Unto Caesar

“And Jesus answering said unto them, render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marveled at him. “ Mark 12:17

Apparently, there was a tax rebellion going on at the time, and the inquisitors were hoping to trap Jesus and arrest him for tax evasion. But Jesus, always good at thinking on his feet, gave them an ambiguous answer. His words have been used as an excuse for civil disobedience of all kinds, and as a vague scriptural support for the separation of church and state.

An ad on the TV says one of this season’s “cherished traditions” is getting a good deal on a Hyundai auto. Cherished tradition? I have never known anyone who gave or received a car for Christmas, and would like to believe that it doesn’t happen at all. And for that matter, a great deal of the things we might buy someone for Christmas seem way over the top of what most of us can afford or should spend. I have always felt this way, and this year with greed and grasshopper short sightedness about to bring the economy down on our ears, it seems almost obscene to be enticing us to buy something we surely don’t need nor can we afford. Maybe the bank will give us another loan, or we can just put it on our credit card.

It would be so good if we could put the brakes on. Give a token of love and joy, eat and laugh together. I love the idea of Operation Heifer, and other goodly ways to spend for good. I have come close to just telling people that their present this year is a chicken for someone in Africa, but it sounds sort of sanctimonious, and if they buy you a real present, they probably expect something back, not high mindedness. It is difficult to change the course of traditions, and difficult to ignore the disappointment of those who want loot. Maybe if there was at least a homemade ornament for the tree as a token.

I have run away from my family Christmas back in Massachusetts. I miss the people, but the event itself was an exhausting production: way too many nerves about how presents given would be received, were they enough? And presents received required heartfelt enthusiasm, no matter how thoughtless the gift. The tree took all day to decorate, the meals took all day to cook, even if shared. Ate too much, drank too much, and then that hollow 8 year-old feeling: is that all there is?

In one of the Little House on the Prairie books, Pa goes to town just before Christmas, gets caught in a blizzard, and finally staggers in with, I think, an orange for each of the girls. I remember being astounded that an orange would be a big deal, and that those girls had only the smallest expectations of presents. Having Pa home safe was supposed to be the real present. As a probably 11 year-old, it struck me that it was sad that was all they got, but there was a lingering wistfulness about being content with an orange instead of visions of sugarplums and piles of presents.

Caesar would have us spend, that he might tax us. It was his decree that sent Joseph back to Bethlehem to be registered and taxed. The overcrowded Bethlehem mall had no parking and so Mary was stuck with a stable.

In this rather nerve racking season, I wish you all the peace and quiet you need, as much food and family as you think wise, and the hope that we can avoid rendering too much to Caesar in the coming year.