Today’s Scripture Reading (January 6,
2015): Romans 9
The uttering
of the phrase “Let them eat cake” is one of the many pivotal (and memorable) moments
in history; unfortunately, in this case the words were probably never said. The
phrase is attributed to Queen Marie Antoinette and are used as proof of how out
of touch the monarchy in France had become from the common people. According to
the story, the members of the court came to the Queen during one of the many
famines that took place in France during the reign of her husband, King Louis
XVI, and told her of the great distress being experienced by the people of
France. One of the ways that they described this distress was by telling her
that the people didn’t even have any bread to eat. The Queen’s infamous reply
was "Qu'ils mangent de la brioche" (traditionally translated
as “let them eat cake.”) Of course, the comment was absurd on its face.
“Brioche” was made with dough that had been enriched with butter and eggs,
making it much more expensive than ordinary bread. If the people didn’t have
bread, they definitely didn’t have cake. Marie Antoinette obviously had no idea
what kind of problems the average person had to face.
Yet, if Marie Antoinette uttered the words, we would
expect that the words would have become a rallying cry for the French
Revolution, but they are not mentioned. Even at the trial of Louis XVI and his
Queen, the words are absent. These words, that should have formed the charge
against the French Royalty during the Revolution, don’t appear until long after
the King and Queen had been executed, and this in spite of the fact that most
of the evidence that had been brought forward at the Queen’s trial had been
works of fiction in the first place. If there was any truth that the Queen had
uttered the phrase, it surely would have been used against her at her trial –
and yet the words are absent from any reporting done by her contemporaries.
But if the words had been spoken, their opposite was
spoken by Paul in Romans. These are the words that we want to hear (but seldom
do) from our leaders. Paul responds here against what might be considered his
human nature. Paul had been harassed by the Jews throughout the latter portion
of his life. Jews had, at times, taken oaths not to eat or drink until the
Apostle lay dead in his tomb and charges were brought against him by Jews in
front of various kings and governors. It seemed that at every stopping point on
his missionary journeys, Jews awaited his arrival, ready to tell lies and make
up stories about Paul in order to make his task as hard as it could be, yet
none of this seems to have deterred the Apostle from his task. Nor did it
lessen the love that Paul had for his own people.
Many
Scholars have noted what Paul does not say in this passage. No one could really
fault Paul if he had said "I have great grief and continual sorrow in my
heart because of my countrymen” (or maybe “Let them eat cake.”) But instead,
Paul insists that he hurts for his nation, and that he would give anything,
including a multiplication of the pain that he is already feeling, in order to
heal the people of his race.
Paul uses the word “anathema” here, which
is translated “cursed,” but the word (which is only used five times in the
Christian Testament) means something beyond just a curse, implying not only
physical death, but eternal death as well. But Paul’s attitude matched both
that of Moses (But now, please forgive their sin—but if not, then blot me
out of the book you have written – Exodus 32:32) and Jesus (When he saw the crowds, he had compassion
on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
– Matthew 9:36). Rather than being oblivious to the needs of the people,
Paul felt their pain intensely, and would do anything he could in order to
lessen it.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Romans
10
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