Children of God: Caesar vs. Christ

Friday, July 7, 2006 -- Week of Proper 8

"Morning Reflections" is a brief thought about the scripture readings from the Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer according to the practice found in the Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church.

Morning Prayer begins on p. 80 of the Book of Common Prayer.
Evening Prayer begins on p. 117

An online resource for praying the Daily Office is found at www.missionstclare.com
Another form of the office from Phyllis Tickle's "Divine Hours" is available on our partner web site www.ExploreFaith.org at this link -- http://explorefaith.org/prayer/fixed/index.html

Today's Readings for the Daily Office (p. 973)
Psalm 140, 142 (morning) // 141, 143:1-11(12) (evening)
Numbers 24:1-13
Romans 8:12-17
Matthew 22:15-22

Children of God: Caesar vs. Christ

This passage from Romans is one of the most lyrical and moving in all of scripture. "All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God." That Spirit dwells in us, "bearing witness... that we are children of God." From within us comes our intimate cry, "Abba! Father!" We are the inheritors, the heirs of God. Within all of this also is our suffering. Now suffering has meaning, for it is united with the suffering of Christ, who has been glorified. We shall be glorified like him. Therefore, do not be afraid.

It's interesting that this section about our adoption as God's children happens to be paired with the story in Matthew about Jesus being challenged over taxes to the emperor. Jesus' response is to ask for a coin. "Whose head is this, and whose title?"

I've been reading "In Search of Paul" by John Dominic Crossen and Jonathan Reed. They examine carefully the careful way that the emperor Octavian Augustus and his successors used coins as part of their systematic civic theocracy. The coins proclaim with various symbols that Caesar is divine. Roman law deified Julius Caesar in 42 BCE, which made Augustus his adopted son the "son of a divine one" or "son of god." Many coins bore that title DIVI FILIUS or its abbreviation DI FI, DIVI F, or DIVI FI. Augustus was also called Lord, Redeemer, and Savior of the World. This signs of Roman imperial theology were present on coins, cups, statues, altars, temples, and forums; on ports, roads, bridges, and aqueducts. The signs of Caesar's divinity were ubiquitous. They were the signs of the "Pax Romana" -- the Peace of Rome.

So when Paul preached Jesus as Lord, Redeemer, and Savior of the World, he was challenging Caesar. He was proclaiming an alternative empire. He was saying that we are raised to the status of Caesars; we are children of God and heirs of God. We live in the "Peace of Christ." The early church established a polemical parallelism between the cult of Christ and the cult of Caesar, and it was often considered high treason.

One glaring contrast between these two rules of peace. Augustus was clear -- First Victory, then Peace. The Roman legions conquered the world in order to impose peace. Paul, following Christ was equally clear -- First Justice, then Peace. We are justified by grace as God's children, therefore we live in peace.

What might Paul say to the symbols of empire in our generation?

Lowell
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The Rev. Lowell Grisham
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Fayetteville, Arkansas