It is only right

 

Luke 17:5-10 Pentecost XVII

 An increase in faith comes when we trust in the possibilities.  If we believe that we can, we most probably can.  If we look at the immensity of problems in the world and believe that affecting change is beyond us, then it is beyond us.  If we look at the impossible and decide to see it as possible, we may find that we have succeeded in making a difference, and if we decide to strive to move the immovable, then we are on our way to making a difference in the world around us.  One thing is for sure, if we do not believe that we can make a difference, we are right.  If we strive to make a difference, making a difference is possible.

 And obedience has its place.  We live in a world that is motivated only by getting credit for doing the right thing.  In politics, in our work, in society and in our families, we seem to be hung up on getting credit for doing the right thing.  We are called and commanded to do the right things, period.  It should be the bare minimum that we do the right thing, for doing the right thing IS the right reason for doing it.  Obedience to Jesus means that we heed Jesus’ command to actively commit to the well-being of others around us, especially the most vulnerable among us.  Under empire, Quid Pro Quo is the normative value, but in the Kingdom of God we are called to do the right thing without reward.  It is enough to live in covenant faithfully, for the reward is already given in God’s Grace and Love given to us.  We have the gift already.  The reward is in faithful relationship with the Lord.

 If we are called to be good stewards of the creation and do the impossible by preserving and protecting it from those who would waste, pollute and destroy it for their own gain in profit, then we will strive to do just that in faith, just because it is the right thing to do.  The reward will be life for all of God’s creation.  For that we need no credit.  We must do that.

no joy in Hades

 

Pentecost XVI      Luke 16:19-31

 The rich man in the parable remains nameless. Sometimes called “Dives”, which in Latin means “rich man,” he is not honored with a name.  The poor man, Lazarus, was sick and hungry, laying at the gate at the rich man.  He was under the rich man’s nose, perhaps under feet when he left his gate, but the rich man did nothing on his behalf.  The rich man, this nameless person in the story is juxtaposed with Lazarus who ends up with Abraham.

The rich man died and was buried and was in Sheol, “Hades.”  It was the state of being dead.  The rich man, however, was being tormented.  He was able to see Lazarus at the side of Abraham, the father of the faith, which meant that Lazarus now had some status he had not had in life.

 The rich man never talked to Lazarus, still.  He presumed to be able to address Abraham and instructed Abraham to send Lazarus to quench his thirst, after asking Abraham for mercy, but not Lazarus.

 Abraham let him know that he had all the wealth, power, and status in his life, but that Lazarus suffered evil things (including being ignored by the rich man).  Abraham did recognize that the rich man was in agony, but he would not send Lazarus to wait on him.  He also pointed out that there is a great chasm between heaven and Sheol, the realm of the dead, and that it cannot be crossed.

 Then the rich man presumed to ask Abraham to send Lazarus to his father’s house to warn his brothers of their plight should they continue to value wealth, power, and status above the lives of others, especially those in need. 

 Abraham simply reminded him that they had access to Moses and the prophets, just as the rich man had access to when he was alive.  The rich man told Abraham, “No,” pushing to send Lazarus from the dead to his brothers to dramatically convince them.  Abraham pointed out that if they did not listen to Moses and the prophets, they would not listen to a resurrected Lazarus.

 And that was it; it is a parable, but there is no explanation or direct application.  After criticizing the Pharisees and explaining the importance of God’s Law in His teachings, Jesus warned humanity about loving wealth, power, and status above other human beings, while ignoring the will of God.

 The rich man had great wealth, even more than he could ever need.  He had the power of life and death over those around him who were starving and sick.  He had status above all those “beneath him.”  None of that mattered.  In fact, it may have been that which sent him to Hades instead of heaven.  Dead is dead, and that was the end for the rich man, oh yes, and with torment.

 What may be the most astounding thing to me about the rich man character in the parable is that he held onto his absurd sense of superiority and status above Lazarus, even though Lazarus was in heaven and he was in Sheol.  Not only that, but he presumed status enough to order Abraham, the father of the faith to do his bidding in ordering Lazarus around, presuming that Abraham’s status above him would be recognized in heaven.  The word “asinine” comes to mind.  To believe that God’s reign holds status in the same way that empire on earth does is absurd.

 But that is the nature of such a strong false sense of superiority.  It leads to an insane sense of entitlement above others.  It is born of bigotry and fed by hubris.  It is not of God.  The love for wealth more than others, power over others and status above others is not a value of God or the Reign of God.  Jesus’ Good News calls for equality of value, the sharing of power and the equal distribution of sustenance so that all of God’s people have Shalom.  One can claim Abraham or David or Jesus all that they want, but if our values are not in alignment with God’s reign, even as we live in this part of it here and now, perhaps Jesus is claiming that our salvation is at stake.  That would certainly line up with Jesus’ vision of His own return and the judgment of all humanity, as we have witness in Matthew’s Gospel (25:31-46). 

 The rich man failed to welcome the stranger at the gate, to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and care for the sick.  He found himself among the goats because of it, in the end.

 Immigrants are suffering at our Southern gate.  We have the means by which to welcome them and care for them.  We ignore them, and when they sneak in the gate we detain them, separate families, and send them back to their deaths.  Sometimes we spend money that could be spent in helping them to transport them as a political ploy out of abject cruelty.  There is a special place in Hades for those who do so.

 We have sick people in our own nation, within our gates, who are dying because they cannot afford medicine or medical care. There are people starving to death on our streets, beneath our feet, even though there is enough food within the nation to feed them.   There are people who need clothing and shelter, some of whom are in danger of dying on the streets under our feet, outside our gated communities.  There are people unjustly incarcerated for petty crimes for decades, for having done things that are now legal.  Some are serving much longer sentences for the same drug crimes that others of different economic status (and Race) have been freed from long ago. 

 We cannot hide behind the nameless policies that we not only allow but condone and encourage by how we vote in elected officials who run on very particular, ideological platforms.

 We cannot claim that we are not responsible for the most vulnerable among us.

We cannot claim that we have not seen them.

We cannot claim that our wealth is only ours, or that we have been “self-made,” when we have gained our wealth on the backs of those who are low paid, systematically and intentionally.

We cannot claim status above anyone, particularly our ancestors of the faith. 

We cannot claim that we are entitled to power and control over others.

We cannot claim any superiority over others with God and get away with that.

 God will not be mocked.

There is a special place in Sheol for those whose values are heaped in the values of empire.

There is corporate sin, and our corporations, political parties and nation are subject to its consequences.

 Jesus told the parable and left it there.

I will leave this right here.

knowing how to deal with the world

 

Pentecost XV      Luke 16:1-13

 Tacked on after the repentance of the Prodigal Son, who learned about real love and loyalty after only valuing opulence and the lifestyle it can bring, this parable is about someone ALMOST lost.

 He was accused of squandering the property of his master.  He was called to give an account.  He knew that if his master knew that he was charging interest on top of what was owed by his debtors, a practice condemned by God and dishonest to the creditors and his master, he would be fired and not have a livelihood. 

So, he summoned the debtors and took the interest he was charging them off, which was really his extra cut of profit.  His master commended him for being shrewd, because he corrected his dishonesty and returned what was not meant to be his.  He also gained the favor of the creditors, along with the admiration of his master.  Jesus claimed that those of his own generation (those who had routinely charged interest, against the Law of Moses) were more shrewd than past ones in dealing with the world around them.  It brings to mind that we are called to be “shrewd as snakes and unmixed as doves.”

The line about making friends by means of (learning how to deal with or maneuver) dishonest wealth (mammon) is a reference to doing the right thing even when confronted with dishonest business practices, and that one will be ensured of a place in heaven for doing so faithfully.

 The punchline of this text is in being faithful over little and those things of little importance and being honest with regard to the immoral business practices in the world, or one will not be entrusted with the things of the Kingdom, even if it belongs to someone else.

 To put it bluntly, “You cannot serve God and wealth.”  In the end, he repented, even if only after being caught.

The Lost are found in Joy

 Luke 15:1-10 is the lectionary text for Pentecost XIV.

It was ALL the tax collectors and sinners who were coming to hear Jesus teach.  They were voluntarily coming to receive His Good News of Agape Love and Grace.  Could it be, under Empire's injustices, that they saw in Jesus a message of life that was different and just?  Could it be that they were tired of seeing people get hurt, and having to exploit others just to survive under empire?   Could it be that they were ready to walk away from empire and its ways and values to live a different life, the Way of Jesus?

The Pharisees and Scribes were in opposition to Jesus, and here criticize Him for socializing with tax collectors and sinners.  They had more to lose by living in Jesus' Way, for they were benefitting from the corrupt system and cashing in on peoples' sins.  They were preaching and teaching extreme justice in order to stay in control over the people and exploit them for more power and wealth.  They were preaching self-righteousness in order to keep status above others by making appearances of being pious and godly.

Jesus preached forgiveness and mercy.  There was no power over anyone in that, nor any profit or status to be had at their expense.  

Jesus preached the love of God, and there was no way to monetize that for their own gain, especially if it was Agape, that self-sacrificing and unconditional love of Jesus.

Jesus preached community, and there was no way in that to exploit individuals by lifting up individual sins and by offering individual salvation through sacrifice to them.

It was the religious leaders and the political figures who opposed Jesus.  It was the "sinners" and tax collectors, ostracized and hated by most, who came to Jesus.

So, the sinners (amartwloi) and tax collectors – those who did not measure up, who were outside the bounds of the core values for the people of God, were coming to Jesus to hear His Good News of agaph. It was the religious leaders who judged them and Jesus for associating with them, and who did not heed what Jesus taught as the fulfillment of the Law and Prophets - agaph.

So, when Jesus talks about the "LOST ONES," about whom is Jesus here speaking?  Is Jesus referring to the ones who are hungry to hear about Jesus' Way of living Kingdom values, or the ones who opposed Him because they have adopted empire values?  Is Jesus referencing the corrupt political and religious leaders who represent empire, or the many masses of folk who have been victimized by it and forced to do whatever they had to in order to survive under it?

Who are the LOST?

God, specifically Jesus, is ALWAYS the Shepherd, and the flock of sheep are the people of Israel.  When one is lured into the dangers of the world the rest suffer the loss, so when that one is found and returned to the flock of those who follow the Shepherd, there is great rejoicing!  Just so it is when one in a hundred who has been corrupted by the world returns to the flock of those who follow the Good Shepherd.  There is great rejoicing in all of heaven!  Hear that, you religious folk? God will celebrate your return!  Hear that, you who have power over others?  God awaits your return in joyful expectation!  Repent... change your thinking, so that your direction will change.  The Lord awaits, and so does the flock!

Women were very vulnerable in that society, and ten Drachma were about two weeks' pay for a laborer, so she could hardly afford to lose one of them.  She lost 1/10 of her whole check.  She would not eat for at least a day.  So many people around us live paycheck to paycheck in our own time, so many can relate to this woman and her struggle.  She diligently searches, panicked and desperate to find her only means of feeding herself and/or her family.  So, when she finds it, she rejoices greatly and includes her neighbors and friends in her rejoicing, because they can surely relate!  When a tenth is lost, it is a big deal in the Kingdom, too.  Rejoicing happens when that tenth is found that was lost.  Hear that, religious folk?  There is great rejoicing in your return to the Kingdom!  Hear that, you have position and power, control over others' lives?  God rejoices when you, a minority of the whole, find your way back to the Kingdom!

Note that it does not matter how the sheep wandered off or how the coin got lost, or whether it is one in a hundred or one in ten, God actively seeks you out!  God comes looking to bring you back!  The Holy Spirit of God is working to bring you home!  There is hope for religious and political leaders!  Whether you respond to Jesus or repent of opposing Jesus, there is hope for you!

"Come home, come home, you who are weary come home.  Earnestly, tenderly Jesus is calling, calling all sinners come home."

Sin is the great equalizer.  "We have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God."  I read that somewhere.  Jesus' Grace is also the great equalizer.  The Good News draws us to Jesus, the Holy Spirit draws us to Jesus and to repent of opposing Jesus.

There is hope.

And when we are found, there is great rejoicing in heaven, AND in the flock or the neighborhood!

The Lost are found in Joy!

Are you prepared to sacrifice for your faith?

 I did not blog last week because I had an incredible day with my wife, for which I am thankful.

Today's lectionary text is Luke 14:25-33.

It expresses a hyperbole of degree.

Jesus claims that following Him means total dedication to the life of the Good News, a re-ordering of one's priorities in life, even regarding those things we have come to most treasure in the world.

We are to take up the Cross and follow.

We are to count the cost of following and make the considered choice to do so.

It is not an easy thing to do.

What are we willing to sacrifice in order to follow Jesus in how we live our lives?

Are we willing and able to re-order our values and priorities in life in order to follow Jesus?

Jesus' Way is not the world's way, not empire's way.  

Can we dedicate our lives to Jesus' Way?  Will we do so in order to transform the world in Agape Love?