How odd that, in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah the Lord anoints a foreign king, Cyrus, whose right hand God grasps, subduing nations before him. Cyrus, King of Persia, allowed the Jewish people in exile to return to Jerusalem and gave them the wherewithal to rebuild their city, asking only that they put in a good word with their God in return. God calls Cyrus by his name, it is true, and for a reason, but God also makes one thing very clear: I am the Lord and there is no other, he tells Cyrus, I am the Lord and there is no other, he repeats. Even if Cyrus doesn’t hear this message, the people of Israel do; they know that their God is God alone – there is no other! Their prayer of praise and gratitude might well have been Psalm 96: a new song, one they haven’t sung before, sung in a way they have not sung before, with greater insight into the awesome nature of their Lord and his wondrous deeds! He is the Lord, and there is no other.
The Pharisees seem to continue to struggle with this notion in Matthew’s Gospel. They want to test Jesus, to entrap him, and so they send emissaries to challenge him by asking, Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not? Jesus’ response is not only ingenious; it is also a reminder that their shared God is God alone: repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God. The census tax is part of life; Rome needs to maintain order and pay its soldiers. But what is, or should be, most important to the Jewish people is to do what serves God.
The Thessalonians know this lesson. Paul recalls their work of faith and labor of love and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ. These are not passive states of being but active effort on behalf of the kingdom of God. Their work is driven by faith, their labor is driven by love, and their endurance is driven by hope – all manifestations of the Holy Spirit. Is our work imbued with faith? Is our labor done out of love? Do we hope with endurance? This will be so if only we recognize that Jesus Christ is Lord and there is no other.
This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture Class.
Image source: www.wordclouds.com
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