Throughout the semester we have talked a lot about the shift in the role of the Christian church in society throughout history. One important aspect that kept coming up a lot with my processing of all the sights we’ve seen and the conversations we’ve shared is the wealth of the church as well as how the church is supposed to gain as well as use the money they have. We have come across some of the most extravagant, incredibly costly cathedrals and basilicas on our trip and have studied much corruption and abuse of power in the church. The subjects of indulgences, tithing, and financial prosperity of the church have provoked more study of what the direct biblical response is to these topics.
Two specific segments of the bible immediately come to my mind when dealing with these issues. The first has been brought up many times in class, which is the story of Jesus turning over the tables of those who were selling things in front of and inside the temple. The second is one of my favorite verses from the bible, and describes Jesus’ reaction to the question of if he thought it was right to pay taxes. Jesus responds, “Give to Caesar that which belongs to Caesar, and to God that which belongs to God” (Mark 12:13-17).
In both biblical examples it seems very clear what Jesus’ stance is in regards to money and the relationship the church is to have with it. Instead of falling trap to the Pharisees and saying that it wasn’t right to pay taxes so they could arrest him, he disregarded money as a concern of God, and questioned the motives of the men for even asking in the first place.
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