Give Unto Caesar. Doc

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Give unto caesar that which belongs to caesar Theme: Give unto Caesar.... Source: The gospel according to Spiritism, , XI: 5 a 7.

António Martinho Fernandes 01/09/2009

Then saith He unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's. When they heard these words, they marvelled, and leftHim, and went their way (Matthew, 22:15-22; Mark, 12:13-17).

Give unto caesar that which belongs to caesar Theme: Give unto Caesar....

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Source: The gospel according to Spiritism, , XI: 5 a 7.

LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR AS YOURSELF GIVE UNTO CAESAR THAT WHICH BELONGS TO CAESAR 5. Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle Him in His talk. And they sent out unto Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men. Tell us therefore, what thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not? But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto Him a penny And He saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they say unto Him, Caesar's. Then saith He unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's. When they heard these words, they marvelled, and left Him, and went their way (Matthew, 22:15-22; Mark, 12:13-17). 6. The question that was asked of Jesus was motivated by the fact that the Jews, who abominated the tribute imposed on them by the Romans, had made the payment of this tribute a religious question. Numerous parties had been set up against this tax. So this payment constituted a point of irritation amongst them at that time. If this had not been the case there would have been no point in the question which was asked of Jesus: "Is it licit for us to pay or not to pay this tribute to Caesar?" There had been a trap set by this question because those who had put it expected the reply to go against either the Roman authority or the dissident Jews. But Jesus, 'who understood their malice,' got round this difficulty and gave them a lesson in justice by saying that to each one should be given what was due to them. (see INTRODUCTION, under the sub-title: THE PUBLICANS.) 7. However, we should not understand the words: "Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar," in a restrictive or absolute manner. As in everything that Jesus taught, this is a general principle which has been summarized into a practical and more customary form, taken from a certain circumstance. This principle is the consequence of the other one in which we should do to others as we would have them do to us. It condemns every kind of moral or material damage which might be caused to another, as well as all disregard of their interests. It prescribes respect for the rights of each person, as each one desires that they be respected. It extends as well to the fulfillment of our obligations towards our family, society and authority, just as much as for individuals in general. *** CONSIDERATIONS: In all times nobody ever liked to pay taxes, however paying taxes is a social need, to pay to Caesar is a way to speak, as for the money, I think that it was not for Caesar, but for 1

Study given at Centro Espírita Joana d’Arc on 07/ 0-4/ 2009.

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the Government's expenses and its administration; when a Government is good, everyone likes to contribute, because the people see the return of that money in an organized social form, such as: health, education, retirements, etc., as we expect the modern governments to be, where the humanity think about human rights and they claim their civil rights, although it is according to the government constitution or of the country culture. However there is difficulty of all citizens to live in that wholesome harmony, since there are a lot of contradictions, a lot of bureaucracies, many impediments, many deviations of money and many lacks of money. Thence, there is no due perfection in the execution of the constitutional laws, which do favor us, that would be sowed out with love, feeling, solidarity, justice and reflection with the purpose of being a happy nation and an accomplished one. Maybe the people did not like Caesar very much, because accordingly as I think on that time Government's Palaces were exceeded in parties and banquets, while the people lived certainly in a humble way, but unsatisfactory suffering who knows necessities. We have some knowledge of those days, since we know that in one of the banquets of Herodes, he would have request to the girl to dance for him offering her whatever payment she wanted; she at the request of her mother wanted the head of John the Baptist. 2

As for our giving to God what belongs to God, Jesus certainly did not refer to the offerings nor the tithes, but to the relationships of the hearts towards God, and obviously Jesus was not thinking about offers or tithes for the Temple. However, we find in the Old Testament in the book of ‘Malachi’, 3: 8 9 and 10. That the Lord had considered a robbery for their not having given the tithes, Let us See Malachi: 8. - Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say. Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. 9. - Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. 10.- Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the Windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. *** Let us appreciate that the words are: “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse that there may be meat in mine house…” as one sees it is so that there might be maintenance, it 2

Mark, 6: 21-29.

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is very clear that it was for the religious community, for the social services of the temple in the days of the Old Testament. Now in the New Testament St. Paul informs the Christians, that they are spared of Jewish laws, to that fact, therefore tithing was suspended or released. Let us see, Romans, 13: 8-10: 8. - Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. 9. - For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 10. - Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. *** However, it was given us the law of love, whose law was ignored, but Jesus taught, personified and exemplified 3 love and for that reason we understand love; we with our free will and use of reason, are free to help each other, as well as for each one to solve their responsibilities in their sort of way, since the old ways were outdated. On that time the Temples were more materialized that spiritualized, but with Jesus it was defined that the House of the Lord, would be the House of Prayer.4 Nevertheless for individual prayer between a person and God, Jesus suggests “But you, when you pray, enter in your room and closing your door pray to your Father..." 5 In the beginning of the Apostles in the New Testament, Jesus' disciples as yet got to form community system and they suggested that the people ought to bring everything they possessed and later everything would be divided and shared. ***** Let us see, The Acts of the Apostles, 2: 44-47 & 4: 34-37 e 5: 1-11. The Acts, 2: 44-47. 44, - And all that believed were together, and had all things common;

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John, 13: 15. Matthew, 21: 13. Matthew, 6: 6.

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45. - and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every one had need. 46. - And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart. 47. - Praising God, and having flavour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. The Acts, 4: 34-37. 34. - Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold. 35. - And laid them down at the apostles feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. 36. - And Jesus, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, the son of consolation) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, 37. - Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles feet. The Acts, 5: 1-11. 1. - But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, 2. - And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles feet. 3. - But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? 4. - Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? And after it was sold, was it not in thine power? Why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. 5. - And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things. 6. - And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him. 7. - And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in,

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8. - And Peter answered unto her, tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said yea, for so much. 9. - Then Peter Said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out. 10.- then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband. 11.- And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things. *** The reasons which made the disciples to think in community system, only they themselves know, thus the circumstances of the then days guided them so to do. The Gospel of the Lord in the course of time, was interpreted and understood differently, in reason of the evolution of the times and of the maturing of spirits, we have the Gospel of love of the Lord, we have the free will, 6 we have the use of reason and of logic, we are already more nature intellectual and spiritually and if we agree of this or in that way it will be done, let us accept that all of the religious considerations should be made with love, tolerance, pardon, indulgence, compassion, mercy and justice. We know that in the moral capacities of each reached degree, we are still more or less selfish, thence, extravagant demands in the name of the Lord, not agreeing with our Spiritist understanding, because it gives place to the temptation of keeping goods or tithes, due to our yet difficult domination of selfishness 7 and of our own subsistence, consequently for lack of being careful, we offend the Lord. Inappropriately. I still do not understand very well why St, Peter was so severe and demanding for having not forgiven ANANIAS. nor his wife. SAPPHIRE. For having kept part of the price of the property. Well then, let us together meditate what is really": To Give to God that which is of God", understanding ourselves that everything belongs to God, everything whatsoever; which in this case the common sense tells us, that we can only adore Him and thank Him for everything both material and spiritual. We will conclude asking the Heavens help of what it demands from us, in other words, everything which is pertinent to the Spirit, because God has no delight in material

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The Spirits’ Book, Q. 843 to 850. The Gospel according to Spiritism, XI:

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offers, but in those of love, as He has instituted: “Thou shalt love God with all your heart and with all your understanding." 8 *** Let us examine in the Spirits’ Book some supporting subjects to enrich the study and to help us to think with common sense: Characteristics of Natural Law 614. What is to be understood by natural law? "The law of nature is the law of God. It Is the only rule that ensures the happiness of man, for it shows him what he should or should not do, and he only suffers because he disobeys it." 615. Is the law of God eternal? "It Is eternal and unchangeable as God Himself." 616. Can God have prescribed to mankind in one age what He has forbidden in another? "God cannot be mistaken. Men are obliged to change their laws, because they are imperfect ; but the laws of God are perfect. The harmony which regulates both the material universe and the moral universe is founded on laws established by God from all eternity." 617. What are the objects embraced by the divine laws? Have they reference to anything but our moral conduct? "All the laws of nature are divine laws, since God is the author of all things. The seeker after science studies the laws of nature in the realm of matter; the seeker after goodness studies them in the soul, and practises them." - Is it given to man to fathom both these divisions of natural law? "Yes; but a single existence does not suffice for doing this." What, indeed, are a few years for acquiring all that is necessary to constitute a perfect being. if we consider only the distance that separates the civilized man from the savage? A human life, though prolonged to its utmost possible length, is insufficient for such a Work ; much more is it so when cut short before Its term, as is the case with so large a proportion of the human race. Some of the divine laws regulate the movements and relations of inert matter; they are termed physical laws, and their study is the domain of science, others of these laws concern man, as considered in himself and in his relations to God and to his fellow8

Mathew, 22: 37-40.

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creatures they are termed moral laws, and regulate the life of relation as well as the life of the soul. Aim of Adoration 649. In what does adoration consist? "In the elevation of the thought towards God. Through adoration the soul draws nearer to Him." 650. Is adoration the result of an innate sentiment, or the product of exterior teaching? "Of an innate sentiment, like the belief in the Divinity. The consciousness of his weakness leads man to bow before the Being who can protect him." 651. Are there peoples entirely without the sentiment of adoration? "No; for there never was a people of atheists. All feel that there is, above them, a supreme Being." 652. May adoration be regarded as having its source in natural law? "It is included in natural law, since it is the result of a sentiment innate in man; for which reason it is found among all peoples, though under different forms." External Acts of Adoration 653. Are external manifestations essential to adoration? "True adoration is in the heart. In all your actions remember that the Master's eyes is always upon you." -Are external acts of worship useful? “Yes, if they are not a vain pretence. It is always useful to set a good example; but those who perform acts of worship merely from affectation and for the sake of appearances, and whose conduct belies their seeming piety, set a bad example rather than a good one, and do more harm than they imagine." 654. Does God accord a preference to those who worship Him according to any particular mode? "God prefers those who worship Him from the heart, with sincerity, and by doing what is good and avoiding what is evil, to those who fancy they honour Him by ceremonies which do not render them any better than their neighbours. "All men are brothers, and children of God; He calls to Him all who follow His laws, whatever may be the form under which they show their obedience. 8

"He who has. only the externals of piety is a hypocrite; he whose worship is only a pretence, and in contradiction with his conduct, sets a bad example. "He who professes to worship Christ, and who is proud, envious, and jealous, who is hard and unforgiving to others, or ambitious of the goods of earth, is religious with the lips only, and not with the heart. God, who sees all things, will say to him, 'He who knows the truth, and does not follow it, is a hundredfold more guilty in the evil he does than the ignorant savage, and will he treated accordingly in the day of retribution.' If a blind man runs against you as he goes by, you excuse him; but if the same thing is done by a man who sees, you complain, and with reason. "Do not ask, then, if any form of worship be more acceptable than another; for it is as though you asked whether it is more pleasing to God to be worshipped in one tongue rather than in another. Remember that the hymns addressed to Him can reach Him only through the door of the heart." *** 13. When we say that God is eternal, infinite, unchangeable, immaterial, unique, all powerful, sovereignty just and good, have we not a complete idea of His attributes? "Yes, judging from your point of view, because you think that you sum up everything in those terms; but you must understand that there are things which transcend the intelligence of the most intelligent man, and for which your language, limited to your ideas and sensations, has no expressions. Your reason tells you that God must possess those perfections in the supreme degree; for, if one of them were lacking, or were not possessed by Him in an infinite degree, He would riot be superior to all, and consequently would not be God. In order to be above all things, God must undergo no vicissitudes, He must have none of the imperfections of which the imagination can conceive." God is eternal. If He had had a beginning, He must either have sprung from nothing, or have been created by some being anterior to Himself. It Is thus mat, step by step, we arrive at the idea of infinity and eternity. God is unchangeable. If He were subject to change, the laws which rule the universe would have no stability. God is immaterial, that is to say, that His nature differs from every-thing that we call matter, or otherwise. He would not be unchangeable, for He would be subject to the transformations of matter. God is unique. If there were several Gods, there would be neither unity of plan nor unity of power in the ordaining of the universe.

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God is all-powerful because He is unique. If He did not possess sovereign power, there would be something more powerful, or no less powerful, than Himself. He would not have created all things and those which He had not created would be the work of another God. God is sovereignty just and good. The providential wisdom of the divine laws Is revealed as clearly In the smallest things as In the greatest and this wisdom renders it impossible to doubt either His justice or His goodness. *** It does not seem so, but we nowadays, in comparison with our ancestors, we already have a lot of knowledge about God, because through revelation or deduction, or through an intelligent effect we arrived to the understanding of the existence of a Super intelligence 'Cause primary of all of the Effects', 9 Who harmonizes the Universe, and that by His own Will created and instituted Laws harmonious, powerful, merciful, justifying and kind, which guide us, instruct us, blesses us, orientates us, comforts us, harmonizes us, addresses us in straight paths or roads and attracts us towards God, molding us and improving evermore, making us more and more happy, lead by the loving thought of our God Father.. 10 Spiritism has not come to stray us away from the Laws of God, but to develop them and to explain their reasons of being, such as: the Laws of Evolution and Progress; 11 or' Causes and Effects' 12 in these acknowledgements the Spiritist has a most notion of how much he owes God, and his heart ought to thank Him in a very special way, with a feeling of faith, respect and dignity, be in thought, prayer, submission or gratitude, because he knows that God exists, although it might be difficult for him to teach or to explain, and he thinks the same way as a saint who said “If one asks me on God, I do not know how to explain, but for me I know". As now, we also know that Jesus had said: “God is Spirit, and those who adore Him ought to adore Him in Spirit and in truth." 13 And it is already well appreciated that God is Love. 14 We can complete the study knowing, that each one understands God to his own way, according to his own experience and understanding, therefore, the best is to let to each one to love God in his own way, and his way of giving to God that which is of God. Spiritism does not make priestly demands, because it does not have them, and the spiritist knows about that and encourages us to good works knowing that Jesus incited us to that, when he said: “To each one according to their works." 15 It is suggestive that each one The Spirits’ Book, Chapter, 1 - Question, 1 John, 16: 28 + 20: 17. 11 Allan Kardec, ‘Heaven and Hell’, 3: 7. 12 The Gospel according to Spiritism 5: 4-10. 13 John, 4: 24. 14 I John, 4: 8. 15 Matthew, 16: 27. - Mark, 13: 34. 9

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has his own merit and each one has his degree of giving to God according to their measures and in that justice nobody gives to God more than that which is possible for them to give, and our Master as for that He has indicated us: “Learn of me, my yoke is light...", 16 very suggestive for our living in love, since the law 17 was heavy weighed, 18 severe and difficult of adhering. May God be with us, as formerly, today and always.

We arrived to the understanding Of the existence of a Super intelligence 'Cause primary of all of the Effects', 19 Who harmonizes the Universe, And that by His own Will created And instituted Laws harmonious, Powerful, merciful, justifying and kind, Which guide us, instruct us, blesses us, and orientates us, 16 17 18 19

Matthew, 11: 28-30. John, 1: 17. Exodus, 20: - XXI - XXII - XXIII - Leviticus, I - II - III - IV - V - VI - VII. The Spirits’ Book, Chapter, 1 - Question, 1

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Comforts us, harmonizes us, Addresses us in straight paths or roads, And attracts us towards God, Molding us and improving evermore, Making us more and more happy, Lead by the loving thought of our God Father..

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John, 16: 28 + 20: 17.

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