tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320313747187588188.post6843233164882482984..comments2024-03-28T02:24:59.003-07:00Comments on Left Behind and Loving It: The Structure of Entrapment D. Mark Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12016377712982292924noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320313747187588188.post-832777780442578102023-10-22T07:13:20.094-07:002023-10-22T07:13:20.094-07:00F F Bruce, "Render to Caesar," Jesus an... F F Bruce, "Render to Caesar," Jesus and the Politics of his Day, Ernst<br />Bammel and C F D Moule, eds (New York Cambridge University Press,<br />1984), ρ 252 suggests that Herodians were responsible for collecting the census tax and sending it on to Rome - so would have been quite supportive of the tax...Bill Schlesingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14304598437917344802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320313747187588188.post-54553959509688645482023-10-17T15:56:38.838-07:002023-10-17T15:56:38.838-07:00So another take. The religious leadership feared ...<br />So another take. The religious leadership feared the mob, and (undoubtedly) feared the 'foundation of Rome.' (my translation of basileus). They operated out of fear based control systems, and thought they could force Jesus into such a fear based decision. Which would he fear the most? Losing the respect of the mob as a prophet, or his life to betraying Roman law? His action was not fear based, but in his own integrity. A thought.Bill Schlesingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14304598437917344802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320313747187588188.post-60880752266207846762020-10-16T17:20:15.724-07:002020-10-16T17:20:15.724-07:00Could be, or finding ways to outwit anyone who cha...Could be, or finding ways to outwit anyone who challenges our presumed authority - which might be the same thing.<br />Thanks for posing the question, Nicole.<br />MDD. Mark Davishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12016377712982292924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320313747187588188.post-43957480358957871542020-10-15T13:54:39.737-07:002020-10-15T13:54:39.737-07:00How are we like the Herodians/Pharisees....finding...How are we like the Herodians/Pharisees....finding ways to try to trap Jesus?Nicolehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17371108523896248366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320313747187588188.post-1161406351228229252017-10-24T08:15:01.168-07:002017-10-24T08:15:01.168-07:00Hi Ruth, I think your point about Cyrus is very we...Hi Ruth, I think your point about Cyrus is very well-taken. And any reference to Monty Python is appropriate, especially one as funny as the scene you mention. But, living under the shadow of the Empire was at best ambiguous. They may have paved the roads, but their economic system was the means by which many people - most people - in Jesus' day were landless and impoverished, clearly contrary to the Sabbath economics envisioned by the law. <br />So, while it may be entirely within the structure of this text to "give Rome its due," it is equally a reminder that Rome's claims to rule over the earth, their claims that various Caesars were divine, etc. were contrary to the Scriptures. <br />That's partly why I find the formula, "Give to Caesar ... give to God ..." to be the blueprint for answering the question of divided loyalties, rather than being content for that answer itself. There are times when the foreign leader is a "messiah" (the language Isaiah uses for Cyrus), and there are times when he is "the abominating sacrilege." <br />Thanks for your comment. MDD. Mark Davishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12016377712982292924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320313747187588188.post-19883132072355024822017-10-21T10:54:24.467-07:002017-10-21T10:54:24.467-07:00Were the Romans 'good'? Three thoughts. ...Were the Romans 'good'? Three thoughts. Firstly, this links nicely with the OT reading set from Isaiah 45 (Cyrus the servant of God). Perhaps the Romans are also acting as the servants of God, albeit unwittingly. Secondly, I'm a big fan of historian Dan Carlin who says that looking back on the benefits of any regime is like firing an arrow and then painting a target around it (I'm paraphrasing). The Romans didn't make roads, bridges, aqueducts etc to help spread the Gospel, but it did help, when the time came. Thirdly, I refer you to Monty Python and 'What have the Romans Ever Done for Us?' simply because it's funny.Ruthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04704582145970832778noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320313747187588188.post-28027348425977560062017-10-21T08:42:45.654-07:002017-10-21T08:42:45.654-07:00Hi Trudy,
Thanks for your kind note. And you are ...Hi Trudy, <br />Thanks for your kind note. And you are free to cite or not to cite me. I only recommend it when you want to introduce one of my 'thin ice' comments without having to ascribe to it yourself. :-) <br />I'm struggling alongside of you, more equipped to raise questions than to approach any sort of answer. It is some consolation to me that Jesus doesn't really quite answer the question either, just offers a formula for holding it and thinking it through. <br />I'm trying to connect the formula with the Presbyterian Brief Statement of Faith, that says, "In life and in death, we belong to God." In our congregation we say it at every baptism and at every funeral, but I'm trying to embrace it as a calling, not just as a word of hope or comfort. Not there yet. Ah well.<br />Thanks again for your note. MDD. Mark Davishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12016377712982292924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320313747187588188.post-40458713918178550992017-10-21T07:34:27.999-07:002017-10-21T07:34:27.999-07:00Without approving the Roman state, or any state, t...Without approving the Roman state, or any state, there is also a question here of how we apply our religious values to participation in the state. Were Roman roads good? Was there oppression? Imperial states may do good, but they also impose agendas. I think it is interesting to think about what secular actions we support through taxes and so on, and when we resist or critique. How do we serve the values of our own perspectives, and when do we resist those also? Thanks so much for helping me from the questions for tomorrow's sermon. Thanks also for the kid talk. I always cite you btw.trudyhttp://voicesinthetrees.menoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320313747187588188.post-10732011655157214532014-10-19T05:46:40.354-07:002014-10-19T05:46:40.354-07:00That's a sermon I would love to hear. Blessing...That's a sermon I would love to hear. Blessings, Scott! D. Mark Davishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12016377712982292924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320313747187588188.post-25248715758411838442014-10-19T05:06:00.464-07:002014-10-19T05:06:00.464-07:00You know, I've always loved this story because...You know, I've always loved this story because it seems to me there is a joke in it somewhere that 2000 years of history has forgotten. No Jew, even sycophanic ones, could really believe that anyone "owns" anything. Luther, channeling his inner Moses once remarked there is really only one commandment, the other nine are commentary. I believe something like that is going on here. Jesus is so dismissive of the question that he doesn't have time for such trivial bullshit--so he points out the most obvious thing any Jew knows: in questions of lordship, the first commandment is all you need. Anyhow, that's my sermon this morning. See you soon.<br />Scott Fredericksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11308367520005180885noreply@blogger.com