Our relationship with Caesar

For more commentary on this week's readings, see the Reflections on the Lectionary page, which includes Anderson's current Living by the Word column as well as past magazine and blog content. For full-text access to all articles, subscribe to the Century.

In my state of South Carolina, we have a long history of not wanting anybody to tell us what to do with our land, our possessions, or our money. This has created a sense of fierce independence, as history bears out.

These days, we want our taxes and our government as small as possible. Discussions abound about the role of government--what it should do for the whole community, what it has no business doing. Some assume that the government has no responsibility to support the poor and vulnerable in our community. That's not its job; Caesar has other fish to fry.