Conspiracy theories are always popular. It is easy to believe that some inside group is holding information that gets in the way of the general public knowing the whole truth; and that secret information is giving that inside group an advantage. Well, this is by no means a conspiracy to withhold information by the church, but it is true that particularly difficult or troublesome passages in the Bible rarely make it into the readings assigned for a Sunday.
Most Protestant churches and the Roman Catholic Church follow what is called the Revised Common Lectionary for selecting Bible readings for worship. It’s a three-year cycle that repeats. We don’t follow it exactly. While we use the same gospel the lectionary highlights that year, we read that gospel entirely. We leave nothing out.
Well, the passage that we read today is never included in the Revised Common Lectionary. There is a parallel passage in Matthew’s gospel. It does indeed show up in the lectionary. However, it is positioned so that it's only read if Easter falls at its earliest or latest. Otherwise, it isn’t included. So, the year of Matthew has to coincide with Easter being at an extreme for this to show up in worship. Most likely it’ll only happen once or twice in your life. So, while no one is hiding this passage, and you can read it on your own at any time, if the only parts of the Bible you ever hear are the ones read in worship, you’ll almost never encounter it.
You may quite like the idea of never hearing this passage! We don’t like messages from Jesus that tell us to sell our possessions. We like our stuff! That’s probably why it almost never shows up in the lectionary. We’ll come back to that. There’s another serious problem. Jesus says not to worry about food or clothing or your body. He says that God knows our needs and that if we prioritize God’s kingdom then God will provide for our needs. Okay, fine. But does that really work?
What about the two million people of Gaza currently at serious risk of dying from starvation? What about the estimated 400,000 people in the world who have died in the last five months because of the elimination of US AID? (David Brooks in a June 2025 address to the Aspen Ideas Festival, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MMOJIiOm5I&t=747s ) They’ve done nothing wrong. They’re not in control of their life’s circumstances yet they are suffering severely for it. While we want to deeply trust God, I don’t think any of us would say that these people could suddenly get their bodily needs met if they were somehow more faithful; or that if they were more faithful these things wouldn’t have befallen them. The truth is, from our life’s experience God doesn’t provide the way we think God should. Random events, natural disasters, and global dynamics can cripple and destroy the lives of people. We feel powerless. Or, at the very least, the reality that we know from daily life is that you do have to worry about food and clothing and bodily needs.
For many many people across the world, and in our own community, and among us, …despite that we supposedly live in a nation of plenty… life’s need always seem to stretch our resources. Keeping ahead of inflation on basic goods, affording an automobile, covering the increasing cost of maintaining a house (or paying rent), increases in health insurance costs, costs of schooling, and more can cause us constant anxiety.
If you’re working you worry about your income keeping up with the cost of living. If you’re retired you’re on a limited income. You worry if your money will hold out. Even if you have an enormous amount of money available you still have worries: Something happens. You end up in the hospital. You can’t go back home. But nursing homes are almost all busy and have waiting lists. If the hospital decides to discharge you, and the nursing home you want isn’t available, you are sent to the one that has space whether you like it or not. You can bet the nursing home that has space isn’t a good one. That’s it. You might be stuck there with poor care for the rest of your life.
There’s good reason why we don’t like what Jesus said in our gospel reading. Perhaps in a fairy tale life if you put the kingdom of God first all your bodily needs will work out well, but it doesn’t work in reality. There are too many problems. There is too much unfairness. There is too much scarcity. We have every reason to be anxious! What is Jesus playing at saying, “Do not be afraid little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom”? Again, it sounds like a wishful thinking fairy tale.
Well, I admit that by focusing on just these verses I’ve backed Jesus into a corner. I think these verses need their attention but they are part of a much bigger series of teachings. If you’ve been here the last several weeks you know Jesus has warned his followers about hardships, persecutions, arrests, and even death because they follow him. He’s taught them the Lord’s Prayer, which is about the most basic and selfless prayer that can be said. He’s taught them about misplaced priorities and greed. So Jesus does not give these hard words with the idea that his followers will suddenly enjoy marvelous trouble-free lives because they follow him.
He gives these hard words because he knows full well that the world is a place of scarcity. He knows national and international dynamics will impact his followers and they will have no control over them. He knows that life isn’t fair. He knows that for his followers most of their time and physical energy are consumed by acquiring food, having homes, and caring for bodily needs. In other words, he knows they’re going to have a hard time believing him. He’s asking them to give up what little earthly security they have managed by their own efforts and wildly trust in a God they cannot easily see. That’s a big leap and it’s certainly going to cause anxiety!
Nevertheless, that is the perspective that is best. As we’ve looked at Jesus’ teachings from this section of Luke the last few weeks we’ve seen several times that the human perspective is flawed. What we think will be good for us isn’t. What we think will give us fulfillment doesn’t. What we think is trustworthy turns out not to be.
Jesus is going back to the basic challenge of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Can they trust that God has made them whole, or do they take matters into their own hands for wholeness? They, and it seems to be all people, take matters into their own hands.
This whole very difficult text is all about the basic question of trusting God. Do you believe that God is truly holding you and that nothing on earth can diminish or enhance that, or do you trust to your own abilities?
I will make no promises about having a good and easy life if you put total trust in God. But I will certainly promise you an indestructible sense of self and purpose for doing so.
If your life is driven by anxiety over earthly things those anxieties will rule your life. You’ll make decisions, you’ll try to earn and hoard resources, you’ll work and work and work; and worry and worry and worry all the while your life will trickle through your fingers.
Ever tried to cup your hands and hold water? It lasts for a few seconds but all too quickly it all drips away. Your hands end up empty. You have nothing.
Trusting God does not make you immune from life’s difficulties and limits. But trusting God and focusing on God’s kingdom gives you something solid that is outside yourself. It is unchanging. It is a focus that puts all the other needs and anxieties of life into proper perspective.
Ultimately it is true that God will give us the kingdom. We may get glimpses of it in this lifetime. The promise of its complete fulfillment in eternal life inspires us. We look forward to good things from God, and the time when anxieties and limits will truly be no more.
Monday, July 28, 2025
Monday, July 21, 2025
July 20, 2025 Luke 12:1-21
Alexander Woollcott is noted for saying, “All the things I really like to do are either illegal, immoral, or fattening.” There seems to be a sad amount of truth to that. If I’m driving down the road and I see a Five Guys restaurant I’m tempted to slow down, turn in, and enjoy a premium juicy burger with excellent fries. By contrast, if I’m driving down the road and see a farm stand advertising kale and asparagus I want to hit the accelerator and get away as soon as possible!
Why is this? While we certainly have self-control and can regularly make healthy choices, we seldom have cravings for things that are good for us. How often have you gone to bed at night and thought, “I can’t wait until morning! I’m excited that as soon as I get up I’m going to clean the house, then I get to pull weeds in the garden, and then I get to spend the rest of the day walking along roads to collect litter.” Are those not all good and necessary things? We may do them, and do them willingly, but we are not excited by them.
Why is it that consumptive and indulgent things excite us, but things that are productive don’t? It seems that the natural human condition is indulgent in things that aren’t good for us.
It also seems to be our nature to turn to ourselves for fulfilment and safety. We want to be able to do what we want, when we want. We want to be in control of our own destiny. We want our lives to be in our own power. Appealing as it is to have what we want and be in control, these are actually not good or healthy things for us. With thoughts like this in the back of our minds, let’s turn to our gospel reading.
You may remember from last week that Jesus was invited to have a dinner at a Pharisee’s house. Some lawyers were among the guests. Everyone was polite, except Jesus. He deliberately disregarded their rules of etiquette. Then he openly criticized the Pharisees and the lawyers. The passage ended with Jesus going outside and the scribes and Pharisees being hostile towards him. They decide to lay in wait for him to catch him in something he might say.
Then we pick up the story this week where a crowd, numbering in the thousands, has gathered around Jesus. Whoever all is in this crowd, they do not associate themselves with the Pharisees. Jesus’ criticism of the Pharisees continues. We want to pay attention to how Jesus’ criticisms develop; for they build upon each other.
First, Jesus says to beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, that is, their hypocrisy. This phrase made perfect sense for its original readers but it gets muddled for us. We know what a hypocrite is. It is someone whose words and actions don’t line up. In ancient Greek a hypocrite was an actor on stage. An actor wore a mask and pretended to be someone else. Our translations into English are correct in using the word hypocrite, but here Jesus’ is using the Greek word the way Jews often did. That gave a slightly different, and deeper meaning. While hypocrite was the word for a professional actor, Jews often used it to refer to a person whose conduct was not determined by God, and is thus “godless”. That then makes Jesus words, “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees; that is, their hypocrisy,” make more sense. Yeast and a professional actor don’t go together in an obvious way. But yeast as hidden corruption and hypocrisy as someone who’s conduct is not determined by God do fit together. Jesus’ warning is that the Pharisees make a show of being religious and faithful, but inside their lives are not determined by God’s will.
“All the things I really like to do are either illegal, immoral, or fattening,” said Alexander Woollcott. It appears that these motives are what are driving the Pharisees Jesus criticizes. While their lives appear to be religious, they are not being driven by God. Their apparent religious practices are really just ways to indulge their base motives. Jesus says the truth of their hearts will be exposed.
Then Jesus turns to his own followers with a warnings to that they do not fall into doing the same things. He says, “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more.” If the Pharisees and lawyers were hostile towards Jesus, they are his enemies. But he is calling this crowd friends. He warns them that those in power may not like them turning to him. Their internal motives are godless after all. So the crowds should be surprised if their commitment to Jesus costs them. Jesus tells them that the real one they should be afraid of is the one who can cast into hell. He says, “Yes, I tell you, fear him!” But this is an ironic teaching. In the midst of hostile situations in life where people might be tempted to renounce their faith, God is the only one who should actually be feared. So they should stand strong in their faith. Of course! And yet Jesus has just called them “friends”. The character of God towards friends is such that we need not fear Him!
But let’s not get cocky. Even as we have God in our hearts and may not driven by godlessness like the Pharisees, there is still that unavoidable truth that all we like is either immoral, illegal, or fattening. We just can’t seem to naturally crave that which is good for us and draws us towards God. Owning up to our natural tendency to turn to everywhere but God is important. If we don’t own up to that tendency we’re thinking we are naturally good – and like the Pharisees and lawyers we read about last week.
As the story progresses we see that even the crowd Jesus just called friends is still prone to problems. They may like Jesus better than the Pharisees do, but they don’t really get what he is saying. Someone in the crowd says, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” What does this have to do with what Jesus has just been talking about? What does it have to do with authentic Spirit-filled witness towards Jesus? Nothing. Indeed the crowd is no better than the Pharisees. They’re just not quite as full of themselves for their own righteousness.
This man’s request prompts Jesus to tell the parable of the rich fool. This parable also gets at the root of human nature that exists in all of us. If we can, we’d rather trust in ourselves rather than in God.
In the parable the land of a rich man produces abundantly. He says to himself, “What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?” What should he do? He should sell the excess, that’s what he should do! By describing this man as a rich landowner Jesus sets him apart from the normal subsistence farmer; or even a farmer is fairly well off. This man is rich. He owns a lot; enough that if he withholds his grain from the market he can drive up the market price. So, in his greed he decides to keep his abundance. That will inflate the market price, which will mean even more money for him. Instead of sharing in his abundance he’s going to use it to further his own desires. He says to his soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”
Notice he does not thank God for his abundance. He also does not look to God for his sense of security or identity. He is going to be his own source of selfhood. His wealth will secure his needs and his status. Immoral, illegal, or fattening; this man is able to indulge and he intends to.
Jesus concludes the parable, “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’” The man in the parable is truly a fool. He has put his focus entirely on the wrong things. He has fallen into the godless trap of thinking that he himself is his own source of self. He’s going to rely on his own strength and prowess to succeed.
We want to be in control of our own destiny. But everything we really want is immoral, illegal, or fattening. That doesn’t take us anywhere good. Jesus said that those who want to save their life will lose it. But those who lose their life will save it. It is a reversal that is true.
We can’t be counted on to know or to want what is truly good for us. It all looks good but it takes us the wrong way. What takes us the right way is legal, moral, and wholesome. It doesn’t look good at first. It may not taste good either. But it is the path to strength. We pray to God to give us that strength and the knowledge to stay focused on him and to truly do what builds us for God’s kingdom.
Why is this? While we certainly have self-control and can regularly make healthy choices, we seldom have cravings for things that are good for us. How often have you gone to bed at night and thought, “I can’t wait until morning! I’m excited that as soon as I get up I’m going to clean the house, then I get to pull weeds in the garden, and then I get to spend the rest of the day walking along roads to collect litter.” Are those not all good and necessary things? We may do them, and do them willingly, but we are not excited by them.
Why is it that consumptive and indulgent things excite us, but things that are productive don’t? It seems that the natural human condition is indulgent in things that aren’t good for us.
It also seems to be our nature to turn to ourselves for fulfilment and safety. We want to be able to do what we want, when we want. We want to be in control of our own destiny. We want our lives to be in our own power. Appealing as it is to have what we want and be in control, these are actually not good or healthy things for us. With thoughts like this in the back of our minds, let’s turn to our gospel reading.
You may remember from last week that Jesus was invited to have a dinner at a Pharisee’s house. Some lawyers were among the guests. Everyone was polite, except Jesus. He deliberately disregarded their rules of etiquette. Then he openly criticized the Pharisees and the lawyers. The passage ended with Jesus going outside and the scribes and Pharisees being hostile towards him. They decide to lay in wait for him to catch him in something he might say.
Then we pick up the story this week where a crowd, numbering in the thousands, has gathered around Jesus. Whoever all is in this crowd, they do not associate themselves with the Pharisees. Jesus’ criticism of the Pharisees continues. We want to pay attention to how Jesus’ criticisms develop; for they build upon each other.
First, Jesus says to beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, that is, their hypocrisy. This phrase made perfect sense for its original readers but it gets muddled for us. We know what a hypocrite is. It is someone whose words and actions don’t line up. In ancient Greek a hypocrite was an actor on stage. An actor wore a mask and pretended to be someone else. Our translations into English are correct in using the word hypocrite, but here Jesus’ is using the Greek word the way Jews often did. That gave a slightly different, and deeper meaning. While hypocrite was the word for a professional actor, Jews often used it to refer to a person whose conduct was not determined by God, and is thus “godless”. That then makes Jesus words, “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees; that is, their hypocrisy,” make more sense. Yeast and a professional actor don’t go together in an obvious way. But yeast as hidden corruption and hypocrisy as someone who’s conduct is not determined by God do fit together. Jesus’ warning is that the Pharisees make a show of being religious and faithful, but inside their lives are not determined by God’s will.
“All the things I really like to do are either illegal, immoral, or fattening,” said Alexander Woollcott. It appears that these motives are what are driving the Pharisees Jesus criticizes. While their lives appear to be religious, they are not being driven by God. Their apparent religious practices are really just ways to indulge their base motives. Jesus says the truth of their hearts will be exposed.
Then Jesus turns to his own followers with a warnings to that they do not fall into doing the same things. He says, “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more.” If the Pharisees and lawyers were hostile towards Jesus, they are his enemies. But he is calling this crowd friends. He warns them that those in power may not like them turning to him. Their internal motives are godless after all. So the crowds should be surprised if their commitment to Jesus costs them. Jesus tells them that the real one they should be afraid of is the one who can cast into hell. He says, “Yes, I tell you, fear him!” But this is an ironic teaching. In the midst of hostile situations in life where people might be tempted to renounce their faith, God is the only one who should actually be feared. So they should stand strong in their faith. Of course! And yet Jesus has just called them “friends”. The character of God towards friends is such that we need not fear Him!
But let’s not get cocky. Even as we have God in our hearts and may not driven by godlessness like the Pharisees, there is still that unavoidable truth that all we like is either immoral, illegal, or fattening. We just can’t seem to naturally crave that which is good for us and draws us towards God. Owning up to our natural tendency to turn to everywhere but God is important. If we don’t own up to that tendency we’re thinking we are naturally good – and like the Pharisees and lawyers we read about last week.
As the story progresses we see that even the crowd Jesus just called friends is still prone to problems. They may like Jesus better than the Pharisees do, but they don’t really get what he is saying. Someone in the crowd says, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” What does this have to do with what Jesus has just been talking about? What does it have to do with authentic Spirit-filled witness towards Jesus? Nothing. Indeed the crowd is no better than the Pharisees. They’re just not quite as full of themselves for their own righteousness.
This man’s request prompts Jesus to tell the parable of the rich fool. This parable also gets at the root of human nature that exists in all of us. If we can, we’d rather trust in ourselves rather than in God.
In the parable the land of a rich man produces abundantly. He says to himself, “What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?” What should he do? He should sell the excess, that’s what he should do! By describing this man as a rich landowner Jesus sets him apart from the normal subsistence farmer; or even a farmer is fairly well off. This man is rich. He owns a lot; enough that if he withholds his grain from the market he can drive up the market price. So, in his greed he decides to keep his abundance. That will inflate the market price, which will mean even more money for him. Instead of sharing in his abundance he’s going to use it to further his own desires. He says to his soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”
Notice he does not thank God for his abundance. He also does not look to God for his sense of security or identity. He is going to be his own source of selfhood. His wealth will secure his needs and his status. Immoral, illegal, or fattening; this man is able to indulge and he intends to.
Jesus concludes the parable, “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’” The man in the parable is truly a fool. He has put his focus entirely on the wrong things. He has fallen into the godless trap of thinking that he himself is his own source of self. He’s going to rely on his own strength and prowess to succeed.
We want to be in control of our own destiny. But everything we really want is immoral, illegal, or fattening. That doesn’t take us anywhere good. Jesus said that those who want to save their life will lose it. But those who lose their life will save it. It is a reversal that is true.
We can’t be counted on to know or to want what is truly good for us. It all looks good but it takes us the wrong way. What takes us the right way is legal, moral, and wholesome. It doesn’t look good at first. It may not taste good either. But it is the path to strength. We pray to God to give us that strength and the knowledge to stay focused on him and to truly do what builds us for God’s kingdom.
Wednesday, July 16, 2025
July 13, 2025 Luke 11:37-54
I’ve often imagined what it would be like to invite Jesus to my home for dinner. The idea makes me anxious. What would Jesus say? What am I proud of that he would condemn? What do I dismiss as unimportant that he would praise?
There are several accounts in Luke’s gospel of people inviting Jesus into their homes. Several weeks ago we read about Simon the Pharisee who invited Jesus for a meal. An unnamed woman came and anointed Jesus’ feet. The whole thing was certainly embarrassing, yet Jesus criticizes his host for a lack of basic hospitality and praises the woman.
Then a couple weeks ago we had the story of Mary and Martha. Martha is doing her duty as a hostess while Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus listening. We’re tempted to take Martha’s part and criticize Mary for being lax. But Jesus criticizes Martha and praises Mary.
Later this year we’ll get to the story of Zacchaeus, the “wee little man” who was a tax collector and climbed a tree to see Jesus walk by. In that case Jesus invites himself to dinner. We’d expect Jesus to really rip into this tax collector. Tax collectors were despised and often crooked. Yet before Jesus can even say a word Zacchaeus is apologizing and promising a change of life.
Yes, you just don’t know what will happen if Jesus comes to your house.
Let’s see what we learn from the encounter we read today where a Pharisee invites Jesus to a meal. We take a step back and remind ourselves of two things. First, we’re still reading in Luke’s gospel about Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem. He is no longer traveling around his home territory of Galilee but is slowly making his way south. This Pharisee had probably heard of Jesus before. Now Jesus had come into his area and a large crowd had gathered to hear him speak. So he invites Jesus to his home.
Second, Jesus was probably considered by most Jews to belong to the sect of Pharisees. Only the Pharisees had synagogues. None of the other sects did. Jesus has been teaching in synagogues all along. So, the dinner scene is not as if a Sadducee or Herodian had been invited. If Jesus were considered to be from one of those groups we’d expect conflict and confrontation. But, this encounter is among people of the same general religious group. The Pharisee could reasonably assume Jesus knew the beliefs and practices of people like himself.
But things do not go well. Right off the bat Jesus goes in and takes his place at the table without properly washing. This is not a matter of hygiene. It is a matter of ritual and religious practice.
When someone comes into our home there are countless social expectations involved. We don’t realize it, but there are. How would you feel if a guest who’d never been in your house before just walked in, dropped his shoes and coat on the floor at the door, started rearranging the furniture, took pictures off the wall to look at them, and then just walked to the fridge, opened it, and starting looking inside? There’s nothing outright dangerous or wrong with doing that sort of thing, but none of it is what we consider to be appropriate conduct from a guest.
Jesus does not follow, or seems to deliberately ignore, the Pharisee’s household’s religious practices and traditions. He is not being a good guest! Luke tells us that the Pharisee noted this but said nothing. The Pharisee is being a good host, not wanting to embarrass a guest in his house. The same way you may overlook any number of social faux pas from a guest. We learn later in the story that there are a good number of prominent guests at the Pharisee’s house. The Pharisee was probably embarrassed in front of his other guests, but again, as a good host not wanting to challenge or shame a guest, he keeps silent.
Perhaps, Jesus being from the backwards northern hick country of Galilee, his possibly ignorance of proper conduct could be overlooked. The Pharisee and his guests could all snicker about it later after Jesus has left.
But Jesus, who is already exhibiting behavior deviant from expected norms, goes further. Hosts should not embarrass their guests and guests should not embarrass their hosts. Jesus reveals that he not only knows the expected social norms yet is choosing to violate them, and he also reveals that he knows what’s going on inside their heads. So, he embarrasses his host and the other guests by saying, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.”
Ouch! What a way for Jesus to address an apparently kind and religious host! What a way to embarrass all the guests! I’m sure you’ve all been to a party or a gathering when someone says or does something that causes stunned silence and embarrassment from everyone else there. It is awkward to say the least. I imagine the scene where a large group of people were gathered at the Pharisees house for a good and pleasant meal, then Jesus as a guest ignores the rules and makes it worse by spouting off condemnations to them all.
Taken aback, and probably trying to politely release the tension a lawyer speaks us, “Teacher…” And notice that by addressing Jesus as “teacher” this lawyer is still showing Jesus polite respect. “…when you say these things, you insult us too!” But Jesus turns the social tension up even higher by proclaiming woes to the lawyers as well.
I know there are plenty of sleazy liability lawyers advertising their services all over the place. It is easy to judge lawyers, but let’s remember that the vast majority of lawyers simply represent their clients in routine matters and charge accordingly.
What is going on with this scene, and what do we take from it? Again, let’s keep in mind that everyone there is being kind, polite, and respectful. These are what we would call “good” people. We’d almost certainly like them. The are cultured, controlled, and respectful. But Jesus rips into them repeatedly. Obviously they are not as good as they think they are. What are they missing? And if they are like us, then what might we be missing?
Pharisees came from all economic classes: rich, poor, middle class. If the Pharisee in today’s story had a house big enough to host a major dinner party, and if some of the guests were lawyers, then it’s pretty safe to assume this Pharisee was well-to-do, if not downright wealthy. The lawyers too, were probably well-to-do. It is probably safe to say that none of the guests had callouses on their hands by making it through life with hard manual labor. In other words, they were management types who lived a step away from reality.
In their world of management they did all sorts of things that they considered to be proper morality and ethics. They followed religious laws. They thought their prosperity was proof that they were blessed by God. They had created their own circular logic of virtue. If you brought their morality and religiosity into question they could point to all sorts of virtues in their lives. They not only tithed, they tithed from their spices. They donated generously. They contributed to the preservation of important religious places, like the tombs of the prophets. It was hard to truly challenge them. Jesus points all of it out as misguided.
The same dynamics easily happen in our society today. It is easy to pick a political party or ideology and then take on its morality. You buy products that signal to which group you belong. You read books or listen to podcasts that reinforce the views you already have. Computer algorithms show us content that we agree with. It is easy to live in an echo chamber that tells us how good we are; and how bad, or ignorant, or even stupid, those we disagree with are.
But are we really good? How connected to reality are we? Are we not just participating in vast global systems of production and consumption? My intent is not to criticize global dynamics that give us comforts and conveniences. But I will remind us that we can easily call ourselves “good” and be totally ignorant of the real consequences of our lives.
We could beat ourselves up or wring our hands in helplessness but that would not be helpful. I think what Jesus wants from us, and what Jesus wanted from the Pharisees and lawyers that day in our gospel reading, was a recognition of sinfulness. Or said differently, not having smugness where we think ourselves better than others and look down on them.
It is the core of our faith to realize that we fall short of God’s desires; no matter how good our social groups tell us we are. I’d go so far as to say we trust the messages that we are good from our social groups more than we trust God.
It all comes down to humility, and openness to our frailties. With that attitude I think if Jesus were to come to our home we’d have an enjoyable time. It is those who think highly of themselves and their morals that Jesus has problems with. Those who are aware that they have failings, and are aware that we live in a society that makes it impossible to truly live ideally, are also open to Jesus. He had good things to say to such people and seemed to enjoy their presence.
All in all, we seek to be moral but do not take pride in the morality. We remember our need for God’s grace, and that even when we are truly moral in our lives we are still responding to God’s promptings in our hearts.
There are several accounts in Luke’s gospel of people inviting Jesus into their homes. Several weeks ago we read about Simon the Pharisee who invited Jesus for a meal. An unnamed woman came and anointed Jesus’ feet. The whole thing was certainly embarrassing, yet Jesus criticizes his host for a lack of basic hospitality and praises the woman.
Then a couple weeks ago we had the story of Mary and Martha. Martha is doing her duty as a hostess while Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus listening. We’re tempted to take Martha’s part and criticize Mary for being lax. But Jesus criticizes Martha and praises Mary.
Later this year we’ll get to the story of Zacchaeus, the “wee little man” who was a tax collector and climbed a tree to see Jesus walk by. In that case Jesus invites himself to dinner. We’d expect Jesus to really rip into this tax collector. Tax collectors were despised and often crooked. Yet before Jesus can even say a word Zacchaeus is apologizing and promising a change of life.
Yes, you just don’t know what will happen if Jesus comes to your house.
Let’s see what we learn from the encounter we read today where a Pharisee invites Jesus to a meal. We take a step back and remind ourselves of two things. First, we’re still reading in Luke’s gospel about Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem. He is no longer traveling around his home territory of Galilee but is slowly making his way south. This Pharisee had probably heard of Jesus before. Now Jesus had come into his area and a large crowd had gathered to hear him speak. So he invites Jesus to his home.
Second, Jesus was probably considered by most Jews to belong to the sect of Pharisees. Only the Pharisees had synagogues. None of the other sects did. Jesus has been teaching in synagogues all along. So, the dinner scene is not as if a Sadducee or Herodian had been invited. If Jesus were considered to be from one of those groups we’d expect conflict and confrontation. But, this encounter is among people of the same general religious group. The Pharisee could reasonably assume Jesus knew the beliefs and practices of people like himself.
But things do not go well. Right off the bat Jesus goes in and takes his place at the table without properly washing. This is not a matter of hygiene. It is a matter of ritual and religious practice.
When someone comes into our home there are countless social expectations involved. We don’t realize it, but there are. How would you feel if a guest who’d never been in your house before just walked in, dropped his shoes and coat on the floor at the door, started rearranging the furniture, took pictures off the wall to look at them, and then just walked to the fridge, opened it, and starting looking inside? There’s nothing outright dangerous or wrong with doing that sort of thing, but none of it is what we consider to be appropriate conduct from a guest.
Jesus does not follow, or seems to deliberately ignore, the Pharisee’s household’s religious practices and traditions. He is not being a good guest! Luke tells us that the Pharisee noted this but said nothing. The Pharisee is being a good host, not wanting to embarrass a guest in his house. The same way you may overlook any number of social faux pas from a guest. We learn later in the story that there are a good number of prominent guests at the Pharisee’s house. The Pharisee was probably embarrassed in front of his other guests, but again, as a good host not wanting to challenge or shame a guest, he keeps silent.
Perhaps, Jesus being from the backwards northern hick country of Galilee, his possibly ignorance of proper conduct could be overlooked. The Pharisee and his guests could all snicker about it later after Jesus has left.
But Jesus, who is already exhibiting behavior deviant from expected norms, goes further. Hosts should not embarrass their guests and guests should not embarrass their hosts. Jesus reveals that he not only knows the expected social norms yet is choosing to violate them, and he also reveals that he knows what’s going on inside their heads. So, he embarrasses his host and the other guests by saying, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.”
Ouch! What a way for Jesus to address an apparently kind and religious host! What a way to embarrass all the guests! I’m sure you’ve all been to a party or a gathering when someone says or does something that causes stunned silence and embarrassment from everyone else there. It is awkward to say the least. I imagine the scene where a large group of people were gathered at the Pharisees house for a good and pleasant meal, then Jesus as a guest ignores the rules and makes it worse by spouting off condemnations to them all.
Taken aback, and probably trying to politely release the tension a lawyer speaks us, “Teacher…” And notice that by addressing Jesus as “teacher” this lawyer is still showing Jesus polite respect. “…when you say these things, you insult us too!” But Jesus turns the social tension up even higher by proclaiming woes to the lawyers as well.
I know there are plenty of sleazy liability lawyers advertising their services all over the place. It is easy to judge lawyers, but let’s remember that the vast majority of lawyers simply represent their clients in routine matters and charge accordingly.
What is going on with this scene, and what do we take from it? Again, let’s keep in mind that everyone there is being kind, polite, and respectful. These are what we would call “good” people. We’d almost certainly like them. The are cultured, controlled, and respectful. But Jesus rips into them repeatedly. Obviously they are not as good as they think they are. What are they missing? And if they are like us, then what might we be missing?
Pharisees came from all economic classes: rich, poor, middle class. If the Pharisee in today’s story had a house big enough to host a major dinner party, and if some of the guests were lawyers, then it’s pretty safe to assume this Pharisee was well-to-do, if not downright wealthy. The lawyers too, were probably well-to-do. It is probably safe to say that none of the guests had callouses on their hands by making it through life with hard manual labor. In other words, they were management types who lived a step away from reality.
In their world of management they did all sorts of things that they considered to be proper morality and ethics. They followed religious laws. They thought their prosperity was proof that they were blessed by God. They had created their own circular logic of virtue. If you brought their morality and religiosity into question they could point to all sorts of virtues in their lives. They not only tithed, they tithed from their spices. They donated generously. They contributed to the preservation of important religious places, like the tombs of the prophets. It was hard to truly challenge them. Jesus points all of it out as misguided.
The same dynamics easily happen in our society today. It is easy to pick a political party or ideology and then take on its morality. You buy products that signal to which group you belong. You read books or listen to podcasts that reinforce the views you already have. Computer algorithms show us content that we agree with. It is easy to live in an echo chamber that tells us how good we are; and how bad, or ignorant, or even stupid, those we disagree with are.
But are we really good? How connected to reality are we? Are we not just participating in vast global systems of production and consumption? My intent is not to criticize global dynamics that give us comforts and conveniences. But I will remind us that we can easily call ourselves “good” and be totally ignorant of the real consequences of our lives.
We could beat ourselves up or wring our hands in helplessness but that would not be helpful. I think what Jesus wants from us, and what Jesus wanted from the Pharisees and lawyers that day in our gospel reading, was a recognition of sinfulness. Or said differently, not having smugness where we think ourselves better than others and look down on them.
It is the core of our faith to realize that we fall short of God’s desires; no matter how good our social groups tell us we are. I’d go so far as to say we trust the messages that we are good from our social groups more than we trust God.
It all comes down to humility, and openness to our frailties. With that attitude I think if Jesus were to come to our home we’d have an enjoyable time. It is those who think highly of themselves and their morals that Jesus has problems with. Those who are aware that they have failings, and are aware that we live in a society that makes it impossible to truly live ideally, are also open to Jesus. He had good things to say to such people and seemed to enjoy their presence.
All in all, we seek to be moral but do not take pride in the morality. We remember our need for God’s grace, and that even when we are truly moral in our lives we are still responding to God’s promptings in our hearts.
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