Blind Devotion or Questioning Faith: Which is better?

October 22, 2023

There are many incidents recounted in the Gospels, of the Pharisees and Scribes and Herodians and others trying to trap Jesus - either to discredit him by proving to everybody else that Jesus was NOT following the Law of Moses, and so could not be a genuine prophet or to get him into trouble with the political or religious authorities.  Today’s Gospel is again about another ‘test’ that they put Jesus to.  The background to this question needs to be understood in order to understand the trap.  The Jews always claimed that they had no other King but Yahweh, and so if Jesus accepted the paying of taxes to Rome, then he was offering fealty to the Emperor and not to Yahweh, which made him a 'false prophet' who could not have been sent by God. And if he said that one should not pay the tax, then he could be denounced to the Romans who were always on the lookout for any alleged prophets, or rabble-rousers, who tried to incite people NOT to accept Roman suzerainty.  

But in a masterful rejoinder, Jesus slips out of their trap. As the Gospel we read today tells us: “Jesus, aware of their malice, said, ‘Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax’. And they brought him a denarius.  Then he said to them, ‘Whose head is this and whose title?’ They answered, ‘Caesar’s.’ Then he said to them, ‘Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.’  Very clever I would say - and that too a response we can assume was given on the spot without any time to think.  And the Gospel writers conclude that the Pharisees went away amazed.

 

In these disputes with various groups and his extremely clever answers, Jesus shows that he is not only extremely intelligent, but that he consistently uses his intelligence even in dealing with religious questions.  Perhaps these examples of Jesus’ clever answers might also help us understand his other teaching: “I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. (Mathew 10:16) So we need to be wise in choosing how to act, and yet we must, like an innocent child/dove, not allow any malice to taint our choices.

For me, the important take-away from these incidents in Jesus’ life is that God does not ask us to sacrifice our intelligence when dealing with God or with the world.  So often I have heard parents and religious teachers respond to those (especially young people) who ask difficult questions about our faith with responses that go along these lines: ‘Don’t ask questions. This is a matter of religion. We cannot understand God. Just believe blindly’.

But in Jesus’ life we see that he clearly used his intelligence. It is this same intelligence that is displayed by Jesus, when as a young boy of 12 years, he stays in the temple asking questions of the elders, presumably on matters related to God and the Jewish faith, or throughout his life when he questions and challenges and re-interprets the Jewish faith and commandments.  Again, when others asked him questions, Jesus does not brush them off with a “just believe” kind of answer, but takes time to respond, sometimes with sadness and irritation with those like his disciples who seem particularly obtuse, or others who ask questions only to try and trap him, and even in more scholarly discussions with the likes of Nicodemus, an erudite Pharisee, who comes to see him at night (John 3:1-21).   

So, Jesus clearly does not believe that we must sacrifice our intelligence when engaging with questions related to our religious faith. Consider a close friend of yours gave you a gift, a wonderful garment to wear (a dress, a shirt, a trouser,  whatever) - a garment you really really liked. And you tell your friend: "I really love this garment. And because I am so grateful to you for giving it to me, I will NEVER ever wear it when I am with you" Bit ridiculous, don’t you think? In fact, because it is such a wonderful gift, I would want to wear it when I am with that close friend. Now intelligence is one of those wonderful gifts we have received from God – assuming that one believes in God. And if this intelligence of ours is such a wonderful gift, wouldn’t it be meaningless to suggest that when I ‘deal’ with GOD, then I have to put my intelligence aside and just BLINDLY BELIEVE? And actually, why would God want to give us such a wonderful gift and then tell us not to use it?

In fact, believing that God would not want us to use our intelligence seems to suggest that custodians of religion are quite insecure about their own grounds of belief.  It is also interesting to note that in the rendition of Jesus' response to which is the greatest commandment, in both Mathew's (22:37) and Luke's (10:27) Gospels, we are told we are called to love the Lord our God......with all your mind ......." in addition to heart and soul

Of course, not all are comfortable with using intelligence in dealing with religious questions. I have had people inform me that they prefer not to be ‘intelligent’ Christians, or others who have told me that they do not want to hear anything that troubles the comfortable beliefs they have grown up with. Of course, when I hear this I wonder if sometimes this could be because there is a fear that if one begins to use one’s intelligence in asking troublesome questions then perhaps, as my mother used to tell me when I would share with her some of my reflections on Christianity, the 'faith' one has grown up in for so many years, is shaken.  But perhaps it is OK to choose blind devotion over intelligent questioning of one's faith, for there are many paths to God.  

In Hinduism there is an insight that there are four different paths or margs to God. The four ‘yogas/margas’ (or pathways) described are (i) bhakti yoga/marg or the way of devotion (ii) gnana yoga/marg or the way of knowledge (iii) karma yoga/marg or the way of selfless action or service, and (iv) raja yoga/marga or the way of self-discipline.  The way of Devotion, or BHAKTI Marg is probably the most popular way used by followers in almost any religion to find their way to God. It is a comfortable, generally non-questioning approach that looks to God for comfort and reassurance which is best availed of when one has great devotion. The way of knowledge or JNANA Marg is the path that appeals to those who need to ask questions and clear their minds by getting satisfactory answers (almost like a scientist looking for answers) and through this such people find their way to God.  KARMA Marg, which is the path selfless action is perhaps best explained by saying that one must do what one is called to do (one’s duty as it were) without any desire (Buddha’s teaching) or without any attachment to the outcome  of one’s actions (Krishna’s teaching in the Bhagvad Gita), and this is the path chosen by those who find their way to God through this path.    RAJA Marg is the path of maintaining control like a king (hence Raja, which means King) over the only ‘territory’,that is really one’s own, namely one’s self. So, this path uses meditation and other ascetic techniques to quieten and control one’s inner self so that one finds peace and a relationship with the Ultimate.  

It would seem to me, on reading the Gospels, that Jesus practised all four ways at different times - which in itself may be a lesson for us, for at different times different paths are perhaps necessary.  For instance, Jesus spent much time praying (bhakti marg), in ascetic practices, as when he was in the desert (raja marg), in asking questions about traditional teachings of Judaism (jnana marg) and in much selfless action for others (karma marg) when he healed people without expecting any return.  Yet he seems to offer an external criterion to judge whether each of these pathways actually led to God.  After all, we have seen in our world how the BHAKTI MARG could lead people to do horrible things in the name of one’s devotion to God, as we have seen in terrorists and faith warriors in all religions down the centuries.  The JNANA MARG could lead one to spend all one’s time debating and discussing matters related to God, in a manner that is completely divorced from the reality of people’s lives, like a theologian living in an ivory tower as it were or the Pharisees and the Scribes whom Jesus castigated so roundly. The RAJA MARG could lead to a complete self-absorption with no responsibility for anything outside of oneself, like an ascetic living on a mountain top. And finally, the KARMA MARG could lead to action which is done without expecting any reward to self (and so selfless action), but causes much harm to others, only because one feels that that is one’s duty, and so we have had religious leaders down the centuries  (Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Jew etc) who choose to punish others in horrible ways without a twinge of regret, because they believed they were selflessly and fearlessly fulfilling what they consider to be God’s law.  

So in order to ensure that all these various pathways actually lead to God, Jesus offers one external criterion that we could use to judge for ourselves: “Is my chosen pathway(s) leading me to increasingly love my neighbour, especially the disadvantaged, and even my enemy?”  Once that criterion is accepted, then whichever pathway we choose can be the right pathway - and we do not need to force those who do not fit into our own pathway to leave their paths and follow ours.  So if a teenager, or friend or anybody else who does not spend much time in religious devotions or prayers , but always asks us questions that seem to challenge what we have been taught about our religious faith, or we find another who spends a lot of time in prayers and devotions that may sometimes border on the superstitious, or one who invests much energy in meditation techniques taken from various religious traditions even without any reference to any deity (as in the Vipassana method of meditation), or one who chooses to do one’s duty irrespective of any attachment to the success or failure of what they do, even though they may be atheists or belong to some religion, we may need to accept that pathway as suitable for that person (or for ourselves) if they fulfil this criterion. So, all we need to be sure is whether the path chosen is leading to a loving path, a path in which we even love our enemy. Today, of course, the Catholic Church has redefined this ‘love for  neighbour’ by specifying that this means ‘acting for justice’. So it is not enough that our path just does not harm anyone, we need to make sure we are acting for justice. And as long as we do that, we can be sure that our preferred way is leading to God.

First Reading: Isaiah 45: 1, 4-6

Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped to subdue nations before him   and to strip kings of their robes, to open doors before him— and the gates shall not be closed: For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen, I call you by your name;  I give you a title, though you do not know me. I am the Lord, and there is no other; besides me there is no god.  I arm you, though you do not know me, so that they may know, from the rising of the sun  and from the west, that there is no one besides me; I am the Lord, and there is no other.

 

Second Reading: First Thessalonians 1: 1-5b

 

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction;

 

Gospel: Matthew 22: 15-21

Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one, for you do not regard people with partiality. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius.  Then he said to them, “Whose head is this and whose title?” 21 They answered, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.” When they heard this, they were amazed, and they left him and went away.