What I choose

Matthew 20:15 ESV

“Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me?...”

Autonomous – Not controlled by others or by outside forces; independent.

                                                                -The American Heritage College Dictionary, 3^rd edition.

He was asked to make it a certain way. He did and they paid him for what they received. Seems like how it should be done. The next year the same thing happened again this time with more people. All of whom were happy and content with the products and services they received from Amos Miller. For daring to conduct business without the government's oversight Amos Miller is having his Farm shutdown. A Private Membership Association is private individuals contracting with another private individual for a good. It has been used by many farmers and whole foods proponents to remove the government from the logistics of food consumption. In so doing the individuals that choose to contract with the farmer and have their food produced in a way that goes outside of the normal production regulations for “public” distribution of food.

Do we have the right to produce and sell food? The court appointed a lawyer from Texas to defend the Pennsylvanian farmer and refused the farmers request for different counsel.  He lost his case, refused to yield his right to produce food as he saw fit and is now in violation of the Judges orders.

In the parable of The Laborers in the Vineyard Jesus tells the story of a man who contracts with Laborers for a job. At the end of the day chooses to pay all equally for unequal work. When he is castigated by those who worked harder, he asks the simple question, “Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me?” The United States government has repeatedly said “NO, you are not allowed to do as you choose with what belongs to you.” In 1942 the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that a farmer has no right to grow wheat for consumption by his cows (Wickard v. Filburn).  This under the Commerce Clause of the constitution. You see, because he was not buying the wheat it impacted the price of grain as such it affected the price of grain so even though he did not buy, sell, or transport his grain the government HAS the right to regulate him. Under this reasoning it is also true it HAS the right to regulate your garden it just chooses not to.

Human Flourishing takes place when men and women are free to obey God’s word and when the government stays in line with that word. The United States government has often said “I am from the government, and I am here to help”. It has chosen to help us in how education should occur, food should be produced, hospitals should be paid, who should marry, and how church government should function, and recently even worship services should be run and what messages are acceptable in them. They would tell Christ it is unfair that you should privilege the last workers above the first. The government will now oversee how much you will pay your employees, to guarantee a more equitable distribution of wealth.

Make no mistake the goal of government is to be sovereign and the problem is God is sovereign. Those wishing to organize their lives around the dictates of a sovereign authority apart from the government will ALWAYS be opposed by that government. The United States Government is no different. As fewer in it recognize they are not sovereign and God is, the danger to human flourishing grows more prevalent. In a time when many clamor for the autonomy of self it seems we run to give our autonomy away. Soon you will not be able to buy and sell unless you have the appropriate seal. The gospel attacks the depraved totalitarian nature of government by squarely holding that God is sovereign over our lives and our deaths and the church is the only human institution that lasts into eternity. Such reality puts nations and governments “in their place” and will restore church to its.

CORAM DEO