By the rivers of Babylon there we sat weeping when we remembered Zion. On the poplars in its midst we hung up our harps. For there our captors asked us for the words of a song; Our tormentors, for joy: “Sing for us a song of Zion!” But how could we sing a song of the Lord in a foreign land? – A stark reality given by the psalmist in Psalm 137 – for it is 539 BC;
The Jewish people are in exile, having been conquered by the Babylonian empire. The temple has been destroyed along with the rest of Jerusalem. They have no temple in which to worship. In a foreign land, they have no territory, no town nor village to call their own – no government offices or political power – no army to fight with. How will they return to Jerusalem – how will they return to rebuild the temple? Eternal exile seems to be the only possibility. Where can hope be found?
However, God has a plan – and his anointed is on the way to save them - to return the people to Jerusalem – to return to Zion and once again to sing the songs of Zion in Jerusalem!
And who is the anointed one? – Another King – of another empire – for it is October 539 BC – and the Persian empire is at the gates of Babylon – and their king is Cyrus! – He does not worship God or, in fact, know God at all – Cyrus’ Goal? - he only wants to expand and govern his empire - yet is he God’s anointed – It is he who will allow and help the return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. For in His providence, God can use anyone, anything to bring about good - anyone, anything can be a tool for God, for He is God, creator of the Heaven and Earth – even Cyrus, a foreign king who knows nothing of God.
It is the Year of our Lord 33; the Jewish people are under the rule of the Roman Empire. – Looking to once again become an independent kingdom - And the Pharisees ask a trap question to Jesus -
The Pharisees, along with the Herodians – an odd combination as they hate each other - ask a trap question of Jesus: “Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?” – And Christ gives his clever response - “Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”
Often, this gets looked at quick, and one thinks of the separation of Church and state – but that makes God and Caesar equal – a slightly problematic stating – Yes, the coin used to pay taxes- the denarii – has the image of Caesar – However - who’s image does Caesar bear? – that of God – his creator – for he is, as we are, made in the likeness and image of God – Just as Cyrus, so also Caeser is God’s tool to use in providence. This is not a statement about the separation of Church and State – the ancient world had no concept of that – but of God’s providence.
And God does indeed use Caeser and the Roman Empire – it is servants of the Roman Empire that crucify Christ- a death used to conquer death in the resurrection – and Christ in his death and resurrection has brought the salvation of the world – not just from Rome – and did not just rebuild the temple, but creating something more significant – founding his Church, from there on the cross.
In the early Church, the Pax Romana, the Roman peace enforced by the power of the Roman legions, allowed the ability apostles to travel – St Paul’s travels would not been possible without the relative safety of travel afforded by the Roman empire – again, Caesar is used to spread the Gospel.
And the persecution of the Early Church by the Romans? – The word Martyr means witness – for they witnessed to the Gospel – spreading the church across the Roman empire – as Tertullian once put it, “the blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church.” - Something possible because of the relative peace afforded by Rome.
God used Cyrus in his providence to bring about his ends of returning the Jewish people to Jerusalem and allowing them to rebuild the temple. Caesar was used by God as part of the drama of salvation, founding the Church and spreading it across the empire. God’s providence shows in unexpected places.
It is the Year of our Lord 2023: wars are starting worldwide. Closer to Home - Politics seems to get worse and worse, with a seeming lack of virtue – Faith disappearing, Mass attendance getting smaller and smaller - The culture appears to be collapsing – families falling apart – Society seems to be forgetting what is most obvious – no longer even knowing what it means to be human.
Where do we look for hope? It is easy to turn to human ends as the answer – to elections and politics to get better politicians – to new outreach activities at the parish to draw people back to Christ and his Church – new programs to help young families – kids programs to teach our youth – other things to build a better culture – these are all good things – things we should do – yet it is not where we place our hope – instead it is in God’s providence.
God is still the creator of the heavens and the earth – God’s providence is still here. God can use his tools to bring about his will – We may not know what will happen – in fact, we don’t. It may not be what we expect – it probably will not be what we expect – Our power is insufficient for the problems of the world – but it has never been at any point in history - Instead, we take confidence in God’s providence, even if we cannot see it or always understand it – for he will bring about his ends – just as in 539 he used King Cyrus and the Persian Empire – or 33 AD, Caeser and the Roman Empire – both to further his cause.