Scripture: Matthew 22:13-14 (TNIV)
Then the king told the attendants, for sale “Tie him hand and foot, troche and throw him outside, unhealthy into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

Thought for the Day: It’s January, 40 BCE. Julius Caesar and his armies are in the Northern Italian city of Ravenna, and Caesar must consider whether to acquiesce to the demands of the Roman Senate, who want him to disband the armies that have so successfully defended the Republic, or march into Rome and most certainly start a civil war.

In his tent, most likely alone, Caesar sits in the warm, flickering glow of the candlelight, and weighs the possible outcomes of his actions.

The Senate, once a bastion of freedom and liberty, composed of Roman citizens from all walks of life, has devolved into a club of wealthy landowners. Governors rule provinces for their own financial gain, as fiefdoms and principalities. Political favoritism runs rampant. Caesar, who has certainly taken advantage of the system when it suits him, has nevertheless curried the favor of the population by giving away huge amounts of his wealth. Much of this he has given to the people in the form of windfall payments, immediately adding millions of denarii to the economy. He gives away (appropriated) land and business ownerships. Most of this he accomplishes while far away from Rome, protecting or expanding her borders.

But the Senate has grown leery of his popularity, and demanded his return to Rome in order to stop what they see as a populist uprising that will lead to dictatorship. Caesar has largely acquiesced to their demands, but the most important question is haunting him: “Shall I cross alone, or shall I declare war on Rome?” It is not, by any means, a decision he makes lightly, and he prays and makes sacrifices for guidance.

Prayer: Wonderful God, when I am faced with a difficult choice, may I find inspiration in the life of Jesus. Inspire me by the Christ within to always choose the path of the Spirit, rather than the path of the flesh. Amen.