Monday, March 18, 2013

Luke 12:35-48


Dear Theophilus,
You paint a beautiful picture of wealth.  It challenges what I have believed to be true, what the world believes to be true, and it must, at times, feel as though you’re pushing a boulder uphill to convince the world that the wealth you seek is superior to the wealth they seek.  I can scarcely imagine trying to tell my brothers that I am giving up the quest for financial security and going in search of a lifestyle of serving and loving others.  While I might be able to convince them that this is a worthwhile decision, I doubt that I could ever help them believe that I would be richer than they.  I have spent my life judging between the rich and the poor, associating a life of wealth with large houses, many servants and rich, sumptuous feasts.  The idea of sacrificing that for another is foreign to me, but much of this conversation has been a revelation to me. 
I appreciate the point that more material belongings tend to bring along more worry, and that upon the event of my death my belongings cease to matter, while these spiritual riches promise to transcend death.  That is a powerful argument, but I wonder how to best convey it to a culture of people who are focused on this life, the here and the now.  I shall think more on this, I can promise you that, friend.  You have kicked over a hornet’s nest in my mind, and their insistent buzzing keeps me awake deep into the night pondering the life I am living and the values to which I ascribe.  A wiser man may have made a decision by now, but this is such a radical departure from all that I have ever known, I cannot help but cling to the old when tempted by the new.
It’s funny to me to think of myself as sitting on this proverbial fence debating this when I think of the latest information I have received describing the next chapter in the teachings of Jesus.  He is telling the disciples to be dressed and prepared for action with lamps lit, prepared for whatever is needed as a servant would be when the master of the house returned from a wedding feast.  A slothful or indecisive servant would need to crawl from their slumbers when the knock on the door came, while prepared servants would be ready to fling the door open at the sound of the first knock.  These servants, Jesus says, will be blessed.  He goes on to say that the master will invite them to sit at the table and be served by the master, a situation that would surely be shocking to the servant!  I am certain they would protest, but the very idea of the master serving the servant upends all the expectations of the way the world works. 
Once again, Jesus throws a wrench into how society is to think, and once again I am uncertain of what to do with it!  You, Theophilus, would tell me to wise up and follow Jesus, and yet I sit on the edge of bed, not ready for action but neither asleep, pondering the meaning of all it.  If the knock on the door comes, what will my reaction be?  What will the master’s reaction be?  Is there even a master?  Or am I just chasing ghosts in my mind?  It all runs counter to the way the world has always worked, and part of me is tempted to believe that Jesus was simply out of his mind, but I cannot help but wonder, after so many letters and such a thorough examination of the facts, that perhaps it is we, chasing down the unattainable dream of security in a world ruled by chaos, who are out of our minds and Jesus, promising security that cannot be wrenched from our hands by thieves or stolen while we slumber by moths, who is the one with everything together.
Jesus closes this particular section with a warning, telling all that would hear that the thief comes when the owner is unprepared—for if every owner knew when the thief would draw near, then they would prevent the thief from success.  Jesus likens the case to the Son of Man, who will come at a time unexpected.  Disciples are to be prepared.  Theophilus, I hear this as a warning to be prepared when Jesus comes, and yet he is teaching this as he stands before them, a strange juxtaposition.  I suppose he is alluding to his return, or to a moment when each individual will be called upon to testify to their preparedness, but it feels strange to me that Jesus talks about his future appearances when he is present at the time.
Peter, too, has a question for Jesus.  He asks Jesus if such a story applies to everyone or only to the disciples. 
Jesus goes on to paint a clear picture of what is expected of those who follow Jesus.  He does this by continuing the analogy of the master and the servants, asking which servant will be put in charge, as a manger, of the remaining servants, the one responsible for giving them food at the right times.  He uses the words faithful and prudent, descriptors that we’d all like used for ourselves!  Jesus offers these words for the one who is working when the master arrives, something that is easy to do when one knows exactly when the master will show up, but is much, much harder when the arrival is unpredictable.  The one who works constantly will be elevated when the master arrives, while the one who gives up hope that the master is coming and begins to drink to the point of drunkenness, the one who begins to beat the other servants, will be found out when the master comes and be placed with the unfaithful ones after being beaten and cut.  Harsh penalties, I know, but when one knows what is expected of him and fails to perform these duties, there are ramifications.  It would have been better if the servant did not know the expectations—there would still be a beating, Jesus says, but it would be a light beating.  There are high expectations for those with knowledge of the expectations and the ability to meet them.  The demands are higher for those with many gifts than those with few. 
I suppose, friend, that I would have been like the servant who received a light beating before this exchange began.  I had nothing beyond cursory knowledge of Jesus and his teachings, and while I sought to live a moral life, there was little striving for the things that Jesus talks about.  Now, however, being in possession of such knowledge, I wonder what the reaction of the master would be upon his return.  Would he find me falling short of expectations?  Or would my inquiries into a life of faith count in some small way?  I suppose I do not know, and cannot know, until the master returns, whenever that will be.  I have heard many predictions about the end of the world, and none have come true quite yet, so I suppose I am safe for another day.  The end may well be near, but I continue living for the moment, and I will continue my search, trying to live a good life until it becomes clear that this life is not good enough. 
These waters are far deeper than expected, Theophilus!  I would have been wise to prepare for such a plunge!
Sincerely,
Luke 

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