Proper 26 - October 31, 2010

Isaiah 1:10-18

This is a good reading for those of us who like our liturgy, because it tells us that worship, if divorced from a good life, is actually a burden to God: the most beautiful songs sounding horribly off-key, the most sincere-sounding prayers just a grating nasal whine.    Bummer.  In seminary we learned (from the liturgics professor, of course) that “good worship can save bad preaching,” but apparently it can’t save bad practice.  Why?  Because, as verse 15 puts it in some powerful imagery, when we stretch out our hands to God in the worship service, they’re stained red from our participation in evil and injustice.  The solution?  “Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.”  In other words, work to right the wrongs in the world, dedicate ourselves to the cause of the poor and vulnerable.

But we’re not on our own here, nor is this something that God expects to happen all at once.  Notice, the text says, “Learn to do good.”  Also, we’re invited to “argue it out with God” (verse 18).  Like a court case, it’s not a one-sided process: we make our case, God makes God’s case, and in that two-way conversation we learn how to wash the blood from our hands.

2 Thess. 1:1-4, 11-12

            The letters to the Thessalonians are thought to be some of the earliest of Paul’s letters, and we get a hint as to why that is in this week’s reading.  Again, this is a reading that skips over several verses, so we miss some important information.  Paul first gives thanks for the congregation’s hanging in there in the midst of persecutions.  What kind of persecutions?  We don’t really know, but in verses 5-10 it seems apparent that Paul expects Jesus’ return and the fulfillment of God’s kingdom any time now.  This is partly why these letters are though to be relatively early: Jesus had talked about the arrival of God’s kingdom, then the events of his death and resurrection sure seemed like kingdom-size events, so for a while his followers figured the fulfillment of God’s reign was right around the corner.  It stands to reason, then, that the letters reflecting this view would be earlier. 

Anyway, Paul sees two sides to the fulfillment of God’s Kingdom – relief to those who are being afflicted and destruction for those doing the afflicting.  Good news for the suffering Thessalonians, bad news for whoever was persecuting them.  We mainline Christians don’t tend to like this apocalyptic-judgment stuff very much, which may be why it tends to get left out of the Lectionary readings.  But I actually think it’s a really important piece of the puzzle because it reminds us that, when we talk about “God’s kingdom” and “heaven,” we’re not talking about some bland city in the clouds or individualized “personal paradise” – we’re talking about God’s reign, and it’s possible to be on the wrong side of that (see the Isaiah reading, for example).  Having chewed on this, we can hear more clearly verses 11-12 of this reading, where Paul prays for the congregation to receive God’s power to bring their faith to fruition.

           

Luke 19:1-10

This text begins by telling us that Jesus is in Jericho, a reminder that he’s on his way to Jerusalem (and we know what happens there) and he’s getting closer.  I like this story for its details and for the character of Zacchaeus, who represents a kind of scrambling of Luke’s familiar categories.  Luke says he’s not just a tax collector but a  chief tax collector (i.e., a serious outsider – see 7:34); he’s also rich (does that mean insider? See 14:12); then, too, he’s short enough that he has to climb a tree to get a better view of Jesus (suggesting childlike-ness - see 9:47).  To top it off, his name means “innocent.”  Presumably, though, as a chief tax collector he did not become rich through innocent means but rather through extortion, which makes the thought of him being this little guy climbing a tree that much funnier to me. 

So Jesus sees him up in the tree and calls him down, saying he needs to take Jesus into his house.  This too is a kind of scrambling – Jesus has himself welcomed tax collectors (see 15:2) but here he’s being welcomed by one; that said, Jesus is the initiator here, sort of playing host where he’s the guest (we see this again at Emmaus, 24:30).  The reaction from those watching, though, is as expected – they grumble at him hanging out with a “sinner.”

The next exchange is also somewhat category-defying.  Previously we’ve heard Jesus demand that his followers give up all their possessions (see 14:33).  Here Zaccheus, apparently in response to Jesus’ friendship, offers to give half of everything to the poor and pay punitive quadruple damages for any fraud he’s committed.  Which, any way you slice it, is a lot to those of us who make a big deal about 10%.  So maybe it’s the fact that it’s a voluntary response.  Or maybe it’s the fact that Zaccheus offers to hold himself to the Torah’s strictest restitution requirements (see, e.g., Exodus 22:1) – after all, Jesus has said that Moses and the prophets offer enough guidance in the matter of possessions (16:31).  Whatever the case, Jesus says that “Today salvation has come to this house.”  It seems Zacchaeus has recognized the presence of God’s kingdom in Jesus and has made a sufficiently kingdom-size response.