’m honest, there is so much
\npain visible to me, that I have to look away from some or numb myself
\nfrom some in order to function. \u00a0But to do that FEELS like
\ndehumanizing the ones I look away from (perhaps it is.)<\/p>\n
\nweek I also came across a suggestion from Nanea Hoffman which said,
\n\u201cNote to self: \u00a0you don’t have to continuously monitor all the
\ndisaster and heartbreak in the world. \u00a0You are not in charge of
\noutrage and grief. \u00a0Witness it. \u00a0Feel the feelings. \u00a0But remember,
\nlove is where you live.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nwith that, a deep breath came out.<\/p>\n
\nis important to know where injustice is happening, where people are
\nbeing dehumanized, and in particular where people are struggling
\nclose to home. \u00a0BUT, not to know for knowledge sake. To know for
\naction’s sake \u2013 and studies say that the more we know the less
\nlikely we are to act, likely because we get overwhelmed.<\/p>\n
\nof the INTENTIONAL strategies of the past few years has been to
\noverwhelm us with despair. \u00a0(It has worked far too well.)<\/p>\n
\nwe are not made in the image of Caesar \u00a0We are made in the image of
\nGod. \u00a0We cannot solve all the problems in the world \u2013 at once. \u00a0But
\nwe CAN make significant differences in the world, and in the world
\naround us. \u00a0The small actions we take every day matter, because we
\nare MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD. \u00a0We are God’s hands and feet and LOVE
\nin the world.<\/p>\n
\nwhat can you do to live in love this week? \u00a0How can you let go of
\ndespair? (Feel it but then let it go) \u00a0How can you, like Moses, savor
\nthe closeness of God? \u00a0How can you connect with the humanity of
\nothers?<\/p>\n
\nsuggestion, or two. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\ndeep breaths, stomach expanding breaths, often. \u00a0Let them out with a
\nsigh. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\nhelps. \u00a0It may help even more if you remember that you are breathing
\nand breathing out the Divine.<\/p>\n
\nfeel your feelings. \u00a0Be with the despair, or the grief, or the joy,
\nor the anger, or the exhaustion. \u00a0Even better, if you can trust
\nsomeone with them, name them. \u00a0The more you accept your own humanity,
\nthe better you will be able to accept the humanity of others.
\nEmotions are a reflection of souls.<\/p>\n
\nthat’s it, my friends. \u00a0We are ALL made in the image of God. \u00a0Thanks
\nbe to God. \u00a0Amen\n<\/p>\n
\n\tW. Funk, Roy W Hoover, and The Jesus Seminar, The Five Gospels:
\n\tThe Search for the Autthentic Words of Jesus <\/i>(HarperOneUSA,
\n\t1993).<\/p>\n
\n\tJ. Malina and Richard L. Rohrbaugh Social-Science Commentary on the
\n\tSynoptic Gospels (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2003) \u00a0p. 397-8.<\/p>\n
First United Methodist Church of Schenectady
603 State St. Schenectady, NY 12305
Pronouns: she\/her\/hers
http:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/<\/a>
https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/FUMCSchenectady<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"