The Kingdom or Caesar?
Jan 16th, 2012 by cleverthomasina
On this, MLK Day, I am reflecting on his quote, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Americans love their wars. I don’t simply mean, either, the kind fought with guns and soldiers, though they certainly are included. In America, we find it reassuring to know who our enemies are, and when we know we declare war. How many wars are we fighting? The war in Afganistan. The war on drugs. The war on poverty. The war on crime. The war in Iraq. The war on Christmas. Etc etc. The Christian population is almost more guilty in helping to perpetuate this metaphor. And every time a war is fought, it simply intensifies the hate against the enemy. How many veterans of wars do we know that still refer to the people in derogatory terms? How many prejudices have been created and justified because they looked like a people we generically vilified? How many times have fellow citizens been dismissed or abused because they were different or “not as good” as the rest of us?
I can’t help but wonder, though, when was the last time we identified an enemy and thought, How can I love him more? After all, Jesus called us to love our enemies. Being the wise man he was, he knew that love changes hearts, not hate. Years later, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke the same message. Love appeals to the human conscience. It isn’t long before people recognize that you aren’t just loving your friends and protecting your own interests. It becomes hard to defend violent and aggressive actions against people who love you no matter what. It is hard to desire to persecute people who are feeding, helping, working besides your friends and family. So why is it so difficult to choose this course of action? Why does it seem like the only two options are fighting or giving up?
Yesterday in church I learned of a beautiful story of nonviolent protest. Shortly after Pontius Pilate became governor of Judea, he decided to to ingratiate himself with Rome by hanging giant pictures of Caesar Tiberius on a tower that overlooked the temple in Jerusalem. Knowing the people would not be pleased having to worship their God under giant portraits of Rome’s god, Caesar, he had them hung at night while the people were sleeping. The next day when the people saw this, they were outraged. Thousands of them marched right to Pilate’s palace and protested. Pilate ordered his guards to conceal their weapons and come with him to the courtyard where he would announce his verdict regarding the portraits. So Pilate goes out to the protesters and says that the portraits would remain, and if they didn’t like it, they could die. By this point the guards had surrounded the crowd and drew their weapons. So what did the people do? Did they fight or give up and go home? Neither. Every person lay face down on the ground baring their necks, and they declared they would except death willingly rather than worship under Ceasar’s picture. Pilate was so moved by their unwavering devotion to their God that he let the people go and took down the pictures.
This story begs the question, The Kingdom or Caesar? Do we choose to do things God’s way, or the way of the status quo? Do we let the government decide for us? Or do we let the God who decides which governments rule decide?
Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. I choose the Kingdom.