It’s difficult to be part of any relationship, at an individual or group level, without attempting to exert control. We rationalize to ourselves that we don’t want control, but it's not true. If you carefully examine your relationships in life, the level of control you attempt to exert is commensurate with your level of investment, which, in a culture of excess, precedes your commitment.

In a Roman household, your level of commitment is not optional. If you are living under the pressure of your patron, you’re stuck. Whether you’re a family member or a slave, you must operate within the confines of the sheepfold in which you are found. That is your life. It’s not a question of what you choose or your level of commitment; you are committed. That’s what you do. It’s your job. Most people in the world, in day-to-day life, don’t have the opportunity to ask what entitled Americans ask. They don’t get to say, “I wonder what my purpose in life is,” or, “What is my dream job?” They just get a job if they’re fortunate and are thankful to be able to do something that provides income so that they can live.

So, if you are found in a Roman household, whatever your function or status, you are committed to do whatever you are committed to do. But if your patron has not been baptized by Paul, then your reference is not Christ; your reference is Caesar. This means that the favors your patron provides the sheepfold are not given freely. They come with a price.

Even though you are fully committed and have no power over your station, you still have to earn your spot. There is an expectation that your family gods, your patrician, the broader neighborhood (the familia, or city block under your patrician), and more importantly, your chief god, the emperor, expect an offering from you in order for the grace of Caesar’s favor through his patrician to be maintained.

But in the end, if you act correctly because you know that your gods, your father, or your neighbors are expected to act correctly or give you something in return, is that grace? Are you committed within the sheepfold, under God through Jesus Christ, or are you still somebody else’s slave?

This week I discuss Luke 6:32-36.

Show Notes

• חָנַן (ḥanan): “to be gracious” or “to show favor”
• תְּחִנָּה (teḥinnah): “supplication” or “plea for grace”
• حَنَان (ḥanān): meaning “tenderness” or “compassion.”
• تحنّن (taḥannun): meaning “to show mercy” or “to act compassionately.”

• In Hebrew, נָח (nun-ḥet) refers to resting, settling, or being at rest.
• In Arabic, أَنَاخَ (’anāḫa) “he made camels kneel down”; مُنَاخ (munāḥ) “resting place of camels”. The triliteral ن-و-خ (nūn-wāw-khāʾ) is a different root, but related, according to Klein. This connection underscores biblical shepherdism.

In this week’s podcast, Fr. Marc explains how Luke dismantles Rome’s system of gratia, highlighting three categories of “untouchables” in the American system, all related to control of the land.