Jesus vs. Caesar: A Radical Lesson on Gratitude

In a captivating exchange from Day1 Episode #4177, renowned author and scholar Dr. Diana Butler Bass joins host Rev. Dr. Katie Givens Kime to explore a surprising connection between gratitude and empire. Known for her work on reimagining faith for today’s world, Dr. Bass opens up a fascinating window into how the language of "gratus" in ancient Rome shapes our modern notions of thanksgiving.

What begins as a discussion of her work in her book "Grateful: The Transformative Power of Giving Thanks" quickly unfolds into a powerful reflection on Jesus’ teachings from the Gospel of Luke—teachings that radically subvert the transactional norms of empire. With clarity and insight, Dr. Bass reveals how gratitude, when seen through Jesus’ lens, is not a polite obligation but a revolutionary call to reject hierarchical systems of power.

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Rev. Dr. Katie Givens Kime
Well, another topic you've written on extensively is gratitude, particularly in your book "Grateful: The Transformative Power of Giving Thanks." What would surprise people about how transformative gratitude can be? Or what do you think in our talk of gratitude we miss sometimes?

Dr. Diana Butler Bass
The word gratitude is actually the base word for it in English. The word we have in English to describe this thing is gratus, which is a Latin word. And that word was used to describe the economic system of ancient Rome.

Rev. Dr. Katie Givens Kime
I did not know that.

Dr. Diana Butler Bass
I know, people don't know it. And so the idea was, gratus was something that Caesar, who was the Lord and savior of the universe, that Caesar would bestow his favor, his benefit, his gratus, on all of society. So you have a pyramid-shaped society with Caesar at the top, and how people at the bottom got something is that Caesar, in his magnificent benevolence, would pass down all of the good gifts to everyone in the lower part of the pyramid.

Rev. Dr. Katie Givens Kime
So it was literally like that was currency, was like the gratitude of the Caesar is raining down.

Dr. Diana Butler Bass
Yeah, it's literally what that was. And so there was, in return, a requirement that the people at the bottom of the pyramid had to pass their gratus back up to Caesar. And that was, in terms of their loyalty, their praise, an obligation to do what Caesar wanted them to do. And so, you know, so much of the language of gratitude is wrapped up in Latin. We talk about quid pro quo, which is the idea that if your superior gives you something, you then are required to give something back.

And if you violate that transactional circle—well, in ancient Rome, there were actually laws against ingratitude, and so if you were an ingrate, you could be—

Rev. Dr. Katie Givens Kime
Lose your life, be jailed, be killed.

Dr. Diana Butler Bass
Lose your property, have your kids sold off into slavery, forced to serve in the army, all kinds of things. And so, I mean, there's a whole set of laws in actual Roman law that guided the practice of gratitude and ingratitude. I think all the time about the story in Luke, where Jesus says, But when you give a lunch or a dinner, when you give a dinner party, don't invite the rich. And don't invite someone you know who can repay you. And literally, Jesus says, and you will not be repaid.

And then it says, except that you will get a reward in heaven. And so what's happening there is Jesus is literally taking his listeners out of—

Rev. Dr. Katie Givens Kime
Yeah.

Dr. Diana Butler Bass
Out of empire. But anybody who would have been hearing Jesus say that would have been startled. Because that's exactly how the system worked. When you had a feast, you invited people who could repay you, right? And if you—

Rev. Dr. Katie Givens Kime
Transactional, yeah.

Dr. Diana Butler Bass
I mean, that was how currency worked. And so when Jesus says, don't do that, he's literally saying, don't participate in that economic system.

At first glance, gratitude may seem like a simple virtue—something we teach children or reflect on during holidays. But as Dr. Diana Butler Bass reveals in this compelling conversation, gratitude is far more radical than we often realize. In the Roman world, "gratus" wasn't just a feeling—it was a transaction rooted in power, hierarchy, and fear. Caesar gave, and everyone else owed him loyalty, praise, and obedience.

Into this context steps Jesus, proclaiming a different economy entirely. In Luke 14, Jesus flips the script. He invites us to a table where reciprocity is not required, where grace flows freely and without obligation. His teachings disrupt the pyramids of power and instead offer a vision of community grounded in divine generosity.

For preachers and educators, this offers a profound invitation: to teach gratitude not as a duty but as a liberating act that breaks the chains of empire thinking. To invite others to reflect on what it means to give without expectation, and to receive without shame.

Explore Rev. Dr. Diana Butler Bass’s full sermon from episode 4177 >>>