PAGE 18

"Give to Caesar the Things That Belong to Caesar

and Give to God the Things Which Belong toGod": Mark l2zl7'17 and lubilee 2OOOI

lonathan A. DtaperProferor of NepTettament at the Scltool oJ Theohgy, Uniuerciry of

N at a l, P ie termaitqb urg

1. The Background

1-loreign debt is crippting Africa, dramrng away its

ff tf.-Utood and undermining its potential to renew

I itself after colonialism. The facts are stark and not

really amatter of debate. George Carey, Archbrshop ofCantetbury (1998:17), puts the matter succincdy in a

lecture he gave io Addis Ababa in 1998:

Africa is not alone in this of course' But, of the 20

most heavily indebted poor countries, as defined by

the \7otld Bank, 16 are in Africa. The external debt

of those 16 countries amounts to very near\ $100

billion. If you add in the figures fot other countries,

the total debt for sub-Saharan Africa is $235 billion'

That is the size of the problem. The extent to which

these chains of indebtedness are contributing to the

overall problems of Africa and the sufferings of her

people simply cannot be overestimated'

This foteign debt was often accumulated under

corrupt dictatorial or militaty regimes, without consulting

the people, and oo projects whrch had more to do with

grandiose political ambitions than with the development

of the community. The lenders were not ovedy con-

cerned with such mattets. In other cases the foreign debt

'was contracted because Western exPerts persuaded

African countries to undettake vast capital investment

proiects, such as dams, which have subsequently proved

to be enviroomental and social disasters' The "expetts"

were left with no lasting consequences, while the nations

which followed theit advice are saddled with permanent

liabilities. The liabilities are Pelmanent because the gross

national products of such nations are barely sufficient to

repay the interest on the loans-sufficient, that is, if they

divert mooey from "unnecessaty" social spending on

hospitals, schools and infrastructure to "honour" theit

debts. Iodeed, ftequently such nations need to tzke out

fresh loans to meet their interest obligations and so

escalate the problem. It has been calculated by the United

Nations that debtor nations have already paid $1'662

trillion between 1980 and 7992, three times the amount

of their origioal debts to the ftst wodd $'{dungane1998:26). The result of this intractable debt repayment

oblgation is a horrific decline in the standard of livlng

rc: 'Ie mafodty of Africaos, a rapid and obvious detedo-

ru:,rg of the social and material infrastructute, and a

scc-.e o: hopelessness and failure'

The new world system works hand in glove with this

debt crisis, since global free trade Promotes the abfity ofrich nations and multi-nationals to switch vast resources

around the globe in seconds, smashing local currencies

and locally controlled industries, undercutting the markets

until the "little fish" have been destroyed, and thengtilizing the vast impoverished masses this creates in the

third world to produce goods on starvation wages which

feed nothing back into the economies of the third wodd'

Labout unions, human rights legislauon which protects

the rndrr,edual, environmental con servation, safety-these

things can all be conveniendy swept away, so that there

are no further restrictions left on the unbridled profit

margins of the first wodd. Shareholders of these big

multi-national companies no longer need to be faced with

any unpleasant reminders of the way the money is made'

In Africa the economic crisis is unparalleled, with the

Wodd Bank itsel{ herald of the economic miracle ofglobal capitalism, estimating that the number of people

living in "absolute poverty" is liable to increase from 180

million in 1985 to 265 milli.on by the year 2000, as the gap

betweeo first and third wodd continues to widen

(Lockw6od & Madden 1991 9).

2. A System of Unequal Power Relations

The modero global economy simply continues the

control of Africa, which began with its division and

subjugation by the European empires, in a new and more

sophisticated form. Under the old system of empire,

while the reality was one of economic exploitation, the

legitimating propaganda of the colonial powers was its

claim to provide "civilized government" and to be

working for the betterment of the colonized. Under the

new system of the global free market, the teality is still

one of economic exploitation, except that now no

obligation to work for the betterment of the colonized

peoples is acknowledged. The work of debt collection is

novr undertaken by client regimes among the third world

nations, who are grven strict gurdelines and instructions

on how to run their new free-market economies to ensure

debt repayment (Cf. Suiiman 1990:148). Fiscal discipline,

high interest rates and reduction of social spending are

imposed as a condition of continued flrst vodd invest-

ment fty which read the incurring of further debt)'

Cleady this is to the advantage of the fust world powers'

They tetain all the advantages of coloni.alism with none

of its ttoublesome obligations' The reality in neo-

colonialism is the same as that in colonialism: in both

cases there is an entrenched system of unequal power

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eruangur'prorn z rrr :^rul arIJ e oq? ef,roJ 3o acuasard

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6r scYd

PAGE 20

3.2 Give to Caesar what Belongs to him

The delegation sent to put the question concerningpaying taxes and tribute to caesar is the response in the

narrative to the patable of the Tenants of the Vineyardon the part of those who control the system whichsyphons off the resources of the land in Palestine and

hands it over to the emperor, retaining a portion to enable

themselves to mimic the emperor's lifestyle. Obviously the

question is desgned to putJesus on the spot: if he

answers no, the empetot's locai puppet regime will hand

him over for execution; if he answers yes, he betrays the

fundamental pnnciple of the kingdom of God, that it isgood news fot the poor, a time of reversal and restota-

tion, a time of iustice and hope.

Vhen Jesus asks for the coin in which the tax must be

paid, he puts his finger on a central aspect of the problem

and questions the fundamental principles of the whole

system. For the coin represents a system. It is not inno-cent. It has Caesar's head on it and proclaims Caesat's

power and right to rule in Palestine: indeed, on the two

sides of the coin it prociaims his dir.'tne status: TI CAE-SARDM AVG F AVGVSTVS (obuerte) PONTIFN,{AXIM (reuersfi "Tiberius Caesar son of the divrne

Augustus...FLgh Priest" $1art 1.984:241-248). The coin

reptesents the heart of the system of unequal power

relations by which the wealth of the weak can be sy-

phoned off to support the inflated life-style of the

powerful in Rome. It proclaims a system with pretensions

to law and order, to justice and legrtimacy based on divine

sanction. It has a whole propaganda machine with wall-

posters carved in marble, learned treatises, public heralds

and festivals, all desgned to convince the world that the

one way tnffic of resources from the poor to the rich is

intended by God and is in the best interests of the

colonized poot. It stamps its propaganda on the coin as

the symbol of the whole system of exchange set uP to

benefit Rome. All of this simpty masks the reality: it is the

illegiumate seizure of the resources of the land'forpersonal and imperial gain. The system is held rn place by

the vested interests of the local client rulers of the

emperor, who enjoy an extravagant lifestyle under his

protection as long as they maintain the system.

When Jesus answers, "Give to Caesar what belongs to

Caesar and give to God what belongs to God", he

confronts the system and denies its validity. The whole

earth belongs to God, and Israel is his covenant people

(Cf. Brandon 1967 345ff; Horsley 1987:306-311; contra

Brtce 1.984:249-263, who argues that it was the idolatrous

image on the coin which was the point of the sayrng).

They hold ihe land in trust from God and in return are

required to keep the covenant. Particular plots of land are

held by particular families and are inalienable. The

accumulated imbalances which result from sickness,

death, incompeteflce and famine are to be redressed by

the return of the land in the Jubilee year. This is the

understanding lymg behind the covenant, whether or not

we can prove that the Jubilee \r/as ever practised in fact.

Hence if an Israelite were to be asked the question,'lWhat belongs to God?", s/he answer immediately, "Theland and its produce belong to God!" The land of Israel

and its produce belong to God and it is held in trust by

God's covenant people. If, then, Jesus asks thb question,'lX/hat belongs to Caesar in Palestine?", his hearers couldonly respond, "Nothing belongs to Caesar in Palestine!"

The coir simply represents a system of financial exploita-tion to syphon off its resources to enrich Rome. It has no

moral basis and provides no benehts for the people ofPalestine, whatever the emperort blasphemous propa-

ganda may say. "Give back (apodidona) to Caesar whatbelongs to him... " implies not only a reiection of the

claims of Caesar to the land and its fruits, but also a

rejection of the financial system represented by the coin

(Waetjen i989:190).

Far ftom legrttnating taxation of the poor by the

powerful and pronouncing God's blessing on Caesar (as

argtred akeady by Justin Nlartyr in the second cenrury CE,

tfl 1 APol |l),Jesus'response to the question about paying

taxes to Caesar de-legitimates it and exposes it for the

cruel exploitation it really is. Jesus does not provide an

expl-icit programme to redress the situation: indeed that

would have been suicidal at that point in hrs ministry.

Nevertheless, his answer to the political leadets who

benefited from Roman imperial frnancial control clearly

srgnals his reiection of the system. The response of the

authorities shows that they understood the implications

of his reply: "His reply left them completely taken

aback." His teaching eisewhere indicates that he pro-claimed debt release (I{t 6:12=Lk 1i:4), more equitable

financial relations (\{k 10:17-31), the restoration of the

rule of God as opposed to the rule of Caesar, and a new

system of iust power relations within Israel (e.g. Mt 23:9).

4. lmplications for Africa

African culture also usually regards land as held rn

trusf by and for the communiry Ownership of the land

by individuals, which can be bought and sold, is alien to

this tradition. Land is apportioned to particular families,

usually by the chief, and is not removed without good

reason. The burial of the umbilical cords of members ofthe family, and the burial of the departed members of the

family rn the cattle kraal, means that sacred tres bind the

living and the dead to the land. Seizure of the land and

expulsion of the family from their ancestral land is thus

regarded as something contrary to custom and morality.

The removal of whole families from their ancestral land,

first under colonial land appropriation and then under

apartheid removals, struck a blow at the roots of black

society. Land restoration and refotm remains one of the

important but thorny targets of transformation in post-

apartheid South Africa (see the various essays ln Chmth

and l-^and, 1999). Without wishing to romanticize any ofthis cultural heritage, and recognizing the way the old

system has been continuously eroded durhg and after the

colonial theft of land, it must be said that African culture

'rselN erll uo af,uepuedep nsqt elsnladrad pu? ruelqordaqt alunledrad qrrq.t ..tuaurlsn(pz f.rnt3nrs,, Jo serns?eru

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lz g9Yd

PAGE 22

This was the problem with the much heralded offer ofPresident Bdl CLnton to the Confereoce on Africa tnWashington this year. Just conditions might be negotiated

in the cancellation of debt, for instance, the existence ofa democtatically elected government, the prohibition ofthe accumulation of debt for the purchase of militaryequipment, but the terms should not mask a new form ofcontrol by the West. Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane

of Cape Town has proposed the setting up of an interna-

tional Mediating Council to negotiate the abolition ofdebt in the pootest countries, and has set out a workable

list of such punciples in his appeal to the flrst wodd tohonout the Jubilee pdnciple on the dawn of the new

millennium (799 8:32; cf. Nuernberger 1 999 : 43 8-45 8).

Books Consulted

Brandon, S. G. F. 1,967. Jew and the Zeaktt New York:

Scribner's.

Bruce, E F. 1984. "Rendet to Caesat" rn E. Bammel & C.

F. D. Moule,/arzr and the Politict of h* Day249-263.

Cambridge: Cambridge Univetsity Press.

Brown,J. Pairman 1984. "Techniques of Imperial Con-

tol the Background of the Gospel Event" in N. K.Gottwald, The Bible and Uberation, 357 -377 . Maryknoll:

Orbis.

Carey, G. 1998. "Chams around Africa: Cdsis or Hope forthe New Millennium" rn S. Hawley (ed), Proclain

l)berj: Reflectiont on Theology and Debt, 15-24. London:

Chrisuan Ard.Cassidy, RJ. 1986. luus, Politict and Socie!: A StudJ 0f lrke'r

G orpe l. Maryknoll Orbis.

Dodd, C. H. 1,961. The Parabhs of Jesut London: Nisbett.

Draper, J. A. 1991. "Christ the \Worker: Fact or Fiction?"

i"J. R. Cochrane & G. O. Vest,The Threefold Cord:

T h e o logy, lVork an d L,a b o a r, 1 27 - 1' 41'. Pietermaritzburg:Cluster Publications.

Dtaper, J. A. 1994. "Jesus and the Renewal of Local

Community" , Journal.af Theebg'yfor Sottthern Africa 87,

29-42.

Hart, H. St. J. 1984. "The coin of 'Render to Caesar...' (Anote on some aspects of Mark 12:13-17;'Matt. 22:15-

22;Ltke 20:20-26)" in E. Bammel & C. F. D. Moule

(eds),lens and the Politics of hb Day241-248. Cam-

bridge: Cambridge University Press. ':

Horsley, R. A. 1987. Jews and the Spiral of Violence: Popular

Jewith Rrtistance in Roman Pale$ine. Minneapolis: For-tress Ptess.

leremias,J. 7972. The Parables of Jesu London: SCM.

Lockwood, M. & Madden,P. 1997 . Clour Together Further

Apart: A Ditcasion Paper on Clobalisation. London:

Christian Aid.MacMullen, R. 1974. Ronan Social Relatiou 50 BC t0 AD

284.New Haven: Yale University Press.

Moxnes, H. 1988. The Economl of the Kingdom: Social Conflict

and Economic Rclationt in l-,ukeJ Gospel. Phtladelphia:

Fortress.

Ndungane, N. 1998. "Seizing the New Millennium:

Reshaprng the \Wodd's Economy" in S. Hawley (ed),

Proclaim Uberty: Rcflulions on Theology and Debt,25-34.

Niirnbetger, K. 1999. Pro:peij Pouertlt and Pollution:

Managing the Approaching Cifu . Pietermaitzburg:Cluster/ London & New York Zed Books.

Ptxley, J. Y "God's Krngdom in First-Century Palestine:

the Strategy of Jesus" n The Bible and Dberation:

Po litical and S ocial Hermeneutics, 37 8-39 4.

Schottroff, L. & Stegemann, W 1986. Jesus and the Hope of

the Poor. Matyknoll Orbis.

Suliman, M. 1990. "Sustainable Development Strategres

for Africa" in B. Onimode (ed), Alternatiue Deuelopnent

S t ra t e4i e s fo r Afri ca I : C o a li ti o n fo r C h ange. London : IFA,\.Wengst, K. 1986. Pax Romana and tbe Peaa of Jesus Chil.

London: SCM.

Woodward, D. 1998. Drowning b1 I'laruben: The IMF, the

World Bank and I'Jorth-South Financial Flozr. Report ofthe David Woodward Bretton Woods Proiect.

Yoder, J.H. 1972. The Politir of Jerul Gtand Rapids:

Eerdmans.

' This article first appeared in Xilotl23 (Year 12), 1999, 85-100,

and is used with permission.

i Voluine,6, No Z,''Jiiii 199'9

' .

l

Tlfff1ry.ffEE 2OOO

PAGE 2

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