Limiting the Limitless

Gospel:  Matthew 20: 1-16

In today's parable Jesus describes for us in story form what theology has attempted to do over the centuries - the constant attempt to contain and limit what is by definition and experience limitless.  We have the story of a vineyard owner who is a representation of God.  This man hires others throughout the day to work in his fields, and at day's end he pays everyone the same daily wage.  He provides the daily bread, the daily needs, of all these people.

Now enter the theologians.  Some complain loudly that this arrangement is unfair.  They worked longer, so they should get more and others should get less.  They want to create categories of special status and chosen people over and against others.  They want to reject the idea of God's generosity to all and set limits on it.  They want to defend their economic theories of privilege and "merit" and reject ideas of the common good and care for all people.  

But God provides for all people.  God provides for the daily bread of all his children, and all people are children of God without exception or exclusion.  Even the tax collectors, the prostitutes, the betrayer, the denier, and those who abandoned him were fed at his table.  No one goes hungry.  The theologians will seek to say otherwise.  Let us instead seek to be perfect as our heavenly father is perfect, following the example of Jesus, and provide for all. 

One Lane Road

Gospel: Matthew 19: 23-30

A disciple lives in their own time, forming their judgments and theology based on this world around them.  The Master, on the other hand, lives on a different plane entirely.  Jesus tells his disciples that it is very difficult for the rich to enter the kingdom of God, a statement that shocks them.  They reply, if that is true then who can be saved? They believe, as many do, that riches are blessings from God, a sign that God has favored them and surely they would be the core of God's reign.

But this idea assumes that riches are acquired honestly and through hard work alone.  The reality is that riches are more often than not gained through dishonest means, frequently through the exploitation of and theft from others.  What is more, the hoarding of this wealth is itself its own sin, theft from the poor and needy who lack the basic necessities of life.  In the mind of the Master, riches are not a blessing but a great curse, a weight around one's neck that drags one down to a depth of misery.

We still think as those disciples.  We fawn over the rich in our "stewardship" campaigns, in the lust for political power and influence, in the love of our ornate temples and residences of our prelates.  We think all these are blessings of God, signs of God's singular favor.  It is all an illusion, a house of sand that leads to our ruin.  We remain shocked at Jesus' statements against the rich and seek to explain them away.  After all, it's not good copy for our direct mail appeals. 

What Must I Do?

Gospel:  Matthew 19: 16-22

A man asks Jesus, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?"  Jesus tells him to keep the commandments, specifically those that deal with our relations with others, with love of our neighbor.  Do not kill. Do not steal.  Do not bear false witness.  Do not covet.  And love your neighbor through concrete acts of care for them.  By avoiding actions that harm our neighbor and in performing actions of good for them, we come to inherit eternal life.

But the man is not satisfied.  I have done all that, what more can I do?  Jesus then says that if we wish to be perfect, we must then sell all that we have and give it away to the poor.  Then, we must follow the Lord Jesus and do the work that he has been doing:  healing people of their illnesses and infirmities; liberating people from their demons; and nourishing people at table.  This is the pathway to perfection - the care of the poor and marginalized of all backgrounds, excluding none.  

Notice what are absent from these lists  are the things that tend to dominate Christian concern: the quest for power, influence, and riches in our obsession with politics and media empires, or the building and upkeep of vast tracts of property.  Absent too are the perseverations over liturgical minutiae and theological erudition.  The way to eternal life and perfection is the way of love and care for others, for it was the way of Jesus in his life on earth.