July 23, 2006

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  It's Mine

When I was a child, I was able to share with others quite easily.  I enjoyed giving to others and, for a child, was quite charitable.  That is until I got an allowance.  Oh, I would do little things around the house like cleaning dishes and vacuuming or mowing the yard.  It was then that I was given an allowance.  The money I made from my allowance was not great or really substantial, but it was mine and I earned it.  For weeks I saved my allowance to get one of the greatest toys humanity ever laid eyes upon: a GI Joe action figure with Kung Fu Grip.

Oh yes, it was mine alright and no one else was going to play with it.  One girl, Kimberly, thought she was going to play with my Kung Fu Grip GI Joe.  She was rather mistaken.  I saved up for that awesome piece of Americana and neither her nor anyone else was going to use it.  One day, while I was in the little men's room she decided to go inside my desk to use my Kung Fu Grip GI Joe.  This was to be her last such mistake.  Like the Kung Fu Grip GI Joe, I came at her with fierce speed and agility.  After I punched her in the stomach, I got in serious trouble.  I was forced to share the toy with her and get paddled (for those of you too young to know what a paddling is in school, it is when the principal finds the most aerodynamic carving of wood to meet your backside as a result of bad behavior).  I could not understand the punishment.  I got the toy fair and square; "it's mine", I cried.

This, unfortunately, is not the isolated incident of a selfish, second grade student.  Often, many Christians think or say the same thing.  "It's mine."  The book of Matthew records Jesus confronting people such as my second grade self; it seems, in fact, that this has been a common response of many who claim  Christ as King, throughout history.

I have faced no small dilemma on how to prepare and deliver this sermon.  Originally, I had planned on speaking you about Matthew 20.1- 16.  However, as I continued to study I noticed something: one cannot read the 20th chapter of Matthew without paying great attention to the previous story about the Rich Young Ruler in chapter 19.  So, I continued my preparation on chapter 19.16- 20.16.  Nope.  That would not work either.  Finally, I came to the conclusion that I must at the very least cover the material from Matthew 18.21-20.16.  This proposes a problem- length.  So, rather than reading the passage in its entirety, I hope to share the narrative with you by way of paraphrasing parts and reading other sections verbatim.

In Matthew 18, beginning with verse 21, Peter asks Jesus a question that many of the disciples were probably already thinking: how many times should I forgive a brother or sister if they "sin against me."  Note how Peter phrases this question.  He is approaching Jesus as the victim.  He also approaches Jesus as the "good guy."  Should we forgive them "seven times, Jesus?" (Mt 18.21) Perhaps Peter is even thinking, "Wow, I amaze myself at my piety. I am willing to forgive someone seven times if they sin against me."  As always, God's standards are much greater than our own.  "No, Peter, you should forgive them seventy times seven" (Mt. 18.22).

The servant, in the story, is also quite aware that this cannot be paid.  He then begged the King, literally falling to his knees to obtain release from this debt (Mt. 18.26).  At this point, the Jewish audience to whom the book of Matthew is addressing is surely expecting proper dealing by way of retribution.  This servant rightfully owes the King and therefore, he must be punished.  It all makes sense, right?  When a person owes, the person pays.  When a person behaves wrongly, they are punished.  This is the way the kingdom of the earth operates.  Like Peter who thought forgiving seven times was a gracious plenty, the readers have likely held the same low expectations of the Kingdom of Heaven, for God's ways are not our ways nor His thoughts like ours (Is 58. 1-3).  The true shock of the parable is that the King forgives the man the debt which could never be paid by the servant.

After the servant is released from the clutches of the now generous King, he sets out to find the person who owes him a hundred denarii, an equivalent to one day's wages.  As he confronts him he yells, "pay me what you owe" (Mt 18.28).  The man in the story represents those who have been forgiven a debt that cannot be paid, i.e.- followers of Christ, the Church.  You see, one has to keep in mind that this parable falls under the portion of Matthew dealing with Church discipline.  We, Church, have been forgiven 70 times 7; why is it that we cannot forgive even the 7 measly times as Peter suggested?  We have been forgiven by the King.  We have been given a new hope which the King expects us to share with others, yet like me as a kid with my GI Joe, we cry, "It's mine.  It is my grudge, it is my pain and I am not letting go until I get what I am owed."

The sad thing is that we may never get what we feel we deserve, what we are "owed."  Yet, this is not the point.  Whether or not we receive anything tangibly in return, we are to return the same kindness and release debts as demonstrated by our King.  If not, we will pay.  We just may actually get what it is that we truly deserve, which in this case is the revocation of forgiveness from our Father (Mt 18.35).  

 After the telling of the parable of the Unforgiving Servant, Jesus and the disciples leave Galilee and go to the region of Judea.  It is here that they come in contact with some Pharisees.  They try test him on the subject of divorce.  Now the first few times I read through this I thought, "I am not going to mess with this passage.  Just maybe if I skip it, no one will notice."  In other words, I tried to avoid this because it simply did not seem to fit within the given context of the surrounding material.  This, however, is not the case.  Jesus is still talking about the Kingdom of Heaven and sharing.  The Pharisees are asking, in essence, "Can we legally get rid of a wife by way of divorce?"(Mt 19.3)  Once again, Jesus points out that it is not humans, per se, who have brought together man and woman; it is God who brings the two to become one flesh (Mt 19.6).  Jesus is inviting the Pharisees (as Matthew is inviting his audience) into a new perspective.  "Start thinking about someone other than yourself.  Do you not see that you have because I am?"  Still the religious people do not perceive what Jesus is trying to suggest.  "Well, Moses said we could do it" (Mt 19.7)  Jesus replies,  "You are shooting for the bottom of the barrel.  Moses allowed you to do it as a concession for your hard-heartedness" (Mt 19.8).  The religious rulers of the day were trying so hard to "keep it by the book" but they missed the forrest for the trees.  How often have we done the same?  We use the scriptures as a justification for our own hard hearts?  The religious people, the Pharisees could see the script in front of their faces, but they could not hear the heart of God who inspired the script.  Jesus closes out his conversation with the Pharisees and turns his attention to the disciples.  He tells them that marriage is not good for everyone; some are to be Eunuchs and some are not.  Only those "to whom it has been given can accept this placement in life" (Mt 19.11).  A eunuch, by the way, is someone who gives his or her life to chastity for the service of a kingdom.  In this scenario it is for the Kingdom of Heaven.  At any rate, Jesus tells us that even our sexual relationships have been given by God and we are to treat one another as a gift of God.  By becoming one, husbands and wives are sharing with one another what God has bestowed.

Next, we come to the famous passage of Jesus blessing the little children.  Here Jesus tells us that it is people such as these kids that the Kingdom of Heaven belongs (Mt 19.14).  Believe it or not, unlike our culture in the modern West, this would not have been a popular statement.  When we see children, we have been socialized to think, "there is our future.  We must take care of our children."  Whether or not that actually happens in Western society, it certainly is a common assertion.  In an agrarian culture, most parents and adults would be waiting for their child to become large or able enough to provide a helping hand around the land.  Children were often viewed as a burden until they were able to make a valid contribution to society.  Jesus was telling the disciples that the Kingdom of Heaven is not like the kingdom of the world.  The world tells us that those who are the most able-bodied, those who can produce the most amount of goods, those who are able to make the most amount of money are the heroes.  If you don't believe me, go read the papers; go search the internet headlines.  The people, day in and day out, that make the headlines are the strong, wealthy, the powerful politicians with clout and influence.  What if we could tune in to the broadcast of the Kingdom of Heaven? what would that look and sound like?  "Today, Julie Rodriguez is our star of the week.  She is an eight year old from Brooklyn, NY who gave her last 17 cents to a homeless person.  When she got home she prepared supper for her mom, who is in the final stages of HIV.  While preparing for sleep on her dry-rotted cot, she gave thanks to the God of the universe as she stared out at the smog laden street lights which kept her up so often at night."

After Jesus blesses the little ones, like Julie Rodriguez, he is approached by a person of power, a person of influence: the rich young ruler.  "I currently have all I need for this life.  I am fully stocked and loaded with all the necessities and frivolities of humanity.  I lack nothing.  Now, good teacher, what can I do to extend this living into eternity?  What must I do to live forever?" (Mt 19.16)  Jesus then proceed to tell him that he must do everything he says he has been doing.  Jesus is calling his bluff.  "Well, I am glad you are not killing people, committing adultery, stealing or bearing false witness.  That is good.  Oh yeah, and you have been honoring your parents which is a real plus.  The man upstairs is big on that one.  And you have been loving your neighbor as yourself!  Why that is really important.  Here's the thing though, not that all of that isn't great and all, but I want you to give all your possessions to poor.  Prove that you love you neighbor by sharing what you have" (Mt 19.18-21).  You see there is a lot more to this Christian thing than just being spiritual.  Or should I say, there is something tangible that happens when you become like Jesus Christ.  The rich young ruler had the spiritual talk, what many have referred to as Christianese.  What he lacked was the walk.  He thought that if he played everything by the book that he would make it.  It was more important for him to be right than to be just, by truly loving his neighbor.

Here is Peter's response.  After Peter has heard the story about forgiveness, about divorce, the blessing of the little children, and the rich young ruler, he still says, "Frankly, Jesus, we have left everything to follow you.  What is in it for us?" (Mt 19.27)  Jesus does not appear to be amused.  "All right, Peter, I am going to try this with you one more time.  I told you earlier that the people in first place will actually be last and the last first.  This is the Great Reversal, for the Kingdom of Heaven does not operate as that of the world.  Here is one final story and let's see where this takes us" (Mt 19.28-30).  Peter, nor the rest of the disciples get it. 

Finally, Jesus tells the disciples the parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard.  In this story a landowner and, more particularly an owner of a vineyard, hires workers at the beginning of the day.  When he hires them, he agrees to pay them the usual daily wage.  As the day progresses the landowner goes out into the marketplace (comparable to a downtown or inner city) to find more workers.  He does this at noon, three o'clock, and five o'clock (Mt 20.1-8).

At the end of the day the landowner gathers the workers together to pay them.  To those who came early in the morning he gives what was promised: a common day's wage.  Then the landowner does something peculiar- he gives the same amount of wages to those who came last.  Whether they came at five o'clock or nine o'clock in the morning, he gave the same wage.  This severely insults the early workers sense of justice; should they not get more than those who barely worked?  I mean, they did work in the "scorching heat" and the others were simply there for one hour (Mt 20.12).  They approach the landowner with a logical complaint: why did you pay those people who came last the same amount as us? (Mt 20.9-12)

The landowner replies, "Did I not pay you the wage of which we agreed?  I choose to give to the last the same as I do you.  Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me?  Or are you envious because I am generous?  So the last will be first, and the first will be last" (Mt 20.14-16).

From Matthew 18:21 to Matthew 20:1-16, there are two parables and three encounters which interact with one another.  They build into a crescendo in chapter 20.  In each of these stories, the writer uses Jesus' words about economic issues as symbols for the economy of God: God bestows on us that we might bestow upon others.  It is, in part, a stewardship issue.  What will do with the grace, the gift which God has given us?  Will we horde it as the unforgiving servant who refused to release the debt of eighteen dollars, even though he was forgiven billions?  The writer of Matthew puts these parables together to make a theological and ultimately ethical observation- If you or I are in Christ we have been given a gift greater than that which we can give, forgiven a debt beyond that which we can pay.  We cannot reimburse God- that is obvious.  He owns the vineyard, the whole earth is His and everything in it; what can we give to God that he does not already have? 

No, it is a stewardship issue.  Will you give back to others according to the gift that God, the King has conferred upon you?  This is not a question of super-spiritual, esoteric giving; this is concrete.  God asks us if will we give that which we felt as though we have earned.  It is easy to feel like we have earned the right to hold a grudge against someone who has hurt, or taken greedily from us.  It is a simple task to go look at one's tax returns and say, "See, I have earned this money.  I put in the hours.  I have the sweat stains to prove it."  Maybe we do.  However, that is not the question which God is asking.  I know many times I have asked God the wrong question, as Peter, "What do I get out of it?"  God is asking, "What will you do with what I have given you?"     

You see, Church, since we are in Christ, we are in a unique placement.  All the Father has is Christ's and all Christ has is ours.  Since we are in Christ and consequently are the Body of Christ, we should have the same mentality as Jesus Christ.  The same mentality which does not ask, "how can I keep this?  But asks, "With whom can I share this?"  Or, as it is explained in the letter to the Philippians, "Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though, he was in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.  And being in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death- even death on a cross" (Philippians 2.5-8). 

Who we are now, in the body of Christ through the overflowing love of the Trinity, is not who we were beforehand.  Our first thought should not be, "It's mine" but should be "It is ours."  We are the Body of Christ, therefore, we take care of every part- from the least to the greatest- and as the Body, we seek to give to others, even if they despitefully use us (See the Sermon on the Mount).  Surely Jesus knew he would be rejected by many, yet He became a living sacrifice for all.  For those who might accept and those who might reject.  In the same manner, we are to be Christ to those who accept and reject; it is not a matter of someone else's response- it is a matter of your response.  What will you do with what God has given you?

Paul@mulberryumc.org